Tag: wisdom
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The Hidden Brother at a Separate Table – Genesis 43:31-33
Genesis 43:31-32 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is…
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Ready Before the Trouble – Genesis 41:32
Genesis 41:32-38 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him…
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When God’s Hour Arrives – Genesis 41:1-8
Genesis 41:1-8 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the…
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The Tent Pointed the Wrong Way – Genesis 34:30-31
Genesis 34:30-31 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.…
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Softly on the Way – Genesis 33:13-14
Genesis 33:13-14And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as…
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A Boundary Both Men Understood – Genesis 31:50-53
Genesis 31:50–53If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; This heap be witness, and…
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When the Heart Gets Divided – Genesis 29:31
Genesis 29:31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. A few verses earlier, the text said Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Now the thing is stated more bluntly. Leah was hated. That is where polygamy leads. Man tries to improve on the order of…
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One Day at a Time – Genesis 25:7
Genesis 25:7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. I like the way that is phrased. It does not just speak of years in the abstract. It speaks of the days of the years. That is where life is really lived. Not…
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The Price Behind the Politeness – Genesis 23:12-15
Genesis 23:12-15 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my…
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The Bargaining Begins – Genesis 23:10-11
Genesis 23:10-11 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give…
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Charity and Wisdom – Genesis 21:26-27
Genesis 21:26, 27And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. I like the balance here. When Abimelech answers Abraham, Abraham does…
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What Sin Leaves Behind – Genesis 19:37-38
Genesis 19:37-38And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. And now you see the long…
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No Strife, I Pray Thee – Genesis 13:7-8
Genesis 13:7-8 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot… … Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen……
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Too Much to Stay Together – Genesis 13:5-6
Genesis 13:5-6 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. Abram and Lot had both increased greatly. Their flocks had multiplied, their herds had…
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The Elder Who Started the Conversation – Revelation 7:13
Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? There is something beautiful tucked into this verse. One of the elders answered, even though John had not asked a question. That catches my attention because it is often exactly what…
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Lift Your Eyes Higher – 2 Peter 2:7-8
2 Peter 2:7-8 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds). Lot is one of those men in Scripture who catches us off guard. If all you had were…
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Plain Words – James 5:12
James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. James brings us back again to the mouth. Why? Because so much damage in life comes out of…
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The Mercy of God’s No – James 4:3
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James says something here that clears up a lot of confusion about prayer. Sometimes we ask and do not receive, not because God is distant, and not because He does not care, but because we are…
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What Kind of Wisdom Is This? – James 3:15–18
James 3:15–18 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.…
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True Wisdom Has a Different Spirit – James 3:13–14
James 3:13, 14 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. James is saying, “You want to know who…
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What Your Tongue Steers – James 3:3–6
James 3:3–6 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.Even so the tongue is…
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Hot Anger Never Builds Anything Right – James 1:20
James 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James could hardly say it more plainly. Human anger does not produce God’s kind of result. That is worth underlining, circling, and remembering, because most of us still act at times as though being worked up, irritated, and hot under the collar…
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Hush Long Enough to Hear – James 1:19
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Pressure makes people loud. When life hurts, when persecution closes in, when a trial will not let up, the tongue usually wants to run first. We want to explain, protest, defend, vent, argue, complain, or demand…
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When You Do Not Know What to Do – James 1:5–8
You are in the middle of a trial, and the hardest part is not always the pain. Sometimes the hardest part is not knowing what to do next. Do I speak or stay quiet?Do I move or wait?Do I confront it or endure it?Do I hold on or let go?That is where James meets us.…
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Background to James
James was written by James, the half brother of Jesus, not James the brother of John. That alone makes the book remarkable. He grew up in the same household as Jesus, yet during Jesus’ earthly ministry, His brothers did not believe in Him. After the Resurrection, however, everything changed. James became fully convinced that Jesus truly…
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A Clean Heart Sees Clearly — Titus 1:15
Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Paul now moves from false teaching to the condition of the heart. He says that to the pure, all things are pure. That statement can easily be…
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The Wisdom of the Scriptures — 2 Timothy 3:15
2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Paul reminds Timothy of something deeply personal here. Timothy did not come to the Scriptures late in life. He had known them since he was…
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Run the Right Direction — 2 Timothy 2:22
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Paul gives Timothy a very practical instruction. Flee. Notice he does not say argue with temptation. He does not say analyze it, manage it, or see how close you can…
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Noise That Leads Nowhere — 2 Timothy 2:16
2 Timothy 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Paul gives Timothy a very practical warning. “Shun profane and vain babblings.” In other words, learn when to walk away from empty talk. Not every conversation is worth entering. Not every argument deserves your attention. Think about that for…
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Chewing on the Word — 2 Timothy 2:7
2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Paul gives Timothy a simple instruction. Consider what I say. Understanding does not usually come to the person who rushes past the page. It comes to the one who slows down long enough to think about what he just…
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Guard the Treasure — 1 Timothy 6:20–21
1 Timothy 6:20, 21 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. Paul closes his letter with a deeply personal appeal. Guard what has been entrusted to you. The…
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The Trap Hidden in the Treasure — 1 Timothy 6:9–10
1 Timothy 6:9, 10 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through…
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When Religion Becomes a Ladder — 1 Timothy 6:3–5
1 Timothy 6:3–5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,Perverse disputings of men of corrupt…
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A Little Wine and a Lot of Wisdom — 1 Timothy 5:23
1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities. This verse almost feels like a quiet aside in the middle of Paul’s instructions to Timothy. After speaking about leadership, discipline, and purity, Paul suddenly gives a very personal piece of advice. Take a little…
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Slow Hands in Leadership — 1 Timothy 5:21–22
1 Timothy 5:21, 22 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. Paul suddenly raises the seriousness of the moment.…
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No Place to Land — 1 Timothy 5:19
1 Timothy 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Paul gives Timothy a very practical safeguard for the church. If someone brings an accusation against a spiritual leader, Timothy is not to receive it unless there are two or three witnesses willing to stand behind the claim. Why?…
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A Life That Stays Busy — 1 Timothy 5:13–14
1 Timothy 5:13–14 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. Paul now gets…
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A Season for Living — 1 Timothy 5:11–12
1 Timothy 5:11–12 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. Paul now gives Timothy a surprising instruction. Younger widows were not to be placed on the church’s official list of widows who were devoted to…
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Not a Novice — 1 Timothy 3:6
1 Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Paul now adds something that feels almost protective. Do not put a brand new believer into leadership. Why? Because pride grows fast in fresh soil. The word novice means newly planted. A sapling. Something still…