David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 2 Chronicles 7, 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8, Psalm 143.

2 Chronicles 7:1-6

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. ² And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. ³ When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

⁴ Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. ⁵ King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶ The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the Lord that King David had made for giving thanks to the Lord—for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.

I thought of titling this post, “BOOM!”

I am struck by the decisive way God makes his presence known as soon as Solomon finishes his prayer of dedication. BOOM! Fire comes down from heaven. BOOM! The burnt offering is consumed. BOOM! The glory of the LORD fills the Temple. Mission accomplished. The Temple is built and dedicated.

But there is much more going on in these verses from 2 Chronicles 7 – not to mention the rest of today’s readings. It all begins with a bang. God makes it unmistakably clear that he has accepted this Temple and chosen to place his Name there among his people.

The people respond in exactly the right way. Overwhelmed by God’s presence, power, and glory, they bow with their faces to the ground and worship. And I love their refrain of praise:

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

The LORD is good. His steadfast love does endure forever.

The people are at once humble and exuberant – faces to the pavement, hearts lifted in praise. Reverence and joy belong together.

And all this makes me think of another BOOM!

Good Friday. BOOM! The curtain of the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Easter morning. BOOM! The earth shakes and Jesus rises from the dead. Death is defeated. Sin is forgiven. Satan is conquered.

Then another BOOM! Ten days after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit is poured out at Pentecost. Tongues of fire. Bold witnesses. God’s presence no longer filling merely a building, but dwelling in his people.

One day yet another BOOM! The trumpet will sound and we will stand before God. We who hide our sins in Jesus’ cross will rejoice forever, praising the One who is good, whose steadfast love endures forever.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5-6, Psalm 142.

1 Kings 8:22-30

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, ²³ and said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart; ²⁴ you have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. ²⁵ Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’ ²⁶ Now therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.

²⁷ “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! ²⁸ Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, ²⁹ that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. ³⁰ And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

When we dedicated the worship center at St. John, we included the Bible verse: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Jesus quoted those words when he drove the money changers from the Temple courts. Long before Jesus, Isaiah had spoken them, and even earlier Solomon pointed toward that same truth as he dedicated the Temple: God delights to hear prayer, and his house is to be a place of prayer for all peoples.

That is not a typo. Peoples refers to people groups — unique cultures, languages, ethnicities, and traditions. God is God of all. Throughout the Old Testament, he made himself known through patriarchs, prophets, judges, and kings so that the nations might know him.

Solomon makes that point beautifully in his prayer. He even prays for the foreigner:

“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake…hear in heaven your dwelling place” (1 Kings 8:41–43).

Surely that helps explain why Jesus was so distressed by the corruption of the Temple courts. The place meant to welcome the nations had become something else entirely.

Solomon also repeatedly prays for God’s forgiveness. Again and again he asks that when people turn to the LORD and cry out to him, he would hear and forgive. And Solomon speaks plainly:

“If they sin against you — for there is no one who does not sin…” (1 Kings 8:46).

We need to hear those words. There is no one who does not sin. Yet there is also no one who turns to God in repentance whom he refuses to forgive.

I sometimes say that we do our good works away from the cross, not toward it. Our good works do not recommend us to God; they flow from the kindness, grace, and love already shown to us in Jesus and are done for the good of our neighbor.

But we come to the cross empty-handed. There we find forgiveness and salvation in Jesus. God hears our prayers for Jesus’ sake and forgives our sins. What a blessing to know that the God who welcomes all peoples also welcomes sinners like us.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 2 Chronicles 3, 1 Kings 7, 2 Chronicles 4, Psalm 141.

1 Kings 7:48-51

So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence, ⁴⁹ the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; ⁵⁰ the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.

⁵¹ Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.

“What are you gonna do with all that stuff?!?” That’s a title of a video that we used several years ago to make the point that sometimes our stuff begins to rule us. At some point in life, we all have to decide what to do with our stuff. Store it? Organize it? Dust it? Insure it? Repair it? Upgrade it? Move it? Sell it? Give it away? Hand it down to children who may or may not want it? Eventually, someone has to sort through it all.

Reading the end of 1 Kings 7 reminded me of that, and almost made me smile. After pages describing magnificent pillars, gold vessels, ornate furnishings, and treasures fit for a king, the text quietly concludes: “And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated… and stored the treasures in the treasuries of the house of the LORD” (1 Kings 7:51). Even the splendor of Solomon’s Temple eventually became… stuff to put away!

This is not to belittle the importance or beauty of the adornments and furnishings of Solomon’s Temple. Buildings communicate values, and there is a world of difference between architecture designed to dazzle for entertainment or excess and architecture intended to inspire reverence for the worship of God. Solomon’s Temple surely stood apart from the palaces and monuments of its day as a visible reminder of the holiness, beauty, and presence of the LORD among his people.

Still, all things – family heirlooms, keepsakes, fine jewelry, or (dare I say it?!?) camera equipment – will one day be disposed of, passed on, or stored. Solomon’s temple stands no more; its treasures long lost or scattered to a thousand places.

And I think about God’s storage plans. He stores different things. He stores our tears in his bottle (Psalm 56:8), sound wisdom for the upright (Proverbs 2:7), and abundant goodness for those who fear him (Psalm 31:19). He even remembers injustice for the day of wrath (Romans 2:5).

God stores that which he values. And what God treasures most is not gold stored in temple rooms or possessions stacked in warehouses, but people – people he is shaping by grace into a spiritual temple that we may offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. We may rightly thank God for the stuff we have. Stuff isn’t evil. But we must reserve our highest praise and gratitude for the spiritual blessings we have in Jesus Christ. These will never wear out, rust away, or need to be packed into boxes, for they are eternal gifts of grace.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 1 Kings 5-6, 2 Chronicles 2, Psalm 140.

2 Chronicles 2:1-12

Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. ²  And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them. ³ And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. ⁴ Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. ⁵ The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. ⁶ But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? ⁷ So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. ⁸ Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, ⁹ to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰ I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”

¹¹ Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” ¹² Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

It was 2010 and deep foundations were being dug. Steel reinforcing rods were bent and placed followed by countless cubic yards of concrete poured into those foundations. That was before even the first concrete slab was poured for the floors of the building. Then came the workers – brick and stone layers, carpenters, masonry workers, cabinetry workers, flooring, lighting, AV, and HVAC workers. The work went on for several months. And the result was beautiful and inspiring. I considered it to be a privilege to be part of that building project of the worship center at St. John.

But that project pales in comparison to the temple built by Solomon and his more than 150,000 conscripted workers. Look again at the number of workers! 153,600! Whether that number of workers strikes us as surprisingly large or not, Solomon’s Temple was no small undertaking. Tens of thousands quarried stone, hauled timber, transported materials, and supervised the work – all done by hand, without cranes, bulldozers, power tools, or modern engineering.

When finished, Solomon’s Temple must have seemed breathtaking to those who first saw it. Built entirely by hand, adorned with cedar, carved wood, and gold, and surrounded by courts, priests, sacrifices, music, and the smoke of worship, it stood as a visible reminder that the LORD dwelt among his people. Yet even Solomon knew that no building, however magnificent, could contain the God of heaven and earth (1 Kings 8:27). The Temple’s beauty pointed beyond itself to something greater God was yet to build.

Yes, as impressive as that project was, Scripture points us to something even greater. God is still building a temple – not of cedar and stone, but of people. Through the gospel, he is shaping and fitting living stones together into a spiritual house for his praise (1 Peter 2:5). And unlike Solomon, he does not conscript laborers to build it; by grace, he calls us into the joy of being part of what he himself is building in Christ.

Buildings may be impressive. But even more impressive are the stories of how God shapes people into new creations – giving life, joy, healing, and hope through his grace in Christ. By that same grace, he even allows us to take part in the shaping, as he builds us together into a spiritual house for his glory and for the praise of his glorious grace.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Proverbs 22-24, Psalm 139.

Proverbs 23:1-7

When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
    observe carefully what is before you,
² and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to appetite.
³ Do not desire his delicacies,
    for they are deceptive food.
⁴ Do not toil to acquire wealth;
    be discerning enough to desist.
⁵ When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
    for suddenly it sprouts wings,
    flying like an eagle toward heaven.
⁶ Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
    do not desire his delicacies,
⁷ for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
    “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.

Imagine interviewing for a very high position in your company. The final step involves dinner with the president of the company and his wife. Several others are there. The wine is flowing. The food is exquisite. The atmosphere feels intoxicating in more ways than one. Another glass of wine? Dessert? A pour of expensive cognac?

Do you understand what it means to “put a knife to your throat” (Proverbs 23:2)?

Proverbs uses startling language to make an important point: exercise self-control. Know where the danger lies. Slow down. Enjoy the evening, but do not let appetite – for food, drink, approval, or advancement – master you. Maybe you stop at one glass of wine – perhaps even less. Maybe you leave a bit of that Wagyu beef on your plate. You quietly keep your wits about you while others indulge.

Will you get the job? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe the chairman of the board is impressed by your poise, discretion, and restraint. Maybe not. Perhaps they expect you to drink with the best of them and navigate the world of power and privilege with ease.

But Proverbs invites us to ask a deeper question: Whose approval matters most? It is easy to hunger not only for fine food and drink, but also for recognition, advancement, and the notice of powerful people. Yet there is One whose notice matters more than any CEO or chairman of the board.

You may never impress the chairman. But you may learn to live in a way that seeks what pleases the King of the Universe.

That does not mean earning his approval. We cannot gain God’s favor through self-control, wisdom, or integrity. Yet by his grace, fully shown in Jesus, we already stand in his favor through faith. Freed from chasing the approval of others, we learn to seek what pleases him. As Paul says, “we make it our aim to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).

Jesus said that “wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19). That seems an appropriate commentary on this passage and, in many ways, the whole book of Proverbs. Wisdom is not merely learning restraint or landing the high-powered job. It is learning where true wisdom is found: to fear, love, and trust in the LORD above all things.

That kind of wisdom will stand you in good stead whether you become CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, a Sunday School teacher, or a Pioneer Boys leader. And whether the world notices or not, you live before the eyes of the One who, by grace in Christ, has already made you his own.

Click here, or on the image below for the Bible Project Video on Proverbs

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Proverbs 13-15, Psalm 136.

Proverbs 13:11-12

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
    but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 14:4, 12, 29

⁴ Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
    but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
¹² There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.
²⁹ Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Every word of the Bible is there for a purpose and inspired by God for our understanding, edification, warning, and faith. And although every word is God’s word, some passages speak to us more than others. Some of the passages are more exciting and easily appreciated than others.

These plumbs from today’s readings are some of my favorites. Reflect with me how they are not only true, but edifying for us who follow Jesus.

Proverbs 13:11-12

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
    but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

I like to say that we overestimate what we can accomplish in the short term, but way underestimate what God can do in the long term. Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God as leaven hidden in a lump of dough. It eventually leavens the whole lump. Small beginnings don’t require small endings. Get rich quick schemes are just that – schemes. They are designed to entice us away from the way of God and his long-term provision and ultimate plan of redemption.

God’s plans are good, and we are better off holding to the hope of life he has promised, and remember that God’s promises are true. We need not despair when our hopes are not immediately fulfilled. God has a way of building long-term blessings into long-term faith.

Proverbs 14:4, 12, 29

⁴ Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
    but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
¹² There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.
²⁹ Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

I love these passages because they are a reminder that short-sightedness of any kind is not of God. Failure to plan for the future in favor of enjoying a moment of happiness is not a formula for success.

On the other hand, the cross of Jesus was not short-sighted nor a quick fix. Man would never have devised such a means of salvation. But man’s ways lead to death. God’s way of salvation was rejected by many, but Jesus’ death is the pathway to life.

I recall a hot-headed man in a congregation I served years ago. He would be involved one day and angry and volatile the next. He would frighten people with his explosive temper. I wish I had shared with him what I learned about my own anger and the truth here that is also reflected in James 1:20, “The anger of man does not accomplish the righteous things that God desires.” Just because I’m angry doesn’t mean I’m right or that my anger will bring about the good things of God, like, love, grace, faith, and repentance.

These verses are but a few of my keepers in the book of Proverbs. I’m sure you may have your own. All of these words point us to Jesus, the embodiment of wisdom and the source of eternal life and salvation.

Click here, or on the image below for the Bible Project Video on Proverbs

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Proverbs 10-12, Psalm 135.

Proverbs 10:1-12

The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,
    but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
² Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
³ The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
⁴ A slack hand causes poverty,
    but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
⁵ He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
⁶ Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
⁷ The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.
⁸ The wise of heart will receive commandments,
    but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
⁹ Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
¹⁰ Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
    and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
¹¹ The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
¹² Hatred stirs up strife,
    but love covers all offenses.

The movie A Great Awakening is about the relationship between Ben Franklin and the evangelist George Whitefield during the First Great Awakening. An early scene from the movie has Ben with the others in the Continental Congress. One delegate is speaking on and on while Ben sits quietly, seemingly bored by the many words of his political opponent. Suddenly the verbose speaker stops and takes verbal a jab at Franklin. “What about Mr. Franklin? He seems not to have much to say. What do you have to say, Mr. Franklin? What do you think?” Ben answers, “I think that he who speaks much thinks he has much to say.”

That’s a pithy comment, and what’s more it’s a reflection of Proverbs 10:8, “The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” And Proverbs 17:28, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise.”

Solomon is writing to his son about the way to make good decisions, avoid failures of all types, and stay on the straight and narrow. These are words of wisdom founded upon the fear of the LORD, and the ways of God’s commandments.

I was struck by the two times in these verses from chapter 10 Solomon mentions babbling fools. He is reminding us that the wise will listen carefully and speak prudently. We need not go on and on to make our point – whether in argument or in an attempt to persuade. Words of truth bury themselves deep in the hearts of the wise. God warns us against getting taken in by smooth talking babblers, and teaches us to speak words that refresh the spirits of all who hear.

Jesus speaks differently than the babblers of this world. His words are not manipulative, deceptive, or empty. His words are spirit and life. He speaks truth that take root deep in the hearts of the wise. He warns, comforts, forgives, and restores. And when he speaks, sinners hear not condemnation, but grace. His word has rung true through the ages and will echo through the eons of eternity.

Click here, or on the image below for the Bible Project Video on Proverbs

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Proverbs 7-9, Psalm 134.

Proverbs 8:1-11

Does not wisdom call?
    Does not understanding raise her voice?
² On the heights beside the way,
    at the crossroads she takes her stand;
³ beside the gates in front of the town,
    at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
⁴ “To you, O men, I call,
    and my cry is to the children of man.
⁵ O simple ones, learn prudence;
    O fools, learn sense.
⁶ Hear, for I will speak noble things,
    and from my lips will come what is right,
⁷ for my mouth will utter truth;
    wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸ All the words of my mouth are righteous;
    there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
⁹ They are all straight to him who understands,
    and right to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰ Take my instruction instead of silver,
    and knowledge rather than choice gold,
¹¹ for wisdom is better than jewels,
    and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Proverbs 9:13-18

The woman Folly is loud;
    she is seductive and knows nothing.
¹⁴ She sits at the door of her house;
    she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
¹⁵ calling to those who pass by,
    who are going straight on their way,
¹⁶ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    And to him who lacks sense she says,
¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweet,
    and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
¹⁸ But he does not know that the dead are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

There is no doubt that temptation presents itself attractively. Whether it is the intoxicating scents of perfume and silk sheets or the glitter and glamour of the seductress, temptation is designed to entice, lure, and attract. I like to say that the serpent did not offer Eve some half-rotten, maggot-infested piece of fruit lying on the garden floor. The fruit was “good for food,” “a delight to the eyes,” and “desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). Bait works because it resembles the real thing — or something even better than the real thing. But bait hides a barbed hook.

That is the warning Solomon gives his son — and us — throughout these chapters of Proverbs. Two voices are calling for our attention. One whispers alluring promises. The other speaks truth and wisdom. One says, “Look at me! Here is pleasure, excitement, fulfillment.” The other says, “Fear the LORD. Walk in truth. There is no life better than life with God.”

The seductress offers promises that vanish with the morning light. Solomon warns us about the illusion of quick satisfaction: “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Proverbs 9:17). But then comes the devastating reality: “He does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol” (v. 18). Temptation overpromises and underdelivers every time.

But Proverbs is about more than avoiding bad decisions or learning practical life skills. Chapter 8 lifts our eyes higher. Wisdom is personified as one who was with God “at the beginning of his work” and “before the beginning of the earth” (Proverbs 8:22–23). Here is more than poetic imagery. Wisdom points us toward the eternal Word through whom all things were made.

Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God in the flesh. He does not merely give wise advice — he is Wisdom incarnate. His words are truth. His way leads to life. And unlike the empty promises of temptation, his promises endure. He forgives our foolish wandering, rescues us from the hooks we have swallowed, and leads us in paths of righteousness.

All who listen to him will find not only wisdom for this life, but everlasting life, joy, and peace in the presence of God.

Click here, or on the image below for the Bible Project Video on Proverbs

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Proverbs 4-6, Psalm 133.

Proverbs 4:20-27

My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹ Let them not escape from your sight;
    keep them within your heart.
²² For they are life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their flesh.
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴ Put away from you crooked speech,
    and put devious talk far from you.
²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet;
    then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

“I tell my boys,” Calvin would say, “you don’t know nothin’ about being 50. But I’ve been your age.” It was his homespun way of reminding his sons that experience matters. He knew more about the ways of the world than they did, and they would be wise to listen.

There is some truth in that. Those who have lived longer often possess valuable wisdom born from both successes and failures. People who have learned from their own mistakes — and the mistakes of others — can help spare the next generation from unnecessary heartache.

But age alone is no guarantee of wisdom. A seasoned embezzler may have much to teach about dishonest gain, but that does not make his counsel life-giving. We do not simply need advice; we need good advice. We need wisdom shaped by truth, honor, and the fear of the LORD.

That is what stands out in these chapters of Proverbs. Again and again, the father urges his son to listen: hear my words, keep my commandments, treasure up wisdom, do not forsake instruction. The repetition is striking. Why? Because there are real dangers waiting for the unsuspecting, and wisdom often enters one warning at a time.

Soon enough Solomon will speak very directly about one of those dangers — sexual temptation. It is alluring, intoxicating, and persuasive. But hormones do not pave the path to life, and desire alone is not a trustworthy guide.

Yet this wisdom is not merely for sons. “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 6:20). These words are for daughters as well, for anyone willing to listen.

And still, even the best earthly wisdom has its limits. Parents fail. Mentors disappoint. We do not always listen as we should. Which is why we need more than wise sayings — we need a Savior. Jesus is not merely a teacher of wisdom; he is the wisdom of God in the flesh. He walks with us through our foolishness, forgives our wandering, and leads us in the way of life. Blessed are those who hear his voice and follow him.

Click here, or on the image below for the Bible Project Video on Proverbs