Posts by Jonathan Rourke

We all travel in groups (even isolation is fellowship with the isolated). The issue is the path and the companions. Each is based on the other. When educating his sons on the matter, Solomon scorns evil mobs, "For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence" (Proverbs 4:17). Immorality brings them together around a common table, in service to a common ...

Calamity awaits the casually unaware. They suffer disproportionately because they have been exposed to risk without realizing it. This is usually the case in business, but tragically it applies to the spiritual realm as well. It's one thing to lose your pension, it's another to lose your spiritual footing when your church fails. "The prudent sees danger and hides himself, ...

Wise men fight when necessary, but foolish men find reasons to fight. This is why, "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarrelling"(Proverbs 20:3). To say aloof from strife is to have the inner peace that prevents you from being drawn into it. Fools on the other hand are revealed by their how easily they can be provoked....

Your tongue is unique as your fingerprint. It leaves evidence of where you've been. Show me a person who people avoid, and I'll show you a person with an out of control tongue. The evidence is irrefutable because "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1). The tongue is a common denominator in most troubled relationships....

An ox is a tractor. Nothing compares to its productivity and reliability. Thus, "Where there is no oxen, the manger is clean (meaning empty), but abundance of crops come by the strength of the ox" (Proverbs 14:4). This has nothing to do with a tidy stable. It's about a full feeding trough. It means the most important metric for determining value is production, and that pie...

Even if you feel convicted, choose to embrace biblical truth. The simple way to honor God is to listen, believe, and follow. The opposite is disaster. Therefore, "Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded" (Proverbs 13:13). When our joy and peace are destroyed, it can be tied to rejecting the word. When our...

Ancient Hebrews learned creation science from childhood through the study of Proverbs. What some modern pastors of influence find confusing, children took in like nursing infants, fully embracing what the Word simply taught. The universe was designed by divine wisdom before it came into being (Proverbs 8:22-26). It materialized exactly as the Bible describes and was a deli...

There are five warning signs in a chapter devoted to protecting men from wicked women. Avoid her place (Proverbs 7:1-9) and make sure you are far away from her territory, or the place where you ever meet her. Refuse the allure of her pleasure (Proverbs 7:10-15), which is very real, but very disordered and deceptive. Don't fall for the flattery of her preparation (Proverbs ...

The woman makes the man, for better or worse. The Bible often fuses the reputation of husband to wife. Eve, Delilah, and Jezebel brought shame. Curiously, women seem to resist the bad influence of their husbands more effectively. So, almost in passing we read "Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land" (Proverbs 31:23). Of course, just lik...

The Bible is the word of God in written form, meant for our instruction and correction. It's both a sword and a shield. It cuts through and defends against falsehood, so it must speak. Independent from any help, that fact remains "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a li...

Servants born in the home are not sons born into the family. Employees are not successors. Wisdom keeps appropriate emotional distance, because "Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir" (Proverbs 29:21). A wise man knows where to draw the line...

Flattery is attention without criticism. Rebuke is the currency we trade in truly profitable relationships. This is why "Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue" (Proverbs 28:23). Only a real friend corrects you to make you better. Only a loving mentor insists that you are actually moving, and ready to be guided, before he ...

Long before the trendy use of fragrant oils (essential or otherwise), was the necessity of oils. Without them you would quite literally dry out in the arid climates of the east. The writer says in Proverbs 27:9 "Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his counsel", and that should get our attention. Give and receive the deep gladness o...

Dinner with a winner can be beneficial, but Proverbs 23:1-3 reminds us, "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food". Powerful, prosperous, or popular people are also persuasive. It's flattering to be invited into their pr...

Remember that way of making sure the split is fair? What if that applied to worship? What if we asked God to choose between loving our neighbor, and formal worship? Proverbs 21:3 says, "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice". The first is literally "Yahweh's choice", and if the Spirit fills us, we offer both....

The only thing worse than forced isolation is voluntary isolation. One makes the heart yearn for fellowship, the other reveals a heart yearning for a place to hide. Proverbs 18:1 picks up on both the risk and rebellion of isolation, "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgement." If we withdraw from honest people who love us enou...

Evil people come into your life a reason. They always serve a purpose. On the one hand they make you stronger, wiser, and more skilled and spotting such folks in the future. But more importantly, they exist because God brings them along to demonstrate his justice. Proverbs 16:4 says, "Yahwehhas made everything for His purposeeven the wicked for the day of disaster."Instead...

Look at all the people walking around your neighborhood. Then look at how they pair up. Same pace. Same direction. Same stamina. Same style, or lack of style. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."Our literal walking companions are affected by physical limitations. Our spiritual walking partners can...

Presently, construction workers are considered essential workers. This fact came to mind while reading Proverbs 14:1 "The wisest of women builds her house; but folly with her own hands tears it down". The greatest construction workers are women, wives, and mothers. The ones who consistently, and joyfully serve the Lord by managing the home (and the people who live it), do ...

We hate ourselves, when we reject the Word, and those who faithfully give it to us. Proverbs 15:32 couldn't be more clear,"Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence."To ignore the wisdom of the Word is to run full speed in a dark room filled with sharp objects. Love yourself enough to walk in the light, and enjoy the pea...

It's always a pain dealing with wicked people, especially liars. But worse still are the gullible ones who believe them. The Bible considers this a moral failing equal to the sin of the slanderer. Proverbs 17:4 says, "A wicked man listens to evil lips;a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue." Essentially it takes one to believe one. Liars believe liars, and destructive pe...