Proverbs 19:13-29 Navigating through the fog
13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.
We had a small boat and I went out with my dad before school to check our lobster pots. One morning the fog came in and we couldn’t see five feet in front of the boat. Go the wrong way and we’ll be on the rocks. On the other hand you can’t just sit there because the tide and wind will push you onto the rocks. We could hear a bell buoy nearby so with me on the bow watching for rocks with an oar we headed to it. Still once you get to the bell buoy you are now on the edge of the channel, but which edge? We got up to the buoy and my dad asked for the number, I didn’t realize these things had numbers, but I found it and told him. He then pulled out the map found the number and we were then able to figure out almost where we were. At the next bell buoy we knew exactly where we were. The Bible is our map. Experiences like that is how you learn wisdom. But recently my sister has been blaming our dad for not teaching her better.
14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
The forefathers of this nation left us the constitution, the bill of rights, a country that goes from sea to shining sea. But if you want a congress that is prudent, that is from the Lord. The corruption, the lies, the hypocrisy overflowing from the Capitol show you that we have lost the Lord’s favor. The issue is not a phony impeachment or a rigged election. The issue is that God’s people have rejected the Lord. We are the foolish child who had no idea what the map was for. Now, when you listen to the news it is like a quarrelsome wife, a leaky roof, a constant drip, drip, drip.
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.
So many people didn’t want anything to do with the government, didn’t care about the news, let someone else worry about that. While you slept the thieves crept in. Until you deal with your laziness there will be no solution. We have discovered that many in America are in a deep sleep. They aren't wicked, they aren't evil, they were lazy and spent their time being hypnotized by the TV.
16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.
To reject the laws of God is to show contempt for your ways. There are certain rules for a navigator. They know how to tell their location using the North Star and a clock. But what if you can’t see the North Star because of clouds? As a result they would have maps of the entire sky. The problem is the stars you can see at night change with the seasons. So not only did they have maps of all the stars, they had copies of these maps for every month. The navigator got a big room on a ship with these maps. A navigator who keeps these maps, these commandments, can see exactly where you are on that big wide open sea.
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
You want some investment advice? Be kind to the poor.
18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.
No one likes to be mocked, ridiculed and insulted. When people are foolish and are deceived they may do this thinking they are doing the right thing. Even a father could be so offended he decides to let his son follow his foolishness to his death. Wisdom is not wisdom if it does not include faith, hope and love.
19 A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again.
Sometimes the only remedy, the only cure is to pay the penalty. We call this tough love. A person who gets into a bar fight, maybe it is better to spend six months in jail than for others to make excuses about how they are really a good person. When you do that you minimize the severity of their crime. This could lead to domestic violence. Every person who has rioted and looted must be prosecuted and pay the penalty.
20 Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.
Really? I remember as a kid I was a fool. I was completely clueless about what wisdom was, it was a total mystery. Could it really be this simple, listen to advice and accept discipline? Consider Malcolm X, he is counted among the wise today but in his youth he was one of the biggest fools.
21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Denzel Washington said “no one plans to fail, they fail to plan”. But that wasn’t the only thing he said in that speech. He also said that when you go to bed push your slippers way under the bed so in the morning you will have to get on your knees to get them, and while down there pray to God. The Lord’s purpose will prevail, are you aligned with the Lord’s purpose? Pray. Read the word and little by little you will be.
22 What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.
A liar is truly a big flashing red light alarm. If you are dating a girl and she is a liar, that is all you need to know, extricate yourself from that relationship. If you are in business with someone and learn they are a liar, remove yourself from that contract. If you learn that the NY Times is a liar, or CNN, or MSNBC, or Facebook, or Twitter, or Google then terminate your relationship with them. It is better to be poor. Everyone wants unfailing love, it is very hard to find, so you will find liars promising that.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
Really, untouched by trouble? When DeBlasio put in the mandate for the vaccine my wife and I both resigned from our jobs and moved. Everything is working out just fine so far, we feel like we are being led to life. Now we are learning the vaccine is a kill shot, glad we didn't get it. Because she left her job she sold her 401k, turns out we did that at the top of the market, her 401k would be down 30% right now if she were still invested. Also we sold the house at the top of the market. Today we probably couldn't sell it and if we did we would certainly get 120k less. A couple of months ago I sold my IRA and put everything into silver. In the last two months I am up 30%. Our move was made solely out of fear for the Lord and yet we have been "untouched by trouble".
24 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
We got into this situation with a corrupt government selling us out to foreign nations because we were lazy and we slept. Now it is time to rise and eat. These giants are our food. Slay them. CNN lost 90% of their viewers this year. Twitter also took a major hit. Amazon and Meta are both down 50%.
25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.
When the stock price collapses, when the board of directors fires the CEO and other key personnel, when the lawsuits hit their backs like lashes from a whip. Then the simple in other companies will learn prudence. The discerning will gain knowledge from this rebuke.
26 Whoever robs their father and drives out their mother is a child who brings shame and disgrace.
Twitter kicked out their biggest and best accounts how idiotic is that. With the investors and advertisers this will bring shame and disgrace. Twitter censored the people who use the service with bogus excuses and prevented the truth from getting out about Biden prior to the election. The main value of Twitter is to disseminate the truth that everyone needs quickly and widely. They violated their entire reason for existence.
27 Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
Wisdom is not once for all. Just ask the captain of the Exxon Valdez what happens if you stray from the path.
28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
This has been on full display these last two years as they claim there has been no evidence of election fraud and the lawsuits are frivolous. Sam Bankman Fried was released on a $250 million bond today. You may think that is a lot of money but actually he didn't give them any money, his parents promised that if he didn't show up to court they could get the family house (please note that is only their personal house, not the $100 million in real estate their son gave them through his fraud).
29 Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
Amen Lord Jesus we trust that you will keep this promise.
