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Pathways Through Proverbs
Daily Devotional
July 8, 2008
Today's Reading - Proverbs 8
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Following Scripture Verses
Proverbs Chapter 8
- Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
- She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
- She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
- Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
- O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
- Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
- For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
- All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
- They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
- Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
- For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
- I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
- The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
- Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
- By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
- By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
- I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
- Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
- My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
- I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
- That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
- The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
- I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
- When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
- Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
- While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
- When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
- When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
- When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
- Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
- Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
- Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
- Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
- Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
- For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
- But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
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Today's Pathway:
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Christians often speak about the fear of the Lord as if it were strictly an emotion. They talk about how much they "fear God", yet this verse indicates that a genuine fear of the Lord results in certain types of actions. Solomon opens this verse by stating that when someone fears God he hates evil. This certainly puts a different spin on that expression, doesn't it? Psalm 36:1 tells us that the wicked man's actions indicate that he does not fear God, and one of those actions, listed in verse 4 of that chapter, is that "he abhorreth not evil". When someone fails to hate evil, it becomes much easier for them to give in to the temptation to commit evil. Thus, when someone has the respect for the Lord that they should have, they will hate what He hates, and desire to stay far from it.
Because Solomon does possess the fear of the Lord, there are things that he hates. He lists several of them here: pride and arrogancy, the evil way and the froward mouth. In compiling these he has encompassed the root sin problems that men have. All man's sinfulness stems from pride. Man does what he wants to do in spite of what God says, and in his arrogancy believes that he can get away with it. Because his heart and mind are self-centered and self-willed, he behaves in an evil way, and speaks in a perverse manner.
Solomon says that he hates these things. I believe that he hated them in his own personal life, but he also hated them in the lives of others. He did not want to speak perversely, but neither did he want to hear others do so. He tried to walk in the correct path, and hated it when others did not do the same. He tried to humble himself, and wanted others to be humble also. His fear of the Lord impacted every aspect of his life: both in what he did himself and in what he expected of others.
Do you fear the Lord? Do your attitude, behavior and speech prove it?
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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