Chapter 25 ~
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to investigate a matter." Proverbs 25:2
I found this verse intriguing...do you? Right after being told that these are proverbs of Solomon, King of Israel, he chooses to share with us this statement. After reading a couple different commentaries, the verses make such good sense to me now. God, in His omniscience and sovereignty, has all knowledge of all things, and He is not constrained to share with man everything He knows. He is God - we are not - and He knows that we do not have the capability to understand His reasoning or His purpose with everything that happens, or will happen, to us. He will conceal some things, to His glory. And we, as those who love and fear Him, will trust in His goodness even when we can't understand.
But as for earthly kings, their glory comes when they don't make decisions without good information. A good king, one to be honored, doesn't state a determination on a matter without fully investigating. A good king knows what he is talking about before he starts talking. I think Solomon, in all his wisdom, knew that he was not all wise. He could not know things, as God does, without delving into the matter at hand. Let us remember that true wisdom does not bring with it instant knowledge. We must study to come to true understanding of the matters that life brings to us. How many times I've decided how I feel about something without ever giving it much, if any, investigation! That's not a "glorious" attribute!
Going through the chapter, I note three "don'ts" in succession:
Verse 21 has always bothered me a bit, and as it is repeated by Paul in Romans 12. It seems as though we're instructed to be nice to our enemies just to make them feel bad and for us to gain God's reward. I know that can't be the true meaning, but isn't that what it sounds like? Of course that' not what it means! Think about the verse that tells us to overcome evil with good. This is the parallel. When we show kindness to those who are our known enemies, it has to change their view of us. As one commentator stated, "As metals are melted by heaping coals upon them, so is the heart softened by kindness." With a softer heart, the Holy Spirit can continue His process of bringing this person to true repentance and acceptance of Christ. There is our reward! Working with God in bringing someone else to the knowledge of His saving grace!!
Every once in a while, Solomon has to throw in another verse about a nagging wife! I just hate that, don't you? :) But what a wise admonition to married women---I can see the look on Robert's face when my "reminders" have turned into nagging! There's no point in it---you're not going to gain any ground, in fact you're probably moving your husband in the opposite direction of where your "advice" meant for him to head! In this chapter living on the corner of a roof is stated as better than sharing an entire house with a nagging wife! I just kind of think that one of Solomon's many wives was a nagger!
We're going to be wrapping this book up by the end of the week (about time, huh?)...let me know if you have any questions/comments!
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to investigate a matter." Proverbs 25:2
I found this verse intriguing...do you? Right after being told that these are proverbs of Solomon, King of Israel, he chooses to share with us this statement. After reading a couple different commentaries, the verses make such good sense to me now. God, in His omniscience and sovereignty, has all knowledge of all things, and He is not constrained to share with man everything He knows. He is God - we are not - and He knows that we do not have the capability to understand His reasoning or His purpose with everything that happens, or will happen, to us. He will conceal some things, to His glory. And we, as those who love and fear Him, will trust in His goodness even when we can't understand.
But as for earthly kings, their glory comes when they don't make decisions without good information. A good king, one to be honored, doesn't state a determination on a matter without fully investigating. A good king knows what he is talking about before he starts talking. I think Solomon, in all his wisdom, knew that he was not all wise. He could not know things, as God does, without delving into the matter at hand. Let us remember that true wisdom does not bring with it instant knowledge. We must study to come to true understanding of the matters that life brings to us. How many times I've decided how I feel about something without ever giving it much, if any, investigation! That's not a "glorious" attribute!
Going through the chapter, I note three "don'ts" in succession:
- Don't brag about yourself
- Don't stand in the place of the great
- Don't take a matter to court hastily
Verse 21 has always bothered me a bit, and as it is repeated by Paul in Romans 12. It seems as though we're instructed to be nice to our enemies just to make them feel bad and for us to gain God's reward. I know that can't be the true meaning, but isn't that what it sounds like? Of course that' not what it means! Think about the verse that tells us to overcome evil with good. This is the parallel. When we show kindness to those who are our known enemies, it has to change their view of us. As one commentator stated, "As metals are melted by heaping coals upon them, so is the heart softened by kindness." With a softer heart, the Holy Spirit can continue His process of bringing this person to true repentance and acceptance of Christ. There is our reward! Working with God in bringing someone else to the knowledge of His saving grace!!
Every once in a while, Solomon has to throw in another verse about a nagging wife! I just hate that, don't you? :) But what a wise admonition to married women---I can see the look on Robert's face when my "reminders" have turned into nagging! There's no point in it---you're not going to gain any ground, in fact you're probably moving your husband in the opposite direction of where your "advice" meant for him to head! In this chapter living on the corner of a roof is stated as better than sharing an entire house with a nagging wife! I just kind of think that one of Solomon's many wives was a nagger!
We're going to be wrapping this book up by the end of the week (about time, huh?)...let me know if you have any questions/comments!
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