Helpfulness

As we consider Agur’s fourth and final animal illustration, we must wrestle with an unusually enigmatic proverb. We typically encounter this problem whenever a statement depends heavily upon a shared cultural experience that no longer exists. For example, the American expression “He came to me with his hat in his hand” depends heavily upon the shared experience of the Great Depression.

Cooperation

Great civilizations often achieve great things because they have a great leader who casts a vision, marshals their resources, organizes their members, inspires their action, and of course, goes before them. People generally fare better when they have a leader, when someone helps them cooperate and accomplish what can only be achieved with a coordinated effort. But what if there is no leader?

Prudence

As the great theologian and sage Clint Eastwood once said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Children enter the world with no concept of the word can’t. Soon, however, the world begins to teach them that some things are, indeed, beyond their reach. By the time we reach adulthood, several defeats have helped delineate our capabilities.

Diligence

Ants, conies, locusts, lizards—sounds like a roll call for Noah’s ark or perhaps the cast of characters in an animated feature film. Actually, these are four creatures discussed in Proverbs 30:24–28, each illustrating a quality wise people should possess. The opening statement declares, each of these four creatures is “small on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise” (v. 24).

Generous with Grace

Before closing off our study of intolerance, two more sayings are worth our attention: The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. (11:25) The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor,
The wicked does not understand such concern. (29:7)

Teeth Like Swords

This is an excellent time to bring out into the open even the slightest intolerance lurking in your life and place it before the Lord. The book of Proverbs offers a compelling reason to do so by painting a picture of someone we do not want to become. There is a kind of man who curses his father and does not bless his mother.

The Wounds of Intolerance

Is intolerance one of your daily grinds? Be honest. Do you have difficulty leaving room for opinions you don’t agree with or the conduct of those who fail to measure up? I can think of a number of ways intolerance rears its head: The healthy can be impatient with the sickly. The strong have trouble empathizing with the weak. The quick have little patience with the slow.

The Dark Side of Tolerance

The founders of the United States formed this nation on the premise that each individual will one day stand before God and give an answer for his or her beliefs and conduct. The US was in fact the first modern state to establish an official policy of religious tolerance, which it formalized in the first amendment to the Constitution:

Tolerance at Its Best

In the best Christian sense of the term, tolerance is an important aspect of grace. Tolerance provides “wobble room” for those who struggle to measure up. Tolerance allows growing room for young and restless children. It smiles at rather than frowns on the struggling new believer.

The Great Physician

Envy is a disease of the soul you can ignore for a while, but eventually you must address it. Like a slow-growing cancer, envy will eventually consume you. As you grow older and encounter more of the injustices of life, you won’t be able to enjoy the advantages you have because less deserving people appear to have privileges and possessions you do not.

Tag Archives: Proverbs