Geoff's Miscellany

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (Pro 13:4)

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s."(Exo 20:17)

In our Bibles coveting is an interesting concept, but itself it simply sounds like desire. But in the contexts the word appears, it clearly means desire out of proportion and intention to have/take what one cannot have.

The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. (Proverbs 22:13)

Often in life, we who are risk averse take the slothful route and claim that the time isn’t right for action because things aren’t perfect. My karate instructor said that the most common excuse he received from people skipping karate after a vacation was “I need to get back into shape first.” Some people won’t go to church because “I need to get right with the Lord first.” If you’re super risk averse then you’re probably waiting for circumstances to be exactly right, but you’ll actually be in the process of waiting when good circumstance pass you by. Check this actual sloth out:

Proverbs 18:9 Even he who is slack in his employment is a brother of a master of destruction. (Author's Translation)

Anyhow, the book of Proverbs, at its heart is about the good life. And central to the good life in the Bible is work. Many people see work as a punishment, but this is not so. Work is the task of humanity from the beginning (take dominion…tend the garden, etc).

Don’t You Hate It When I’m a routine guy. I love routines. Routines, in my mind, are exactly what makes spontaneity pleasant. Now, interestingly, if you love routines, spontaneity can also become a no-go. But that isn’t the topic. The topic is veering off from routine for no good reason.

Example Most mornings I wake up, do some reading, work on some writing, do my exercises, and get ready for my day.  This morning I woke up and decided I would send an email, first thing. When I checked, I had an email from my boss which he wouldn’t have expected to receive a response to for days. But, many of the questions contained in the email were interesting and pertained to something I’d been thinking about for a few months. So, I spent about an hour writing him back. Basically, what happened is that I missed my routine almost entirely. I am writing my Wisdom Wednesday post where I reflect on the Bible’s wisdom literature, but most of my routine was missed.

In Proverbs 14, the simple get a bad rep. But the point of that is to remind us, who might be simple-minded, to gain some nuance in the way we think.

For instance, Proverbs essentially outlines four ways of coming to know:

1. Senses
2. Inference
3. Testimony (correction, tradition, instruction, or divine revelation)
4. Trial and Error

Proverbs ESV 14:15  The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Proverbs ESV 14:18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

The Christian and Power

You know the saying, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

But at its most basic level, power is “being able to do what you want.”  Therefore it is no different from strength, except that its associations transcend the athletic capacities of the physical body. And while we often want what is evil, this is not always so. Power is morally neutral in this sense.

Often, I have heard Proverbs 3:5-7 brought up in discussions about decision making. Before I move any further, have a read:

Pro 3:5-7 ESV Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  (6)  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  (7)  Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

What is the evidence in the text itself? Here is all of Proverbs 3:

Today I read Proverbs 24:6:

...for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

I thought that in the military setting mentioned, the meaning of 24:6 is clear. If you have help from people who understand the terrain, the weapons in use, and the other military then your victory (or quick surrender) are more likely to succeed. If you read your Von Clauswitz and Sun Tzu, you’ll be more likely to succeed. If you’re a martial artist, but you only know boxing and a jiu-jitsu guy gets a grip on you, have a nice nap. But if you’ve learned from both styles, then your chances of success increase.

Proverbs 12:27 (ESV)  Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

There are essentially two possibilities for interpreting the first part of this saying:

1. A slothful man will have no game to roast because he's lazy.
2. A slothful man will not roast the game he has, because he's lazy.

This might apply to gym memberships, exercise equipment, a laptop, a writing desk, tools, hobby equipment, and so-on. Why buy an expensive study Bible if you never read the Bible you have? Similarly, why go “church shopping” if you don’t know the names of anybody at the church you already attend?

Luk 12:16-21 ESV  And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, (17)  and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' (18)  And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. (19)  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' (20)  But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' (21)  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

Pro 11:25 A generous person will prosper, and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return.