Vomit in the Proverbs

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Here's the question and answer from this week so far:
Monday: Paul, Timothy, and Silas were gentle among the Thessalonians like what? (I Thess 2)
1 Thessalonians 2:7 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.

Tuesday: What do the rich and poor have in common? (Proverbs 22)
Proverbs 22:2 2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.

Wednesday: What does the senseless man not know and the food not understand? (Psalm 92)
Psalm 92:6-7 6 The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.

And here's the question of the day:
Thursday: What sort of ambition—what kind of life—is Paul advising the Thessalonians to pursue? (I Thess 4)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Did you know the word vomit occurs in the Bible 11 times? And did you know that Proverbs contains 30% of those mentions? Strange, isn't it? And 2 of those 3 mentions are part of our "Year of the Bible" readings for today.

Proverbs 25:16 16 If you find honey, eat just enough-- too much of it, and you will vomit.

Proverbs 26:11 11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

These two proverbs have something to teach us about wisdom; er, rather the LACK of wisdom.

First of all, Proverbs 25:16 teaches us the wisdom of moderation. Now this could be moderation in terms of rich food--like honey--but it also can apply to more than just that. Too much of anything is a bad thing--that's another commonly known proverb, right? We know that life should be lived in moderation, with a sense of balance: a balance between work and play, serving others and taking care of ourselves, blessing others and allowing others to bless us. This is what God would like us to strive for in our individual lives.

Proverbs 26, then, addresses what happens when we lose that sense of balance--when we "eat too much honey" and get sick. Shame on us for giving in to our weaknesses, of course. But it's bound to happen once, right? In this Proverb, the wisdom comes by not repeating our "folly," like a dog returning to its, well, you know.

I have a friend who struggled with the temptation to "eat too much honey." And when he would give in to the temptation, he would call the consequences of his overindulgence "vomit." So after he "vomited" then we would talk about how to clean it up and how to avoid making the same mistake again. I know this is a rather graphic description--we could never talk about this stuff over dinner!--but it's a very effective way to think about overindulgence--no matter what you overindulge in. Really, who among us would return to our own (literal) vomit??

So why is it we return so often to our figurative vomit? that we repeat our mistakes over and over again? Perhaps you should think of adopting this more graphic approach to sin. . . . I know it's changed the way I think about overindulgence in every aspect of life!

Happy Saturday!

I'm off to celebrate Mother's Day a day early with my family. But before I go, here are the questions/answers and a reflection to get your day started!

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Fri, May 8: What is David’s reaction when Nathan tells him that God said, “I will be his father and he will be my son. . . . But my love will never be taken away from him. . .” (2 Sam 7) DISBELIEF: 2 Samuel 7:18-19 18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?

And here's the question of the day:
Sat, May 9: Who is it that Paul cautions the Corinthians NOT to associate with? (I Cor 5)

And here's the reflection of the day:
This passage of 1 Corinthians 10 is one of those that could have been written for us today, instead of written for the church at Corinth centuries ago.

At Bible Study this week, we were lamenting how things never change--how we still do the same bad and sinful things that our ancestors in the faith did. 1 Cor 10 tells us how our ancestors were "baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea. They all ate from the same spiritual food and drank from the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

NEVERTHELESS, God was not pleased with most of them" (vv 2-5). He writes that their bodies were scattered over the desert as a punishment for their sins (v 6). Paul goes on to say, "Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did" (v 6).

Now, we may think we're doing OK. We haven't killed anyone lately; we have plans to honor our mothers today or tomorrow. We're pretty good at keeping most of the 10 Commandments. But Paul warns us, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall" (v 12). Don't deceive yourself when it comes to your sinfulness. It's tempting to look around and compare your sinfulness to the sinfulness of others because you may think you'll come out squeaky clean.

It's tempting to look at the history of civilization and think we've made great strides when it comes to holiness. But the very act of comparing yourself to someone else is a sin and will only lead to further sinfulness.

Instead, heed Paul's caution: 1 Corinthians 10:13 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

It's Friday!!

Good morning! The sun is shining and the weekend is close enough that you can smell it. Enjoy it!


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Thurs, Jan. 22: When Jesus asks, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” what are the disciples’ answers? Who does Jesus say he is? (Matt 16)
Matthew 16:14 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
Matthew 16:16 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

And here's today's question of the day:
Fri, Jan. 23: What did Joseph try to do as Israel was blessing his sons Ephraim and Manasseh? (Gen 48)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Another Kind of Test
Testing seems to be the theme of the week in our readings, doesn't it? But here we find a different kind of test. In this text, the Pharisees and Sadducees "came to Jesus and tested him" (Mt 16:1).

Now, it is proper for God to test us--in order to build up our faith. And the Bible tells us it is proper to test prophets in order to determine if they are true prophets or false prophets.

But, WE are not to put God to the test. Over and over again, the Bible warns us about putting God to the test. You should remember earlier in Matthew reading about Satan tempting Jesus in the desert. Tempting is the same as testing. And in that case, Jesus cites Deut. 6:16, saying, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah."

But no one is to test God. By testing Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees are exposing their own lack of faith. Here the Pharisees and Sadducees are taking on the role of Satan; they are acting as an opponent of Jesus. As one commentary I read said they are, "seeking the heavenly ratification of his ministry that would render faith unnecessary" (Matthew, Interpretation, p 183.)

The disciples are warned against sign-seeking like the Pharisees and Sadducees. It seems that seeking a sign is similar to lacking faith, the chapter's theme which is reflected in the disciples' anxiety about not having enough bread. Jesus reminds them of how he has provided in the past, yet they still worry.

Instead of demanding signs, Jesus tells them they must remember. The disciples have seen the evidence for themselves--they have personal experience with God's provision. The disciples must REMEMBER God's provision and let that memory erase their anxieties.

Something for us think about today. . . do we remember God's provision or do our anxieties erase our memories?

Have a splendid day!
Allison