Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Matthew 7:9
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 

A commentator approached this particular verse which may stir some controversy. Nevertheless it is worthwhile examining this point. We are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Yshua the Masiach, and the faith itself is a gift from God. So it is clear we can do nothing to gain any kind of worthiness. Having said that, a view is that only those walking in the light, which means living a life of obedience, can be described as good children and hence receive good gifts from God. If we are not receiving the good gifts, then we should examine what we are doing wrong. Before jumping in accusation that this is a kind of prosperity gospel, we should be looking inwardly at ourselves. We are told to examine ourselves and correct any wrongs. These may be unforgiveness, anger, lust, and a variety of sins that afflict believers and non-believers alike. Constantly search and correct ourselves, and then ask for the good things according to His will, and the Father will supply and reward His children.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth

Paul encourages believers that we should put our minds beyond the things which are affecting us in this world. Our hope is heavenly and so we should also put away all the fleshly sins. The two big classes of sins involve fleshly lust and the sins from the tongue.

Paul calls upon us to be patient, humble, forgiving and above all, love. We are to have the peace of God in our hearts and the word rooted in us to the point of reciting psalms and hymns and singing in our hearts to God. Also, do everything in the name of Jesus.

Again Paul teaches the roles of husbands, wives, children, parents, servants and masters. There is an orderly principle of submission and the rewards will be the inheritance of God.




Colossians 3
Not Carnality but Christ

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Character of the New Man

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The Christian Home

18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for[a] you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

Do Not Rejoice Over Me, My Enemy

The first part is written from the point of view of Israel. They experienced desolation in their land with nothing to eat. This also represent moral desolation, where there is no righteous and just people left. The evil people plot against others, the prince and judge demand bribes. There is also strife within the family and people from the same household become enemies. They can only turn to God and trust in His salvation.

Although the people are down, they are not out. They realize the difficulties is due to their own disobedience. However, they know God, they know that when the judgment is over, God will again restore them and bring justice to them. Those who mock them will be put to shame when God delivers His people.

God will again forgive Israel and the nations will be put to shame when they see this. They shall be afraid of the Lord God. The characteristics of God listed here include: He pardons sins, His anger does not last forever, He delights in mercy and compassion, He will honour His promises from Abraham to Jacob.




Micah 7
Sorrow for Israel’s Sins

1 Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires.
2 The faithful man has perished from the earth,
And there is no one upright among men.
They all lie in wait for blood;
Every man hunts his brother with a net.
3 That they may successfully do evil with both hands—
The prince asks for gifts,
The judge seeks a bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire;
So they scheme together.
4 The best of them is like a brier;
The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge;
The day of your watchman and your punishment comes;
Now shall be their perplexity.
5 Do not trust in a friend;
Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your bosom.
6 For son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.


Israel’s Confession and Comfort

8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;
When I fall, I will arise;
When I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord,
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my case
And executes justice for me.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see His righteousness.
10 Then she who is my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her;
Now she will be trampled down
Like mud in the streets.
11 In the day when your walls are to be built,
In that day the decree shall go far and wide.[a]
12 In that day they[b] shall come to you
From Assyria and the fortified cities,[c]
From the fortress[d] to the River,[e]
From sea to sea,
And mountain to mountain.
13 Yet the land shall be desolate
Because of those who dwell in it,
And for the fruit of their deeds.


God Will Forgive Israel

14 Shepherd Your people with Your staff,
The flock of Your heritage,
Who dwell solitarily in a woodland,
In the midst of Carmel;
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
As in days of old.
15 “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show them[f] wonders.”
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
They shall put their hand over their mouth;
Their ears shall be deaf.
17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent;
They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth.
They shall be afraid of the Lord our God,
And shall fear because of You.
18 Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy.
19 He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our[g] sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob
And mercy to Abraham,
Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old.

And their Gold will be like Refuse

There seems to be a heightened sense of urgency and definiteness about the proclamation of the end. Repeatedly, God tells them the reason for the coming judgment is the abomination of the people. The society has become violent and wicked as a result of their abominations. Again it mentions those in the city will be faced with the sword, while those outside will face pestilence and famine.

When it is over, the people will be in a terrible state. They will be weak. Their savings and money in gold and silver will be worthless. They will not be able to satisfy their physical and spiritual hunger. God will let their wicked enemies posses their property. God will turn His face away from them, that is not listening to them, when they beg for peace from the disasters.




Ezekiel 7
Judgment on Israel Is Near

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel:

‘An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now the end has come upon you,
And I will send My anger against you;
I will judge you according to your ways,
And I will repay you for all your abominations.
4 My eye will not spare you,
Nor will I have pity;
But I will repay your ways,
And your abominations will be in your midst;
Then you shall know that I am the Lord!’
5 “Thus says the Lord God:

‘A disaster, a singular disaster;
Behold, it has come!
6 An end has come,
The end has come;
It has dawned for you;
Behold, it has come!
7 Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land;
The time has come,
A day of trouble is near,
And not of rejoicing in the mountains.
8 Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury,
And spend My anger upon you;
I will judge you according to your ways,
And I will repay you for all your abominations.
9 ‘My eye will not spare,
Nor will I have pity;
I will repay you according to your ways,
And your abominations will be in your midst.
Then you shall know that I am the Lord who strikes.
10 ‘Behold, the day!
Behold, it has come!
Doom has gone out;
The rod has blossomed,
Pride has budded.
11 Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness;
None of them shall remain,
None of their multitude,
None of them;
Nor shall there be wailing for them.
12 The time has come,
The day draws near.
‘Let not the buyer rejoice,
Nor the seller mourn,
For wrath is on their whole multitude.
13 For the seller shall not return to what has been sold,
Though he may still be alive;
For the vision concerns the whole multitude,
And it shall not turn back;
No one will strengthen himself
Who lives in iniquity.
14 ‘They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready,
But no one goes to battle;
For My wrath is on all their multitude.
15 The sword is outside,
And the pestilence and famine within.
Whoever is in the field
Will die by the sword;
And whoever is in the city,
Famine and pestilence will devour him.
16 ‘Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains
Like doves of the valleys,
All of them mourning,
Each for his iniquity.
17 Every hand will be feeble,
And every knee will be as weak as water.
18 They will also be girded with sackcloth;
Horror will cover them;
Shame will be on every face,
Baldness on all their heads.
19 ‘They will throw their silver into the streets,
And their gold will be like refuse;
Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them
In the day of the wrath of the Lord;
They will not satisfy their souls,
Nor fill their stomachs,
Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.
20 ‘As for the beauty of his ornaments,
He set it in majesty;
But they made from it
The images of their abominations—
Their detestable things;
Therefore I have made it
Like refuse to them.
21 I will give it as plunder
Into the hands of strangers,
And to the wicked of the earth as spoil;
And they shall defile it.
22 I will turn My face from them,
And they will defile My secret place;
For robbers shall enter it and defile it.
23 ‘Make a chain,
For the land is filled with crimes of blood,
And the city is full of violence.
24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles,
And they will possess their houses;
I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,
And their holy places shall be defiled.
25 Destruction comes;
They will seek peace, but there shall be none.
26 Disaster will come upon disaster,
And rumor will be upon rumor.
Then they will seek a vision from a prophet;
But the law will perish from the priest,
And counsel from the elders.
27 ‘The king will mourn,
The prince will be clothed with desolation,
And the hands of the common people will tremble.
I will do to them according to their way,
And according to what they deserve I will judge them;
Then they shall know that I am the Lord!’”

How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion With a cloud in His anger!

This chapter begins by describing God's intense anger for His people who have turned away from Him. Israel is mentioned previously as His footstool, but here it is said that God does not remember His footstool. His anger was fierce, He is like a conquering enemy to Israel. He would cause great destruction, and even the places of worship would be utterly destroyed.

As with the other lamentations, perhaps these verses are to be like songs. In any case, it is a sad description especially for those going through it. Many of them will be destroyed. Those who survive will lament. Their enemies would look at them and boast of their destruction. The people would have no where to turn to except to cry out and come before God.



Lamentations 2
God’s Anger with Jerusalem

1 How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion
With a cloud in His anger!
He cast down from heaven to the earth
The beauty of Israel,
And did not remember His footstool
In the day of His anger.

2 The Lord has swallowed up and has not pitied
All the dwelling places of Jacob.
He has thrown down in His wrath
The strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
He has brought them down to the ground;
He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.

3 He has cut off in fierce anger
Every horn of Israel;
He has drawn back His right hand
From before the enemy.
He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire
Devouring all around.

4 Standing like an enemy, He has bent His bow;
With His right hand, like an adversary,
He has slain all who were pleasing to His eye;
On the tent of the daughter of Zion,
He has poured out His fury like fire.

5 The Lord was like an enemy.
He has swallowed up Israel,
He has swallowed up all her palaces;
He has destroyed her strongholds,
And has increased mourning and lamentation
In the daughter of Judah.

6 He has done violence to His tabernacle,
As if it were a garden;
He has destroyed His place of assembly;
The Lord has caused
The appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion.
In His burning indignation He has spurned the king and the priest.

7 The Lord has spurned His altar,
He has abandoned His sanctuary;
He has given up the walls of her palaces
Into the hand of the enemy.
They have made a noise in the house of the Lord
As on the day of a set feast.

8 The Lord has purposed to destroy
The wall of the daughter of Zion.
He has stretched out a line;
He has not withdrawn His hand from destroying;
Therefore He has caused the rampart and wall to lament;
They languished together.

9 Her gates have sunk into the ground;
He has destroyed and broken her bars.
Her king and her princes are among the nations;
The Law is no more,
And her prophets find no vision from the Lord.

10 The elders of the daughter of Zion
Sit on the ground and keep silence;
They throw dust on their heads
And gird themselves with sackcloth.
The virgins of Jerusalem
Bow their heads to the ground.

11 My eyes fail with tears,
My heart is troubled;
My bile is poured on the ground
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
Because the children and the infants
Faint in the streets of the city.

12 They say to their mothers,
“Where is grain and wine?”
As they swoon like the wounded
In the streets of the city,
As their life is poured out
In their mothers’ bosom.

13 How shall I console you?
To what shall I liken you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
What shall I compare with you, that I may comfort you,
O virgin daughter of Zion?
For your ruin is spread wide as the sea;
Who can heal you?

14 Your prophets have seen for you
False and deceptive visions;
They have not uncovered your iniquity,
To bring back your captives,
But have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions.

15 All who pass by clap their hands at you;
They hiss and shake their heads
At the daughter of Jerusalem:
“Is this the city that is called
‘The perfection of beauty,
The joy of the whole earth’?”

16 All your enemies have opened their mouth against you;
They hiss and gnash their teeth.
They say, “We have swallowed her up!
Surely this is the day we have waited for;
We have found it, we have seen it!”

17 The Lord has done what He purposed;
He has fulfilled His word
Which He commanded in days of old.
He has thrown down and has not pitied,
And He has caused an enemy to rejoice over you;
He has exalted the horn of your adversaries.

18 Their heart cried out to the Lord,
“O wall of the daughter of Zion,
Let tears run down like a river day and night;
Give yourself no relief;
Give your eyes no rest.

19 “Arise, cry out in the night,
At the beginning of the watches;
Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.
Lift your hands toward Him
For the life of your young children,
Who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”

20 “See, O Lord, and consider!
To whom have You done this?
Should the women eat their offspring,
The children they have cuddled?[a]
Should the priest and prophet be slain
In the sanctuary of the Lord?

21 “Young and old lie
On the ground in the streets;
My virgins and my young men
Have fallen by the sword;
You have slain them in the day of Your anger,
You have slaughtered and not pitied.

22 “You have invited as to a feast day
The terrors that surround me.
In the day of the Lord’s anger
There was no refugee or survivor.
Those whom I have borne and brought up
My enemies have destroyed.”

I have held My Peace a Long Time

Here the God is speaking of a person whom He will send to save His people both Jews and Gentiles. This person will bring justice and truth to the world. Clearly God is not speaking of a nation or group of people, it is about an individual. God calls Him His Servant, His Elected One, and God will put His Spirit on Him. This person is none other than the promised Messiah. Also notice that God reminds His people that He will not share His Glory and later we know God to direct the praise and worship to Yeshua the Messiah - meaning that Messiah is also God Himself.

The next section leads the people to praise and worship of the Lord. Following that, it again describes the judgment that will be coming, but only after "I have held My peace a long time". God describes it as "I will lay waste the mountains and hills". There will still be those who would not listen and continue in their ways even though their idols are helpless.



Isaiah 42
The Servant of the Lord

1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Praise to the Lord

10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.


Promise of the Lord’s Help

14 “I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
‘You are our gods.’
18 “Hear, you deaf;
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My servant,
Or deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as he who is perfect,
And blind as the Lord’s servant?
20 Seeing many things, but you do not observe;
Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”

Israel’s Obstinate Disobedience

21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;
He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
All of them are snared in holes,
And they are hidden in prison houses;
They are for prey, and no one delivers;
For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the Lord,
He against whom we have sinned?
For they would not walk in His ways,
Nor were they obedient to His law.
25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger
And the strength of battle;
It has set him on fire all around,
Yet he did not know;
And it burned him,
Yet he did not take it to heart.

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

Amid the gloom prophesies, this chapter reveals the Hope who is the Son, and the Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. It mentions the "Galilee of the Gentiles" pointing to our Lord Jesus who spent much time in Galilee and the salvation which is to reach the Gentiles. He will be a light shining out of the darkness where the people are in. This is the revelation of the Messiah who will be from the line of David and His Kingdom will be everlasting. The zeal or passion of the LORD will ensure this.

The second part continues with the prophecy of the destruction of Israel and Samaria. It seems that nothing can save them from the judgement at that time. The severity of their wickedness is such that no mercy will be granted even to the widows and fatherless - groups of people whom the LORD usually reminds us to care for - because they have all become hypocrites and evildoers. Their prophets and leaders have lied and caused them to fall. And so God's anger is not turned away.



Isaiah 9
The Government of the Promised Son

1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And increased its joy;[a]
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The Punishment of Samaria

8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 All the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
15 The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks folly.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend

There is a seemingly unrelated collection of valuable verses and wise insights. But intertwined among these, one topic that kept recurring are the sayings about friends. The verses about friends are below:

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.
10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.
14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.
17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.




Proverbs 27
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.

3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.

4 Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent,
But who is able to stand before jealousy?

5 Open rebuke is better
Than love carefully concealed.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

7 A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest
Is a man who wanders from his place.

9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend,
Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;
Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may answer him who reproaches me.

12 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are punished.

13 Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger,
And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.

14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It will be counted a curse to him.

15 A continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;

16 Whoever restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.

17 As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

18 Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;
So he who waits on his master will be honored.

19 As in water face reflects face,
So a man’s heart reveals the man.

20 Hell[a] and Destruction[b] are never full;
So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

21 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And a man is valued by what others say of him.

22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;

24 For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

25 When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,

26 The lambs will provide your clothing,
And the goats the price of a field;

27 You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants.

Better to be of a Humble Spirit with the Lowly, Than to Divide the Spoil with the Proud.

The LORD God created all people, good and evil; wicked and righteous. We plan our own ways but ultimately God has the final say in our direction. As we begin to trust more in ourselves, we trust the Lord less, and we also become proud of ourselves. These are the things that displeases the Lord. Rather God wants us to seek him and depend on His ways.

Another interesting concept from this chapter is that earthly kingdoms and kings are determined by God. As such God sees it an abomination for kings to commit wickedness - this probably extends to modern elected leaders too. Hence all authority on all the Earth, whether from individual decision making to governing of the nations, are all the prerogative of God.

Several recurring theme that we have read up till now are also here including:
Slow to anger:
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Pride:
5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces,[a] none will go unpunished.
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Mouth:
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

Surrender our ways:
9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
28 A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.



Proverbs 16

1 The preparations of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.

3 Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

4 The Lord has made all for Himself,
Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join forces,[a] none will go unpunished.

6 In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.

9 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

10 Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.

11 Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His work.

12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.

14 As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will appease it.

15 In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

26 The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives him on.

27 An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.

28 A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.

29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.

30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He purses his lips and brings about evil.

31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.

32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.

Do Not Let the Sun Go Down on Your Wrath

Truth of the Word once again proven by Science.

In the article: "Science Confirms: Don’t Go to Sleep Angry"
http://lifehacker.com/5877576/science-confirms-dont-go-to-sleep-sleep-angry

Quote:
"The old anecdotal saying that you should never go to sleep angry just got backed up by science, thanks to UMass Amherst neuroscientists."
....
"The study points to the practice that you should try to resolve these feelings before you go to sleep so that you can have a less visceral reaction to the problem in the morning."


Here is the Word of God, told to His people thousands of years ago.

Psalm 4:4
Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

Ephesians 4
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”:[f] do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the

Incline Your Ears to the Words of My Mouth

The first paragraph is as if God is speaking. Interesting to note that God says He will speak in parables to reveal wisdom to the people. This was exactly how Jesus preached to His people.

The second paragraph speaks of God in the third person, revealing His relationship to His people from the line of Jacob. God was made known to their children and they are regularly encouraged to keep the commandments and not be rebellious.

The psalm narrates the history of the Exodus, in particular the marvelous and wondrous provision of God as they ventured to the Promised Land. It details the miracles of the provision of food and water as well as God's presence as a cloud by day and fire by night to guide them. Yet they rebelled against God and were punished on several occasions.

In times of their punishment, they remembered God as their Rock and Redeemer. But they constantly turned again to provoke God and not remember the miracles in Egypt which forced Pharaoh to let them free. God also worked miracles in defeating all the armies of the Promised Land so the Israel can settle there. Yet they provoked God by worshipping idols and pagan gods.

Finally it describes God in His sovereign will chose from Judah, His servant David. David was taken from being a Shepperd of sheep to be the Shepperd of Israel, with integrity in his heart.


Psalm 78
A Contemplation[a] of Asaph.
 1 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
         Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
 2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
         I will utter dark sayings of old,
 3 Which we have heard and known,
         And our fathers have told us.
 4 We will not hide them from their children,
         Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
         And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
        
 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob,
         And appointed a law in Israel,
         Which He commanded our fathers,
         That they should make them known to their children;
 6 That the generation to come might know them,
         The children who would be born,
         That they may arise and declare them to their children,
 7 That they may set their hope in God,
         And not forget the works of God,
         But keep His commandments;
 8 And may not be like their fathers,
         A stubborn and rebellious generation,
         A generation that did not set its heart aright,
         And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
        
 9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
         Turned back in the day of battle.
 10 They did not keep the covenant of God;
         They refused to walk in His law,
 11 And forgot His works
         And His wonders that He had shown them.
        
 12 Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
         In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
 13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
         And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
 14 In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
         And all the night with a light of fire.
 15 He split the rocks in the wilderness,
         And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
 16 He also brought streams out of the rock,
         And caused waters to run down like rivers.
        
 17 But they sinned even more against Him
         By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
 18 And they tested God in their heart
         By asking for the food of their fancy.
 19 Yes, they spoke against God:
         They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
 20 Behold, He struck the rock,
         So that the waters gushed out,
         And the streams overflowed.
         Can He give bread also?
         Can He provide meat for His people?”
        
 21 Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious;
         So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
         And anger also came up against Israel,
 22 Because they did not believe in God,
         And did not trust in His salvation.
 23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above,
         And opened the doors of heaven,
 24 Had rained down manna on them to eat,
         And given them of the bread of heaven.
 25 Men ate angels’ food;
         He sent them food to the full.
        
 26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;
         And by His power He brought in the south wind.
 27 He also rained meat on them like the dust,
         Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
 28 And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
         All around their dwellings.
 29 So they ate and were well filled,
         For He gave them their own desire.
 30 They were not deprived of their craving;
         But while their food was still in their mouths,
 31 The wrath of God came against them,
         And slew the stoutest of them,
         And struck down the choice men of Israel.
        
 32 In spite of this they still sinned,
         And did not believe in His wondrous works.
 33 Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
         And their years in fear.
        
 34 When He slew them, then they sought Him;
         And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
 35 Then they remembered that God was their rock,
         And the Most High God their Redeemer.
 36 Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth,
         And they lied to Him with their tongue;
 37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him,
         Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
 38 But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,
         And did not destroy them.
         Yes, many a time He turned His anger away,
         And did not stir up all His wrath;
 39 For He remembered that they were but flesh,
         A breath that passes away and does not come again.
        
 40 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness,
         And grieved Him in the desert!
 41 Yes, again and again they tempted God,
         And limited the Holy One of Israel.
 42 They did not remember His power:
         The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
 43 When He worked His signs in Egypt,
         And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
 44 Turned their rivers into blood,
         And their streams, that they could not drink.
 45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
         And frogs, which destroyed them.
 46 He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
         And their labor to the locust.
 47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
         And their sycamore trees with frost.
 48 He also gave up their cattle to the hail,
         And their flocks to fiery lightning.
 49 He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
         Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
         By sending angels of destruction among them.
 50 He made a path for His anger;
         He did not spare their soul from death,
         But gave their life over to the plague,
 51 And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt,
         The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
 52 But He made His own people go forth like sheep,
         And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
 53 And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
         But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
 54 And He brought them to His holy border,
         This mountain which His right hand had acquired.
 55 He also drove out the nations before them,
         Allotted them an inheritance by survey,
         And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
        
 56 Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
         And did not keep His testimonies,
 57 But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
         They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
 58 For they provoked Him to anger with their high places,
         And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
 59 When God heard this, He was furious,
         And greatly abhorred Israel,
 60 So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
         The tent He had placed among men,
 61 And delivered His strength into captivity,
         And His glory into the enemy’s hand.
 62 He also gave His people over to the sword,
         And was furious with His inheritance.
 63 The fire consumed their young men,
         And their maidens were not given in marriage.
 64 Their priests fell by the sword,
         And their widows made no lamentation.
        
 65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
         Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
 66 And He beat back His enemies;
         He put them to a perpetual reproach.
        
 67 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,
         And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
 68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
         Mount Zion which He loved.
 69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights,
         Like the earth which He has established forever.
 70 He also chose David His servant,
         And took him from the sheepfolds;
 71 From following the ewes that had young He brought him,
         To shepherd Jacob His people,
         And Israel His inheritance.
 72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
         And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

Trusting God for Deliverance; God Entrusting Creation to Man

This is an example of David praying to God for deliverance against a fierce enemy. David starts by asking God to deal with him first, if there was any evil or wickedness in him - just as we should ask God to help us examine ourselves first. Then David expresses his confidence in a just God who will punish the wicked. This is trusting that justice is not for us but for God to decide and execute. The prayer-song is finished off by praising God.

The next Psalm praises the Majesty and Almightiness of God - the creator of the Heavens and the moon and the stars. Then the well known rhetorical question:

"What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?"

Then a revelation of man in relation to other of God's creation. In terms of intelligent beings, man is created a little lower than the angels but yet God has crowned man, perhaps not angels, with glory and honour. In terms of God's physical creation, man is given dominion over it. In other words, God has entrusted the physical world totally to man to look after it, which includes the Earth and all the animals. This is also mentioned in Genesis. Note that dominion was not given for man to rule over another man.

Psalm 8

To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath.^[c] A Psalm of David.

 ¹ O LORD, our Lord,
         How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
         Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
        
 ² Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
         You have ordained strength,
         Because of Your enemies,
         That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
        
 ³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
         The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
 ⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him,
         And the son of man that You visit him?
 ⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels,^[d]
         And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
        
 ⁶ You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
         You have put all things under his feet,
 ⁷ All sheep and oxen—
         Even the beasts of the field,
 ⁸ The birds of the air,
         And the fish of the sea
         That pass through the paths of the seas.
        
 ⁹ O LORD, our Lord,
         How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 7

A Meditation^[a] of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

 ¹ O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;
         Save me from all those who persecute me;
         And deliver me,
 ² Lest they tear me like a lion,
         Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
        
 ³ O LORD my God, if I have done this:
         If there is iniquity in my hands,
 ⁴ If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
         Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
 ⁵ Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
         Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
         And lay my honor in the dust.  Selah 
        
 ⁶ Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
         Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
         Rise up for me^[b]to the judgment You have commanded!
 ⁷ So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
         For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
 ⁸ The LORD shall judge the peoples;
         Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,
         And according to my integrity within me.
        
 ⁹ Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
         But establish the just;
         For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
 ¹⁰ My defense is of God,
         Who saves the upright in heart.
        
 ¹¹ God is a just judge,
         And God is angry with the wicked every day.
 ¹² If he does not turn back,
         He will sharpen His sword;
         He bends His bow and makes it ready.
 ¹³ He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
         He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
        
 ¹⁴ Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
         Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
 ¹⁵ He made a pit and dug it out,
         And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
 ¹⁶ His trouble shall return upon his own head,
         And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.
        
 ¹⁷ I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness,
         And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Give Ear to my Words, O LORD; Do Not Rebuke me in Your Anger

In prayer, cry out to God, that's how David approaches God. God is merciful and faithful and David can always turn to God when faced with his enemies. God defends those who trust in him and bless the righteous; surrounds them with a shield. Obviously none is righteous by our own means - but only through faith which God counts as righteousness.

The next psalm sounds like David has displeased the LORD in some way and he realized this. Instead of denying it, he brings his sins up to God and asks God not to be angry at him. Not sure if the Psalm was written at David's old age hence the reference of weakness and bone trouble, but it can also mean weakness in spirit which led David to cry out to God. He comes to God with a lowly spirit and a contrite heart. In this psalm, David expresses his grief; but following his prayers to God, he had full confidence that his prayers is heard by God who will deal with his enemies.



Psalm 6

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp.[b] A Psalm of David.

 1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
         Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
 2 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak;
         O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
 3 My soul also is greatly troubled;
         But You, O LORD—how long?
       
 4 Return, O LORD, deliver me!
         Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
 5 For in death there is no remembrance of You;
         In the grave who will give You thanks?
       
 6 I am weary with my groaning;
         All night I make my bed swim;
         I drench my couch with my tears.
 7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
         It grows old because of all my enemies.
       
 8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;
         For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
 9 The LORD has heard my supplication;
         The LORD will receive my prayer.
 10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;
         Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

Psalm 5

To the Chief Musician. With flutes.[a] A Psalm of David.

 1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,

         Consider my meditation.

 2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,

         My King and my God,

         For to You I will pray.

 3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;

         In the morning I will direct it to You,

         And I will look up.

       

 4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,

         Nor shall evil dwell with You.

 5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;

         You hate all workers of iniquity.

 6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;

         The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

       

 7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;

         In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.

 8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;

         Make Your way straight before my face.

       

 9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;

         Their inward part is destruction;

         Their throat is an open tomb;

         They flatter with their tongue.

 10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!

         Let them fall by their own counsels;

         Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,

         For they have rebelled against You.

       

 11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

         Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

         Let those also who love Your name

         Be joyful in You.

 12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;

         With favor You will surround him as with a shield.