Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Proverbs 25:4-5
Proverbs 25
Various Ways to Serve
Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices. And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices. And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were made in the pans. And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath. And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night. These chief fathers of the Levites were chief throughout their generations; these dwelt at Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 9:29-34
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, “Peace be within thee.”
Psalm 122:6-8
A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.
Proverbs 25:26
Envy with Hatred: Evidence of Departure from GOD
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, “I will smite David even to the wall with it.” And David avoided out of his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.
Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
1 Samuel 18:10-16
They that trust in the LORD shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
Psalm 125:1
Debate thy cause with thy neighbour, and discover not a secret to another: lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.
Proverbs 25:9-10
Serve The LORD Your God
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him. But if thou shalt indeed obey His voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For Mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
Exodus 23:20-25
Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens.
Psalm 123:1
Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Proverbs 25:5
Neighbor, The Way and Hope Toward God
“Debate thy cause with thy neighbour; and discover not a secret to another: lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.” Proverbs 25:9-10
“But this I confess unto thee, that after the Way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” Acts 24:14-15
As Christians let us pray for our neighbor rather than accuse them to another. Let us treat them the way we desire to be treated. Let us pray, also, that they might find the Way to God through His Son Jesus Christ, because there is no other way.
Remember Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no one comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). Let us pray for the lost, the dying and the perishing to be born again through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer for Monday January 25, In the year of our Lord 2021
A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.” Proverbs 25:26
“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets.” Luke 6:26
Father and Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is therein we ask for Your wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in Your word, will, and way You work in us, and in others. We desire to always walk with You and glorify Your name.
Forgive our weakness in standing before men of power and authority when we need to be bold in Your word, to speak all that You have spoken. May we never bow before evil and wicked men or women. Forgive us also when we have sought to be liked and approved by others before bringing honor to Your holy name; and have failed to lift up Jesus Christ.
We ask for boldness in Your word no matter before whom we may be standing, to speak it with Your power and authority. May we, like Paul the apostle, live with this in our heart, soul, and mind; “…To know nothing, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” and buried and raised to life forever. For life eternal is found only through faith in His finished work on the cross of Calvary. Amen.
The “Giver” Who Does Not Give
“Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.” Proverbs 25:14 (KJB)
“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.” (ESV)
A Fitly Spoken Word
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.” Proverbs 25:11-13 (KJB)
Doing Right With The Neighbor
“Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.” Proverbs 25:8-10 (KJB)
Dealing With Power and Personal Perception
“Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: for better it is that it be said unto thee, ‘Come up hither;’ than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.” Proverbs 25:6-7 (KJB)
Established In Righteousness
“The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.
Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.” Proverbs 25:3-5 (KJB)
Secret Things and Wisdom
“These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:1-2 (KJB)
Kings, Neighbors,Enemies, and Honey
“These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: for better it is that it be said unto thee, ‘Come up hither;’ than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.” Proverbs 25:1-7 (KJB)
Kings, Neighbors, Enemies, and Honey – Proverbs 25:1-28
VERSES 1-7 – On verses two and three the MacArthur Study Bible notes, “God…kings. The roles of God and the king are compared. God, whose knowledge is above all human knowledge (cf. Ps. 92:5; Eccl. 3:11; Is. 46:10; Acts 15:18; Heb. 4:13), and whose ways are unsearchable (cf. Job 5:9; Ps. 145:3; Is. 40:28), keeps things to Himself because He needs no counsel (see Rom. 11:34). On the contrary, kings should rightly seek to know what they must know in order to rule righteously.”
Looking at verses four and five we can conclude that kingdoms of men are established by God when wickedness is removed and righteousness is in place. There is silver present, but it must be refined by fire.
In verses six and seven we see that humility is an honorable trait even in places of authority.
VERSES 8-20 – Getting along with neighbors will be aided by not being hasty in judging them when they seem to be unwise, and in the end you are shamed by your own actions (vv. 8-10).
Using words wisely when dealing with our neighbors (vv. 11-12). Refreshing and encouraging words from a messenger (v. 13). Forbearance or patience is a necessity for good neighbors (vv. 14-15). Too much of a good and sweet thing will end in hatred of that very thing (vv. 16-17).
Being a good neighbor involves confidence in the right place and people, respecting truth and, others comfort, shelter, and nourishment (vv. 18-20).
VERSES 21-28 – We ought to treat our enemies as we would treat our neighbors. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matt. 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8).
VERSES 16 and 27 – Honey is a natural sweetener. Too much of this sweetener will make one sick. Verse 16 prepares us for verse 17 where spending too much time a neighbor’s can be a thing that turns to hatred if not done in moderation.
To search for one’s own glory is as bad as eating too much honey. It will make others sick, and possibly you sick as well.
The Fire and Hammer 