Papa Pat Tiny Devotionals

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, I ate the last of the leftovers for breakfast. For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life. Proverbs 6:26, NIV The New International Version effectively makes the point that sexual immorality alone is of lesser consequence than the violation of a covenant relationship. Prostitution is no small thing; Jesus listed prostitutes with tax collectors!  The verse points out that it's the choice of your companion in sexual immorality that changes the offense (figuratively speaking) from a misdemeanor to a felony. Why should this be the case? The next several verses make it clear that it's not God who exacts retribution on the covenant-breaker, but man; specifically, the spouse of the person involved in adultery.  This passage speaks to the reactions of an injured husband, but my observations convince me that an injured wife c...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, breakfast is a non-starter today; sorry. It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness. Proverbs 16:12, NASB Six wives, by Divine Right There is a standard higher than kings; otherwise it would not be possible for kings to commit wicked acts. At other times in history, the principle of Divine Right held that since kings were put into their positions by God, anything they did was the right thing. That didn't work out so well. Actually, our country decided the the whole of monarchy wasn't going to work, and so we went with elected representation. Now, the responsibility for who we have in government falls on us, We the People. What should we do, if we believe our leaders are committing wicked acts? It's a non-trivial question. Some say that only the acts of government should be considered in evaluating an authority, that...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, plain bran flakes are better with honey. Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way; He who hates reproof will die. Proverbs 15:10, NASB I'm not sure why the translators of the New American Standard Bible chose the word 'punishment' in the first line of this verse. The Hebrew word is מוּסָר (mu-sar), and it's mostly translated as 'instruction'; sometimes 'correction.' The reason it's important is that punishment implies a punisher, one who takes some aversive action on an offender; as given in the NASB, this sounds like “if you mess up, God is gonna GET you!” I don't think that's the correct message at all. I think that rather than say God will get you if you do wrong, this entire verse is talking about the logical consequences to someone who abandons the way of righteousness. That interpretation is strongly supported by the seco...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief. Proverbs 14:13, NASB I was an 18-year-old college freshman the first time someone told me the face they wore in public wasn't really the way they felt on the inside. It was a shocking experience, because the public face was an arrogant know-it-all, and I didn't like them. What they revealed to me was someone as lost and afraid as I was,  maybe more; a person I could befriend.  So, why would someone present laughter, if they are in pain? I think it's mostly because it's easier for the public to deal with laughter; the people who go around telling others how awful they feel don't get a good reception from most people. There MAY be some goodness in that; the things that are painful are usually best dealt with between a few people, or even just two. (A help...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Monday is no excuse. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12, NASB Yesterday, I discovered an item I wanted was going on sale in about 100 minutes from now. It's priced above the level where I make purchases on my own advice, and so I asked Vanessa, knowing she would be less than enthusiastic. I was right; she told me I didn't need that, and I agreed with her wholeheartedly. I don't NEED it; I WANTED it, though. After we had talked about it for a bit, and discussed the things that we do, in fact, really need, she told me I could go ahead and buy it.  (NOTE: I wasn't badgering her; we don't negotiate that way. I didn't wear down her arguments, this was a decision she made of her own free will. Just ask her!) I spent much of the afternoon and evening researching, and drooling over the prospect of making the pur...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, we're running a few hours late. Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand. Proverbs 10:14, NASB Think of a dammed up river. The water in the reservoir is like the knowledge stored up by the wise. I'm NOT an outdoorsy-type, however, I have been to a dam on Lake Lanier, and here's what I know about the stored-up water, and how it applies to the knowledge store of the wise: It's a very calm surface; the knowledge of the wise (KOTW) brings peace, and not turmoil. It goes DEEP; the KOTW is much more than a few facts useful only in a trivia game.  Boaters and swimmers only use the surface; casual researchers of the KOTW are entertained and strengthened by exposure. Fish live in the deep parts; the  KOTW provides those who seek knowledge with useful tools for life. Even though I'm NOT an outdoorsy-type, my friend is, and he persuade...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, the cats will ignore you. The last words of, and warning against, the Woman of Folly: “Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol. Proverbs 9:17-18, NASB I'm glad these are the last words of the Woman of Folly; I'm sick of her. That's because I know something that the naive youth does not, which is that all her promises are lies, and that destruction is on her path. How do I know? Well, unfortunately, I have made a mistake or two in my youth, when my body made so much noise that my brain couldn't listen. It's not entirely to my credit that I survived; you might call what I had good luck, or heavenly provision, or even say it was an angel watching over me. If it's important to me when I get to heaven, I can probably find out then.  I can imagine a scene...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, bring a treat for the puppy dogs. Wisdom speaks: I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. Proverbs 8:17, NASB There is a double promise here. First, wisdom promises that this is NOT going to be a one-sided love affair. THAT'S a relief! Search your memory, for that crush you had on someone in the 6th grade that wasn't returned. Hopefully, that was the LAST time you found yourself in a one-way relationship, but we all had to learn.  Second, wisdom promises that all we have to do to find her is seek for her. We DON'T have to get dressed up with brains, education, or any achievements whatsoever; all we have to do is seek her, and she will be found. This may be a promise that can only be appreciated by someone who has had to make their living in sales (or recruiting). I did that for too many years, slaving away on the road or on the telephone, ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, it's Cheerios and bran flakes for breakfast. I have spread my couch with coverings, With colored linens of Egypt. I have sprinkled my bed With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Proverbs 7: 16-17, NASB NOPE! Listen to this part of the seduction line offered by the Woman of Folly:  “I changed the sheets on the bed.” Good luck with THAT one, girl, but I think you are wasting your breath, plus whatever time you spent arranging and re-arranging the linens. You probably have artfully arranged throw pillows on the couch, too.  And as far as sprinkling spices, if the young fool actually DOES follow you into the bedroom, he's equally likely to sneeze, and say “What stinks in here?” Will that be enough to spoil the mood you are trying so desperately to arrange? For the sake of the young fool, we hope so. We hope that standing there on the street, he is able to have a brief moment of cl...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, leftover house lo mien! To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids. Proverbs 6: 24-25, NASB Again we have the Woman of Folly, the adulteress who lurks in wait for the foolish man. It's pretty clear, in EVERY chapter that deals with this person, what the bait is for the fool: it's sex, demonstrated by her appearance and how she uses it. Are men REALLY that frappen simple?  I think we are. ALL of the warnings against this seduction are addressed to the men; there is NOTHING that tells a woman that she needs to dress or behave like a seducer if she wants to keep her man. The fault is NOT hers, when her man abandons her for a harlot. ALL of the focus is on teaching the man not to be an idiot, and to recognize that the enemy really has just one trick that he uses to b...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, it's my birthday, and I'm forced to write about a harlot. For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? Proverbs 5:20, NASB Fashion statement I don't want to write about this verse on my birthday, but there are three reasons why I'm doing it: 1. Shortly after I started this blog, I realized that if I didn't discipline myself to write about the verses in sequence, I would find myself skipping verses. That's a lousy way to read the Bible. It's better to write about the unpleasant things, as well as the pleasant. 2. Harlots are mentioned, but in a negative sense. It's not like I'm asking for a hooker for my birthday present; the verse says “DON'T DO THAT!” It's a MORAL verse. By including it, I'm teaching that hanging with adulteresses is a BAD thing. 3. If I skipped over the verses th...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, May the Fourth be with you! But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19, NASB   The preceding four verses warn us away from following after evil, and describes those who do so. Then, we are told WHY we should follow the path of the righteous, followed by the reason not to follow the path of the wicked. Perhaps this is the right way of teaching. This morning, I have had to deal with repercussions of someone hijacking Vanessa's Facebook account. Using this formula, how would I instruct a potential hacker?  Don't be a hacker. People who hack accounts look for ways to take advantage of other people's identities. People who use systems the way intended are able to exchange information with confidence, to include...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Remember Everyone Deployed. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. Proverbs 3:18, NASB The 'she' in this verse is Wisdom; this section of Proverbs speaks of the excellence found in Wisdom, and the happiness of those who find her. With pine trees, there is about the same amount of tree below the ground as there is above the ground. I COULD have discovered that by asking, but instead I discovered it when I tried to dig up a Christmas tree for later transplanting. It took me three days, and I was covered with mud and blisters by the time I finished. It was not a successful project.   However, having had that experience, I know know that one way to get through a windstorm is to grab a tree. I'm not speaking of forest giants, here; just trees maybe 10 feet tall, about the size of a big Christmas tree.  Spiritual windst...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, it's time for a coffee run. So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. Proverbs 2:20, NASB After spending the previous verses on the consequences of following after Folly, the writer returns to how following Wisdom provides benefits. It's a welcome change; even when we AREN'T doing the foolish things, it's draining to read about them. It's like being in a room with a three-year-old beating on a drum, and then finding blessed silence as they finally wind down and take a nap. In contrast to the tumult of the life of the person following folly, the way of the righteous is filled with peace. At first, it may SEEM to be a time of pure silence, but it's not, really. There are sounds, but they aren't the sounds coming from conflict. Walking in folly doesn't even give you much of a chance to really distinguish WHAT is goin...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, look out for the cat. “We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” Proverbs 1:13-14, NASB Reality This is the bad guys tempting the naive youth to join them in robbery and other mayhem; the wealth they speak of comes from the homes of  their victims. Aside from the pure ethics of the situation, there is a significant problem with the plan: it's not what is termed a 'sustainable business model.' In the previous verses, we discovered that the plan was to attack the innocent from ambush, and that could certainly work; once, that is. Maybe even twice! But the victims, while innocent, are not STUPID. When crime happens, precautions against crime happen next. So don't expect your plan to keep on working; pretty soon, people are locking up their sheds, buying dogs, and hiring bodygua...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Boost is an acceptable substitute for sour milk. The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it. Proverbs 30:17, NASB Okay. That right there? That's messed up. I didn't say it was wrong, so don't get confused. I said it was messed up, meaning that having birds eat your eyes because you were disobedient and disrespectful, seems like an over-reaction. So, I retreated into the Hebrew, looking for insight. Here's the insight: the English is a near-perfect translation; the only changes are that 'scorns' is literally “ וְתָבוּז לִיקֲּהַת־ " ( buz yeqaha ), which means 'despises to obey.' WHY THIS CANNOT BE TAKEN LITERALLY: your eye is not an independent agent, capable of mocking and scorning. Your eye is not capable of that, BUT your point of view can be. Your point of view i...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, I think the milk has gone bad. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both. Proverbs 29:13, NASB My first thought was: “Lord, WHY would You give light to the oppressor? Why not put them in darkness?” See, If God did it MY way, then the oppressor would be at a disadvantage, and the poor could advance. Isn't that desirable? Well, no, for a couple of reasons. In the first place, how is the oppressor going to SEE his oppressive ways, unless he has light? That might not matter, if you didn't care for the oppressor; just let them run into a wall, then loot the wreckage. Seems fair to me; but then, I'm not a Heavenly Father. Even as an earthly father, though, I understand that God loves the oppressor, just not his oppressive ways. He desires repentance, and how is THAT going to happen, if he's blind to what he is doing? In th...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, it's a breakfast burrito! The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding sees through him. Proverbs 28:11, NASB Why is it that riches and foolishness seem to go hand-in-hand? Why are we spending so much time trying to get rich? Riches shield us from the consequences of our behavior; and, since logical consequences are the best teachers we have access to, that cuts us off from learning. It works with simple matters, like home maintenance: if I am poor, and need to paint the bedroom, I have to learn how to paint, and do it myself. The rich person just hires someone else to do it for him. That's not a bad thing, by the way. Painters need to pay their bills just like we all do, and if everyone did their own painting, how would they get by?  The worst aspect of the learning-deprived rich person is that they don't really have to learn how to get along...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, whipped cream on your Cheerios (Tre says!). A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty. Proverbs 27:12, NASB Note that the difference here is NOT what is seen; there's nothing that suggests that the naive person is blind to the danger. The difference is in how they react when danger is detected. The prudent person does NOT attack the danger. That's because the task in life is not to drive all danger away; it's to go from Point A to Point B. Unfortunately in this case, the path from A to B has danger lurking about; think of it as an ambush. The wise person doesn't even risk a small amount of danger in combating a bad thing that can be detected; he removes himself from the sight of the lurking evil. Probably, it's implicit in his action of hiding himself that he finds another way to get to Point B. After all: that was the plan ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Remember Everyone Deployed! The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again. Proverbs 26:15, NASB Cleaning Up One of the reasons for the emphasis on washings in the Old Testament law is that they dined without forks and spoons. Knives, highly useful for stabbing, had long been adapted to the table;  the practice was to cut off a portion of food, pick it up with your fingers, and eat it. Alternatively, you dipped your bread in the dish, and soaked up the gravy that way. Alas for poor LazyBubba! He is likely to starve, because he can't even lift his fingers out of the common dish and feed his face.  Sluggards don't usually last in large families. Anyone who leaves his hand in the dish is likely to have it perforated by the knives of his more energetic siblings; if LazyBubba leaves his hand in the dish, he's blocking access to the f...