Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 19:4-9(KJV):
4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
6 Many will entreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

Proverbs 19:4-9(NIV):
4 Wealth brings many friends, but a poor  man's friend deserts him.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.
6 Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.
7 A poor man is shunned by all his relatives --how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish.

Thoughts for the Day:

Many observations are made by the writer of Proverbs as to how people react to other people. Verse 4 states that in the world, wealthy people, or those with status, will be sought out for their favors; therefore, they have many "so-called" friends.  On the other hand, those who are poor, will most of the time, be avoided as they have nothing to give. Those who do have money to give, many times, do not want to be confronted with the needs of the poor, so they stay away from their presence.  This is not the case for God's people as we are commanded to help the poor and needy.  There are many Christian organizations whose work is specifically designated to give to the poor of the world. It pleases the Lord when we reach out to those who are needy. 

Verses 5 and 9 declare that those who are found to be false witnesses will not go unpunished.  In our judicial system, there is a stern punishment set for those guilty of perjury (lying under oath).  Those who breath out lies will not escape punishment, in fact the Bible says they shall perish. A false witness is a wicked person and shall go not unpunished and will not go free.

Exodus 23:1: "Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness."

Verse 6 states that many will seek favors from a prince or ruler. Those who have needs seek them out, especially if they give gifts, as every man is a friend of him who gives gifts. 

Verse 7 tells the plight of a poor man.  He is shunned by his relatives, as they know he will plead with them to give him more.  For that reason, they avoid him. As Christians we are to help the poor; however, that does not mean we are to continually give them money.  They need answers as to how to overcome their poverty or they will simply remain in it and be unproductive.  They need to be taught the lessons from the Bible on how to overcome fear and poverty, as well as being given the temporary help that they need.

Verse 8 gives the answer as how to overcome poverty.  First, we must seek the wisdom of God.  Since Jesus is Wisdom, we first must seek Him and give Him our entire lives so that He might direct us in His paths of righteousness.  The Lord will then give us the understanding of the principles in His Word that will lead us to overcome poverty and then we shall prosper and find good.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Father, Thank you for leading us in Your paths of righteousness.  Lord, I know as we seek You, you will give us the answers we need so that we might prosper and be in good health.  Lord, we need strength and health to be able to serve You and help others.  Thank You for prosperity so that we are able to give to help those who are poor and needy.  Show us the people we need to help.  Give us prayers for the lost, hurting and needy.   Prayers just cost us our time.  Let us be willing to take the time to pray, to give and to reach out to others.  I ask this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.