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 19:10-12(KJV):
10 Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

Proverbs 19:10-12(NIV):
10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury -- how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!
11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king's rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs records many observations in regard to the ways of life. Verse 10 tells us that a person who is foolish should not live in luxury.  There are many reasons for a statement such as this.  A fool who inherits money so that he might live in luxury will be one who pampers his every delight.  He will soon squander all that he has, as his lust and desire for worldly delights will drive him to indulgence, thereby using his money wrongly and selfishly. Those who use no discipline in the area of money will quickly go through their finances and their foolishness will be seen by all. 

The other half of this verse makes another observation -- it is also not a good thing for a servant or slave to rule over princes.   The reason for this is that the servant has not been trained to rule as a prince; therefore, he will not have the good judgement to make wise decisions.  Those who are in positions of rulership should have the training and experience to hold an office that will affect the people under them.  People without the proper training can make very detrimental decisions that can hurt all those under their authority. People with a slave mentality will keep those under them in bondage. It is especially bad for those who have princely qualities to be under someone such as this, as they are hampered from using their talents to rule.

Verse 11 tells us that a man of wisdom will have the virtue of patience operating in his life. Because he is patient, he will not become offended at how others might treat him.  He is gracious and forgives any offences.  This brings him glory, as he is able to pass over any transgression. We can obtain this kind of wisdom and patience by asking the Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit.  When we are filled with the love of God, we do not allow offences to disturb us. The love of God is defined in
1 Corinthians 13. In the King James version of the Bible the word "charity" is used for our word "love."  Listed below is also the NIV translation of this portion of scripture:

1Corinthians 13:4-7(KJV):
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7(NIV):
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Verse 12 is simply saying that the king's wrath is as terrifying as the roaring of a lion, but his favor is as refreshing as dew upon the grass.   The "king" can be a type of anyone who is in a position of authority. Those who are in positions of authority can cause fear in the hearts of those beneath them if they are unhappy and begin "roaring" about something. However, if the same people in authority are gracious to those beneath them, it is refreshing like the dew on grass.  If God has blessed us by allowing us to be in a position of authority, we should show "kingly"  kindness to those we manage.   This brings glory to our Lord.  However, if we are like a roaring lion to those under our authority, that would not please the Lord.  We should show His nature in all of our affairs.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Father, I do appreciate all that You have done for me.  Thank you, for the favor and kindness You show me through others. May I show love and kindness to all who know me.  Lord, You tell us in Your Word that we are to love one another and when we do that, we bring glory to Your name. You tell us that when we truly love one another, men will see it and know that we are Your disciples.  May we demonstrate Your love to all who know us.  Forgive us when we have failed to show love and have yielded to our own selfishness.  We know that if we proclaim our love for You, that we must also demonstrate it by loving each other.   Change us and fill us with Your love is my prayer.  I ask this in the name our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.