Year One, November 3

In the Day of Adversity Consider1

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

1 A good name is better than precious ointment,

and the day of death than the day of birth.

Almost everyone would like to have a good reputation. To be known as a righteous person is a good reason for choosing to live a life of integrity. And to have died as a martyr for the faith, or to have lived as a persecuted believer, or endured poverty rather than undermine Christian principles is a great blessing. To die being remembered for holiness and kindness means the difficult trials of life were worth it. To these, the day of death is the completing of a life of honor, the celebration of a life lived well.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

for this is the end of all mankind,

and the living will lay it to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter,

for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Experience has proven to all wise people that the trustworthy lessons they have learned in the house of mourning are more valuable, more strengthening, more comforting, and more joyous than the shallow, thoughtless activities of so many. People who live superficial and irresponsible lives are only wearing a mask to hide the sadness in their hearts. Their lives shined for an instant and then they were gone, leaving a deeper unhappiness behind. They are like thorns that blaze for a moment and leave only black spots where they once grew.

5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise

than to hear the song of fools.

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,

so is the laughter of the fools;

this also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

A bribe twists the judgment and kills the conscience.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,

and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,

for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

The best person feels the occasional flash of anger, but bad people feed the flame. Their anger smolders long. It is ready to burst forth whenever the breath of memory fans it. To be angry and not sin2 is very difficult. May God give us grace to rule our temper, or it will be our ruin.

10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”

For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

Those who wish for “the good old days” should think before they speak. It is a great question whether things were ever better than at this present moment. Let us stop pointless complaining and try to make our present days better. And if we cannot improve them, let us leave them to God.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,

an advantage to those who see the sun.

People who have an inheritance and no wisdom are in a sad situation. With wealth comes great responsibilities, but they have no grace to measure up to them. The truest wealth is true religion. The richest person is the one who has God for their inheritance.3

12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,

and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom   preserves the life of him who has it.

If we understand that the wisdom Solomon is talking about is true wisdom, which is real godliness, then his meaning becomes clear. There is no real life apart from faith in the Lord Jesus. Faith is our best protection in this life, as well as the greatest way to live.

13 Consider the work of God:

who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Troubles and afflictions are part of this life. On this side of heaven there must be thorns with the roses and clouds with the sunshine. Wisdom acts correctly in all situations. We should bless the Lord when his mercies overflow and repent4 when he strikes us with the rod. The Lord does not intend that his Birds of Paradise should build their nests on any of the trees of this life’s forest. Therefore he sends his roughest winds to rock the branches back and forth so that his chosen may take wing and fly upward to the heavenly land where they may light on the tree of life and sing forever, never more to be disturbed.

^{_______________}

¹ Ecclesiastes 7:14

² A reference to Ephesians 4:26

³ Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!”

⁴ repent, repentance - The act or feeling of remorse, regret, sorrow or shame that results in a change of heart or purpose.

Year One, November 2

Seek First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness1

Solomon gives a description of the ways that he searched for the greatest pleasure, but without success. Everything seemed to be in his favor.  He had a great mind and almost unlimited resources at his command. If Solomon could not find satisfaction when he had the whole world at his command, how much less can common people hope to find it with far less money and much more limited knowledge? There is no satisfaction apart from God.

  

Ecclesiastes 1:16-18

16I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. (He did not limit his research to serious subjects, but investigated all he could of the silly and insane things of human nature. Even if we assume that he gorged himself with the lighter as well as the heavier literature of his times, including the humorous side of life, the result was the same. The hunger of the soul was not satisfied with laughter any more than with hard study. It will always be that way. The library is not heaven. Neither are the amusements of the world a paradise.)

18 For in much wisdom is much vexation,

and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

  

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” (In his mental madness, he tried one thing after another, from serious to carefree. From clearheaded thinking to wild excitement. But he did not find rest. How could he? True joy is found only in God.) 3I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. (But in wine there is madness and not happiness. Drunkards prove this.) 4I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. (He became preoccupied with building. But it only amused him until the works were finished. Then he was as dissatisfied as before. If he had built as high as Babel’s tower he would still not have reached heaven.)

5I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. (But in all his gardens he could not grow the tree of life or the plant of content, and therefore he failed here also.) 7I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

But in all his treasure houses and halls of music, he could not possess the pearl of great value2 or hear the song of sweet peace.3 The poorest person of faith in Solomon’s kingdom was far happier than he was. Alas, poor rich Solomon!

9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. (But it only remained to make him feel more deeply the emptiness of earthly joys. His wisdom only served to make him feel the hollowness in his heart more intensely. The light from his learning only helped him to see more clearly the “darkness visible”4 in which he stumbled around.) 10And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. (The little joy he felt in chasing after any one of his various desires vanished when he finally got hold of it. He became a worn out man; a man tired and bored, but unable to rest after getting what he thought would make him happy. He went round and round like a mill horse, harnessed to his work, but never getting beyond the weary circle of unrest. To know Jesus, to love God, to find satisfaction in heavenly things; this is wisdom. The foolishness of Solomon should force us to seek Jesus. May God allow that to be true about us.)

  

^{_______________}

¹ Matthew 6:33

² Matthew 13:45-46 , “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

³ Perhaps a reference to Luke 2:14, “and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

⁴ “No light; but rather darkness visible, served only to discover sights of woe.” From John Milton’s Hell in Paradise Lost.

Year One, November 1

Vanity of Vanities! All Is Vanity1

In the book of Ecclesiastes, or The Preacher, Solomon has left us his own biography. It is the life of a seeker after pleasure, the history of Solomon the prodigal, written by Solomon the preacher. In this first chapter, he gives us the introduction and the theme of its sad contents. It has well been called the saddest book in all the Bible.

  

Ecclesiastes 1:1-15

1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

This is Solomon speaking as the wise man, but we would love it better to hear the voice of Solomon the saint, who said, “Your love is better than wine.”2 “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.”3 How dark are the forbidden ways! How sweet are the roads of holy fellowship!

3 What does man gain by all the toil

at which he toils under the sun?

4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down,

and hastens to the place where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south

and goes around to the north;

around and around goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind returns.

7 All streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they flow again.

8 All things are full of weariness;

a man cannot utter it;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

nor the ear filled with hearing.

9 What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done,

and there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there a thing of which it is said,

“See, this is new”?

It has been already

in the ages before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things,

nor will there be any remembrance 

of later things yet to be

among those who come after.

“As much as if he said, ‘It is all a weary-go-round.’  This system of things is an everlasting self-repetition and it is quite sickening. One generation goes, another comes. The sun rises, and the sun goes down. That was what the sun did yesterday, and what I expect it will do tomorrow. The wind blows north, and the wind blows south; and this is all it has been doing for these thousands of years. The rivers run into the sea, and it would be some relief to find that sea growing fuller; to spot the clear waters wetting the dry pebbles on the seashore, and reaching up to the green fields, and floating the boats and fishes up in the forest. But we are denied even that inconvenient novelty, because even after many streams and rivers have tumbled worlds of water into the sea, its tide will not overstep its boundary. The flood rises, but still refuses to cross its border.

“Words themselves are weariness. It would tire us to list their endless variations and their busy similarities that make up this endless weariness of existence. There are no novelties, no wonders, no discoveries. This universe does not provide an eye full or an arm full of newness to we who inhabit it. The present only repeats the past; the future will repeat them both. The inventions of today are the forgotten arts of yesterday; our children will forget our wisdom, only to have the pleasure of fishing up, as new geniuses, our outdated truisms. There is no new thing under the sun and yet no peace.

“Never ending responsibilities and momentary pleasures, the same atoms with minor alterations, sameness and yet constant change, make up this boring assortment. Woe is me for this weary world!”4

12I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. (Solomon began his search by looking for supreme delight in knowledge, but his quest was useless. Had he used his efforts to know Christ, he would have found that knowledge to be a fountain of delight.)  It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.

^{_______________}

¹ Ecclesiastes 1:2

² Song of Solomon 1:2

³ Song of Solomon 2:4

⁴ From the Royal Preacher: Lectures on Ecclesiastes by James Hamilton (1814-1867).

Year One, October 31

Abstain From the Passions of the Flesh, Which Wage War Against Your Soul1

We now come to the sad part of Solomon’s life, when the wise man played the fool to a great extreme. He proved that without the grace of God the greatest of people may lower themselves to commit the worst of sins. Who would have believed that Solomon could become so lustful and the son of David become a worshiper of idols?

  

1 Kings 11:1-5; 9-13

1Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

9And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. 11Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

Dr. James Hamilton has beautifully described the events of this part of Jewish history. “The people murmured. The monarch wheeled along with greater pomp than ever; but the popular prince had soured into the tyrant. The crown sat defiant on his unpredictable head. His subjects bowed down to him without feeling and their hearts were not in it when they sang his praises. The people of Zion were in mourning. The unused temple courts sprouted grass and weeds while mysterious groves and unholy shrines were popping up everywhere. The palace was defiled by lust. Chemosh and Ashtoreth, and other Gentile abominations, defiled the Holy Land.

“In the disastrous darkness in the land, beasts of the forest crept abroad. Hadad the Edomite ventured out of Egypt and became a lifelong torment to the God-forsaken king of Israel. Rezon the Syrian pounced on Damascus and made Syria his own. From the Pagan palaces of Thebes and Memphis harsh cries were soon heard; Pharaoh and Jeroboam taking counsel together, screeching forth their threats, and hooting insults at which Solomon could no longer laugh.

“Amidst all the gloom and misery a message comes from God: The kingdom is torn. Solomon’s successor will have only an inferior piece and a fragment of Israel, while God hands ten tribes over to a rebel and a runaway.

 “Luxury and sinful wives made him an idolater, and idolatry made him yet more lustful. Finally, in the lazy exhaustion and idle daydreaming of the pleasure seeker, he lost the discernment of the wise man and the bravery of the sovereign. And when he rose from his drunken daze and picked up his tarnished crown from the mess, he woke to find his powers, once so clear and unclouded, all troubled and his strong reason paralyzed and his healthy imagination poisoned. He woke to find the world grown hollow, and himself grown old. He woke to see the sun in Israel’s sky now dark. A special gloom surrounded him. Like one who falls asleep amidst the lights and music of the orchestra, and who awakes amidst empty benches and tattered programs; like a man who falls asleep in a flower garden, and who opens his eyes on an empty and locust-blackened wilderness; the life, the loveliness, was vanished, and all the remaining spirit of the mighty Solomon yawned forth that verdict of the tired pleasure seeker: ‘Vanity of vanities! vanity of vanities! All is vanity!’”2

^{_______________}

¹ 1 Peter 2:11

² From the Royal Preacher: Lectures on Ecclesiastes by James Hamilton (1814-1867).

Year One, October 30

Something Greater Than Solomon Is Here1

1 Kings 10:1-13

1Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to him with hard questions. (As far away as the queen of Sheba was, the glory of Solomon reached her and she was motivated to visit him. She was curious and wanted to see his splendor. She was also prompted for religious reasons and wanted to know more about Jehovah God. Sadly, there are thousands who show no interest in Jesus even though he is near them and the gospel is preached around them. It is sad that Solomon attracted a stranger from so far away and Jesus is overlooked by those who are nearby.) 2She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.

3And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. (When sinners come to Jesus they will find solutions to all their difficult questions. He will both reveal and remove all their secret uneasiness. He is always ready to share his wisdom to all who come to him. There will never be a situation that he cannot work out.) 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more breath in her.

6And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 7but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. 8Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”

In the same way, although the good news about King Jesus seems unbelievably wonderful, the believer discovers his grace and goodness are even greater than they were told. Jesus must be known by each one of us personally or we will never know him. Oh that many who look down on the Redeemer now will see him for themselves. That would instantly change their indifference to adoration.

10Then she gave the king 120 talents (about four and one-half tons) of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

When a heart truly knows King Jesus it brings gifts to him. Nothing is too good, too costly or too precious for Jesus. If we could lay the whole world at his feet, it would be “a present far too small.”2

11Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. 12And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.

13And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants. (And we may add with great confidence that our Lord Jesus will be in no one’s debt. Everything that we can possible give to him, he will return a hundred times over. Yes, he will grant us whatsoever we ask, he will give us the desires of our heart.3)

  

Matthew 12:42

“The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

The queen of Sheba came a great distance, with great difficulty, and ran great risks to see Solomon. Yet the majority of humanity is completely indifferent about a greater than Solomon. They will hardly ever even cross the street to see Jesus, who has power to bless them eternally.

^{_______________}

¹ Matthew 12:42

² From the hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross by Isaac Watts (1707).

³ Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” 1 John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

Year One, October 29

Do Not Boast About Tomorrow1

Proverbs 27:1-18

1 Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring.

Providing for the future is a duty, but to boast about the future is sin. Only an unbeliever would dare to brag about what he will accomplish tomorrow. Eternity is just around the corner. We may find ourselves brought to it before the sun goes down today or rises again tomorrow. The rich man thought he could relax, eat, drink and be merry for many years to come, but that very night, “God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you.’”2 Young people have no guarantee they will live to a ripe old age. There are little graves in the cemetery. Flowers in the bud are cut off from the bush. We are called today to repent and believe. To delay is to be like the rich man who boasted about tomorrow. It may result in our eternal ruin.

2 Let another 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 provocation is heavier than both.

Because a fool will not forgive, they are pouty and eager for revenge. Their anger crushes their own heart and they will crush the hearts of others if they can.

4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before jealousy?

Adam and Satan both fell because they envied God. If we give in to jealousy, it will certainly take away our happiness. Envy spits its venom on the best of people. It is a horrible and devilish emotion. Those who follow the loving Jesus must fight against resentment and overcome it.

5 Better is open rebuke

than hidden love.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

7 One who is full loathes honey,

but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest

is a man who strays from his home.

Therefore we should avoid an aimless life that always hopes a change will make things better. If we have not succeeded where we are, let us try again. How can a tree grow if it is always being transplanted?

9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

Jesus was our father’s best friend; let us not turn our back on him. We will never find a better.

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away.

Relatives should be close friends, but unfortunately, selfishness often gets in the way. Jonathan was a better friend to David than Joseph’s brothers were to him.

11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,

that I may answer him who reproaches me.

12 The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it.

13 Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.

Do not trust the immoral person. They are bad at heart and their faults will soon leave them begging for money. If you must do business with them, do it on the strictest terms, or they will rob you.

14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,

rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing.

Sensible people find excessive praise distasteful. There is good reason to think it is given with a sinister motive in mind. We should wish our friends well, but to loudly sing their praises all the time is not doing them a favor. It is probably just the opposite!

15 A continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike;

16 to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.

Arguing with a neighbor is like a spring shower and soon over. But quarreling with a wife at home is exhausting work and makes life miserable. Even worse, strong disagreements in the home cannot be hidden. The noise and bad temper of a bad woman become obvious to everyone. You might as well try to cover up the wind or hold oil in your hand. Let us never fight, unless it is fighting to make each other happy.

17 Iron sharpens iron,

and one man sharpens another.

Good friendship is great help to growing in grace. Fellowship with the saints helps us in the service of God.

18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who guards his master will be honored.

And if Jesus is that Master, our honor will be great and long lasting; our reward will be sweet indeed.

^{_______________}

¹ Proverbs 27:1

² Luke 12:20

Year One, October 28

The Desire of the Righteous Will Be Granted1

Proverbs 10:17-32

17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

No one can do us a greater kindness than to instruct us in the right way and warn us of the wrong. But it is probably just as difficult to accept advice in the proper spirit as it is to give it wisely. A sensible person is always ready to listen to words of wisdom and never think they are above learning from anyone.

18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

The first part of this verse shows us that hiding hatred from someone is hypocritical as well as sinful. The last part is a harsh blow to many. Does it include any of us? Are not some of us far too ready to gossip by repeating things that are hurtful to others?

19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,

but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Talking too much is a common problem. People talk so much because they think so little. Drums make a great noise because they are hollow. There is one characteristic of a wise man that any of us can have. We can be quiet! Let us try it.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

The ungodly person at their best is not worth much. That is God’s opinion of them. That should humble them and make them think seriously about their life.

21 The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for lack of sense.

Fools cannot feed others with wisdom, because they are starving from a lack of truth and understanding.

22 The blessing of the LORD makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.

Other riches always include sadness; only the Lord’s roses do not have thorns.

23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,

but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him,

but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but the righteous is established forever.

The tornado is only remembered by the destruction it leaves behind. The same is true of many bad people. But the reputation of good people is like an ancient castle. It remains strong for a very long time. People have good memories of them long after they have passed from this life.

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

The sluggard is unpleasant and obnoxious, irritating and annoying. The person who wants to please their employer must be hard working, prompt, and cheerful. 

27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life,

but the years of the wicked will be short.

Anyone can see that the soberness, peacefulness and clean living of true religion tend to help a person live longer. It is just as easy to see that drunkenness, immorality, bad tempers and rough lifestyles tend to bring people to their graves sooner than would otherwise be expected. Godliness is often rewarded with more years in this life.

28 The hope of the righteous brings joy,

but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29 The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

30 The righteous will never be removed,

but the wicked will not dwell in the land.

There will come a day when wicked people will not be found on this earth. They will die and holy people will fill their places. We wait for the coming of the Lord and the new age of holiness.

31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

The tongues of the wicked try to make others mad and sad. They do not know how to be polite. They talk about anything that enters their mind without thinking first. May none of us have wild, uncontrollable tongues that hurt others for no good reason. Instead, let our conversations be holy and gentle, using words that bless both the hearer and the speaker. This would be a little heaven on earth for our family.

^{_______________}

¹ Proverbs 10:24