Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, Part 8

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Ok, I am going to push it today; I don't have quite enough 'heart/hearts' verses in Proverbs for three more posts but going to make a couple of rather long posts, and I'm only covering two chapters.  Diving in...and including verses as necessary for context.

Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.  "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you. -- Prov. 23:6-7;  'Heart' is the familiar Strong's H3820, Leb - inner man, mind will, heart, understanding.

I read those verses and saw in my head the old Winnie-the-Pooh cartoon, in which he consumes all of Rabbit's honey, while Rabbit is saying, while shaking his head, "Are you sure you won't have some more?"  This is just fatherly advice here; read the room, lol.

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.  -- Prov. 23:12; 'heart' is H3820 again.

This is pretty much the theme of Proverbs;  the importance about being intentional to obtain knowledge and wisdom.  It takes intentionality to apply one's heart to anything.

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad. -- Prov. 23:15;  both instances of 'heart' are H 3820.

As a parent...I can confirm that this is absolutely so.  I have joked that it's harder to be a parent than to be a college student... in college, you study hard, take the test, know immediately if you did well or messed up.  In parenting...it's 20ish years before you find out if you messed it up or not.  Seeing the offspring make wise decisions/ speak wise words is one of the greatest reliefs known, lol.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. -- Prov. 23:17; Heart is H3820 once more.

I would say being zealous for the fear of the Lord is protection against developing envy for anyone...the temporal pleasures they have are all pretty shallow compared to the glory of God.  If the fear of the Lord is valued; the temptation to envy others will not have anywhere to flourish.

Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. -- Prov. 23:19; 'heart' is, again, H3820.

Once more, wisdom is  shown to be intentionally attained (by listening) and equated with keeping the heart...and by implication, one's life...on the right path.  Of course, this also implies that there are paths that are not right...so that's worth a bit of consideration as well.

And the wise father offers one more way to the son to avoid evil influences:

My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways. -- Prov. 23:26; 'heart' is, again, H3820.

Basically, dad is saying "follow my example".  Of course, that means that dad is confident that his life has been committed to the zeal of the Lord, to seeking wisdom and listening to wise counselors.  If there is no other reason to do those things, setting the example for our kids to follow would be enough.

On to the next chapter....

Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence and their lips talk about making trouble.   -- Prov. 24: 1-2; 'hearts' is, once more Strong's H3820.

This strikes me as quite a contrast to the discussion of  'heart' in the previous chapter...that is, the heart that is wise, is applied to seeking wisdom, is following the wisdom of parents...these are hearts that plot violence and whose conversation is about causing trouble.  Confirms that there ARE hearts that are consumed with wickedness.

 If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who guards your life know it?  Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?  -- Prov.24:12; 'Heart' is Strongs H3826, Liba, which is the noun meaning 'heart'.  Like, the actual organ is weighed.

Feigned ignorance will not avail. This has popped up before...God KNOWS our hearts. He knows if we have just ignored something, if we've stuck our fingers in our ears and sang 'la la la' to avoid knowing a thing.  The verse before is actually a reference to rescuing folks who are heading for destruction, but I think it can apply to any area in which we rather artfully avoid confronting and acknowledging truth.

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice.  -- Prov. 24:17; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Schadenfreude is a real temptation.  Oh, how glorious to see an opponent...an antagonist...even just someone who has behaved in an entitled manner...get served a heaping helping of humble pie.  But.  You know, sooner or later, every one of us will have that plate set in front of us to consume.  Snarky responses to another's pain...deserved or not...has a way of biting back. Much better to remember that we are all fallible and if that person stumbled this week...it may be me next week.    Rather, pray that they learn something of God's grace while they're down.

One more verse today...and it's in the middle of a long thought.  The author observed the property of someone known to be lazy and lacking in judgement; seeing the thorns and the weeds and the fallen stone wall, he considers the situation.

I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: -- Prov. 24:32; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Sometimes wisdom comes not just from listening to those older and wiser, but from keen observation of cause and effect around us. The author noted in the next couple of verses that it doesn't take much neglect of responsibility to result in chaos.

One more week in Proverbs, ya'll.  It has been kind of interesting to see that the verses are, by and large, repeating the same themes.

I Left it in the Water....

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Something happened this weekend that surprised me as much as anyone....but, of course, there's a story...and I gotta start way back...get a cup of tea or coffee and settle in; there's a lot here, lol.

My faithful friends who have been reading the blog since I started back in 2008 have been with me through highs and lows and struggles and confessions...all the stuff of life.  So, some of this will sound a little familiar, perhaps.

My church believes in inner healing ministry.  I was first exposed to it back in 2002; our co-pastor, who would just be called the pastor's wife in many churches, led a ladies study of a book called Prayers that Heal the Heart.  That was a completely new area for me; the concepts of  identifying lies we'd believed and lived by, and forgiving ourselves and others for the messes those lies caused, were paradigm shifting.

I did the class twice.

Years later, the church offered a curriculum called 'Elijah House', which went deeper into the same subject matter.   I kinda felt like I had covered it well enough,  and there were one or two points that I had heard about in that curriculum that I wasn't sure I could agree with.  And, at the time, I was teaching two - three classes per week in the Girls' ministry, so I didn't have time to listen to the CD lessons, read the books, answer the questions, and attend a 5.5 hour class every other week for three months.  Nonetheless, there were folks who worked in that ministry who were ....strongly encouraging me to take the class.  'Everyone needs it!' They'd say.  

I dodged it for quite a while, but when the classes I was teaching ended in 2014 I didn't have a good excuse anymore.  So, just being honest, I took the first and second level classes, which were what was offered at our church, so I wouldn't have to fend off the encouragers, lol.  The classes were good; and yes, there was one particular area that I just could not fall in line with, but overall I did learn.  

I also went to Rita Springer's DIVE school that fall, and in the gift bag that all students got was a set of CD's of Gateway church's inner healing ministry.  I've listened to them two or three times through...and they are very good .

In 2018 or maybe early 2019, a couple of ladies from Bethel came and took us through a Sozo class...which is Bethel's inner healing model.  It was somewhat different from the Prayers that Heal the heart/ Elijah House model, and I would like to study that more; it had a stronger emphasis on helping others.

So... over the last 20ish years, I've had a good bit of inner healing coursework, and I came to the conclusion that inner healing basically boils down to 1) forgiveness...of ones' self, others who, intentionally or not, caused wounds, and even recognizing that it was possible to be offended with God over those things; and 2) dealing with the truth.

So, you can imagine my apathy towards a new class we implemented last fall, replacing Elijah House.  Based on the Freedom curriculum from Church of the Highlands, it's nine classes, with small group discussion and a workbook, followed by a conference at the end of the semester.  Our first class was last fall; I worked registration at the conference but could hear most of the sessions on the speakers in the lobby, even if I wasn't in the auditorium.  I was very impressed by one thing...there is a boatload of individual prayer ministry.  There are 7 short sessions, composed mostly of the teacher's own testimony of being delivered from (pride, anger, fear, etc).  Then...and this is the secret sauce...every single person in the conference is directed to the prayer line, where one of the trained prayer workers will talk the individual through identifying the particular lie related to that session, asking for forgiveness for believing and partnering with the lie, forgiving the individual(s) who caused or who reinforced the lie, renouncing the lie, and replacing the lie with the truth about that aspect of life from the scripture.  They ended the conference by having water baptism available for those who wanted,

By the time the conference is over, every single person there will have been prayed for, individually and intentionally, for anywhere from about 35 minutes to an hour.  THAT, my friend, is life changing.  Like I said, I was impressed.

But...you know, I've been through all this inner healing stuff before.  I really didn't want to do it again.  But our Wednesday night offerings were slim, due to construction in the building, and, again, I was getting lots of 'encouragement' from folks to go through the class, lol. And, to be honest, I had a bit of a nudge in my spirit that this was the opportunity, before I had classes to teach again, to do the Freedom class.  And maybe...just maybe...work through some of the disquiet I have been increasingly dealing with.  So I took a deep breath and signed up.  

If I were not familiar with inner healing by now, I probably would have had the same reaction to the course I had back in Prayers that Heal the Heart.  Now, I was reading along, answering questions, and writing out scripture verses with agreement.  Our small group discussion was warm and embracing and really good; I loved that.  We didn't just go through the lesson questions...like we did in Elijah House...we discussed the topics and how they related to our personal struggles. We talked about living out of self versus living out of faith, God's love and mercy, etc.

In addition to this personal contemplation, on Palm Sunday, our pastor did the altar time a bit differently; he specifically wanted just the staff pastoral team to do the altar time, so, he said, the leaders could take advantage of the prayer ministry instead of being the ones called upon to do it.  And, over the course of the message I finally put language to what I had been feeling in many areas...deep discouragement.  It's possible that the long-time readers may pick up on some of those areas, but there are a couple  that I haven't shared here.  I knew that prayer time was coming at the end of the class, and I was tempted to just wait and deal with it there...and then I thought, let's get this one taken care of now, so I'll have one thing out of the way at conference.   Just confessing the discouragement to my friend on staff who prayed for me felt like a shift.

The following Wednesday was  the next-to-last  Freedom lesson, which was the lesson that actually specifically dealt with those lies that shape how we see ourselves and interact with others.  Again, I've done it before so I was just cruising through the workbook, doing my homework before class, nodding at the illustration of dealing with the lie of worthlessness...until I got to the part that said 'Pray forgiveness over the person that spoke worthlessness over you.'...and immediately had a memory from when I was about 9 of something my grandfather said.  Followed by a few more things that he'd said as I grew older, followed by memories of things he didn't say.

I had internalized that message of worthlessness and, despite all the previous coursework, had never dealt with it fully.  Did some work that day...and my resistance to the process got a big crack.  Another shift.

Now I was really starting to believe I could see a change.  At Tuesday night prayer last week, before the conference, in which we have the freedom to walk around the sanctuary and worship and pray and personally take communion...I took my little communion packet to the balcony and sat down on the floor in the alcove behind the projection screen...and asked God to show me what I needed to deal with over the weekend.

I had three mental pictures, back to back, in short order.  The first appeared to be a storage unit...about garage sized...which was empty but the floor was littered with dust, grime, broken plastic bits, shreds of paper and cardboard, etc.  It was especially dirty in the corners and along the edges of the floor.  Empty...but not clean.  The second picture was the sludge in the bottom of my coffee pot, after the coffee is poured out.  The third was a big lump of Pla-Doh, which was rather old and stiff and just a little crusty.  By Friday, the day the conference started, I'd come to the conclusion that  I needed a fresh start.  All the old positions I'd held, ministries I'd worked in; projects or productions I'd worked on...that were now not involving me for one reason or another...I needed to Let. Them. Go.  I was no longer going to be the former (whatever) or the sometimes (other job) or looking for opportunities to bring back one spot or another.  It's all OVER.  Time to move on.

And you know, I got several confirmations in that prayer time over the weekend of fresh vision, new opportunities, moving on.

I went home Saturday evening feeling encouraged and on the verge of something new.  This year they did not have a baptismal service at the end of the conference, because our every-other-month regular church baptism service was Sunday, the very next day.  They were signing people up for that  at the conference.  And I found myself considering signing up for baptism. 

Now, I committed my life to Jesus and was baptized just before I turned 10.  I remember it; I was sincere.  I grew up loving Jesus and, while there are definitely moments that I wish I had made better choices, they were of the humiliating variety, not the life altering variety.  I had worked through some areas of disappointment and not understanding.  I never felt like I needed to do a rededication or a rebaptism...not even when I went to Israel and could have been baptized in the Jordan river. So my first reaction to that idea was to scoff at it.  But I couldn't shake it. That evening,  I talked to my hubby about it and he was supportive. Finally...since I had the power as the data base admin...I signed myself up and went to bed.

And...interesting...when I went to Israel I came very close to getting a small tattoo.  The only thing that prevented it was a terrorist attack that closed the gates to the old city so we couldn't get to the 600 year old tattoo business. The night before we were scheduled to go, I had a very odd sensation that, the next morning, I would be changing the definition of myself by getting a tattoo.  When I went to bed after submitting the registration form I had the exact same emotional reaction...that, with the morning, my perception of myself would change.

I was actually working registration for baptism, so I was last on the list.  Of course, my hubby's camera glitched out on him as he was taking photos, but the church photographer got pics.

And I do feel like there has been a shift.  I have no idea what...if anything outside of just abiding in God's love...is in the near future.  But I don't have to worry about it.  I left that in the water.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs Part 7

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't matter how long it takes....although I do admit to being kind of ready to hit some continuity again.  But, Proverbs jumps around so grab your pogo stick and jump with me...we are in the last third of Proverbs, looking at verses containing 'Heart/ hearts'.

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.  -- Prov. 21:1; 'heart' is the familiar Strong's H3820, Leb  - inner man, mind ,will, heart, understanding.

At first glance, this sounds like God just pulls puppet strings to make kings behave as he wishes...which flies in the face of the doctrine of free will. But it could be that this passage is referring to THE king...likely Solomon...who, at least at the moment the proverb was written, had committed his heart to God. That could easily be a prayer of my own...that God would direct my heart according to his desires.  But it could also be referring to the fact that God does direct history towards his purposes, ultimately, even allowing for free will of individuals.  We can see in the accounts of the history of the Israelites that when the king's heart was turned towards God, coming judgement was delayed.

All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. -- Prov. 21:2; 'Heart' is the literal Hebrew word for 'heart', Strong's 3826, libbah. It's crazy but that's only the 5th time we've seen this word used so far in the whole study...

This is another reference to self-deception, I believe.  God knows the true motives...regardless of how each of us spins our own actions to make them seem reasonable to us.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin! -- Prov. 21:4 'Heart' is, again, H3820.

However,  the word translated 'lamp' is H5215, nir, which means 'untilled or fallow ground'...it's the same word used in Hos. 10:12 'break up your fallow ground'.  That throws a whole different spin on that verse. Before I checked the interlinear, I was going to talk about the 'Lamp' of the wicked meaning the light by which they see; their pride distorting everything.  But the haughty look and proud heart as fallow ground...untilled, unprofitable, unbroken ground...that carries the connotation of a stubborn refusal to work that soil.  Whichever way that comparison goes, there is no mincing of words here... it is sin. With an exclamation point in the NIV.

He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. -- Prov. 22:11 ; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

This is a person of integrity...pure heart, gracious speech.  If you read this from the viewpoint of the king, who likely wrote it...this is the kind of person the king wants for his friends; it's the kind of friends anyone would want, but especially those in positions of power.  This is a trustworthy individual.

Oh, this one is a hot potato:

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.  -- Prov. 22:15; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Let's take the, um, least controversial approach here and just say that the 'rod of discipline' represents unpleasant consequences...you can interpret that as you will.  The truth is that, unpleasant consequences will bring about changes in behavior...if applied consistently and fairly.  Unfair or inconsistent discipline results in...rebellion.  The degree of ...unpleasantness...needed depends on the child.  Some very sensitive kids respond to a stern rebuke; others need a more emphatic consequence.  But the point is that, without discipline, that foolish bent will never be corrected.

Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.   -- Prov. 22:17-18; 'Heart' is H3820 in verse 17, and, in verse 18,  H990, beten (belly, womb, body.) ...'heart' was clearly selected as 'center of the body', which is a very minor stretch.  

I get the notion of acting out of the gut feeling...which is influenced by the teachings of the wise. If one pays attention, listens, considers well wise teachings, then those teachings get down deep into the individual...to use a common illustration, when the pressure's on, those teachings are what will come out.  And NOTHING is as gratifying to a teacher/ mentor as hearing those wise teachings applied in a timely fashion by the student.  It is, indeed, pleasant to hear those lessons repeated back in real time.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, Part 6

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Running a bit late again; still in recovery mode after a really busy weekend last week.  But...hanging onto the schedule by my fingernails; here's a look at the verses containing the word 'heart/ hearts' in Proverbs. 17 - 20:

We jump right into it:

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.  -- Prov. 17:3; 'heart' is H3826 Libbah, which is actually the feminine noun for 'heart'.  If my count is right, this is the 4th time we've encountered this word.

This verse refers to the smelting process that purifies fine metals, and indicates that it is the Lord who refines the heart, removing impurities.  By the analogy, one could conclude that the process of testing/ refining the heart is an...uncomfortable...process. But the result is something in which the Lord can see himself reflected.

A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue s deceitful falls into trouble.  -- Prov. 17:20; 'heart' here is the familiar H 3820, Leb, inner man, mind will, heart, understanding. 

But we all know folk who have a twisted, unbalanced perception of the world who nonetheless seem to manage to amass fortune and favor, so is this right?  Ultimately...yes.  We have a tendency to look at things from a materialistic point of view, but God does not.  All the fortune and favor the world can offer doesn't match up to one who is secure and contented in God's purpose, and that doesn't even take into account the final judgment, in which all that fortune-and-favor will count for exactly nothing.  

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Prov. 17:21; 'heart' is H3820 again.

I remember reading somewhere, quite a while ago, that one of the best indications of who would do well in a cancer battle was the individual's attitude.  All else being equal, someone who had a positive outlook had a statistically significant chance of a better outcome.  It really is true...a cheerful heart IS good medicine.

Before his downfall, a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.  -- Prov. 18:12; 'heart' is once more H 3820.

This is interesting; the verse reads as if  honor is a result of humility, but downfall comes not as a result of the proud heart, but suddenly and unexpected, the 'proud heart' being a symptom of cluelessness of the pending disaster.  Perhaps a proud heart is over-confident and doesn't consider what could go wrong?

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out. -- Prov. 18:15; 'Heart is, again, H 3820.  

This is one of the prime themes in Proverbs...the heart that seeks knowledge/ wisdom/ understanding.

A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD. -- Prov. 19:3; 'Heart' is, once more, H 3820.

This is the truth.  Bad decisions, selfish ambition,  short sighted pleasure seeking...all of it adds up to yield a life of struggle...yet God gets blamed.  And it's the heart that's angry at God; that anger may not be detectible to most folks, but it's deep and it's there.  One who owns his (or her) folly is near to repentance, forgiveness, and redemption.  

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.  -- Prov. 19:21; once again, 'Heart' is H 3820.

Another theme we have touched on before...a person can make all sorts of plans, but ultimately God will do what he has planned.  It's interesting...it's not necessarily the EVENTS that are determined, but the PURPOSES.  God may change the circumstances, owing to an individual's free will, but the purpose will be accomplished...one way or another.

The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.  - Prov. 20:5; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Interestingly, the King James (which is the default translation in the lexicon) renders it 'The counsels of a man's heart...', which kind of shades the meaning a bit.  The word used there is etsah, Strong's H6098, which means 'advice; by implication, plan; also prudence: -- advice, advisement, counsel(-lor), purpose'.

Given the verse we looked at just above, it seems to me that the KJV seems to make a bit more sense...the idea of pulling counsel or advice out of folks...that someone with understanding will see the value in listening to counsel.  Just for grins, I checked the Amplified, and it reads "A plan (motive, wise counsel) in the heart of a man is like water in a deep well, but a  man of understanding draws it out."...which aligns with the idea that a person of understanding will draw on the wisdom of others...because not everyone is willing to share a perspective, or maybe not everyone considers his/her perspective worth sharing...but someone with understanding will always pull that from those around him/her.

Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?"  -- Prov. 20:9; 'Heart' is, once again, H3820.

And, wow, what a verse to end on...the rhetorical question that has all the hearers looking at their feet...none of us have succeeded in keeping our own hearts pure.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, Part 5

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Trying hard to squeeze the blog post in the midst of a very busy weekend, lol.  I'm going to make it easy on myself and just look at Proverbs 16, in which we find 5 verses containing the word heart/ hearts...at least, in the 1984 edition of the NIV translation.

And we hit it right away in verse 1:

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.  'Heart' is the most frequently seen Hebrew word, Strong's 3820, Leb - inner man, mind will, heart, understanding.

Ok, this verse...is odd.  I looked up the Hebrew for all of it, and right off discovered that we have a word in this verse that is unique...this is the only place Strong's H4633 maarak is used, although the root word from which it is derived, Strong's H6186, arak, is used several dozen times..  Maarak is noun; arak is a verb, meaning to arrange, set or put or lay in order; set in array; prepare, order, ordain, handle, furnish, esteem, equal, direct, compare.  So it makes sense that the noun derived from this would be plan, counsel, arrangement,...and there is a note that indicates that Prov. 16:1 is a plural constructions, so...plans, counsels, arrangements.

My paraphrase is...The heart of man makes plans, but God has the final say.  And that is absolutely a paraphrase, but it does make sense.

I should not have said I was 'making it easy on myself', lol.  Moving on...

The LORD detests all the proud of heart.  Be sure of this:  They will not go unpunished. -- Prov. 16:5: 'Heart' is H3820 again.

Again, an interesting verse.  My first thought was that punishment is usually connected with the wicked, but here...it is the proud who are guaranteed punishment.  And, in our current society, pride is not considered so terribly sinful.  So I looked up the Hebrew here, too, and found that 'proud' is Strong's H1362, gaba - high, proud, haughty.  I also found that 'be sure of this'...the phrase in the NIV...is actually 'hand joined in hand' in the Hebrew.  Idiomatic speech?  Or is it a reference to deal making...joining hands or, as we do now, shaking hands.  

I dug through and came up with "All proud Hearted  (are an) abomination (to) Yawheh, hand (to) hand be cut off not unpunished."

Suddenly I realized that 'hand to hand' does indicate a deal struck or an assurance that the proud hearted would be cut off and not unpunished.  So that does make sense in an idiomatic way.

But it occurred to me that God is not the subject of the verb in the Hebrew..as in the NIV, which reads 'The LORD detests' (NIV); in Hebrew, the subject is the Proud... 'The proud in heart are an abomination to the LORD'.  That's a pretty subtle difference, but I do think it is worth noting.  I think we have a tendency to subconsciously blame God for the offense sin is to him.  But I believe the nature of sin...whatever it is...is so opposite to the nature of God that it cannot come into his presence.  Like...what happens if you try to bring darkness into light?  It can't be done.  The nature of light dispels darkness.  The nature of God obliterates sin...and anything hanging on to it. And a proud heart, that refuses to heed/ submit/ consider God or his word...what hope has that heart of the necessary repentance?  No wonder it it an abomination to God.

Whew.  This is heavy stuff today...

Next...

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps -- Prov. 16:9; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

This is basically a repetition of the thought in the first verse...Man makes plans, but God in still in charge.  Recovery after the workout, lol.

The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. -- Prov. 16:21; once again, 'Heart'  is  H3820.  There is a marginal reading noted in my NIV...pleasant words make a man persuasive.  Seeing the notes; I'm going to go ahead and list the last verse for today as well..

A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction -- Prov 16:23; heart is still H3820, and the marginal reading is ...heart guides his mouth, and makes his lips persuasive.

These two verses really say the same thing; wisdom resides in the heart and manifests in speech. The fine line between instruction and persuasion probably doesn't matter much here.  One who listens to a wise person will receive the instruction and be persuaded to follow it.

A blessed Resurrection Sunday to all!

Blogging Bible Study - The Heart of the Matter: Proverbs, part 4

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

We are midway through Proverbs on our look at 'heart/ hearts' as translated by the NIV 84, and, as there are several reverences in chapters 14 and 15, that's our portion for this week's study.  And, as expected, these verses don't possess any kind of continuity, so it is a challenge to dig into this...but perhaps it's not meant to be too deep.

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.  - Prov. 14: 10; 'Heart' is  our old friend Strong's H3820, leb- inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.

This is an interesting proverb, one that I really hadn't paid much mind to before.  But...yeah,   The emotions of the heart are...in the heart.  We can try to express it; we can try to understand someone else's emotions, but ultimately, it's only fully expressed in the heart.

Another cheerful proverb...(koff koff)

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief. - Prov. 14:13; 'Heart' is H3820 again.

A fickle thing is our heart; to go from one extreme to the next in an instant...or even experience two conflicting emotions at the same time.  Especially in times of grief.... such as happiness for a current situation while still missing the person who, for whatever reason, is not present.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. -- Prov. 14: 30; 'Heart' is, again, H 3820.

It is interesting that the state of the emotions (heart) is stated as having an effect on the physical body, even as long ago as Solomon's kingdom.

Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known. -- Prov. 14:33; ....H3820 again.

There is some discrepancy about the translation of the second statement; some read as the NIV...that wisdom is even found among fools;  but some translations indicate that what is in the fool will make itself known.  I think both things are true.  Wisdom is always available to anyone who decides to pursue it...even someone who has been in pursuit of folly.  And for the person who continually chooses folly...the contents of his/ her spirit will be manifested.  Either way.  But...for someone who develops that spirit of discernment...wisdom is easily accessible.

On to chapter 15.

The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. -- Prov. 15:7; you guessed it - H3820.  

A fool's heart does NOT spread wisdom.  There is none there to share.

Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD -- how much more the hearts of men! -- Prov. 15:11;   'hearts' here is Strong's 3826, liba -- heart. (feminine noun).

In the Hebrew, 'Death and Destruction' are literally places...Sheol (H7585) - hell, grave, the pit;  and Abbadon (H11), the place of destruction, ruin.  If God can see into these places, which are not of this world...how much more easily can he see into the hearts of people, which are right here?  And that whole 'God knows my heart' thing...Yes.  He does.  Absolutely and without deceit.  He KNOWS.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.  All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.-- Prov. 15:13-15;  all three references are H3820.

Spirit crushing heartache is contrasted with the cheerful face because...it shows.    Even if we try not to let it show...it slips out.   Which also means we need to be aware of the countenance of those around us who might need a bit of encouragement.  A fool feeding on folly is contrasted with a wise person seeking knowledge...the heart desires to increase what's there.  And a cheerful heart can even overcome oppression....which reminds me of Corrie Ten Boom's sister Betsy, who found something to rejoice about in every situation...even the flea infestation in their barracks, because the German guards would not come in, due to the fleas, and the ladies could have their precious Bible study times undetected.

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. -- Prov. 15:28; H 3820 again.

Oooo....how quick am I to spout off the first thing that pops into mind?  That has gotten me into hot water more times than I can count...I am learning, far too slowly, to weigh my answers.

And the last verse for today...

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.  -- Prov. 15:30; H3820 again.

A true observation if ever there was one.

Blogging Bible Study: the Heart of the Matter - Proverbs, part 3

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Verse 1 in chapter 10 of Proverbs begins "The proverbs of Solomon:" ...and we begin a journey through a rather random compilation of Solomon's wise sayings; some of which get repeated.  We're not really going to be dealing with a general train of thought, as we were in the earlier chapters we covered.  So I'm just going to take the next 7 verses that mention heart/ hearts  as 'all I can manage today', lol.  Our first stop is Proverbs 10:8 - 

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.  'Heart' is Strong's H3820, leb- inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding; which is the most common Hebrew word that we have seen.

This is a common device for Hebrew poetry...a phrase that is stated, and then either confirmed or contrasted.  We will see (statement) and/ but (statement) over and over again as we look at these proverbs.  

Remember the earlier posts in Proverbs, in which we found that the heart is where instruction is either embraced or rejected...this is echoing that.  One whose heart has wisdom to accept instruction is compared to someone who babbles his own mind instead...and has a less than desirable outcome. 

Moving on to verse 20 of the same chapter:

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.  Heart is H3820 again.  

'Tongue of the righteous' would mean the words, speech, or teaching from a righteous person...contrasted with the heart (where wisdom is embraced or rejected) of a wicked person.  One has great value...the other has little.  Interesting that these two proverbs flip the discussion; the first is heart vs speech; the second is speech vs. heart.

The next one is...ominous...

The LORD detests men of perverse heart but delights in those whose ways are blameless.   -- Prov. 11:20; Heart is H3820 again.

Now we have God's perspective on the heart...and having a perverse (H6141 -Iqqes: Twisted, distorted, crooked, perverse, perverted) heart is, well, a problem.  How do we reconcile that with 'God is love?'   The word the NIV translates as 'detests' is H8441, toeba -- a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable.  It might be a shade more accurate to say 'A perverse heart is an abomination to the LORD', which is pretty close to the King James.   That actually makes the action of the statement on the heart...it's the perverse heart that's doing the thing; it wasn't initiated by God.  If a thing is detestable, abominable...then the reasonable reaction is to despise, detest, abhor that thing.  However, the ball is in the heart's court.  God does provide a way to correct and renew a perverse heart....and thus become a delight.  This isn't two different people here...it's two different life choices.

Pauses to think on that a moment before continuing...

I  am quickly coming to expect that any verse with 'heart' in it in Proverbs is going to expound on the same theme.

There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace. -- Prov. 12:20; 'Heart' is once more H3820.

Deceit and joy seem to be different kinds of things...like, deceit is an action while joy is an emotion or experience.  How does our impression of 'deceit' (H4820 - mirma: deceit, treachery) change if we consider it to be a state comparable to 'joy'?  As in, deceit has an effect on the individual...comparable to the effect of joy?  Deceit as an emotional state?  The result upon oneself from plotting evil...planning wrong doing...  I am suddenly reminded of a post I recently saw on social media, talking about a particular actor who was constantly in character of the villain he portrayed (I am deliberately being vague to avoid search engine hits) .  Problem was, that character was so dark and so twisted that the actor couldn't shake it off...and died of a drug overdose soon after completing the filming.  Even actual pretend evil...had a horrible effect.

A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.   Prov. 12:23; 'heart' is H3820 once again.  

This brings to mind a modern proverb...maybe from Will Rodgers?...'Better to keep one's mouth shut and be considered a fool than to start talking and remove all doubt.'  This one is hard, for one who has just discovered she's in the half of the population that has a continuous inner narration going on.  I have words  coming out my ears, lol, and too often I have spoken when it would have been much better to hold my peace.  In those cases I usually didn't have all the background info, or I had heard something out of context, or whatever, and by talking I proved that I didn't know squat about the subject. Because it was a heart-level ignorance.  Folly.   Ouch.  Humiliation is bitter...but it isn't fatal and can be educational.  If we allow it.

An anxious heart weights a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.  Prov. 12:25; 'heart' is ...you guessed it...H3820.    

Another video I recently saw on social media (Facebook Reels is a bottomless time-sucking pit, but there are some gems there.  I'm not sure if that's good or bad...) made the point that studies have shown that all it takes is 8 minutes with a friend to help pull someone out of a anxious spot.  "Do you have 8 minutes?" became, to the individual and a friend, a code phrase meaning...'I really need an encouraging word right now'.  I think that's a great idea. Encouragement is a gift...and it doesn't cost anything but  a few minutes of time.

The last verse for today is Prov. 13:12, which is a familiar one:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life.  Of course, 'heart' is H3820.

Funny thing about humans, though...we focus on the deferred hope and kinda ignore the fulfilled longings.  Sure, there are things that I have been hoping for ...for years...and if I focused on those things I could get very, very blue.  But in so many ways I am living my dream...and I tend to take that all for granted. The antidote to the 'hope deferred' illness is...gratefulness for the fulfilled longings.  

And that is a good selah spot to stop for this week...