9/12/2023 0 Comments Proverbs 21 1To do justly and to speak truth, are more pleasing to God than the blood of sacrifices.ĭoing what is right and fair pleases the LORD more than an offering. Whoever does righteousness and judgment is chosen to LORD JEHOVAH by sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to Jehovah than sacrifice. ĭoing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice Is chosen by Yahweh over sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the LORD rather than sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice Is preferred by the LORD more than sacrifice. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices. But God does not himself work the evil he brings good out of.To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. God is always at work to bring good out of evil (Rom 8:28). But even when they set themselves against God, God still “directs their steps.” God steers the way they live out their choices so that they further God’s good purposes for the world as much as possible. This is their domain of irrevocable freedom. People resolve their own hearts and make their plans either in accordance with God’s will or against God’s will. He is sovereign over earthly kings, but we read too much into this passage if we conclude that he meticulously controls everything they do.Įven when God “turns” the hearts of kings in the direction he desires, he doesn’t determine the nature of the heart he turns, and this is my second point. Conversely, when he wanted his people to return to their homeland, he influenced Cyrus’ heart to let them go (Isa. not an eternally predestined plan) God stirred up the wicked hearts of pagan kings against Israel (e.g. We see this sovereignty dramatically depicted elsewhere in Scripture.įor example, as an act of judgment (viz. He is simply emphasizing God’s general sovereignty over kings. The author is not suggesting that every decision made by every king throughout history was orchestrated by God. It is thus not advisable to interpret Proverbs 21:1 as an absolute law. Again, the author states the principle in unequivocal terms for emphasis. Still, as a general rule it is true that consistently training children in the right way will increase the likelihood that they will not stray when they grow up. There are no absolute guarantees when raising children. As we all know, when children grow up they become free moral agents who determine their own destinies. Many godly parents who have had children “stray” from the path they taught them have been needlessly indicted by a misreading of this passage. The author states the principle in absolute terms to emphasize its importance.Īnother typical example of how Hebraic proverbs state things in absolute terms for emphasis is Proverbs 22:6: As a general principle, however, righteous living helps one avoid harm while wicked living tends to lead to trouble. Jesus, the supremely righteous one, suffered harm! Scripture repeatedly notes the suffering of the righteous. History and our own experience demonstrate that righteous people frequently suffer great harm while wicked people often live in peace. If read as an absolute universal law this passage is nonsense. We misinterpret them if understand them as universal laws. It was their way of putting an exclamation mark at the end of a teaching. Hebraic proverbs often state general principles in unequivocal terms for emphasis. Two things may be said.įirst, we must consider the genre of this passage. Fortunately, this conclusion is not required by this passage. Hitler’s program of ethnic cleansing), and in light of the fact that Scripture frequently depicts God as being outraged by government officials, we should seriously question this conclusion. In light of the hideous things many government officials have done (e.g. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in theĬalvinists sometimes argue that this passage teaches that everything every government official ever does is the result of the Lord turning their heart.
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