Romans 1-2

Romans 1

Romans 1:2 The good news was promised in Isaiah 53, among other places.

Romans 1:3-4 Jesus as the Son of David was announced in Matthew 1:1 according to the flesh (genealogically), as the Son of God by the Holy Spirit (Psalm 2:7, Matthew 3:17, 17:5), and a rather mixed genealogy by Luke (Luke 3:23-37). Luke draws out the seemingly bizarre mixed divine and human ancestry, which would have been anathema to Jews, whose exposure to such resulted in giants like Goliath and the mongrel races like the Nephilim, Rephaim and Anakim  that inhabited Palestine before God told them to exterminate the demon seed. (Genesis 6:4) But that was because human understanding of war in the heavenlies was (and still is) limited. God was determined to rescue humanity from Satan and from sin, and to pay a very high price to do so. Jesus was further anointed the Son of God in power by the Holy Spirit through resurrection from the dead. (Luke 24:46-48)

Romans 1:5 Paul’s call to preach to the gentiles was first revealed to Ananias.  (Acts 9:15).

Romans 1:7 Paul opens  by pronouncing a blessing of charis and shalom on his readers in Rome, from both the Father and from the Son. Grace brings God’s unmerited favor to bear. This includes peace with Him, as well as peace with each other, one of the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)

Romans 1:8 Paul starts by thanking God for these Roman believers (whom he had not met) and their reputation.

Romans 1:12 Mutual encouragement in faith is the basis of Christian community, e.g., the church.

Romans 1:14-15 Did Paul view the Romans as wise or foolish? Clearly, those who received the gospel were not foolish in God’s eyes. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

Romans 1:17 In quoting Habakkuk 2:4, Paul clearly states that faith is the basis of righteousness, both for conversion and through life, to the last. Living by faith is making our daily actions line up with the One we trust. This is righteousness.

Romans 1:18-23 Everyone knows right and wrong, some just don’t want to act on it. Sin is rooted in deliberate unbelief, rejection of God. 1:18 presents clear alternatives - either receive grace or experience justice. In 1:20-21, God reveals Himself both directly through knowing Him, and through His works. God’s creation reveals both His power and His nature and character. 1:21 echoes Genesis 8:21, that human hearts after the fall were and are continually bent towards sin. 1:22 echoes Proverbs 1:7; fools despise knowledge and instruction. God’s detestation of worship of images of humans and animals is clear. (Deuteronomy 4:16-18)

Romans 1:25 The worship of created things is well documented. (Exodus 32:1-6; 1 Kings 12:28-30; 2 Kings 18:4)

Romans 1:26-27 The consequence of homosexuality is recorded in Genesis 19:24-25 in burning sulfur that destroyed not only cities, but also vegetation. Why does God so detest homosexuality? We fallible humans are likely to allow each person to do their own thing - to each his own. This is just speculation, but perhaps God hates it because it perverts the picture of Christ and His bride, the church, that He intends in the marriage of a man and a woman. But if that is the case, why does God ‘give them over’ to this if they worship the creature rather than the creator? Speculation again, but perhaps this is a fundamental confusion about existence. We are the contingent beings, He is the non-contingent, uncreated, first cause of everything else. We reproduce through male-female participation in an act (granted, not always of love). He is the only one who is able to produce life in any other way, e.g., to create man from dirt. Even in in vitro fertilization, the components come from a man and a woman. To worship the creature and not the creator violates His paradigm for existence and He makes it known unmistakably.

Romans 1:28-32 The loss of spirituality was the loss of humanity, since God created man to walk in fellowship with Him. (Genesis 3:8) They did not live as God intended humans to live. 1:29-31 enumerates the kinds of wickedness that follow from a depraved mind. Vices crowd out virtues. 1:32 As a capstone, wicked people encourage each other in practices that result in death, the opposite of encouraging each other in faith that is highlighted in 1:12.

Romans 2 attempts to clarify the difference between legalism and doing what is right.

Romans 2:1-5 What is the sense in judging others for what we ourselves do? Even without God, we are really judging ourselves. Is it some psychological search for justification in our own eyes, or a cathartic release of guilt? But in contrast,  God shows kindness to those who do these things, to lead us to repentance. What we really need is not catharsis, but a change in our actions, not just release from guilt.

Romans 2:5-8 echoes an Old Testament theme. God will reward each person according to what he or she has done. Cause and effect on a spiritual plane.  (Psalm 62:12; Proverbs 24:12)

Romans 2:9-11 God does not use categories like Jew or gentile (or Catholic or Mormon or Muslim) in  judgment. He judges individuals. He does not show bias or favoritism. When we talk about trouble and distress, some draw a distinction between punishment and discipline. But at the bottom line, is there a difference? If the point is that experiencing consequences causes us the not repeat the causal behavior, they are essentially the same. 

Romans 2:12-16 The difference between legalism and doing what s right: whether people know the law or not, it is what they do that matters. 2:15 repeats 1:18-20, that everyone has right and wrong written on their conscience. Their own conscience will accuse or defend them on the day of judgment.

Romans 2:24 quotes directly from Ezekiel 36:20-22 and Isaiah 52:5, after a lengthy exhortation about legalistic hypocrisy. Ezekiel refers to the exile, and the reputation that the Jews had because God expelled them from their land because of their sin. God’s name was profaned among the nations because He judged them thusly.   In Isaiah, God says that His people were oppressed without cause and the oppressors howled (with victory or laughter) that God’s people were in exile, His name was profaned, and He will redeem them. Isaiah 52:5 is a lead up to the announcement of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

Romans 2:25-29 Circumcision is used three different ways in the Old Testament. In Genesis 17:9-14 it is a sign of the covenant He made with Abraham. In Leviticus 12:3 it is part of the law. In Deuteronomy 30:6 He speaks of circumcision of the heart, which Paul references here. In Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking of Jews who have returned from exile, having been banished because of disbelief and sin, then repent and return to faith. When that happens, He promises to change their hearts by cutting away the carnal, fleshly desires of the heart so that they can purely desire and love God. So Paul here extends this to believers, Jew and gentile, who genuinely turn to Christ.

Proverbs 30-31

Proverbs 30

Proverbs 30:4 asks several questions that refer to other passages.

• It asks about going up to heaven, presumably seeing the wonders therein, then descending to earth to tell of it. See Job 38:33.
• It goes on to ask about gathering up the wind and wrapping up the waters. See Job 38:8-11.
• Establishing the ends of the earth? Job 38:4
• What is His name and His Son’s name?

• YHWH - the uncreated, eternal God who simply is that He is, the immovable first mover. (Exodus 3:13-14)
• Yeshua HaMashiach - the Savior and anointed one. (Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31)

Proverbs 30:8 was echoed in Matthew 6:11 when Jesus taught His listeners to pray for daily bread. A reference back to manna in the wilderness that daily fed the Israelites for forty years. A balance between abundance that tempts us to forget God (a modern risk), and poverty and asceticism that cause us to think we earn God’s favor by physical starvation and suffering. God is with us in both circumstances, but the request is simply to trust in God and receive what He provides as sufficient.

Proverbs 30:12 was paraphrased by Jesus when He pronounced woe on the Pharisees as being like whitened sepulchers full of dead men’s bones. (Matthew 23:27)  There is a temptation to think that position with a religious organization, or theological prowess in all the details free us from the need to walk daily in God’s grace and practice purity of heart. As long as we exist, in this life or the next, we need to hear His voice, learn to recognize His hand at work, and obey Him.

Proverbs 30:14 was also repeated by Jesus as a warning to the crowd about teachers of the law who devour widow’s houses.  (Mark 12:40) 

Proverbs 30:15-16, 18-19, 21-23, and 29-31 all have a three-four poetic construction. How does this emphasize and call attention to the difference in quality of the fourth item?

Proverbs 30:15-16 Jesus talked about the fire of hell that is never quenched, which is worse than all earthly trials and woes. (Mark 9:44-48)

Proverbs 30:18-19 Animals in the wild and ships at sea are amazing, but none is as subtle and rewarding as the relationship of Christ and the church, as Jesus woos His people to draw closer to Him.  (Ephesians 5:22-24

Proverbs 30:20 repeats the unflattering description of an adulterous woman who has no sense of right and wrong. (3:5-8)

Proverbs 30:21-23 Most likely, the emphasis of the fourth element is based on the story of Hagar (Genesis 16:4), and the family dynamics that ensued. This was far from the only case for a practice that was likely common in the times of Solomon, who had 700 wives (2 Kings 11:3). The Bible is honest about the impact of polygamy on people’s lives.

Proverbs 30:24-28 Different types of small creatures exhibiting unexpected life skills should tell us something. Storing up food for winter. Making themselves homes in barren rocks. Organizing themselves without a designated leader. Ubiquity in places they are not welcomed.  What does the uncontrollable ubiquity of vermin indicate? What do vermin symbolize? Temptations? Sin? Angels & demons? When we are part of God’s kingdom, we still have to deal with a proliferation of small stuff.

Proverbs 3:29-31 Animals can strut but they are only animals. Their pride may be presumptuous or may be an act. A king with his army behind him is stately, reflecting the support he has to protect his people from attackers. Even more so, the King of kings with His church. 

Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:3 The end of Solomon’s reign, and the splintering of Rehoboam’s kingdom may be what Lemuel had in mind about spending manly vigor on women who ruin men. (1 Kings 11:1-9) It also stands in sharp contrast to the wife of noble character. (31:10)

Proverbs 31:6 Wine ultimately represents the blood of Christ in the Lord’s supper. (1 Corinthians 11:25-27) 

Proverbs 31:8-9 Rulers of all types (not just kings) should speak up for and defend the rights of the destitute and needy.

Proverbs 31:10-31 In an extended metaphor for the church, the bride of Christ, the wife of the lamb, Solomon gives many examples of the ministries of the church in the world we live in. In this passage he does not allude to issues covered in 1 Corinthians 7 or Ephesians 5.

Proverbs 31:10 To be noble at home is a higher value than worldly wealth. Revelation 21:9-11 shows the wife of the lamb shining with glory, like a precious jewel.

Proverbs 31:11 Paul writes that he wants to present his readers as a pure virgin to Christ, as a husband. (2 Corinthians 11:2) 

Proverbs 31:17 Her arms are strong for the task because the Father strengthens her through the Holy Spirit in her inner being. (Ephesians 3:16-17)

Proverbs 31:19 & 24 The church clothes herself and her family with righteousness and royalty and it overflows. (See below, 31:21-23)

Proverbs 31:20 Paul gave instructions for adding widows to the charity list, that including that she had earlier assisted those in distress. (1 Timothy 5:9-10)

Proverbs 30:21 The church clothes her members with the blood of the Lamb.  (Revelation 7:14)

Proverbs 31:22-23 The church is clothed in the glory of God, and has gates and foundation stones reflecting the sons of Jacob and the apostles. (Revelation 21:9-14)

Proverbs 31:26 The church speaks with wisdom, some of which is found in this book. (Proverbs 8)

Proverbs 31:27 Paul gave instructions that if anyone did not work, they were not to be fed. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

Proverbs 31:31 Once again, the gates of the New Jerusalem are mentioned (Revelation 21:12 & 21).

The bottom line on Solomon’s praise of the virtuous wife should not overlook that he was primarily writing to his own contemporaries on her incredible value. The wife who is faithful to her husband, and works diligently to operate her household taking care of feeding and clothing them and maintaining the property, who has an excess of fruit so that it can be sold at a profit, such a woman is a far better wife than one who may be attractive and sexy but lacks these traits.  Young men would do well to keep this in mind when they consider marriage. 

Proverbs 28-29

Proverbs 28

Proverbs 28:2,3,12,15,16&28 all deal with evil rulers

• Proverbs 28:2 Perhaps the best example of this contrast between a rebellious country and a discerning ruler is Northern Israel’s rebellion against Rehoboam (1 Kings 13:33-34), and Israel’s blessedness in the reigns of David (1 Chronicles 17) and Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:29-31).
• Proverbs 28:12&28 An example of the righteous hiding during the reign of the wicked is Ahab and Elijah (1 Kings 17:2-4)

Proverbs 28:6,8,11,20,&22 talk about the rich and the poor

• Proverbs 28:6 How blessed are the poor in spirit, because they are blameless in God’s kingdom. (Matthew 5:3)
• Proverbs 28:11 The poor in spirit are blessed by seeing earthly riches (indeed all things) from the perspective of God’s kingdom. (Matthew 5:3)
• Proverbs 28:20 Good and faithful servants will be put in charge of many things, and share in their Master’s happiness. The punishment of those eager to get rich is is the vacuity of earthly wealth. (Matthew 25:21&23)

Proverbs 28:1 Why do the wicked flee when not being pursued? Is is fear of man? Or is it guilt before God?

Proverbs 28:5 Hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) leads to the breastplate that we need to protect our heart from being misled or attacked by lies, temptations, etc (Ephesians 6:14). Evildoers lack this basic piece of armor.

Proverbs 28:13 If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us. (1 John 1:9)

Proverbs 28:14 An example of heart-hardening is the Pharisees whom Jesus confronted, who led the people astray. (John 12:40) 

Proverbs 28:18 God has shown us what is good, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. (Micah 6:8)

Proverbs 28:19 People obsessed with the fantasies in electronic games will have the fruit of poverty.

Proverbs 28:24 Robbing one’s parents definitely violates the fifth commandment.  (Exodus 20:12)

Proverbs 29

Proverbs 29:1 Jesus lamented over Jerusalem’s refusal to repent despite the prophets sent to her and mourned over her judgment. (Matthew 23:37-38) This happened about 40 years later in 70 AD when the Romans burned and tore down the temple and destroyed the city.

Proverbs 29:2 shows a slight variation to 28:12&28. Groaning if they can’t hide like Elijah.

Proverbs 29:3 was illustrated by the parable of the prodigal son. (Matthew 15:11-32) However, in that parable, the older son, although he obeyed his father in all things, did not bring joy to his father’s heart because he did not love his younger brother and rejoice at his redemption.

Proverbs 29:4 presents the contrast between justice and bribes. It is more of a cultural reflection, and more specifically that a culture in which bribes are normal and expected and acceptable will be unstable. The King will bring stability if the culture will respect justice and reject bribery. This is part of a prescription for good government. God established government for a purpose (Romans 13:1-7). Their reason for existence is for the good of their subjects, to bring punishment on wrongdoers. Those who use the power of government to obtain bribes are not doing this, and tear it down, and implicitly will ultimately face judgment.

Proverbs 29:9&11 In court, a fool will be put in his place, but he will be enraged. If the Judge gives a verdict, the wise will calm the waters. 29:9 is reflected in 1 John 3:12. Abel did not take Cain to court, but God’s giving Abel approval and not Cain sent him off the deep end.

Proverbs 29:13 The Lord does not play favorites - everyone has eyes. This is reflected in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:45). God is no respecter of persons. Equal treatment before the law makes sense. Jesus held the rich and poor to the same moral standard, but told the rich young ruler to give all his possessions to the poor and follow Him. (Matthew 19:21) Proverbs also sets out God’s perspective on worldly vs. spiritual wealth. (28:6&11) 

Proverbs 29:14 Based on this proverb, we can expect that in the final judgment, the King of kings will judge fairly. (Revelation 20:4, 11-13)

Proverbs 29:18 The importance of giving and receiving wise instruction. The Bible is a fount of wisdom. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is wisdom. Not only are believers expected to let it bubble over, they are expected to seek out the Holy Spirit to receive it. What a blessing awaits us if we heed the words of Jesus! (John 13:17)

Proverbs 29:23 echoes 16:18. Matthew 5:3 has Jesus revealing the same concept.

Proverbs 29:26 Justice ultimately comes from the Lord. Human rulers may try to dispense justice, but no one is perfect except Jesus. How does God reconcile mercy and justice? Does mercy to the wrongdoer deny justice to the injured party? Does justice for the injured party deny mercy to the offender? In human courts we try to get restitution where that is possible, but what about bodily harm? Saul of Tarsus did not throw stones at Stephen, but he implicitly approved his stoning. (Acts 7:52) Yet Paul went on to preach the gospel to a large part of the Roman Empire. Where was justice for Stephen? It was God’s mercy that transformed Saul’s life, but He also said that Paul would suffer greatly in His service. (Acts 9:16) Stephen’s life was a seed sown that sprouted into a worldwide evangelism ministry, perhaps because of his final words. (Acts 7:60)

Proverbs 29:27 The righteous and the wicked are in a mutual dysadmiration pact.

Proverbs 24-25

Proverbs 24

Proverbs 24:5-6 War on earth and spiritual wars are won through wise advice. With wise advisors come many ideas - how can we decide which are best? Pray! Paul described the armor of God for spiritual warfare as including the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17) Paul does not mention advisors in this passage, because earlier in the epistle he explained that they are as the church one body. Implicit in this is that the local church body is a unit in God’s army fighting the forces of evil together. 

Proverbs 24:7 Fools should know enough to keep their mouths shut. They have built their lives on sinking sand - maybe someone will rescue them. (Matthew 7:24-27) That someone is Jesus if they will call on Him. The reason they are fools is that they do not.

Proverbs 24:10-12 speaks to times of great peril, for example during the Holocaust. Some helped the Jews being taken off to concentration camps, but relatively few. The nation of Germany ultimately paid the price. It took time and a war that claimed millions of lives, but there was eventually a tribunal at Nuremberg of the surviving leaders. 

Proverbs 24:17-18 Do not gloat over your enemies’ misfortunes. Pray for their redemption. (Matthew 5:38-47)

Proverbs 24:21-22 Honor and respect both the Lord and the King of kings - there will not only be a final judgment day, but in this life He can bring sudden calamity. In the context of the proverbs, one should also honor and respect earthly political authority, even when they rebel against God and His standards. The Lord will hold them accountable. (For example, Acts  12:21-23) We should pray for them. Daniel respected and prayed for Nebuchadnezzar and God got his attention. (Daniel 4)

Proverbs 24:23-25 Judges and juries hold court for the sole purpose of determining guilt and innocence, and sifting truth from lies. Not only do they lose any reason for existence if they do not, but they are accountable to the One who sits on the throne of Heaven, in addition to being cursed in this world. 

Proverbs 24:28-29 Don’t invent a reason for a fight with those near you. Even if they have gossiped about or slandered you, follow Jesus’ advice. (Matthew 5:38-48)

Proverbs 24:30-34 Time is precious and pays dividends on investments. Spiritual investment or spiritual poverty result in fruit or weeds in our lives, respectively. Prioritize important things in your daily schedule. Focus on what is important, and act accordingly. How much insight the Lord gave Solomon to write this about social media three thousand years ago!

Proverbs 25

The tongue can never be tamed, only harnessed: 25:12,14,15,20,23,28.

Proverbs 25:2-3 How do wisdom, responsibility, and grace interact in finding deep truth (root causes) and making things right? How do justice and redemption interact? The heart of Jesus for us, and for others, reconciles all these seemingly incompatible values. We understand, as Solomon did not, that it was through His blood. But the heart of the King of kings can never be fully fathomed by us.

Proverbs 25:4-5 Wicked leaders purporting to be part of God’s kingdom will ultimately be removed, so that His reign will be rightly established in our lives.

Proverbs 25:6-7 Jesus illustrated the concept of self-chosen humility preceding promotion in His parable of seating at a banquet. (Matthew 14:7-11) Being humbled by the King of kings would be worse.

Proverbs 25:11-12 Contrast the rebuke of a wise judge in a listening ear to a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. (11:22) Context and appropriateness are very important for our statements.

Proverbs 25:14 was alluded to by Jude in verse 12 of his epistle. It is a jump to go from people boasting about gifts never given to slandering and destroying things they do not understand, but they are going the same direction on the same road - away from Truth and Life.

Proverbs 25:18 Respect the ninth commandment. (Exodus 20:16) Lying is like attacking a person with a weapon. You may injure them, but you will start a fight that you might lose.

Proverbs 25:20 is a puzzlement. Most likely it means that when people are grieving deeply, it is best to say nothing other than “I’m sorry for your loss” and sit with them quietly. Job’s friends did this at first (Job 2:12-13). Sadly, that didn’t last.

Proverbs 25:21-22 Jesus cited this in the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:38-48) He didn’t include the part about heaping burning coals on the enemy’s head. 

Proverbs 25:24 Solomon’s contentious wives must have been widely known (21:9&19) since Hezekiah’s team recorded this over 200 years later.

Proverbs 25:26 A righteous person who yields to the wicked is a life that has promise to refresh others but doesn’t because their goodness is cancelled by evil they have yielded to. This might seem contrary to what Jesus did in accepting crucifixion rather than confronting and destroying Satan and his evil henchmen, but Jesus had a unique mission in bringing redemption through His blood. This also might seem contrary to Jesus’ advice in the sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:38-48), but Jesus was there focusing on loving the unlovable. We should love our enemies in a way that does not compromise our own integrity and ability to refresh others.

Proverbs 25:28 Lack of self-control in alcohol, money, sex, hobbies, etc. indicates a broken life, a character damaged by inner weakness, valuing appetites over values, and/or unmet emotional needs.