IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

A Future Hope for You

Date: Feb. 14, 2024

Passage

Proverbs 24:13-34 (ESV)

13   My son, eat honey, for it is good,
    and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14   Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
    if you find it, there will be a future,
    and your hope will not be cut off.
15   Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
    do no violence to his home;
16   for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
    but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17   Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
    and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18   lest the LORD see it and be displeased,
    and turn away his anger from him.
19   Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
    and be not envious of the wicked,
20   for the evil man has no future;
    the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21   My son, fear the LORD and the king,
    and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22   for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
    and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

23 These also are sayings of the wise.

  Partiality in judging is not good.
24   Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
    will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
25   but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
    and a good blessing will come upon them.
26   Whoever gives an honest answer
    kisses the lips.
27   Prepare your work outside;
    get everything ready for yourself in the field,
    and after that build your house.
28   Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
    and do not deceive with your lips.
29   Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
    I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30   I passed by the field of a sluggard,
    by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
31   and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
    the ground was covered with nettles,
    and its stone wall was broken down.
32   Then I saw and considered it;
    I looked and received instruction.
33   A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
34   and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 24:14

  Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
    if you find it, there will be a future,
    and your hope will not be cut off.

Honey from the comb is sweet to our taste. Wisdom is like honey. If we find it, there is a future hope for us, and our hope will not be cut off (14).

Wisdom encourages the righteous to rise again (16). Wisdom keeps the righteous from fretting (19). Wisdom helps the righteous to fear the Lord and the king, and not join in with rebellious officials (21). For the evil doer has no future hope. But there is a future hope for us in wisdom.

Wisdom gives us honest answers which are like a kiss on the lips (26) rather than revenge (29). And wisdom helps us put outdoor work in order and get our fields ready; after that, build our house (27). But a person who says, “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,” will end up in poverty (34). Those who procrastinate are hopeless.

Prayer: Prayer: Lord, help me seek wisdom which brings hope!

One Word: One Word: Seek wisdom; get my future hope!

Daily Bread

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Intro Daily