Proverbs 17:1:
1 BETTER IS a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting [on offered sacrifices] with strife.
Remember that when a sacrifice was made to the LORD, it had to be the best of whatever was being offered. So this meal they are speaking of here would be a meal of some of the choicest food! The best and tenderest meat. But if there is "strife", the Hebrew word, "rib", which means: strife, quarrel, dispute, struggle, contention, bitter conflict, discord, tension, dissension, then you are better off fasting! OR eating a piece of dry bread! Even the secular world is discovering that strife and tension can cause many physical problems, as well as mental and emotional problems. We are told to avoid those things that would lead to strife (2 Timothy 2:23 and Titus 3:9). Verse 7 explains why we have a problem listening to some of the ungodly politicians that have arrived on the scene!
7 Fine and arrogant speech does not befit [an empty-headed] fool -- much less do lying lips befit a prince.
We are supposed to be able to respect those in authority, so they should be people that speak the TRUTH, ALWAYS! And we SHOULD be able to hear them speak for themselves so that we get a clear picture of who they really are. I don't think that tele-prompters fit very well in that scenario, do you?
As we go into the Epistles again, remember that they are letters to US! Letters to born-again, spirit-filled believers in Jesus of Nazareth. In them we learn how to walk successfully in this New Covenant we have through the Blood of Jesus! Paul speaks of this in Galatians 1:1-5:
1 PAUL, AN apostle -- [special messenger appointed and commissioned and sent out] not from [any body of] men nor by or through any man, but by and through Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and God the Father, Who raised Him from among the dead -- 2 And all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace and spiritual blessing be to you and [soul] peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) 4 Who gave (yielded) Himself up [to atone] for our sins [and to save and sanctify us], in order to rescue and deliver us from this present wicked age and world order, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father -- 5 To Him [be ascribed all] the glory through all the ages and the eternities of the eternities! Amen (so be it).
God purposed it, He planned it, and then He set it in motion! Jesus gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice for OUR sin to pay the eternal price so that we don't have to! By the blood of Jesus WE have entered into an eternal Covenant with God that cannot be broken - EVER! AMEN! As you continue to study in the Epistles, remember to make note of everything that is said about who YOU are BECAUSE you belong to HIM! And remember, God's Word IS Truth!
Ezra 5:1-2:
1 NOW THE prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son [grandson] of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the Name of the God of Israel, Whose [Spirit] was upon them. 2 Then rose up Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel [heir to the throne of Judah] and Jeshua son of Jozadak and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God [Haggai and Zechariah], helping them.
The Israelites were forced to stop the work by order of king Artaxerxes. After some years they were building there own houses and NOT rebuilding the Temple that God had instructed them to build. King Darius again gave the order to rebuild and the prophets spoke the Word of the LORD to the people to get back to work! God used His Word to create the world and all that is in it! He spoke His Word through His servant every time He wanted something done! "Any work of God that is not built on the Word of God will not prosper" "If we want to know the power of God, we must also know the Word of God (Matthew 22:29)(Bible Exposition Commentary).
KNOW the Word of God, then DO the Word of God! We will only ever be truly happy and blessed in THIS life when we do! AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
