Through The Bible

09/01/2026

PROVERBS NOT A CASUAL RAMBLINGS COLLECTION 1:1-4

“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” (Pro 1:1-4)

PROV 1:1-4 is the thesis statement for the entire book. King Solomon was driven by a godly purpose. When he began writing Proverbs, he was on a mission and he had a definite goal which is plainly revealed in 1:1-4.

Another thought, I was reminded that The Bible is not written to the lost, but to God’s children — every individual who has believed in God’s plan, son, and actions taken to redeem us from Sin.

The same can be said for The Book of Proverbs.

Stu Marks

08/03/2026

1Cor 2:7-8
THE HIDDEN WISDOM

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:” (1Co 2:7)

What is this hidden wisdom that God arranged before creation began? It is The Gospel. Consider the following verse, after the practice of letting the Bible interpret itself.

“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1Co 2:8)

The Gospel emerged as a new message to be taught and shared openly, captured in writings and letters. It differed from “The Old Testament”—a label not yet formed—the Torah.

Paul was pointing out that The Gospel of Christ crucified, risen, and coming again, had been The Mystery talked about only in analogies and parables before, but now preached openly to all men.

07/07/2026

FROM THE FATHER: A DAILY APPOINTMENT?

As I read Proverbs 7 this morning, I realized how I so treasure the Proverbs which come from the Father to His adopted son.

I believe that God the Father, when having the Holy Spirit pen each proverb through Solomon, in His sole divine ability, was thinking specifically of me. So, my heavenly Father was taking me under His wing to teach me qualities which would make me better, stronger, a more powerful and more useful Child of God. But also, He simply loves me so much, He longs for me to grow up, mature, become more like Him, my father.

The father-son relationship should be taken literally along with the Father-son relationship (the father/Father-daughter relationship is inclusively implied). He not only looks upon me as a part of His Church, collectively, since I have willingly joined myself to a local church, but also as one of His children, uniquely.

In our church in Longview, WA, there are a few larger families — near ten children and more. More than once the men of these families have taught lessons that included this same type of relationship, that each child is not only one of his children, but also one individual under his responsibility and loving ‘protection ship’. He attempts to maintain a close relationship with each child, uniquely.

But human fathers of large families are limited by their finite state.

To God, I am his child. In human terms, I am His, as if I were His only child. And in Proverbs, He teaches me daily, if I choose to meet Him every morning.

We already know that The Lord smiles on the early riser;

• Mark 1:35 — of Jesus: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
• Psalm 5:3 — “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
• Genesis 19:27, 21:14, 22:3 — Abraham repeatedly “rose up early in the morning” to obey God’s instructions.
• Proverbs 31:15 — of the virtuous woman: “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household.”

And, then, there are the thirty-one Proverb chapters which closely align with the numbers of days in a 12 month segment of a planetary year, which makes it very convenient to perpetually read one chapter a day. Certainly, this could only be an individually inferred understanding rather than a Devine imperative. But still, our Christian culture has accepted the practice as a given among our local church families for decades, if not centuries, technically.

If I have intended — formally or informally — to read a chapter a day of Proverbs as a part of daily devoted time with God the Father, then it might just be that He is waiting for me each morning. If the Holy Spirit’s “still, small voice” is tugging at our heart and mind each morning to meet Him there, it could be that each time we miss this appointment we disappoint our Father, as well as miss opportunities for spiritual growth.

07/30/2025

07/28/2025

07/27/2025

Woke ideology in a nutshell

04/30/2025

Will the World See Again a Greatly Adorned Kingdom Like was Solomon’s.
1Kings 10
The Rule of King Solomon 970 BC - 931 BC

Reading 1Kings Chapter 10, listing all of King Solomon’s wealth and grandeur, and respective perspectives of The Kingdom of Israel, from all the kings of the other nations. I wonder if this might be reenacted during The Millennium. It might be that King Jesus in The New Jerusalem will out do the Kingdom of Israel under the rule of King Solomon.

1Ki 10:1-29
1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.
12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.
13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.
16 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.
17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.
20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.