Proverbs chapter 20

vs 21

Wait until people die. Easiest way. Least painful. Except perhaps for the person who dies. Sometimes they like to apportion it out before they go. I think this is a good idea. No-one can argue with that. Well, they can, but it's not worth it really.

vs 22

"Vengance is mine," says the Lord. "I will repay." Paul knew this.

vs 23

I think we've covered this.

vs 24

That's a good question. The answer is, of course, that we can't. Which is damn frustrating. But this is life. We can't even really understnd our own way in life. If we can't understand ourselves, what can we understand? The answer is God. Some people don't like that, though.

vs 25

People's lives are at stake in such dedication. Vows are important stuff - and yet they are the sort of thing people jump into without thinking. I wonder how many people would get spurned in love, say, and then jump into the priesthood or into a monk's habit or a nun's wimple, only to realise that actually they could love again, but now they've got a tonsure and people look at them funny.

Just while I think about it - I really like Donald Miller. Reading a book of his that someone lent me. Second one of his I will have read. I like his writing style (Brysonesque), but I think it's either a) effecting how I am writing now, or b) similar to how I always write. Feel free to comment, readers all.

vs 26

That's got to hurt. I don't even know what it is, but I don't really want to imagine it too much. And yet this is the actions of a wise king. He drives out wicked to the point of horrible maiming and death. This is how bad foolishness and ungodliness is.

vs 27

Not God's Spirit. The human spirit. It is through humanity that we can know ourselves. God reveals things to us through each other. Now, even if you retranslate it to mean 'a person's words' that is still important - because you would think that the only way we can learn anything is through God. Now that's true, but it seems that God uses humanity to do his job for him. What's the lesson? Pay attention to what other people say.

vs 28

Not exactly what you'd expect. You would think that big walls, muscled guards, and machine gun turrets with laser sights would keep a king safe. Not so. How many tyrants have been killed by those who serve them because they were hated? Ultimately people not wanting to hurt you is a really good protection against being hurt.

Of course, I'm sure you can name good leaders who people liked that were still assassinated. It's not like they're bulletproof - someone always doesn't like you. Evil people will still want to kill you. But at least regular normal people won't.

vs 29

So the young should dig the ditches, and the old should tell them where to put them. Not that grey hair makes you smart. But it does mean you probably shouldn't dig that ditch. I'm not saying this is universal either - I know grey-hairs that could whip my ass physically. But then, I was born an old man.

vs 30

I shudder - literally shudder - to think of how much evil has been done in the name of this verse. I'm not saying it's not true. A physical punishment - even a real beating, I mean laying into someone and giving them a proper smackdown - probably does wonders for the educational environment, and probably make people think twice about doing something bad again. But only to a point. I don't have a problem with smacking children, or even giving teenagers a clip around the ear. But I'd rather it was against the law to touch children at all than someone thinks that because you can spank a naughty child, it's also okay to whip them with the buckle end of a belt. If you do this, you are going to hell, damn you. Grow a brain. You're ruining childrearing for normal people.