Showing posts with label servant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label servant. Show all posts

Monday, 10 February 2014

Proverbs 14 (part 4) - Envy is rottenness to the bones #Wise sayings of Solomon

Bible study of Proverbs chapter 14 verses 28 to 35. Aided with Wesley's Explanatory Notes, and Matthew Henry's Commentaries.


28 28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince. (Proverbs 14:28) (NKJV)

 28 28 In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,
    but without people a prince is ruined. (Proverbs 14:28) (RSV)

 28 28 A large population is a king’s glory,
    but without subjects a prince is ruined. (Proverbs 14:28) (NIV)


 The king is glorifed when his kingdom has a big population. A great leader is one who has a lot of followers. Without followers, a manager or a leader is not deemed to be a leader.

 29 29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is impulsive[c] exalts folly. (Proverbs 14:29) (NKJV)

 29 29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. (Proverbs 14:29) (RSV)

 29 29 Whoever is patient has great understanding,
    but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. (Proverbs 14:29) (NIV)

 Exalteth - Heb. lifteth up, like a banner, makes it known and visible to all men.

 The person who is patient and slow to anger, is somebody who when anger will not take hasty reaction which is unwise and later regretted, and not say something rash which will be later regretted. Be slow to react when angered, this way shows that the person is an understanding and wise person.

 Try to understand the other party. Do not be so angry. Try to understand the reason the other party is causing the anger.

 The person who is hot tempered will react very fast when angered. Hasty speech, hasty reaction may cause a greater tension, a bigger argument, a quarrel, or even a fight.

 30 30 A sound heart is life to the body,
But envy is rottenness to the bones. (Proverbs 14:30) (NKJV)

 30 30 A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,
    but passion makes the bones rot. (Proverbs 14:30) (RSV)

 30 30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
    but envy rots the bones. (Provebs 14:30) (NIV)

 A good and peaceful heart and calms emotion will bring goodness to the body, and health. Envy and jealousy is a negative emotion causing much stress, and affects our health negatively.

 31 31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. (Proverbs 14:31) (NKJV)
His maker - Whose image the poor man bears, by whose providence he is made poor, and who hath declared himself to be their protector and avenger.

 31 31 He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
    but he who is kind to the needy honors him. (Proverbs 14:31) (RSV)

 31 31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
    but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Proverbs 14:31) (NIV)

 If we are kind to the needy and the poor, we are honouring God. Whenever we honour one of the lesser people, we are honouring God. We should be charitable toward the needy and the poor. Whoever oppress or take advantage of the poor people, he is giving no respect to God because God created all people, rich and poor. Whoever does not give face to the poor people, God's creation, is not giving face to God.

 32 32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But the righteous has a refuge in his death. (Proverbs 14:32) (NKJV)

 32 32 The wicked is overthrown through his evil-doing,
    but the righteous finds refuge through his integrity.[j]   (Proverbs 14:32) (RSV)

 32 32 When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,
    but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God. (Proverbs 14:32) (NIV)

 The wicked is brought down because of punishment for his wickedness. The wicked may lose his life, may lose his riches and wealth, may lose his power and honour, may lose his health, all because of his bad doings. 

 The righteous person will always trust God and seek refuge in God. Even in dangers, in disaster, in ill health, in poverty, the righteous will persist in his trust in God. Even death will not shake his trust and believe in God Almighty.

 33 33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of fools is made known. (Proverbs 14:33) (NKJV)
 Resteth - Is laid up and hid there. In the midst - In the heart. Made known - They will publish in all times and companies.

33 33 Wisdom abides in the mind of a man of understanding,
    but it is not[k] known in the heart of fools. (Proverbs 14:33) (RSV)

 For the wise person, he doesn't boast of his wisdom, or show off his knowledge. He keeps his wisdom and knowledge in the heart. Wisdom is to be used in life, not something to show off or to brag about.

 For the foolish person, he may brag about the limited knowledge that he has. The fact that a person tries to show off his wisdom and knowledge is indeed folly.

 34 34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34) (NKJV)

 34 34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
    but sin condemns any people. (Proverbs 14:34) (NIV)

 Justice in a country, equality between people of all races and religions, equality between men and women, integrity in the society are all good practices that will exalt a country. The country will be respected and honoured by people and by God.

 On the contrary, if the people continually sin against God and men, and forsake the commands of God, these people will be chastised and punished for their evil doing. But God will forgive if the people turn back to God again and repent.

 35 35 The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame. (Proverbs 14:35) (NKJV)

 35 35 A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
    but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully. (Proverbs 14:35) (RSV)
Shame - Both to himself, by his foolish management of the king's affairs, and to the king who made so foolish a choice of a servant.

 35 35 A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
    but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully. (Proverbs 14:35) (NIV)

 A manager naturally likes staff who can perform their work well and wisely. A boss likes the employees who are work diligently and wisely. But the manager and the boss will be angry with the staff who does work that is shameful, for example, sending a wrong invoice to customer, sending wrong goods to customer, poor service to customer resulting in a complaint.

Monday-Tuesday, Feb 9-10, 2014.
Michael Yeap.

NIV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+14&version=NIV

RSV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+14&version=RSV

NKJV:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+14&version=NKJV

Commentaries:
Wesley: http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/wesleys-explanatory-notes/proverbs/proverbs-14.html
27)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.28
28)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.29
29)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.30
30)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.31
31)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.32
32)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.33
33)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.34
34)  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Prov.14.35
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Friday, 17 January 2014

Ministry / Minister

This morning, I had a dream. As I was walking in this Apartment building, someone from Peace Haven Ministry came out to greet and welcome me. I recalled about my wish to be involved, sometime ago in church.  She said she got my contact from a mutual friend, Calvin, and I immediately recalled his face and name. Yes, I knew him. In this apartment unit, there were 2 main activity rooms. There were people in both rooms, including children and teenagers. They were undergoing an advanced level of physiotherapy, dancing (which looked slightly like line dancing but with less skill, and rather haphazardly) to tune of music. I heard something about Vietnamese. But not too sure whether she was saying some of the patients were Vietnamese or the baby/family I met earlier in another neighbouring apartment unit were Vietnamese.
When I woke up from the dream, I was sleeping on a mattress in a L-shapred bedroom. There were windows on my right. The walls of the bedroom was bluish green or greenish blue; the color was rich, the color was not light, the color was a dark shade of cyan.
Suddenly, I heard a faint call from my wife, and another faint call from my son. I tried to reply loudly but I found difficulty to increase my voice volume. I found my body to be stiff. I tried to reply louder a second time. I immediately woke up from the dream.

Question:
1)  I normally forget my dream when I wake up. Why do I remember this dream so vividly?
2)  Keywords from this dream:  Peace Haven Ministry, ministry, Vietnamese, physiotherapy, music-assisted dancing, music and dancing oriented physiotherapy, children/teenagers. Does this dream carry any meaning or significance?
3)  I have no skills related to music, dancing, or physiotherapy. How could I ever contribute?
4)  I don't know Vietnamese language. I have never been to Vietnam. I don't know any Vietnamese friend on personal basis. How could I be anyway linked to Vietnamese?

Anyway, I decided to read up on the keyword "ministry."

In humility, I am a very ordinary believer, with only fundamental knowledge of the word, with just a small faith, not an exemplary believer.  God can't be calling me...  Right? Correct?

Anyway, my Church is organizing a Leadership training for this Friday (today) until Sunday. I am attending for gaining some supplementary Knowledge, not that I have any intention on leadership. I prefer to be a silent, quiet follower. That's me, a low profile guy.
Baker's Definition


Ministry, Minister
It is reasonably clear in Scripture that (1) ministry means the service of God and his creatures; (2) the one essential ministry is that of Jesus Christ; (3) the whole membership of the old and the new Israel is called to share in ministerial service, of which there are many forms; and (4) certain persons in both the old new Israel are set apart for special ministry, within the total ministry.

The Old Testament. There are three distinct ministries in the Old Testament: the prophetic, the priestly, and the kingly. All three are essential within the covenantal relation between Yahweh and Israel.
The New Testament. Each of these ministries comes to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is himself the Prophet, Priest, and King.
By three basic words doulos [dou'lo"], leitourgos [leitourgov"], diakonos [diavkono"]the call to serve God in Christ is made clear.

Ministries in the Church. The ways of serving the Lord in his church are many and varied. These types overlap and members of the body will partake of more than one type. There is ministry of the Word in evangelism, founding and guiding churches (apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, etc.); ministry of healing (workers of miracles, gifts of healing, etc.); ministry of leadership/administration (helpers, administrators, etc.); and ministry to the congregation (tongues, interpretation of tongues, etc.).

Summary. Whether in the Old or New Testaments, ministry finds its meaning and expression in Jesus Christ. He is the Minister par excellence and the only source of ministry. The Old Testament looks forward to him while the New Testament looks both back, up, and forward to him. In relation to Christ every member of Israel or the church has a ministry of serving the Lord by proclaiming the Word of God by word and deed both inside and outside the people of God. In this sense all are royal priests. Further, in relation to Christ there are specific or particular forms of ministry within and for the sake of the church in its mission for God in his world. These are given only to a few and they include the callings of prophet, priest, and king in the Old Covenant and apostle, evangelist, presbyter, and deacon in the New Covenant. Though not a strictly biblical expression "ordained ministry" refers to persons who have received a gift of the Spirit and have been appointed by the church, through prayer and the laying on of hands, to specific offices within the church.

Source: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/ministry-minister.html

Easton's Definition


Minister [S]
one who serves, as distinguished from the master.






  • Heb. meshereth, applied to an attendant on one of superior rank, as to Joshua, the servant of Moses ( Exodus 33:11 ), and to the servant of Elisha ( 2 Kings 4:43 ). This name is also given to attendants at court ( 2 Chronicles 22:8 ), and to the priests and Levites ( Jeremiah 33:21 ; Ezekiel 44:11 ).
  • Heb. pelah ( Ezra 7:24 ), a "minister" of religion. Here used of that class of sanctuary servants called "Solomon's servants" in Ezra 2:55-58 and Nehemiah 7:57-60 .
  • Greek leitourgos, a subordinate public administrator, and in this sense applied to magistrates (Romans 13:6 ). It is applied also to our Lord ( Hebrews 8:2 ), and to Paul in relation to Christ (Romans 15:16 ).
  • Greek hyperetes (literally, "under-rower"), a personal attendant on a superior, thus of the person who waited on the officiating priest in the synagogue ( Luke 4:20 ). It is applied also to John Mark, the attendant on Paul and Barnabas ( Acts 13:5 ).
  • Greek diaconos, usually a subordinate officer or assistant employed in relation to the ministry of the gospel, as to Paul and Apollos ( 1 Corinthians 3:5 ), Tychicus ( Ephesians 6:21 ), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7 ), Timothy ( 1 Thessalonians 3:2 ), and also to Christ ( Romans 15:8 )

    Source: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/eastons-bible-dictionary/minister.html 

  • King James' Definition








  • Minister
    Servants.
    Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but MINISTERS by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. ( 1 Corinthians 1:1Psalm 3:5-6 )
    Source: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/king-james-dictionary/minister.html

    Smith's Definition


    Minister. [E]
    This term is used in the Authorized Version to describe various officials of a religious and civil character. Its meaning, as distinguished from servant, is a voluntary attendant on another. In the Old Testament it is applied (1) to an attendance upon a person of high rank, ( Exodus 24:13 ; Joshua 1:1 ; 2 Kings 4:43 ) (2) to the attaches of a royal court, ( 1 Kings 10:5 ; 2 Chronicles 22:8 ) comp. Psal 104:4 (3) to the priests and Levites. ( Ezra 8:17 ; Nehemiah 10:36 ; Isaiah 61:6 ; Ezekiel 44:11; Joel 1:9 Joel 1:13 ) One term in the New Testament betokens a subordinate public administrator, (Romans 13:6 ; 15:16 ; Hebrews 8:2 ) one who performs certain gratuitous public services. A second term contains the idea of actual and personal attendance upon a superior, as in ( Luke 4:20) The ministers duty was to open and close the building, to produce and replace the books employed in the service, and generally to wait on the officiating priest or teacher. A third term, diakonos (from which comes our word deacon), is the one usually employed in relation to the ministry of the gospel: its application is twofold, --in a general sense to indicate ministers of any order, whether superior or inferior, and in a special sense to indicate an order of inferiors ministers. [DEACON] [E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary

    Source: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/smiths-bible-dictionary/minister.html 


    • Nave's Topical Bible


    Minister, christian 

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