Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is poetry Thursday and we’ll read Proverbs 26-27. I will have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, and I have a personal prayer request at the end of the show. I’m calling today’s episode “Friends.”

Comments on Proverbs 26-27

Thoughts on Proverbs 26

I used to listen to political talk radio and watch political TV talk shows. But I got tired of the arguing back and forth. And I noticed that no matter how logical or well-thought-out an argument was (on either side), seldom (if ever) was an opponent persuaded to listen objectively. And often, both sides ended up looking foolish.

So when I read verses 4 and 5 in chapter 26 today, I was reminded how silly it is to argue with a fool. Here are the verses again: 4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

I like the way the Easy to Read Version renders these two verses: There is no good way to answer fools when they say something stupid. If you answer them, then you, too, will look like a fool. If you don’t answer them, they will think they are smart.

So what are we to do? I guess it depends on the situation. If possible, I think that it is good to avoid the fool altogether. But if that isn’t possible, then don’t engage them in conversation that brings out the foolish in them. 

There are people in my life whom I consider to be foolish. Come on. Let’s be honest here. Most of us have this type of person in our lives that we are forced to have contact with. My way of dealing with these people is to just be polite. We talk about the weather or other mundane things that don’t really matter. I know that if we get into the deep water, nothing but trouble will ensue. If they bring up a subject that I think will go the wrong way, I’ll just smile politely and let them drone on until I can gracefully make an exit. 

Same thing online. I don’t engage in debates there, either. As they say, “Don’t feed the trolls.” 

Thoughts on Proverbs 27

I like that Solomon spent some time giving counsel to his son about the importance of good friends. Like a rare jewel, truly good friends are hard to find. But when you find them, they are much more valuable than jewels. More than bringing fellowship and good times, they can help you through the difficult times. They can help to make you a better person. And sometimes, God can use them to speak His words into your life. I consider myself truly blessed, because I have three such friends in my life. One of them has been a part if my life since I was about 10 years old. His name is Mark. The second I met when we were in junior high school. That’s Del, the husband of Kathi, whom we have prayed for many times on the show. There is no one alive today that I have known longer than these two. The third is a fellow podcaster. We met in 2005, and for a long time we were friends, but not particularly close. But over the last couple years we have had a standing date to talk via video at least two Saturdays a month. And we have really developed a deep friendship. His name is Ron. I treasure all three of these guys. I would do anything for them. And they would do the same for me. I consider myself a very blessed man to have each of them in my life. 

So let’s look a three of these verses that deal with friendship.

Verse six: Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

~A true friend is one who is willing to risk hurting us if it means that we will be better for the correction. An enemy’s kisses are lies. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

Verse 9: Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.

~This is sort of a partner to verse six. When a friend offers kind words of advice from a heart of love, it is as pleasant as a good perfume.

Verse 17: As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

~This is the opposite side of the friendship coin. Verse 9 talked about the kind words of advice being as pleasant as a good perfume. When iron sharpens iron, there is grinding on the wheel, heavy hammers striking the iron, and always, sparks fly. The iron being sharpened goes through a bit of stress, pounding and abrasion. If the iron could feel, there would be pain involved. But the end product is better, and more useful. When a friend sharpens a friend, it can be a difficult process for one or both of them, but in the end, both can be better off.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 26-27 NIV

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
There is no good way to answer fools when they say something stupid.

INTRO S12E237 – 0:12
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. Welcome. I’m so glad to see you today. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s Poetry Thursday, and we’ll read Proverbs 26 and 27. We’ll have an On This Date in Church History segment. And I have a couple of prayer requests at the end of the show, one of them personal. I’m calling today’s episode, “Friends.” You can find the show notes page, if you’d like to make a comment on the show, at lifespringmedia.com/s12e267. And as always, my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s get started.

PROVERBS 26 (NIV) – 0:55
Proverbs 26.

(1)Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.
(2)Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
(3)A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools!
(4)Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you yourself will be just like him.
(5)Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.
(6)Sending a message by the hands of a fool
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
(7)Like the useless legs of one who is lame
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
(8)Like tying a stone in a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.
(9)Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
(10)Like an archer who wounds at random
is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
(11)As a dog returns to its vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.
(12)Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.
(13)A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road,
a fierce lion roaming the streets!”
(14)As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed.
(15)A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
(16)A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven people who answer discreetly.
(17)Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears
is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.
(18)Like a maniac shooting
flaming arrows of death
(19)is one who deceives their neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”
(20)Without wood a fire goes out;
without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
(21)As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
(22)The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
(23)Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
(24)Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
(25)Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
for seven abominations fill their hearts.
(26)Their malice may be concealed by deception,
but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
(27)Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
(28)A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.

PROVERBS 27 (NIV) – 3:41
Proverbs, chapter 27.

1)Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
(2)Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips.
(3)Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
(4)Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
(5)Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
(6)Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.
(7)One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
(8)Like a bird that flees its nest
is anyone who flees from home.
(9)Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice.
(10)Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,
and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—
better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
(11)Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
(12)The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
(13)Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.
(14)If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse.
(15)A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping
of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
(16)restraining her is like restraining the wind
or grasping oil with the hand.
(17)As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
(18)The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and whoever protects their master will be honored.
(19)As water reflects the face,
so one’s life reflects the heart.
(20)Death and Destruction are never satisfied,
and neither are human eyes.
(21)The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but people are tested by their praise.
(22)Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding them like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove their folly from them.
(23)Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
(24)for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
(25)When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
(26)the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
(27)You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
and to nourish your female servants.

COMMENTS ON PROVERBS 26 – 6:34
I’ve got comments on both Proverbs 26 and 27 today. Twenty-six: I used to listen to political talk radio and watch political TV talk shows but I got tired of the arguing back and forth. You see, I noticed that no matter how logical or well thought out an argument was on either side, seldom, if ever, was an opponent persuaded to listen objectively. And most of the time both sides ended up looking foolish.

So when I read verses 4 and 5 in chapter 26, today, I was reminded how silly it is to argue with a fool. Here are the verses again,

“(4) Do not Answer a fool according to his folly or you yourself will be just like him, (5) Answer a fool according to his folly or he will be wise in his own eyes.”

Well, I like the way the Easy-To-Read version renders these two verses: “There is no good way to answer fools when they say something stupid. If you answered them, then you, too, will look like a fool. If you don’t answer them, they’ll think they’re smart.”

So what are we to do? I guess it partly depends on the situation, right? If possible, I think it’s a good idea to avoid the fool altogether. But if that isn’t possible, then don’t engage them in conversation that brings out the foolish in them.

There are people in my life whom I consider to be foolish. Come on, let’s be honest here. Most of us have this type of person in our lives that we’re forced to have contact with. My way of dealing with these people is to just be polite. We talk about the weather or other mundane things that don’t really matter. Because I know that if we get into the deep water, nothing but trouble will ensue. And if they bring up a subject that I think will go the wrong way, I’ll just smile politely and let them drone on until I can gracefully make an exit.

I do the same thing online. By the way, I don’t engage in debates there. Nobody ever has their mind changed by arguing online. It’s a waste of time. As they say, Don’t feed the trolls.

COMMENTS ON PROVERBS 27 – 8:40
All right on Proverbs 27, I liked that Solomon spent some time giving counsel to his son about the importance of good friends. Like a rare jewel, truly good friends are hard to find. But when you do find them, they’re much more valuable than even jewels. Because more than bringing fellowship in good times. They can help you through difficult times. They can help make a better person out of you. And sometimes God can use them to speak his words into your life.

I consider myself truly blessed because I have three such friends in my life. One of them has been a part of my life since I was about 10 years old, probably even 8 or 9. His name was Mark. The second I met when we were in junior high school. That’s Del the husband of Kathi whom we’ve prayed for many, many times on the show. And there’s nobody alive today that I’ve known longer than these two. The third jewel of a friend of mine is a fellow podcaster. We met in 2005. And for a long time we were friends but not particularly close. But over the last couple of years we’ve had a standing date to talk via video at least two Saturdays a month. Sometimes we’ll talk for an hour sometimes we’ll talk three or four or five hours, and we’ve really developed a deep, deep friendship. His name is Ron I treasure all three of these guys and I’d do anything for them. And I think they do the same for me. I consider myself a very blessed man to have each one of them in my life.

So let’s take a look at three of these verses that deal with friendship from chapter 27.

Verse 6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

What that means is a true friend is one who’s willing to risk hurting us if it means that we’ll be better for the correction. And enemy’s kisses are just lies. Remember, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

Verse 9 says, “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.”

This verse is sort of a partner to the last verse. “When a friend offers kind words of advice from a heart of love, it’s as pleasant as a good perfume.”

Then dropping down to verse 17, that says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

This is sort of an opposite of the friendship coin. Verse 9 talked about the kind words of advice being as pleasant as a good perfume. But when iron sharpens iron, there is grinding on the wheel, heavy hammers striking the iron and always, sparks fly. The iron being prepared goes through a bit of stress, pounding and abrasion. If the iron could feel there would be pain involved. But the end product is better and more useful. When a friend sharpens a friend, it can be a difficult process for one or both of them. But in the end, both can be better off.

What do you think? You have a friend like that? I’d like to hear about it. Leave a comment at lifespringmedia.com/s12e267. On tomorrow’s show we’ll read the book of Obadiah. Yep, the whole thing. I hope you’ll be here.

Boost!

BOOSTAGRAMS – 12:04
Boostagram! I got a couple of boostagrams over the last few days. Yesterday Sean of San Pedro… Sean streams sats while he listens all the time, and he boosts an extra 1000 sats every day. But for yesterday, he did send a boostagram, which is a boost with text. This is what he said. “I love knowing this tradition of singing this set of Psalms before and after the Passover meal, and that Jesus likely sang them.” Of course, he was commenting on the Psalms 114 through 116 episode, and yeah, Sean, I agree. I didn’t know that before. And knowing that Jesus sang them the night before he was crucified, that adds a lot, doesn’t it?

And then I got a 1,111 sat boostagram from the Mere Mortals podcast a few days ago. He said, “A daily podcast of this length is rather impressive, Steve. Keep up the great work.” Well, thank you for that boostagram. And I’m planning on it for a while anyway. Thank you very much.

Well, beloved, you can send boostagrams and stream sats, if you have one of those brand new podcast apps that you can get at newpodcastapps.com. It’s all part of the podcasting 2.0 thing. And also included in the ability to stream and boost sats, you can see the chapters that Sean of San Pedro makes. It’s just another aspect of the value-for-value model. But whether you stream sats or send boosts or send treasure in the way of PayPal or Zelle or one of the many other things I have available for you to be able to do at lifespringmedia.com/support, please know that I’m so thankful when you do send support. It does help to pay the bills around here. It’s getting more expensive all the time. And I really appreciate your support. If you find value in the show, if you’re glad when you see a new episode in your podcast app, please do support it in the amount of value that you receive from the show. For some people that might be $5, maybe that’s a lot for you. That’s fine, that’s great. I appreciate it. Somebody else can send $20, $50 or $100 or even more, whatever the value is for you. And whatever the Lord leads you to give. That’s the value you send in. No matter the amount, I’ll thank you and I really, truly do believe that God bless you for it.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 14:25
On this date in church history, May 26, 735, Anglo-Saxon theologian, the Venerable Bede, a monk in a monastery in Jarrow, Northumberland, also known as “the Father of English History” passed away. He was the first great English scholar. He invented the BC and AD dating system, and his “Ecclesiastical History of the English People”, written in 731, was crucial to England’s conversion to Christianity. Man, talk about an important person!

PRAISE REPORT – 15:07
I’ve got a praise report and prayer requests today. The praise report came in just a little while ago from Sean of San Pedro. You may remember a couple of weeks ago, we prayed for this friend of Sean, that he was in the ER and we didn’t really have any information. But he was afraid that he was even going to be leaving his son behind, that he was going to be passing away. Well, Sean messaged me just a little while ago and he said, “My friend is out of the hospital and his employer has kept his job for him, even. The treatment at the hospital wasn’t great, and he’s not fully recovered, but he’s home and he’s employed.” So that is a praise.

PRAYER REQUESTS – 15:42
Now for prayer requests. Sean of San Pedro’s wife, Brittaney asked for prayer for her dad, Howie. You remember what a struggle he had with COVID. He’s been– he was in the hospital for a long time. And he’s been out of the hospital now for a few months, and health-wise, he’s doing great. But while he was in the hospital, his employer replaced him. I’m leaving out some details, but the bottom line is that Howie is looking for a job. Howie and his wife live in the Phoenix area. So we need to pray that he finds a job there. And by the way, if you’re in the Phoenix area and are looking for a good man, or if you know of employment opportunities, send me an email and I’ll forward your info to Howie through Sean. My email address, of course, is st***@*************ia.com. So there’s that prayer request, we need to pray for Howie.

And then– well, this is the last almost-live show for a few days. I’m scheduled to have my cardiac ablation procedure tomorrow morning. I check in at the hospital in LA about 60 miles from my home here in Riverside at 6 am. I think the procedure itself will begin at 7:00 and it should last about four hours. After that I’ll be in the recovery room for about six hours flat on my back, which we’ve talked about. I’m not looking forward to that with my bad back. That’s probably going to be worse than the procedure itself. I’m told that they probably won’t release me until about 7:30 tomorrow night. So please pray that all goes according to plan, and pray for the Lovely Lady LeeAnn who has to wait outside the hospital because of the COVID rules still in effect in this– I’ll just say crazy state. I’ll just say that.

I’m very thankful that Sean of San Pedro and his very sweet wife Brittaney have graciously volunteered to spend part of their day with LeeAnn. So that should help the time to go quicker for her. But let’s pray for her as well.

Now I do have Friday and Saturday shows already pre-recorded for you as I record this now on Wednesday afternoon. And I plan to record Sunday’s and Monday’s show for you today, if you’re listening on Thursday, the 26th of May, 2022. I probably don’t really need to do so many shows in advance, but in the off chance that I’m not feeling up to it in the days following the procedure, I do want to be prepared. I was after all a Cubmaster for Steven and Timothy’s Cub Scout pack, you know, be prepared.

And by the way, if you’re subscribed to the newsletter, Kirsty sent out one this week in which I included a couple of YouTube links to videos about the procedure I’ll be having. I thought maybe you’d find them interesting.

And in the spirit of 100% transparency, Monday show, which I usually do record on Sunday, will be done in advance, partly because I want to have it done in case I’m not feeling well, but mainly, because the Indianapolis 500 is this Sunday. I have loved watching that race since my parents took me to see it in 1963. Yeah, I was there in person. I got to see Parnelli Jones win the race. So I’ve been in love with that race ever since then. So I want to watch the race this year without having to know that I also need to get a show out. You don’t mind if I indulge myself a little bit, do you? I hope not. Thank you.

CLOSING PRAYER – 18:55
So let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, once again, we thank you for the wisdom that we find in Proverbs. And I thank you for godly friends. I pray that every Lifespring family member has friends like that. And if not, that you’ll bring them into the lives of the people that don’t have close friends like that. It’s a blessing Lord, and I pray that you’ll bless everyone in the Lifespring family with a friend like that. I pray Lord, that you lead Howie to the perfect job. That he’ll be able to use the gifts you’ve given him and that will be both challenging and fulfilling for him. That would be ideal. But the main thing is that he be able to pay the bills. You know every job opening out there and I know that you have one for Howie. So I’m asking that you put Howie and the job opening together. You’ve told us that when we seek you first you will provide for our needs. So we know that you will do it and we’ll give you praise Lord.

Now, Lord, I pray once again that you’ll be in the operating room with me and the medical team tomorrow morning. Give each of them a good night’s sleep. Then may they be in top form. Guide their decisions and their hands during the procedure, Lord. I’m yours. Each breath I take, every beat of my heart comes from you. It’s always been that way and until you take me home, it will always be that way. I pray that your will would be done in my life and in the operating room. I pray for LeeAnn that you’d give her your peace while she waits. And I thank You, Lord for Sean and Brittaney. Bless them in a special way for giving their time to be with LeeAnn.

I thank you for the Lifespring family. And I asked you to bless them today. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you’ve got a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E267 – 20:51
Share the show. If you believe in what we’re doing here, let other people know about it. Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e267. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team, Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. Thanks to you for being here. Support the show with your time, talent or treasure at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, virtually and until probably about Tuesday, almost-live. May God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Remember to pray for me tomorrow please.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise