deceitful

October 29, 2016

The indifference of Israel (Jer 8:4 -8:7)

“Thus says Yahweh.

‘You shall say to them.

When people fall,

Do they not get up again?

If they go astray,

Do they not turn back?

Why then has this people turned away?

Why are they perpetually backsliding?

They hold fast to deceit.

They have refused to return.

I have given heed.

I have listened.

But they do not speak honestly.

No man repents of wickedness.

Saying.

‘What have I done?’

All of them turn to their own course,

Like a horse

Plunging headlong into battle.

Even the stork in the heavens

Knows its times.

The turtledove

Observes the time of its coming.

The swallow

Observes the time of its coming.

The crane

Observes the time of its coming.

But my people do not know

The ordinance of Yahweh.’”

Yahweh, via Jeremiah, points out the indifference of Israel. Most people when they fall, they get up. If they are lost, they turn back. Why are these Israelites continuing to backslide? Why do they refuse to return? They are deceitful. Yahweh was listening, but they were not speaking honestly. No one was repenting for what they had done. All of them went their own way like a horse plunging headlong into a battle. The various birds, like the stork, the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane, know when to come and go. However, the people of the Lord do not know and are indifferent to his ordinances.

April 21, 2016

The reprimands (Sir 1:28-1:30)

“Do not disobey the fear of the Lord!

Do not approach him with a divided mind!

Do not be a hypocrite before others!

Keep watch over your lips!

Do not exalt yourself!

Otherwise you may fall.

You may bring dishonor upon yourself.

The Lord will reveal your secrets.

He will overthrow you

Before the whole congregation.

You did not come

In the fear of the Lord.

Your heart was full of deceit.”

Now we have a series of reprimands. You were not to disobey the fear of the Lord. You should not have a divided mind. You should not be hypocrites. You should watch your lips. You should not exalt yourself. If you fall, you bring dishonor to yourself. The Lord would reveal your secrets. He would overthrow you before the whole congregation. If your heart is deceitful, you did not come with the fear of the Lord.

March 21, 2016

Seek God (Wis 1:1-1:5)

“Love righteousness!

You rulers of the earth!

Think of the Lord in goodness!

Seek him with sincerity of heart!

Because he is found

By those who do not put him to the test.

He manifests himself

To those who do not distrust him.

Perverse thoughts separate people from God.

When his power is tested,

It exposes the foolish.

Wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul.

Wisdom will not dwell in a body enslaved to sin.

A Holy Spirit will flee from deceit.

A disciplined spirit will flee from deceit.

The Spirit will leave foolish thoughts behind.

The Spirit will be ashamed

At the approach of unrighteousness.”

This book is set in poetic verses just like Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Solomon. This author wants the rulers of the earth to seek God with a sincere heart. Only those who are not testing him will find him. God will manifest himself to those who do not distrust him. Perverse thoughts will separate them from God. If they test his power, he will expose their foolishness. Wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul nor dwell in a body enslaved in sin. The Holy Spirit, who is disciplined, will flee from deceit. He will leave foolish thoughts behind because he is ashamed of the approach of the unrighteousness ones. Here we have a more developed theology of God. He is no longer Yahweh since this is a Greek Septuagint work. He is the Greek Lord (τοῦ Κυρίου). Wisdom (σοφία) is almost equivalent to God (Θεοῦ). Notice also the use of the Holy Spirit (ἅγιον γὰρ πνεῦμα), even if not too specific. The Spirit of God will not stay with the deceitful and unrighteous. The concept of soul (ψυχὴν) also fits in nicely. I will be using the Greek Septuagint to highlight certain words and concepts in this Greek work.

February 21, 2016

Fear Yahweh (Prov 31:28-31:31)

Shin

“Charm is deceitful.

Beauty is vain.

But a woman

Who fears Yahweh

Is to be praised.

Tav

Give her a share

In the fruit of her hands.

Let her works praise her

In the city gates.”

Although charm and beauty are deceitful and vain, a woman who fears Yahweh is to be praised. She should share in the fruits of her hands. She should be praised at the city gates among the elders of the village. So Proverbs comes to an end with this eulogy to the perfect hard working wife. It is interesting to note that this author says that charm and beauty are not what makes a good wife.

February 3, 2016

Business transactions (Prov 20:14-20:17)

“‘It is bad.

It is bad.’

Says the buyer.

Then he goes away.

Then he boasts.

There is gold.

There is an abundance of costly stones.

But the lips informed by knowledge

Are a precious jewel.

Take the garment of one

Who has given surety for a stranger.

Seize the pledge

Given as surety for foreigners.

Bread gained by deceit is sweet.

But afterward the mouth will be full of gravel.”

Here we have a series of business transactions. We have already seen the bad scales and measures. Now this is how people complain when they buy something, saying it is bad. However, when they go away they boast about the good bargain they just made. Although there are gold and precious stones, nothing is more precious than lips informed by knowledge. Then there is the problem of pledge and surety for loans. It is not a good idea to lend to strangers, especially if you are the stranger. You seem to be able to take their garments and pledges. Watch out for bread that you get by being deceitful, it may taste sweet at first, but afterwards it will be like a mouthful of gravel.

January 21, 2016

Truth (Prov 12:17-12:22)

“Whoever speaks the truth

Gives honest evidence.

But a false witness

Speaks deceitfully.

Rash words are like sword thrusts.

But the tongue of the wise

Brings healing.

Truthful lips endure forever.

But a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil.

But those who counsel peace have joy.

No harm happens to the righteous.

But the wicked are filled with trouble.

Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh.

But those who act faithfully are his delight.”

Truth is important. Telling the truth is giving honest evidence. The false witness was full of deceitful speech. Their rash words were like sword swipes. The tongue of the wise truthful one brings healing and endures forever. The lying tongue only lasts a moment. The deceitful people plan their evil deeds. If you counsel peace, you will bring joy. The righteous are not harmed, but the wicked are full of trouble. Yahweh hates lying lips, but loves faithful true lips.

December 5, 2015

The current terrible situation (Ps 109:1-109:5)

To the choirmaster leader, a psalm of David

“Do not be silent!

O God of my praise!

Wicked and deceitful mouths

Are opened against me.

They speak against me

With lying tongues.

They beset me

With words of hate.

They attack me without cause.

In return for my love

They accuse me.

Even while I make prayer for them,

They accuse me.

Thus they reward me

With evil for good.

They reward me

With hatred for my love.”

Psalm 109 is a Davidic personal prayer for deliverance within a choral setting. This is a lamentation of David against his enemies. As per usual, he began by asking God not to be silent. He explained that the wicked and deceitful people had opened their mouths against him with their lying tongues. Once again, they hated him without cause, another common lament. He tried to love them, but they accused him. When he prayed for them, they rewarded his good with evil. His love was returned as hatred. David was having a hard time getting along with his wicked foes.

October 3, 2015

Beware of sins of the tongue (Ps 50:19-50:21)

“God says.

‘You give your mouth free rein for evil.

Your tongue frames deceit.

You sit and speak against your kin.

You slander your own mother’s child.

These things you have done.

I have been silent.

You thought that I was one just like yourself.

But now I rebuke you.

I lay the charge before you.’”

God continued with his rebuke of the wicked by telling them how they had sinned with their mouth.   The wicked ones give free rein to their mouth to say all kinds of evil things with their deceitful tongue. They speak against their own relatives. They slander their own brothers and sisters. They did all these things, but God was silent. They thought that it might be okay since God would have done the same thing. They were wrong. Now they are rebuked as God laid out the charges against them.

September 26, 2015

Prayer for deliverance (Ps 43:1-43:2)

“Vindicate me!

O God!

Defend my cause

Against an ungodly people!

From those who are deceitful,

From those who are unjust,

Deliver me!

You are the God

In whom I take refuge.

Why have you cast me off?

Why must I walk about mournfully

Because of the oppression of the enemy?”

Psalm 43, which was part of Psalm 42, has no title indications and is a very short psalm. The phrases and the themes are a continuation of the preceding psalm. The psalmist wanted to be vindicated. He wanted God to defend his cause against an ungodly people who were deceitful and unjust. He wanted to be rescued. He maintained that he took refuge in God. However, he still wondered why he was cast off. He was in mourning because of his oppressive enemy.

September 15, 2015

Description of the wicked (Ps 36:1-36:4)

“To the choirmaster leader, a psalm of David, the servant of Yahweh

Transgression speaks to the wicked.

Deep in their hearts

There is no fear of God.

Before their eyes,

They flatter themselves in their own eyes.

They believe that their iniquity cannot be found out.

Therefore it cannot be hated.

The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit.

They have ceased to act wisely.

They have ceased to do good.

They plot mischief while on their beds.

They are set on a way that is not good.

They do not reject evil.”

In this Psalm 36, the title indicates that there was a choir leader. This psalm of David, called him the servant of Yahweh. There is a description of the wicked. Most of all they do not fear God. They are flatterers, mischievous, and deceitful. They think that no one knows what they are doing. They were always plotting mischief, even while in bed. Therefore they were not good and wise, but rather evil in their ways. They are on an evil path, not a good path.