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1–2. A warning against imitating ungodly people. 3–6. Praise to wisdom and its beneficial effects. 7–10. Against stupidity, deceit, etc. 11–12. Exhortation to protect those sentenced to death. 13–14. Exhortation to seek wisdom. 15–18. Against deceit and malevolence. 19–22. A call to generosity and a warning against fellowship with rebels. 23–29. A warning against partiality, partiality and untruth. 30–34. Image of fatality, laziness and its consequences.

. Do not be jealous of evil people and do not want to be with them,

. because their heart thinks of violence, and their mouth speaks of evil.

The thought of these verses represents revelation.

. By wisdom a house is built and by reason it is affirmed,

. and with skill his inward parts are filled with every precious and beautiful possession.

. A wise man is strong, and a wise man strengthens his strength.

. Therefore, with deliberation, wage your war, and success will be with many consultations.

In contrast to wickedness, wisdom, piety, for its possessors, is combined with various kinds of material goods - in domestic life (vv. 3-4) and public, for example, in military affairs (vv. 5-6).

. For a fool, wisdom is too high; at the gate he will not open his mouth.

. Whoever plots to do evil is called an intruder.

. The thought of stupidity is a sin, and a blasphemer is an abomination to people.

Stupid and impious, on the contrary, he is powerless and helpless in the case when he has to act in any public activity; all his energy is directed to insidious plans (v. 8) and all is exhausted by sinful before God and vile deeds before people (v. 9).

. If you were weak on the day of disaster, then your strength is poor.

. Save those taken to death, and will you really refuse those condemned to death?

. Will you say, “Behold, we did not know this”? Doesn't He who tests the heart know? He who watches over your soul knows this, and will reward a man according to his deeds.

Wisdom, on the other hand, owns the art of saving oneself (v. 10) and others, even from extreme disasters (v. 11), and is eliminated, refuted by the always possible selfish excuse of a callous heart “I don’t know such and such, therefore, I am free from obligations in relation to him" - an indication of the all-seeing and all-encompassing Providence of God, before which no one will be justified, allowing his brothers to perish. In explaining the instruction of verse 11, some pointed to the rabbi-talmudic rules, which obligated any person who knew anything to justify the condemned to death, without fail to come forward with his testimony (Mishnah, Sanhedrin VI, 1). But it is unlikely that this custom already took place in the biblical era; moreover, the instruction of Art. 11 applies not only to court cases, but has a wider scope, referring to all kinds of cases of mortal danger of neighbors. h5 . Eat, my son, honey, because it is pleasant, and honeycomb, which is sweet for your throat:

. so is the knowledge of wisdom for your soul. If you have found it, then there is a future, and your hope is not lost.

Wisdom, according to its saving fruits, is like the sweetness and benefit of honey; and these fruits are not only felt in the present, but also reach the limits of the future (v. 14, sn.).

. Do not plot, wicked one, against the habitation of the righteous; do not devastate his place of rest,

. for the righteous man falls seven times and gets up; but the wicked will fall into destruction.

. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not rejoice in your heart when he stumbles.

. Otherwise, the Lord will see, and it will not be pleasing in His eyes, and He will turn His wrath away from him.

It is suggested in the misfortunes of the righteous and the wicked to pay attention to the final outcome, which is not the same for one and the other suffering (v. 16). At the same time, a warning is given against gloating to the enemy in his misfortune, since this is not pleasing to the Lord (vv. 17-18, sn.).

. Do not be angry with the evildoers and do not envy the wicked,

. because the evil one has no future, the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

. Fear, my son, the Lord and the king; do not associate with the rebels,

. because sudden destruction will come from them, and who will know the misfortune from both of them?

The admonition is repeated (cf. v. 1) - do not envy the wicked (see 19), since their final fate will be bleak (v. 20, sn.). In conclusion, the fear of God is pointed out, but at the same time, with the actual fear of God, the fear of the king is also prescribed, as a representative of the government of God in the society of people (vv. 21-23, sn.;).

. It is also said by the wise: to have partiality in judgment is not good.

. Whoever says to the guilty: “You are right,” the nations will curse him, the tribes will hate him;

. but those who reprove will be loved and blessed will come upon them.

. Kisses on the lips who answers with true words.

. Do thy works outside the house, finish them in thy field, and then build thy house also.

. Do not be a false witness against your neighbor: why should you deceive with your mouth?

. Do not say: "as he did to me, so I will do to him, I will repay a man according to his deeds."

A new group of sayings “wise x” begins with a condemnation of personhood (vv. 23–24), for which it threatens to curse the peoples: the perversion of truth and justice in court everywhere serves as a source of destruction for the well-being of peoples. On the contrary, incorruptibility and fidelity in words, judgments, and deeds are highly commended (vv. 25-25, n. 28). The other two instructions of this section are one of a practical nature: before the internal improvement of the house and family, it is necessary to arrange the outermost side of life - the field and household (v. 27), others are purely moralistic, and, moreover, with the character of evangelical purity and loftiness: one should not repay evil for evil (v. 29, n.

. “Sleep a little, doze a little, lie down a little with your hands folded, -

. and your poverty will come like a passerby, and your want like a man armed.”

The pernicious consequences of sloth are illustrated by the example of the state of the field and the vineyard of the lazy. This is not an allegory of spiritual licentiousness, as some interpreters believed, but a direct depiction of the vice of laziness with its disastrous consequences - a lesson learned by the Wise from empirical observation (v. 32). Art. 33–34 represent reproduction.

Righteousness we receive as a gift: “…those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through the one Jesus Christ” (Rom.5:17).

Attempts to establish their righteousness always lead the believer to a crushing defeat, because the carnal sinful nature makes itself felt: “For I know that there is no good living in me, that is, in my flesh; because the desire for good is in me, but to do it, I do not find it. The good that I want, I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, I do.” (Rom. 7:18,19).

The apostle clarifies that there is no good not in him, but in his flesh, since the first statement is incorrect. After regeneration, a person receives a new spirit, which is created according to God in righteousness, holiness and truth (see Eph. 4:24). This means that in us, in our spirit, there is a good, holy nature, while the carnal nature is completely vicious and its sentence is crucifixion.

Whenever we try to justify ourselves with good deeds, the result is sad, no matter how many times we start all over again “from Monday” or “from the New Year”.

Our righteousness is exclusively Christ Himself. The Apostle Paul writes about it this way: “From Him you are also in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30) and again: “For he who knew no sin He made sin for us so that in him we may become righteous before God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The last verse is an interpretation of the revelation about the Messiah of the prophet Isaiah, who, more than 700 years BC. wrote: “He will look at the feat of His soul with contentment; through the knowledge of Him, He, the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify many and bear their sins on Himself” (Isaiah 53:11)

So, faith in Christ is imputed to us today as righteousness. Today in Christ I am a million times more righteous without any effort than I would be if I put all my strength into trying to keep God's Law.

What has been said in no case should be interpreted in the sense that "now it does not matter how we live - we are still justified for nothing." Such carnal reasoning immediately causes rejection in every spiritual person. The regenerate person, if he sins, feels pangs of conscience. Sin is contrary to our new nature. Sin destroys our lives and, worst of all, undermines our faith, and yet the truth is this: sin in itself does not deprive us of righteousness, since the righteousness of a believer does not depend on his works, but only on faith.

This truth, surprisingly, was revealed in the Old Testament. King David committed a terrible sin. There are serious sins in the modern church, but David "surpassed" perhaps everyone I know of. The sin of adultery, unfortunately, is not at all uncommon, but I do not know the servants of God, on whose conscience there would also be physical murder. So David committed such grave sins, but according to the Word of God he remained righteous!! Paradoxically, but true.

We read about this in Psalm 31. First, David says this: “Blessed is the one whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (Ps. 31:1,2). Blessed is not the one who deserves forgiveness, but the one to whom God does not impute sin in His mercy and goodness. To impute - to attribute to someone else's account. If God, figuratively speaking, takes upon Himself the sinful account of a person and pays for it Himself, such a person is blessed.

This text is quoted by the Apostle Paul in the fourth chapter of his most famous letter, the Epistle to the Romans: “So also David calls blessed the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Rom. 4:6-8). The apostle asserts that God not only does not impute sin to the believer, but much more than that, He imputes righteousness. So David, being a believer in the coming Messiah, was justified by God, that is, he was the righteous of God.

Now we read further: “When I was silent, my bones were worn out from my daily groaning, for day and night Your hand weighed heavily on me; my freshness has vanished, as in a summer drought” (Ps. 31:3,4).

David, being a righteous man, for a long time refused to repent of terrible sins! God was not indifferent to this, because when a person becomes hardened by sin, he can lose the most important thing - faith in the Savior, and with it salvation itself (see Heb. 3:13). What God did - He allowed certain physical suffering. David had to confess and be forgiven, as God promised: “If we confess our sins, he, being faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Finally, it “came to David,” however, with the help of the prophet Nathan: “But I have revealed to You my sin and have not hidden my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You took away from me the guilt of my sin. For this every righteous man will pray to You at the right time, and then the overflow of many waters will not reach him.” ( Ps.31:5,6 ).

David was forgiven even though he did not lose his righteousness by faith! In verse 5 he describes his personal experience of repentance, and in verse 6 he expands it to every righteous person by faith. It means that he also considered himself a righteous man, in spite of the gravest sins! Such is the paradoxical mercy and grace of God - He justifies sinners by their faith!

We find confirmation of this truth in the book of Proverbs of Solomon: “For the righteous man falls seven times and gets up; but the wicked will perish"(Prov. 24:16). The fact that a righteous man falls morally does not deprive him of righteousness! The secret is that the righteous rises, that is, returns with repentance to God, Who forgives and purifies him. The wicked refuse to get up, persist in sins and perish...

Every evil deed, like every good deed, is a crop that will bring forth a harvest in due time, good or bad. In order to weaken the effect of the law of sowing and reaping in relation to committed sins, the righteous must confess and accept forgiveness from God. Only in this case "the flooding of many waters will not reach him" - a certain measure of the "evil harvest" will not ripen. The longer the believer refuses to confess, the worse it is for him, the more negative consequences he will reap, therefore, ending the psalm, the great king of Israel writes: “Do not be like a horse, like a foolish hinny, whose jaws need to be curbed with a bridle and bits so that they obey you” . Many are sorrows to the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord is surrounded by mercy” (Ps. 31:9,10).

Any, even the most glorious, truth can be perverted, so the Word of God is always balanced. Yes, we are justified by faith, but if this faith is not confirmed by works, then it is dead. Or even worse - a person covers up his own sins with empty words about justification by faith in Christ. The great apostle of tongues wrote about such people: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malakia, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor blasphemers, nor predators - will inherit the Kingdom of God. And so were some of you; but they were washed, but they were sanctified, but they were justified by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). If we have been justified by the name of the Lord Jesus and regenerated by the Spirit of God, then this should be visible to everyone!

Righteousness by faith must be confirmed and strengthened by the righteousness of our works. However, the latter does not justify us, but only proves that justification by faith is truly ours.

What can Jews expect from the new owner of the White House, did the Israeli Minister of Agriculture have the right to scatter drones, and why are there so many poor people in Jerusalem? The past month was rich in joyful, strange and sad events. The latter fit into two words: Leonard Cohen.

Compromising evidence

Scammer with security camera

We have already written about how unknown persons are trying to do everything possible to spoil - let's not be afraid of this word - the deputy chief rabbi of Moscow, the chairman of the KEROOR and the deputy of the European Jewish Parliament, Rabbi Shimon Levin. At first, it was about a stolen document, the authenticity of which r. Levin denied. Then - about the illegally made audio recording of the rabbi's telephone conversation.

There is no limit to perfection, and there is no limit to meanness. On November 17, the attacker posted a video on Youtube discrediting the river. Shimon Levin. Soon it was blocked (in the Choral synagogue they say that this is a rough installation). What did the person want to achieve who, in violation of all possible laws, installed a surveillance camera in the rabbi's office? What is he fighting for and against?

Yes, Jews love to quarrel with each other, gossip and wash the bones. But in this case, a non-illusory red line was crossed. The laws of Judaism prohibit slander, humiliation of neighbors and damage to their material status - even if the "leaked" information is correct. Judaism does not award such self-proclaimed Don Quixotes with civil courage awards. On the contrary, our religion bestows on them the titles of "informer" and "villain."

The notorious video is dated: October 2015. Why did the attacker hesitate to publish? Was he driven by a sincere desire to start a fight for a just cause, for the purity of the rabbinic ranks, etc., etc., or did he prudently wait for the right moment for a banal settling of scores?

It is said: "The righteous man falls seven times and gets up." It is written in the Talmud that a public leader should be a person who, like his flock, has skeletons in a closet (in the original - “kupa shel shratsim”, a mug with certain insects, touching which makes a person ritually unclean). Therefore, we do not worry about the career of the respected Rabbi Shimon Levin and wish him many fruitful years of work in KEROOR for the benefit of the Jewish people. But a technically advanced anonymous person should think about what he spends time and his own little soul on.

Fate

On the death of a poet

Leonard Cohen was a unique figure. A bohemian son of extraordinary Eastern Europeans, a descendant of a rabbi who spent five years in a Buddhist monastery, an idol of millions who warmly treated Israel and even gave a concert during the Yom Kippur War. His work was just as unique - deep and poignant lyrics to a penny synthesizer.

Cohen said that he was reminded of his aristocratic origin from early childhood. The current Cohens, Katses and Kaganskys are descendants of temple priests. The musician accepted the priestly mission with honor and carried it through his whole life. His songs contain many biblical allusions, references to milestones in Jewish history and thought-provoking discourses about G-d and fate.

Even the date of the death of the great minstrel became the subject of discussion. At first, it was claimed that Leonard Cohen passed away after the US elections. American liberals pointedly raised their index fingers: “Wow! The soul of the poet of the victory of the uncouth Trump could not stand it! Then it turned out that Cohen had died the day before the election. And in general, political collisions were hardly of interest to the master, who went on the last tour - to eternity.

Trends

Trump and the Jews

Traditionally, the world, like a chip, is thrown from side to side. The liberalism of Ancient Rome was replaced by the ultra-conservatism of the Middle Ages, tsarism was replaced by Bolshevism, which after a couple of decades gave odds to the worst Siberian penal servitude. And, as is always the case, the main victims under any regime were the Jews.

This is exactly what the Chief Rabbi of Moscow and Chairman of the Council of Rabbis of Europe, Pinchas Goldschmidt, tried to convey in an interview with the Israeli resource Ynet. Trump's victory should not be overjoyed, he said, as it served as a catalyst for nationalist sentiment throughout the Western world. Remember the joke about “take care of the Jews, otherwise they will reach them, and then they will take on the Armenians”? Exactly the same thing is happening now. From anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric to anti-Semite - one step.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is actively defending the newly elected president from accusations of anti-Semitism. The six-pointed star in an image of Hillary Clinton that appeared on Twitter during the election campaign is the sheriff's star, and controversial senior adviser Stephen Bannon is a friend of Israel. Will Trump be able to maneuver between the demands of the “new right” actively supporting him to take revenge on the establishment and the need to unite a newly ideologically divided America?

Money

Poor eternal city

Jerusalem is the poorest major city in Israel, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The reason for such a low place of the Israeli capital in the ranking is considered to be the large Orthodox and Arab population of the city.

Each municipality was given a score from 1 to 10, where 1 is the worst economy and 10 is the best. The cities of Kfar Shmaryahu and Savyon received a score of 10 points. Shoham, Ramat HaSharon, Har Adara, Kochav Yair, Kfar Vradim, Lehavim, Meitar and Omer scored 9. Tel Aviv and Haifa were rated 8 and 7 respectively.

In response to this information, the Jerusalem Municipality noted: “It is not necessary to know the CSB statistics in order to understand that the city needs urgent financial assistance from the state. The low rating reflects the situation in which the city finds itself. Israel's capital is facing huge challenges that no other city has. The future of Jerusalem depends on local business innovation, the adoption of modern technology and massive investment in tourism infrastructure.”

Proverbs 24:16

You can't surprise God with falls. His word reassures us: "It's okay that you fell again, you have one more chance to rise." "Oh, this has happened seven times already! I no longer have the strength and faith in myself!" we say in desperation. And God again answers: "Don't worry. My grace is enough for you to get up this time!"

When we fall and even in these difficult times we understand that God loves us, we become more confident in ourselves, gain the strength not to sin, and stumble less and less. God proves His love for us again and again when we, having again made a series of mistakes, come to Him, and He lifts us up, continues to love. This trust is the best motive for even greater love for the Lord.

Or do you neglect the wealth of God's goodness, meekness and long-suffering, not realizing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

But in no case should we neglect the goodness of God. God's goodness is not permissiveness, but help when we fall into the trap of sin.

The purpose of God is more than just preventing certain acts. He wants us to know the truth, to love Him, and it is precisely because of this love that we would not want to sin and grieve Him. God cares not about rules, but about relationships. And where we go wrong, He shows us the way out. It is the wealth of His love and kindness that leads us to true repentance. He overcomes us and buys us, not by His law, but by grace. This is His weapon, His punishing sword.

You are called to freedom, brethren, so long as your freedom is not an occasion forpleasing flesh, but by love serve one another. For the whole law is contained in one word: love your neighbor as yourself.

Galatians 5:13,14

If we do not understand and learn to live by grace, then we will simply shut ourselves off from the world and become inaccessible and arrogant. We will be fanatics who judge everyone and proudly exalt themselves over others, consider themselves righteous. In our own eyes we will become great men, but in reality we will be very light in the scales of God. L. N. Tolstoy said: "A person is like a fraction, the numerator is what he is, and the denominator is what he thinks about himself. The larger the denominator, the smaller the fraction."

Tablets of the Heart

From the most complex rules and prohibitions in the Old Testament, God takes us to another way of existence - life in accordance with our inner principles. Each of us has an individual inner spiritual responsibility. We can act according to our own conscience, the voice of God within us. God always wants us to act not according to external rules and prohibitions, but according to what is written on the tablets of our hearts.

I recently heard the results of an interesting study. Psychologists have studied the question of what drives people. They took a large number of respondents and created conditions for them to think that no one was watching them. For example, students "accidentally" left the correct test answers on the teacher's desk when he left. Or building materials were left near the workers, which the couriers carrying them allegedly forgot. And here is the result. If people were sure that no one would know about their cunning or theft, then they gladly took what did not belong to them. More than seventy percent, being sure that they will not get anything for it, took a dishonest step. And only thirty percent were guided by internal principles. They did not care that no one would scold them for this act, that they could avoid responsibility. They could not go against their internal position. Even when no one saw them, they acted as if there were many witnesses around them. It is about these people that we can say that their life is controlled from the inside, and not from the outside.

In 2 Corinthians 3:3, Paul rejoices for his followers that they show by their ministry that the laws of God in their lives are written "not on tables of stone, but on tables of flesh of the heart."

Religion tells you exactly what to do and what not to do, thus bringing stiffness and constriction. We cease to be creative, because this is possible only in love. We unlearn to think and make our own decisions. We are beginning to be governed by rules, statutes and remarks. We act not out of love, but out of compulsion.

The law cannot and was never meant to bring freedom. Truth makes us free. And to know the truth, you need to have the right to choose.