King Solomon's Rules for Social Media

From the wisest man of all time - Solomon's Twitter Guidelines ( via Kevin DeYoung). And BTW, these also apply to Facebook and other social media sites!

Twitter can be great. I often find good articles, good lines, and good laughs during my daily Twitter scroll. But Twitter—like any other social media outlet—can be a cesspool of vanity and vice.

I’ve probably broken these rules more than I realize, but here’s how I think about what I should and shouldn’t tweet. A big shout out to King Solomon for his help is putting these 25 guidelines together.

1. Think before you tweet, and don’t be afraid to just delete. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Prov. 12:18)

2. It’s okay to unfollow some people, block them, or ignore them. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge (Prov. 14:7)

3. Turn the volume down from 11. Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly (Prov. 14:29).

4. Don’t make things worse. A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention (15:18).

5. Their platform is pointless if it makes an end run around humility. The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor (Prov. 15:33).

6. There is nothing impressive about being a hothead. Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city (Prov. 16:32).

7. Make good news public, and keep bad news as private as possible. Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends (Prov. 17:9).

8. Most Twitter brawls are a waste of time. A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool (Prov. 17:10).

9. Don’t mess around with trolls. Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly (Prov. 17:12).

10. Seriously, don’t get into fights on Twitter. The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out (Prov. 17:14).

11. Just because you think it, doesn’t mean you have to say it. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent (Prov. 17:28).

12. Get the facts first. If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame (Prov. 18:13).

13. Don’t rush to get your hot take out there as soon as possible. The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him (Prov. 18:17).

The Great Lifter

Your Proverbial Atlas Stone by Darrin Patrick. Good Stuff!

Commit your work to the LORD,
and your plans will be established.

But we often read the proverb backwards: Commit your plans to the LORD, and your work will be established. We read it as if God promises to be our coach. As if we just need a pep talk and a few pointers.

That’s not it. The promise is so much more than that!

Compare Proverbs 16:3 with Psalm 37:5:

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.

God is not just offering to coach us. He is offering to take our place.

The literal meaning of commit is to roll. So imagine your work, your way, as one of the Atlas stones from the World’s Strongest Man competitions. You’re not picking it up. All you can do is roll it towards the One who can lift it.

This promise is not for people who think they need help getting to the next level. It is for people who are so weighed down by their current responsibilities, mixed motives, and lack of discipline they can’t even get off the floor.

Nothing is too heavy or hard for him. Commit your life to his care. He can lift it.

Strong Tower

Pursuing Pleasure

No one has the opportunity to pursue pleasure like a rock star; yet Mick Jagger "Can't Get No Satisfaction"!  

I see this as proof that the words of the wisest man who ever lived are true:  

"I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.' But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, 'It is mad,' and of pleasure, 'What use is it?'" (Eccl 2:1-2)

Yet David the Psalmist was also right: 

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures  forevermore."   (Psalm 16:11)

Pursue pleasure and find vanity. Seek God and find joy. The choice is ours.

Proverbial Wisdom

Found some good material from R.C. Sproul on how to interpret the Book of Proverbs.

Every culture seems to have its own unique, collected wisdom, pithy insights of the wise. Oftentimes, these tidbits are preserved in the form of the proverb. We have proverbial sayings in American culture. I am thinking of sayings such as “A stitch in time saves nine” or “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

The Bible, of course, has an entire book of such pithy sayings—the book of Proverbs. However, this compilation of proverbial wisdom is different from all other such collections in that these sayings reflect not just human wisdom but divine wisdom, for these proverbs are inspired by God.

 We must be very careful in how we approach and implement these wise sayings. Because they are inspired does not mean that the biblical proverbs are like laws, imposing a universal obligation. Yet, some people treat them as if they were divine commandments. If we regard them in that way, we run into all kinds of trouble. Even divinely inspired proverbs do not necessarily apply to all life situations. Rather, they reflect insights that are generally true.

He goes on to give some examples on how to understand seemingly contradictory proverbs. I recommend reading the whole thing.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does...

When the Bible Calls You Stupid

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
 but he who hates reproof is stupid. - Proverbs 12:1

"...I am not aware of many places in the Bible where God calls someone stupid. God obviously does not think very highly of those who hate reproof. And neither should we. The question we should be asking ourselves is to what degree does our life welcome and receive reproof? Are we prone to getting defensive, prideful, or offer justifications? Or do we receive them, like David, as a kindness and “oil for my head”? Are we creating a culture in our gospel communities and church gatherings where Scripture is truly profitable in both constructive and corrective ways? Or, are we be negligence, failing to appreciate the sufficiency of God’s Word and creating a people whom God calls stupid?"

A Mini-Guide to Living Wise

I've been reading Proverbs as part of this year's Bible reading plan.  Therefore, I was pleased when I saw this article from Tim Keller at the Gospel Coalition website discussing Proverbs chapter three as a summary of the whole book and  A Mini-Guide to Life ( The Gospel Coalition Blog).  He notes five points in that chapter as a summary of wisdom and guide to living a wise life. 

1. Put your heart’s deepest trust in God and his grace. Every day remind yourself of his unconditioned, covenantal love for you. Do not instead put your hopes in idols or in your own performance.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart (Prov 3:3-5a)

2. Submit your whole mind to the Scripture. Don’t think you know better than God’s word. Bring it to bear on every area of life. Become a person under authority.
Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov 3:5b-6)

3. Be humble and teachable toward others. Be forgiving and understanding when you want to be critical of them; be ready to learn from others when they come to be critical of you.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (Prov 3:7-8)

4. Be generous with all your possessions, and passionate about justice. Share your time, talent, and treasure with those who have less.
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. (Prov 3:9-10)

5. Accept and learn from difficulties and suffering. Through the gospel, recognize them as not punishment, but a way of refining you.
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. (Prov 3:11-12)

Scripture for E-Mail, Blogs, Twitter and Facebook (Josh Harris)

Joshua Harris has some paraphrased Scriptures for those of us who blog, twitter or e-mail at Scripture for E-Mail, Blogs, Twitter and Facebook (Josh Harris)

Psalm 141:3

Set a guard, O Lord, over my keyboard; keep watch over the door of my send button!

James 1:19

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to read, slow to reply all, slow to click send.

Proverbs 10:19

When blogging is abundant, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his keyboard is prudent.

Proverbs 12:18

There is one whose comments on blogs are like sword thrusts, but the comments of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 14:7

Don't follow the Twitter feed of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

Proverbs 12:23

A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the Twitter feed of fools proclaims folly.

Proverbs 13:20

Whoever "friends" the wise becomes wise, but the Facebook-friend of fools will suffer harm.

Words of wisdom from the Books of Wisdom.

Wisdom of The Proverbs 31 "Woman"

A friend was discussing the famous Proverbs 31 Woman as the ideal for Christian femininity, and I was reminded of something I read at NETBible last year regarding Proverbs 31

The book of Proverbs comes to a close with this poem about the noble wife. A careful reading of the poem will show that it is extolling godly wisdom that is beneficial to the family and the society. Traditionally it has been interpreted as a paradigm for godly women. And while that is valid in part, there is much more here. The poem captures all the themes of wisdom that have been presented in the book and arranges them in this portrait of the ideal woman (Claudia V. Camp, Wisdom and the Feminine in the Book of Proverbs, 92-93). Any careful reading of the passage would have to conclude that if it were merely a paradigm for women what it portrays may well be out of reach – she is a wealthy aristocrat who runs an estate with servants and conducts business affairs of real estate, vineyards, and merchandising, and also takes care of domestic matters and is involved with charity. Moreover, it says nothing about the woman’s personal relationship with her husband, her intellectual and emotional strengths, or her religious activities (E. Jacob, “Sagesse et Alphabet: Pr. 31:10-31,” Hommages à A. Dont-Sommer, 287-95). In general, it appears that the “woman” of Proverbs 31 is a symbol of all that wisdom represents. The poem, then, plays an important part in the personification of wisdom so common in the ancient Near East. But rather than deify Wisdom as the other ANE cultures did, Proverbs simply describes wisdom as a woman.

This argument makes a lot of sense to me. If wisdom can be personalized in Proverbs 8:1-36, why not in Proverbs 31:10-31. This interpretation makes the passage apply to both men and woman equally. Plus this takes some guilt of the ladies who may feel guilty for not perfectly living up to this standard.

What do you think?