proverbs 20 and 21

Read Proverbs 20 and 21 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions:

Pro 19:10-21:30 {p} Wisdom to discern good or evil, the wise or foolish course

I was intending to finish dissecting the five types of fools found in Proverbs, but an intricate chiastic structure in Pro 21 caught my eye:

1a) Pro 21:1, The LORD rules over kings;

1b) Pro 21:2, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts;

1c) Pro 21:3, To do righteousness + justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice;

1d) Pro 21:4-6, Haughty and proud + diligence + lying tongue;

1e) Pro 21:7-8, The wicked/ violent brings trouble upon himself;

1f) Pro 21:9, Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than with a contentious woman;

1g) Pro 21:10a, The desire of the wicked is evil;

1h) 21:10b, His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes;

1i) Pro 21:11a, When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;

central axis) Pro 21:11b, When the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge;

2i) Pro 21:12, God wisely considers … the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness;

2h) Pro 21:13-14, Finding favor;

2g) Pro 21:15-18, The joy of the just is justice;

1a) Pro 21:15, It is a joy for the just to do justice/ destruction will come to the workers of iniquity;
1b) Pro 21:16, Death is the end of the man who loves folly;
2b) Pro 21:17, Poverty is the end of the man who loves pleasure;
2a) Pro 21:18, The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous + the unfaithful for the upright;

2f) Pro 21:19, Better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman;

2e) Pro 21:20-23, The wise/ righteous brings prosperity and life upon himself;

2d) Pro 21:24-28, Proud and haughty + laziness + false witness;

2c) Pro 21:27, The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;

2b) Pro 21:28-29, The false perish + the wicked are hardened/the upright looks well to his way;

2a) Pro 21:30, No one can thwart the LORD.

Since this structure comes at the end of a strong theme, I thought perhaps we would find a repeat of it at the beginning of the strong theme, Pro 19:10 and following. Sure enough, many of the same concepts are repeated there; however, I do not have it mapped yet. But what spoke loudly to me this morning, was the A pair.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Pro 21:1
There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord. Pro 21:30

If a nation has unjust leadership, and the Lord has not turned their hearts to justice, like rivers of water, when He can, what does that say? Why has He not? I think the wise among His children would do well to ponder this, and to find the answer to that question would be a better use of time than all the campaigning and politicking in the world. (I have a feeling the answer lies in the roadmap to national restoration.) Be that as it may, not even the wisdom, understanding, or counsel of unjust leaders, nor all their power or might, will prevail against the Lord. That comforts me. ♥

I will write up the rest of my notes for the five types of fools and post them separately.