Daily Bible Nugget #978, Proverbs 17:16

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Pro 17:16  Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it? (KJV)

Pro 17:16  Why is this—a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, And a heart there is none? (YLT, Young’s Literal Translation)

Pro 17:16  Why has the fool wealth? for a senseless man will not be able to purchase wisdom. He that exalts his own house seeks ruin; and he that turns aside from instruction shall fall into mischief. (LXX, Brenton translation of the Greek Septuagint)

Pro 17:16  What doth it avail a fool to have riches, seeing he cannot buy wisdom? He that maketh his house high, seeketh a downfall: and he that refuseth to learn, shall fall into evils. (DRB, Douay Rheims Bible)

Pro 17:16  What’s the point of a fool having money in hand to buy wisdom, when his head is empty? (NET Bible)

Pro 17:16  It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense. (GNB, Good News Bible)

Pro 17:16  Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he doesn’t have a mind to grasp anything? (GW, God’s Word Bible)

Pro 17:16  Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, Seeing he hath no understanding? (ASV, American Standard Version)

Pro 17:16  Why should fools have money for an education when they refuse to learn? (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

There is much hidden wisdom in Proverbs 17:16. It has much to say about getting an education. If a student is unable to read well with discernment, the student is not prepared to get a college education. If a student simply takes the word of a teacher or professor without question, the student will easily be led astray. The Bible cautions us to “prove all things” and “hold fast what is true” (see 1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Notice the varied marks of the poorly prepared or unprepared students: they (1) refuse to  learn, DRB; (2) their head is empty, NET; (3) have no common sense, GNB; (4) don’t have a mind to grasp anything, GW; (5) have no understanding, ASV.

Though written long ago, Proverbs 17:16 describes the plight and condition of many students and some of their teachers and professors today.

I believe there are some very simple and effective strategies parents, wise teachers, and students themselves can apply to overcome these tragic conditions.

If anyone who reads this post is interested in learning more about the strategies I have found to work to help students do better, post a comment or question below. I am always happy to share my advice when asked.

To learn more about what else the Bible says about the subjects mentioned in Proverbs 17:16 read and study the cross references shared below from my Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Proverbs 17:16
a price. T1834, *Pro 1:22; *Pro 1:23; Pro 8:4, 5; *Pro 9:4, 5, 6, *Isa 55:1, 2, 3, Act 13:46, *2Co 6:1.
fool. T200-18, +Psa 10:4 (T693). *Jer 4:22.
seeing. Pro 1:7; Pro 1:25; *Pro 14:6; *Pro 18:15; Pro 21:25, 26, Deut 5:29, Psa 81:11, 12, 13, *Hos 4:11, *Jhn 3:20, Act 28:26, 27.
no heart. or, sense. FS121J23, Job 12:3, Heart put by the Figure Metonymy (of Subject) for the sense in it. 2Ch 30:10, Luk 4:28; Luk 23:11, Jhn 5:40; Jhn 8:45, Act 17:32, 33; Act 24:25, 26, 27; Act 26:28.

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Daily Bible Nugget #977, Proverbs 17:15

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Pro 17:15  He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. (KJV)

Pro 17:15  He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, even both of them are hateful to Jehovah. (NKJV, New King James Version)

Pro 17:15  The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent – both of them are an abomination to the LORD. (NET Bible)

Pro 17:15  He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. (ESV, English Standard Version)

Pro 17:15  Whoso is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these are an abomination to Jehovah. (YLT, Young’s Literal Translation)

Pro 17:15  He that pronounces the unjust just, and the just unjust, is unclean and abominable with God. (LXX, Brenton translation of the Greek Septuagint)

Pro 17:15  The LORD hates these two things: punishing the innocent and letting the guilty go free. (ERV, Easy-to-Read Version)

Pro 17:15  He who gives a decision for the evil-doer and he who gives a decision against the upright, are equally disgusting to the Lord. (BBE, Basic English Bible)

Pro 17:15  The LORD doesn’t like those who defend the guilty or condemn the innocent. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

If nine English Bible translations above did not make the point clear, I wonder if anything will!

The very next verse (Proverbs 17:16) is equally relevant to our own time:

Pro 17:16  Why should fools have money for an education when they refuse to learn? (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

When judges let individuals guilty of serious crime go free, they are under the wrath of God. I think such judges should be held responsible for any further serious crime committed by those they refused to sentence to time in prison.

Dig deeper into Proverbs 17:15 by consulting the following cross references from the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury: 

Proverbs 17:15
that justifieth the wicked. *Pro 24:23; *Pro 24:24, %+Gen 9:5; Gen 44:16, 17, *Exo 23:7, %Deut 25:1, 1Ki 8:32; 1Ki 21:13, 2Ch 6:23, Ezr 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Job 27:5, Isa 5:23; **Isa 55:8; **Isa 55:9, Ezk 22:27, 28, 29, Amos 5:7; Amos 5:12; Amos 6:12, *Luk 23:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, Jhn 18:40, Act 24:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *Rom 4:5, Jas 5:6.
condemneth the just. Pro 17:26, Psa 94:21, +*Isa 5:20, Lam 3:35, Mic 3:9, Mat 12:7, +*Luk 16:1 note. Luk 23:24, +*Jhn 7:24; +*Jhn 7:51.
abomination. +Pro 3:32; *Pro 6:16; *Pro 11:1; *Pro 15:8, **2Co 5:21 notes.

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Daily Bible Nugget #976, Ecclesiastes 10:2

Posted on August 25, 2026 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Ecc 10:2  A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. (KJV)

Ecc 10:2  The thoughts of the wise lead them the right way, but the thoughts of the foolish lead them the wrong way. (ERV, Easy to Read Version)

Ecc 10:2  The heart of the wise man goes in the right direction; but the heart of a foolish man in the wrong. (BBE, Bible in Basic English)

Ecc 10:2  Sensible thoughts lead you to do right; foolish thoughts lead you to do wrong. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

I recently saw where this verse (Ecc 10:2) was mentioned with reference to current politics! That may be a “stretch,” but it still is very instructive. Any movement to the Left in that regard is likely very dangerous today.

Dig deeper by consulting the cross references shared below from my Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for Ecclesiastes 10:2.

Ecclesiastes 10:2
wise. Ecc 2:14; Ecc 8:5; +*Ecc 9:10, Pro 14:8, *Luk 14:28, 29, 30, 31, 32.
right hand. +Gen 48:13.
but. Ecc 10:10; Ecc 10:14, *Pro 17:16, Luk 12:18, 19, 20.
fool’s. or, dullard’s. Ecc 10:12, 1Ki 12:8, 2Ch 10:8, Pro 1:7.
left. +Gen 48:13, +Jdg 20:16.

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Daily Bible Nugget #975, Proverbs 17:4

Posted on August 25, 2026 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Pro 17:4  A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. (KJV)

Pro 17:4  An evildoer heeds wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue. (WEB, World English Bible)

Pro 17:4  An evildoer pays attention to wicked lips. A liar opens his ears to a slanderous tongue. (GW, God’s Word Bible)

Pro 17:4  People who do evil listen to evil ideas. Liars listen to liars. (ERV, Easy-to-Read Version)

Pro 17:4  One who acts wickedly pays attention to evil counsel; a liar listens to a malicious tongue. (NET Bible)

Pro 17:4  A bad man hearkens to the tongue of transgressors: but a righteous man attends not to false lips. (LXX, Brenton translation)

My Comment:

Have you ever wondered why your voice is not heard, disregarded, or entirely passed over?

If you are standing for what is right and what is true, who listens is dependent upon their moral character.

This truth is widely applicable. I have seen it in collective bargaining, in binding arbitration, in legal dealings in secular, business, and personal settings. I have seen it in current news reporting and political speech too.

I have experienced this in local church settings as well as in Internet discussions. There are many individuals so set in their opinions that they will not hear to reason. They refuse to respond to evidence contrary to their own viewpoint. This may be the result of spiritual blindness, lack of reading comprehension, or the inability to write responses in their own words.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has told us we would experience this as well as what our reaction should be:

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Dig deeper into the themes contained in Proverbs 17:4 by studying the cross references from the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Pro 17:4  A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

Proverbs 17:4
wicked doer. Pro 28:4, 1Sa 22:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, *1Ki 22:6, etc. Isa 30:10, *Jer 5:30; *Jer 5:31.
giveth heed. 1Sa 24:9, Mic 2:11, *2Ti 4:3; *2Ti 4:4, 1Jn 4:5, Rev 13:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
to false lips. Exo 23:1.
a liar. Heb. lie. FS121E1, Gen 25:23, Lie put by the Figure Metonymy (of Effect) for the man who habitually lies: i.e. a liar is always ready to believe a lie (CB). 1Ki 22:6, Isa 30:9, 10, 11, Jer 5:30, 31, Mic 2:11.
naughty. FS108K42, +Pro 6:12.

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Prove All Things Versus Short Memories

Posted on August 20, 2026 by Jerry

I am amazed at how biased news reports are. I saw a short reference to the events in Dearborn, Michigan, posted online by Fox News. Fox seems no longer to report actual news. Instead, they feature biased and provably mistaken opinion. Immediately I noticed that Fox News compared the events of Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in Dearborn, Michigan, to the January 6th, 2021 “insurrection” on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. The events of January 6th were not an insurrection at all. Participants then were peacefully assembled to object to a now proven fact that the election was stolen from President Trump, who was the actual winner. I know. I watched the event as it took place as it was filmed by people who were there, both private citizens as well as public and alternative media.

This morning on WJR, Detroit, I heard a Christian man state, in effect, that he in good conscience felt he must sit out the upcoming mid-term election because neither leading candidate for Governor of Michigan are prolife. He could not see himself voting for any candidate who was not prolife because not to be prolife is a position condemned by the Bible.

I can appreciate the stance that man has taken.

But I would suggest that everyone who plans not to vote in the upcoming election consider very carefully how such a decision plays right into the hands of those they would oppose.

Elections are often won or lost by very narrow margins. When a large group of Christians choose not to vote, that can result in good candidates losing and bad candidates winning.

The stakes are high in every election, especially this one.

I believe it is better to vote for the lesser of two evils rather than not vote and as a result end up supporting the greater of two evils!

Back to the matter of what took place in Dearborn on August 18, 2026. No one that I heard on the radio news in Detroit (WWJ, WJR) or that I have seen online seems to remember what happened in Dearborn on July 4, 2026. I remember. I saw then the footage of a very large crowd of individuals displaying flags of Muslim nations while chanting “Death to America.” Not an American flag in sight.

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Everyone is Wrong About Something–Including Me! Part 10B Part 1

Posted on July 18, 2026 by Jerry

If you disagree with this presentation, I invite you to PROVE ME WRONG!

Comments which discuss or even refute my evidence and arguments are most welcome.

Many religious institutions, denominations, churches, and individuals are mistaken when they:

Assert ritual water baptism accomplishes the remission of sin or the work of regeneration (baptismal remission or baptismal regeneration)

Apparently, many churches and denominations believe in either baptismal remission of sin or baptismal regeneration or both. Among the varied groups which teach these mistaken doctrines are Roman Catholicism and the several related groups identified as the churches of Christ or the Church of Christ.

One of the proof-texts for this doctrine is John 3:5,

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV)

John 3:5 Jesus answered: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (DRB, Douay-Rheims Bible)

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (NET Bible)

None of the above English translations reflects the presence of a striking figure of speech present in the underlying Greek text called hendiadys marked by the word “and.”

Two words are used (water, Spirit), but one thing is meant (Spirit). By this figure water and spirit are joined by “and.” There is no of in the Greek, supplied here by the translators. There is no article to either of the two nouns. This figure gives the meaning, “born of water, even the spirit.” That only one thing is meant by the two words is clear from verses 6 and 8 (John 3:6; John 3:8), where only the Spirit (the one thing) is mentioned. The figure may also be understood to mean “born of spiritual water,” where the “spiritual water” is, by the figure Metonymy, put for the Holy Spirit Himself, as is clear from John 7:38, 39. The reference is to the real baptism by the Holy Spirit which is the one indispensable condition of entering the kingdom of God (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:13), not to the water of ritual baptism (Acts 1:5).

The distinction “real baptism” versus “ritual water baptism” is very important to recognize. Real baptism is the work of the Holy Spirit. Ritual water baptism is a rite performed by human participants.

Jesus is not referring to something done by human participants in John 3:5 and its immediate context but to the work done by the Holy Spirit.

A careful study of the repeated assertion about his (John the Baptist’s) own baptism in contrast to the coming baptism performed by Christ settles the matter.

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Daily Bible Nugget #974, John 6:5

Posted on June 13, 2026 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Joh 6:5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? (KJV)

Joh 6:5 Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?” (WEB, World English Bible)

Joh 6:5 Jesus looked up and saw a crowd of people coming toward him. He said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough bread for all these people to eat?” (ERV, Easy-to-Read Version)

Joh 6:5 When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?” (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

Most Bible readers read past this account and miss the vital information supplied by John in John 6:5.

Ask yourself the question:

“Why did Jesus ask Philip this question?”

The answer is simple and straightforward.

John does not expand upon this incidental detail found in his account of the feeding of the five thousand.

The answer as to why Jesus directed his question to Philip specifically about where could enough food be bought to feed the large crowd that had gathered can be learned by what John says about Philip elsewhere in his Gospel. The answer is confirmed by what is told about Philip elsewhere in the New Testament. Further confirmation can be found by noticing the details about the feeding of the five thousand recorded in the other Gospels but not repeated by John.

These facts found scattered about throughout the Gospels and elsewhere in the New Testament confirm the historical authenticity of these accounts. This kind of meticulous Bible study is called the study of undesigned coincidences.

Undesigned coincidences are found (1) between the Gospel records of Matthew, Mark, and Luke; (2) between the Gospel records and the Gospel of John; (3) between all four Gospels and the Book of Acts; (4) between the Book of Acts and the Epistles (Letters) of Paul.

This subject was first written about by William Paley in his book, Horae Paulinae, a Latin title which means “Hours with Paul,” in 1790. The subject was expanded by another author in the 1800s:

J. J. Blunt, Undesigned Coincidences in the Writings Both of the Old and New Testament: An Argument of Their Veracity (London: John Murray, 1863)

McGrew, L. (2019). The Mirror or the Mask: Liberating the Gospel from Literary Devices. DeWard.

Contemporary scholarship has rediscovered this unanswerable evidence for the truth of the New Testament accounts, according to scholarly books I am currently reading in my Logos library, about 2017, the volume cited above by Lydia McGrew, whose husband, a professor at Western Michigan University, alerted her to these sources.

It is interesting to me that even good scholars have missed the fact that I present Paley’s material on Undesigned Coincidences in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, published in 1992 in my note at Acts 12:12, but known to me from Irwin H. Linton’s book, A Lawyer Examines the Bible, reprinted in 1969 by Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a book I have mentioned many times on this site. Earlier editions of Linton’s book were printed since the late 1920s.

DIG DEEPER INTO JOHN 6:5 BY STUDYING THE CROSS REFERENCES FROM MY RESOURCE, THE ULTIMATE CROSS REFERENCE TREASURY (UCRT) given below:

Joh 6:5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

John 6:5
lifted. FS144A12, +Gen 22:13. Luk 6:20.

saw. Jhn 4:35, Mat 14:14, 15, Mrk 6:34, 35, Luk 9:12.

Philip. +Jhn 1:43; Jhn 12:21; Jhn 14:8, Mat 10:3, Mrk 3:18, Luk 6:14, Act 1:13.

Whence. Num 11:13; Num 11:21, 22, 2Ki 4:2; 2Ki 7:2, Ezk 37:3, +Mat 14:17; Mat 15:33, Mrk 6:37; Mrk 8:2, 3, 4, Luk 9:13.

buy bread. Jhn 4:8, Mat 4:4.

 

Posted in Apologetics--Christian, Bible Historicity and Validity, Daily Bible Nuggets | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Everyone is Wrong About Something–Including Me! Part 10A

Posted on June 6, 2026 by Jerry

These are serious matters!

Kindly take the brief time it takes to read this short article.

Many religious institutions, denominations, churches, and individuals are mistaken when they:

(10) Approach Scripture deductively with their closed system of belief, rather than inductively to learn its truth.

10A. PRELIMINARY MATTERS: CORRECTLY READING AND INTERPRETING 2 PETER 1:20

2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (KJV)

It has long been my observation that those who accuse others of being guilty of “private interpretation” of the Bible are often themselves guilty of that very charge.

This text in Scripture does not address what the readers of the Bible do when they seek to understand and interpret what they read, but what the writers did when they were directed by the Holy Spirit what to write. Anyone who would suggest otherwise is simply not reading very well.

This is what the text says. This is what the text means. To suggest otherwise is clearly error, falsehood, or heresy. The writers did not write their own opinion when they wrote “the more sure word of prophecy” (2Pe 1:19) but wrote what God by divine inspiration moved them to write (2Pe 1:21).

2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (KJV)

2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (KJV)

Any denomination, church, or religious organization that uses this 2 Peter 1:20 text to forbid so-called “private interpretation” by individual Bible readers does not know how to read Scripture in context and must surely not be trusted as to any claim it makes of teaching authority or any claim to be the “one true church.”

Therefore, this text of Scripture must not be forced into service to deny the right, privilege, and duty of every reader of Scripture to study it for themselves to learn the way of life and salvation that it presents.

“Private” is better translated “its own,” so that we then read “no Scripture is of its own interpretation.” The meaning is that every statement in Scripture must be understood in the light of what the rest of Scripture teaches which bears upon the same theme. Of absolute importance to the correct interpretation of Scripture is to make a full and proper comparison of all related passages and develop from them an interpretation which accounts for and agrees with the whole.

Only after this has been carefully done is it possible to be sure an interpretation is correct.

 

Posted in Apologetics--Christian, Doctrinal Discussions, False Religions, How to Interpret the Bible Correctly, How to Study the Bible | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Don’t follow the wrong authority!

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Jerry

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this comment:

“The Bible does not tell us to stick to what is in the Bible or that it is the highest Authority.”

I replied:

We happen to disagree on this point!

The Bible most certainly does teach that we must go by what is in the Bible and that it is the highest authority.

This is established by what is taught in the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament.

Isa 8:20  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Pro 30:5  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Pro 30:6  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

This principle of going by what the Bible itself teaches precedes the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself affirmed this principle. He certainly did not change or cancel the principle that the Bible is the written Word of God, that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), and is the highest authority to which we must appeal. This Jesus does by His direct command (John 5:39) as well as by His personal example (Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:10) as plainly recorded in the New Testament itself.

Mat 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Note carefully that Jesus appealed to the Bible when He said, “It is written.”

Jesus states plainly that we are to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Those words are not exclusive to any denomination or church. They are found only in the Bible.

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Everyone is Wrong About Something–Including Me! Part 9

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Jerry

Mistaken religions, denominations, religious organizations and institutions, ministries, and individual leaders and teachers can be identified when they:

(9) Add to the written word of God additional revelation, whether in the form of authoritative writings or publications, or unwritten traditions, or new revelation, as from supernatural dreams, and supposed revelation through supernatural gifts of the Spirit, +*Je 23:28 note.

Jer 23:28  Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like straw cannot compare to what is like grain! I, the LORD, affirm it! (NET Bible)

Jer 23:28  The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. (KJV)

Cross Reference Bible study from:

A. The original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

Jeremiah 23:28
that hath: Heb. with whom is

speak: Pro 14:5; Mat 24:45; Luk 12:42; 1Co 4:2; 2Co 2:17; 1Ti 1:12

What: That is, when the dreamers declare their dreams, and the true prophets faithfully declare their message, the difference between them will be as evident as that between “the chaff and the wheat.” 1Co 3:12, 13

B. The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Jeremiah 23:28
that hath. Heb. with whom is.

a dream. Jer 23:32, +*Isa 8:20 note, Ezk 13:7. The contrast is between the false prophets who have their dreams and the true prophet who has God’s word. The opposition between chaff and wheat which follows shows these alleged supernatural dreams for what they are—not divine revelation, but a dream of their own heart, mere chaff, unsuitable and valueless for spiritual sustenance.

This is perhaps the clearest and strongest appeal to the perspicuity of Scripture to be found in the Bible, for an appeal is here made for the ordinary believer to discern the difference between the false and the true.

A mark of false religion is placement of spiritual and doctrinal authority in any other source than the written word of God found in the Bible—whether the source be an organization and its literature, the writings of a particular teacher or prophet, or a claim to divine authority based upon apostolic succession, or even a line of succession through valid baptisers traced back to John the Baptist! Jer 23:25, Gen 40:22, Num 12:6, 1Sa 28:6, 1Ch 17:15, Job 33:15, +*Isa 8:20 note. Dan 7:1, Joel 2:28.

he that hath my word. Ezk 13:7.

speak my word. Jer 1:17; Jer 2:1; Jer 26:2; Jer 36:21; Jer 42:4, Exo 6:29, 1Ki 22:14, 2Ki 22:15, 2Ch 18:13, Pro 13:17; *Pro 14:5; **Pro 30:6, *Ezk 2:7; Ezk 33:7, Mat 7:29; +*Mat 24:45, Mrk 1:22, Luk 4:32; +*Luk 12:42, Rom 1:16; **Rom 10:17, *1Co 4:2, **2Co 2:17, **1Th 2:13, 1Ti 1:12, 2Ti 2:2, **1Pe 1:23; 1Pe 2:2. A mark of the false is adding to the written word of God supposed new revelation from whatever source—whether supernatural dreams, or alleged supernatural gifts of the Spirit. +*Pro 30:6, Hos 3:4, Jhn 16:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, +**2Ti 3:15, 16, 17, *2Pe 1:21.

faithfully. +*Dan 11:33 note. +*1Ti 4:16, +**2Ti 2:15; *2Ti 4:2.

What. FS138C, +Gen 22:14. Note: That is, when the dreamers declare their dreams, and the true prophets faithfully declare their message, the difference between them will be as evident as that between “the chaff and the wheat.” Jer 28:1, *Ezk 13:3, +Mic 2:11, +Luk 3:17, *1Co 3:11, 12, 13.

MY COMMENT:

Be very careful not to place any authority above the Bible itself (1 Corinthians 4:6).

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. (KJV)

1Co 4:6  I have applied these things to myself and Apollos because of you, brothers and sisters, so that through us you may learn “not to go beyond what is written,” so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other. (NET Bible)

We are not to go beyond what is written.

The question is often raised: “Where in the Bible does it state that we are to go by the Bible alone?” The clearest answer I have found in the Bible itself is Isaiah 8:20, taken in its immediate context and related contexts. I often express what Isaiah 8:20 and related Scriptures teach by stating “We are to go by what is IN the Bible, not by what is NOT IN the Bible.”

Isa 8:20  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (KJV)

Isa 8:20  Then you must recall the LORD’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened. (NET Bible)

Another significant Bible statement on this theme is found in Proverbs 30:6.

Pro 30:5  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Pro 30:6  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. (KJV)

Pro 30:5  Every word of God is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him.
Pro 30:6  Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar. (NET Bible)

This concept is repeated throughout the Bible as may be verified by reading the cross references for Proverbs 30:6.

Proverbs 30:6
Add thou not. T50, T1032, Gen 3:3, +*Deut 4:2; Deut 12:32, Ecc 3:14, Isa 29:13; +Isa 42:21 (T284). +*Mat 15:9, 1Co 3:12, +*Gal 1:8; +*Gal 1:9, 2Pe 3:15, 16, *Rev 22:18; *Rev 22:19.

and. Gen 3:3, Job 13:7, 8, 9, 1Co 15:15.

IMMEDIATE CONTEXT (THE NEXT VERSE) CONFIRMS REFERENCE IS TO THE BIBLE

Consider the next verse in Jeremiah, Jeremiah 23:29,

Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? (KJV)

Jer 23:29  “Isn’t my word like fire?” says Yahweh; “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (WEB, World English Bible)

Jer 23:29  My message is like a fire that purges dross! It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces! I, the LORD, so affirm it! (NET Bible)

Beware of any institution, organization, denomination, or individual that places its authority on a par or above the authority of God’s Word in the Bible!

DIG DEEPER USING THE CROSS REFERENCES FOR JEREMIAH 23:29 FROM:

A. The original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

Jeremiah 23:29
like as: Jer 5:14, Jer 20:9; Luk 24:32; Jhn 6:63; Act 2:3, Act 2:37; 2Co 2:16, 2Co 10:4, 5; Heb 4:12; Rev 11:5

B. My expansion of these references in the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Jeremiah 23:29
Is not. Note: As fire penetrates, enlivens, illuminates, purifies, consumes, or transforms every substance into its own nature; so the Sacred Word, applied by the Spirit of God, penetrates the conscience, quickens and illuminates the mind, softens and melts the heart, purifies the affections, consumes the dross of sin, and transforms the believer’s soul into its own holy nature; and as a hammer, it breaks down the presumptuous confidence of the proud and stouthearted. Dr. Adam Clarke thinks there may be an allusion to the practice, in some countries, of roasting stones containing ore, before they are subjected to the hammer, in order to pulverize them. In Cornwall, they roast the tin stones, by which the arsenic is separated from the ore, and they are then easily reduced to powder in the stamp mill; and, being afterwards washed, the grains of tin sink to the bottom, while the lighter parts go off with the water, and the metal is then procured clean and pure.

my word. +*Jer 15:16.

like as. *Jer 5:14; Jer 20:9, Ecc 12:11, Hos 6:5, Mrk 3:17; Mrk 4:8, *Luk 24:32, *Jhn 6:63; Jhn 8:7, Act 2:3; *Act 2:37; Act 24:25, Rom 1:16; *Rom 10:17, 1Co 3:13, *2Co 2:16; **2Co 10:4; **2Co 10:5, **1Th 2:13, **Heb 4:12, *Rev 11:5.

Note carefully that all that we have of God’s Word today is confined to the text of the Bible.

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