PRAYER OF MAIMONIDES

Almighty God, Thou has created the human
body with infinite wisdom. Ten thousand times ten
thousand organs has Thou combined in it that act
unceasingly and harmoniously to preserve the
whole in all its beauty-the body which is the
envelope of the immortal soul. They are ever acting
in perfect order, agreement and accord. Yet,
when the frailty of matter or the unbridling of
passion deranges this order or interrupts this accord,
then the forces clash and the body crumbles
into the primal dust from which it came. Thou
sendest to man diseases as beneficent messengers
to foretell approaching danger and to urge him to
avert it.
Thou has blest Thine earth, Thy rivers and Thy
mountains with healing substances; they enable
Thy creatures to alleviate their sufferings and heal
their illnesses. Thou hast endowed man with the
wisdom to relieve the suffering of his brother, to
recognize his disorders, to extract the healing
substances, to discover their powers and to prepare
and to apply them to suit every ill. In Thy Eternal
Providence Thou has chosen me to watch
over the health and the life of Thy creatures. I
am now about to apply myself to the duties of my
-profession. Support me, Almighty God, in these
great labors that they may benefit mankind, for
without Thy help not even the least thing will
succeed.
Inspire me with love for my art and for Thy
creatures. Do not allow thirst for profit, ambition
for renown and admiration, to interfere with
my profession, for these are the enemies of truth
and of love for mankind and they can lead astray
in the great task of attending to the welfare of
Thy creatures. Preserve the strength of my body
and of my soul that they ever be ready to cheerfully
help and support rich and poor, good and
bad, enemy as well as friend. In the sufferer let
me see only the human being. Illumine mny mind
that it recognize what presents itself and that it
may comprehend what is absent or hidden. Let it
not fail to see what is visible, but do not permit
it to arrogate to itself the power to see what can
not be seen, for delicate and indefinite are the
bounds of the great art of caring for the lives and
health of Thy creatures. Let me never be absentminded.
May no strange thoughts divert my attention
at the bedside of the sick, or disturb my
mind in its silent labors, for great and sacred are
the thoughtful deliverations required to preserve
the lives and health of Thy creatures.
Grant that my patients have confidence in me and
my art and follow my direction and my counsel.
Remove from their midst all charlatans and the
whole host of officious relatives and know-all
nurses, cruel people who arrogantly frustrate the
wisest purposes of our art and often lead Thy
creatures to their death.
Should those who are wiser than I wish to improve
and instruct me, let my soul gratefuly follow
their guidance; for vast is the extent of our
art. Should conceited fools, however, censure me,
then let love for my profession steel me against
them, so that I remain steadfast without regard
for age, for reputation, or for honor, because
surrender would bring to Thy creatures sickness
and death.
Imbue my soul with gentleness and calmness
when older colleagues, proud of their age, wish to
displace me or to scorn me or disdainfully to
teach me. May even this be of advantage to me,
for they know many things of which I am ignorant,
but let not their arrogance give me pain. For
they are old, and old age is not master of the passions.
I also hope to attain old age upon this
earth, before Thee, Almighty God!
Let me be contented in everything except in
the great science of my profession. Never allow
the thought to arise in me that I have attained to
sufficient knowledge, but vouchsafe to me the
strength, the leisure and the ambition ever to
extend my knowledge. For art is great, but the
mind of man is ever expanding.
Almighty God! Thou has chosen me in Thy
mercy to watch over the life and death of Thy
creatures. I now apply myself' to my profession.
Support me in this great task so that it may
benefit mankind, for without Thy help not even the
least thing will succeed.

Gideon Bible Preface

THE BIBLE contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. CHRIST is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

The Gideons International, The New Testament, National Publishing Company, 1985, preface

Proverbs Chapter 2

Proverbs Chapter 2

1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;
16 To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For her house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—
20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
21 For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

The writer here in chapter 2 does not give a list of commands, but rather gives a series of conditional statements. The writer made great promises (verse 5). Solomon has been dead for thousands of years (1st Kings 11:40-43). Unless we believe that the bible is divinely inspired, we should have no reason to believe that these promises made should hold true for us today.

Verse 5 he promises that we shall find the knowledge of God. Hosea 6:3 also calls us to pursue the knowledge of the Lord. When is this accomplished? Do we find the knowledge of God at the point of salvation, at death, at Christ’s return when he takes us home to be with Him in heaven? Or because God is an eternal being, is this a never ending task?

Verse 5 implies that we will not be able to truly understand the fear of the Lord, nor find the knowledge of God, unless we seek Wisdom. Paul in 1st Corinthians 1:24 refers to Christ as the "wisdom of God", and Jesus Himself claimed to be the exclusive way to God the Father (John 1:6)

Verse 6 "the Lord gives wisdom", If we look at Christ as the wisdom, then I am reminded of John 3:16. and how "He gave His only begotten Son".

God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. (James 1:17) But we must not forget the conditional statements found in the first 4 verses. We must seek wisdom. Wisdom is not the same as common sense. Wisdom must be sought today because we are promised of a time when although we seek we shall not find. (Proverbs 1:28, John 7:34)

God is the source of sound wisdom. But there are other sources for other sources of worldly wisdom. Moses was trained in the wisdom of the Egyptians, then when he was 40 years old he killed a man. (Acts 7:22-23) Worldly wisdom teaches the fear of man and glorifies man. But sound wisdom teaches the fear of the Lord and glorifies God.

Verses 6-21 there are lasting benefits for seeking wisdom. Notice of the key words concerning this: (Guards, preserves, keep, deliver, remain). These words cannot be applied to people who at one time prayed some special prayer and then shortly return to their old lifestyle. And never again seek wisdom or the things of God.

Verse 17 reminds me alot of recreational dating. "A series of relationships with its bonding a breaking is preparation for divorce, not marriage"- Bob Jenning

Verses 21-22 promises that the upright and blameless will remain in the land, but the wicked and unfaithful will be uprooted from it. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Why then should all mankind not be cut off and uprooted from the earth? We are justified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24) We are then imputed the righteousness of Jesus and considered blameless, if we have faith in Him.

Proverbs Chapter 1

This is some notes from when I studied Proverbs earlier
Proverbs Chapter 1

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like the grave,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
16 For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “ How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil.”


Verse 1 foreshadows Christ, the true and greater Solomon, the son of David and the eternal king of Israel. Who would come and speak to His followers in parables.

Solomon's name means peaceable and his reign in Israel was a reign of peace, but one of his offspring would be the true prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6-7) who will have a reign that will never end.

It is notable that although Solomon was a king, he did not thing it below himself to write to many unworthy recipients(the simple, and the young man). We should follow his example in that, when we acquire insight, we should pass it on to others so that the body of Christ might be edified(Ephesians 4:29).

Verse 2-4 clearly states the purpose of writing and the audience to whom it is written. Solomon was not limited in his choice of topics to write about. He was a man of great wealth(1st Kings 10:14-23), he could have written about how to gain wealth. Instead he chose to write about wisdom.

Verses 5 and 6: are evidence that it is good to study with others. The christian walk is not one that we should walk along on our way to the celestial city. (Hebrews 10:24-25, 2nd Timothy 2:22).

The fear of the LORD. Men do not fear what they perceive to be unreal. So before we can fear the LORD we must believe that He is real, and that He has power to influence our wellbeing.

Following the fear of the LORD, the next place we are advised to turn is our parents. All the examples I can think of in scripture for following the instruction of our parents is for our benefit verse 9, Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:1-2.

Verses 10-19 seem very out of place in the organization of chapter 1. He begins chapter 1 by stating the purpose of his book. Then he describes where to find wisdom in verses 5-9 in verses 20-33 he speaks about the benefits of wisdom. But interrupting chapter 1 in verses 10-19 he warns about following evildoers. One possible explanation for this, is that before we can enjoy the benefits of wisdom, we must turn away from foolishness.

Verse 14 he warns against sharing possessions with evildoers. In the early church the believers shared possessions (Acts 2:45). Jesus in the sermon on the mount said that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).

Verses 20-21 describe the call of wisdom. It is important to note where wisdom is calling from. Wisdom is not confined to schools, nor to church buildings, but is openly calling. It is possible to obtain wisdom at our everyday jobs, whatever they are.

Considering verse 22 it is truly a miracle that the simple should ever become prudent, or that fools should ever become wise. Because of their contentment in their ways, unless the Lord change them, they should never change.

Verses 24-33 shows that the invitation of wisdom is not without end. (Genesis 6:3) There is coming a day when the foolish shall be destroyed as they were in the flood of Noah.

Verse 31 If the foolish eat the fruit of their own way, would it be wrong to say that the righteous will also eat of the fruit which they produce? (Galatians 5:22-23)

Verse 33 shows that there are some who hear wisdom's call, and again it is astonishing that this happens. There is not a man to whom wisdom has not called, but to them that have ears to hear, let them hear.

A Call for the Endurance of the Saints

Genesis 1

"In the beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth. "