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268 illustrations
The events of human life are mixed and conflicting, yet all remain under the direction of the Great Father.
A fear of Elohim for His own sake, and a fear of all things in reference to Him.
This scientific curiosity illuminates the proverb's moral force: corruption can masquerade as brilliance.
Isaiah's indictment of Judah's rulers cuts to the heart of institutional decay: "Thy princes are rebellious . . . every one loveth gifts." The prophetic diagnosis identifies two fatal disorders. First, *mercenary ambition* replaces duty. These magistrates pursued salaries, fees,...
Men surrender individual conviction and dissolve into the multitude's current, seeking power through collective action.
The Husbandman planted a choice vine on a fruitful hill, fenced it carefully, built a watchtower, and hewn a winepress—yet it brought forth wild grapes (*beushim*, worthless fruit) instead of the expected harvest of righteousness.
Israel shall be borne away from her land suddenly and violently, as by the winds of heaven.
Transgression may appear productive of happiness, yet the wicked possess no reasonable expectation of contentment—neither now nor in the eternal world.
This passage reveals both the excellency of meekness and the mischief of passionateness.
The word carries an evil connotation—recalling the serpent's cunning in Genesis 3—yet here Solomon redeems it to mean discernment rather than deception.
The wicked person is utterly corrupted: speech corrupt, habits corrupt, heart corrupt, influence corrupt.
Isaiah 10:14 records the Assyrian conqueror's arrogant declaration: "My hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people." This metaphor exposes the depth of human depravity when power corrupts the soul. The imagery is deliberately contemptuous. A child...
When a wild, offensive tree grows in a garden and the gardener cuts its top, if it sends forth sprouts as bad as before, he digs up the root itself.
Yet some members deliberately fracture this sanctuary through ill-nature, impulsiveness, falsehood, and selfishness.
The prophet diagnoses a spiritual pathology rooted in poor leadership.
They have beaten me and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. (Proverbs 20:35) Joseph S. Exell's 1887 illustration draws a striking parallel between surgical anaesthesia and moral corruption. Just as modern medicine...
He stands at the dim verge of existence, a beacon light to all who live without Elohim.
First, by way of excellency: wisdom itself surpasses the fairest woman in the world in beauty and worth.
The psalmist exposes a particular sin endemic to human society: the deliberate destruction of others through calculated malice.
Exell's *Biblical Illustrator* (1887) distinguishes these opposing spirits: the proud man esteems himself better than others; the humble man esteems others better than himself.
This truth presents two terrible events in human history.
This counsel operates on two levels: first, that our hearts reject the flattering speech of the unfaithful, and second, that we become vessels of good doctrine to benefit others.
An Intellectual Contrast: The intelligent man communicates wisdom; when he speaks, men are enlightened, their minds set to thinking, their spirits refreshed.
Observe the paradox: error displays surprising zeal, while truth often appears passive.