Proverbs 16:4

The LORD has prepared everything of His purpose-even the wicked for the day of disaster.

Man, this is one of those verses that just explodes my little brain. Makes me think immediately of Psalm 115:3—Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases. That’s it at the end of the day, isn’t it?

God is God.

God is sovereign.

God is mystery to be embraced, not answers to be managed.

And yet, somewhat paradoxically, He has revealed enough of Himself for us to be able to know Him and love Him. And this is what we must concentrate on. What has He revealed to us, to you, that He wants you to hook in to? There is plenty to anchor to. Just look at the Bible, or even the parables of Jesus alone and how much has been written on them.

Volumes.

This proverb does not contradict the idea that those who turn to God in repentance will be welcomed by Him. Rather, the proverb makes two points: God is sovereign and His purposes are not thwarted by the wicked. The verse also affirms that deeds have consequences, and the sovereign God sees to it that there is just retribution. Every act of the wicked has its appropriate consequences.

-from The Apologetics Study Bible

If that commentary helps, great. If not, throw it out.

Spend your time wisely drinking from the waters of YHWH revealed thru Jesus that are available to us. May we not waste time in pointless speculation trying to answer all of our “whys” that usually just take us down an unhealthy and unfruitful road of conjecture.

Proverbs 16:6

…one turns from evil by the fear of the LORD.

To turn from that which is sin, you must embrace something else more tightly. We know that we don’t just stop something by concentrating our energy on the “something” to be stopped. We focus on something else more. Something that is good.

One of those preacher illustrations that will always stick with me was from a Baptist pastor back in the early 90’s. He said if you have a jar filled with smoke, and you want to get all of the smoke out of it, there’s a couple of ways to go about this. You first take the lid off the jar, then you can use your hand to try to move the smoke out. You can turn the jar on its side and wait…But the one way to insure that all of the smoke is out of the jar is simply to fill the jar with water, for then there will be no room for anything else.

You must fear God more than the loss of that thing you hold on to.

As Yoda wisely told us, fear of losing what you love (good or bad) leads to the dark side.

John 9

If someone’s heart has been truly regenerated by Jesus, who cares when, how, or where it happened? If it’s real, it’s real. Rejoice with them! It’s almost humorous (with our now 20/20 hindsight vision), the ridiculous length the Pharisees went to in testing this guy. They had to make sure all was done according to their interpretation.

Which is more important:

A heart for Jesus?

Or following all the rules?

John 9:39

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgement, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”

This passage seems to suggest that Jesus has come not only to give sight to the blind but also to cause some who currently see to “become blind.” However, the point of this passage is not that Jesus makes people blind but rather that he judges those who deny their own spiritual blindness. The imagery of giving sight to the blind and the blinding of those who see is a common OT theme. The Pharisees think they can see, so when the true light shines, they refuse to look closely. In other words, “those who see” is Jesus’ sarcastic way of saying “those who think they can see.” Jesus repeatedly calls the Pharisees “blind guides.” As Jesus makes clear, it is not the Pharisees’ sin, but their repudiation of grace that renders them lost. There is no cure for people who reject the only cure there is, and no hope for those who are wise in their own eyes. While Jesus brought salvation to those who believe in him, condemnation awaits those who reject him.

-from The Holman Apologetics Commentary Of The Bible

It is not your sin, but your repudiation of grace that renders you lost.

There is no hope for those who are wise in their own eyes.

There is no cure for people who reject the only cure there is.