I have been thinking about this chapter for the last couple of days. It is a chapter I know well. As I was thinking I realized I had no idea what the first 9 verses of the chapter said. So I decide when I read today I would focus on the 9 verses I didn’t know instead of 21 verses I know so well. What I found most interesting was that these were the sayings of a king, things his mother had taught him. As a mother of two boys, I can now easily understand why a mother would instruct her son in this way. Basically she tells him not to chase after women or booze. She explains to him the how these things can deter his leadership. And then I was given an entirely new perspective on the “Wife of Noble Character”. This was what a mother was telling her son to seek out in a wife. That makes so much sense. Often times the mothers of boys are notorious for being tough on daughter in laws. Could it be because this is the expectation mothers have for the women who marry their boys? I also like that these desired qualities in a wife came from a wife and a mom.
My two favorite verses about the noble wife are 12 and 18. They are the most practical verses to me. Bringing your husband good and, not harm all the days of our lives, well that pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?! I often ask myself if what I am doing is bringing good or harm to my husband. It is not all about me, though I often forget this. I have this journal from a long time ago that has a picture of a woman on it. The quote on the front is “She had not yet decided whether to use her power for good or evil.” I’m sure it is meant to be funny; I once thought it was, but it’s true that women can have much influence over men and we need to be careful to use it for good and not evil. Can’t say I have always done that, but I strive to do “good” by my husband now. Then we have verse 18 which I translate in this day and age to managing a home in a financially efficient manner with a light that doesn’t go out at night. This woman gets up while it is still dark and stays up late to get all the things done she needs to get done for her family. She is a true servant.
“She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” Proverbs 31:17 (NIV)
I am convinced that this woman’s arms are strong because of all the work she does around her home and raising her children. Many working wives and moms today have to go to the gym to strengthen their arms and I’m convinced this is because they are not cleaning their own homes or raising their own children. Maids and child care providers are stealing our strong arms. She works vigorously too. I confess I do not always do this. Sometimes I am just barely getting things done and there is no vigorous about it. There are so many gleanings from this chapter in Proverbs. I would have to write pages and pages to document all I have learned from just verses 10-31 over the years. I pray that God would make me the kind of woman that my mommy in law is proud to have her son married to. I will pray that my boys will have wives who strive to be such good wives
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Proverbs 30
An oracle?! Who is this Agur son of Jakeh…I must say I have never heard of him. After reading today’s chapter I am convinced that I’ve never read it before. Everything in the chapter seemed so new and fresh. I feel like this man, this oracle, is a man who I can really relate to. I have been able to relate more to this chapter today than any other this whole month. Verses 1-4 were amazing. It is a beautiful place to know that there is no understanding without the one who established the ends of the earth. His words remind me of the way Paul speaks. There is such a beautiful picture of a man who recognizes that he is nothing outside of Christ and this is OT we are talking here.
Verse 5 reminds us that the word of God is without blemish. It is pure and flawless. It will protect us those of us who trust in God. The Lord really did give us all the answers; we just need to seek to find them, and most of time they are clear as day directly in front of us.
V7-9…What a perfect desire to have, just wanting to be somewhere in the middle. This will be my prayer from now on regarding our finances. I will pray that the Lord not make us rich or poor, but that He would just fill our needs. I never want to be so rich that I am not dependent on Him and I never want to be so poor that I compromise my faith to feed my family. I have never seen these verses before and I was so impressed with them.
I particularly enjoyed the 3 things which were too wonderful or amazing (depending on version) for him. That none of these things leave their mark or a trail is amazing. My commentary states that this is a natural illustration for the hypocrisy of concealment. It is a preface for the next verse about the adulterous woman.
Even the earth is perturbed when things don’t go as they should. When a fool is living well fed, or a servant is ruling, an unloved married woman…it’s like they should all be oxymoron’s in theory but they really exist from time to time.
I love the little wise ants. Again I am amazed at all the ways God incorporated lessons for us in His creation, even His tiniest of creation.
And then there is our warning or exhortation even…if you have been foolish thinking yourself better than you are be ashamed. Just as you can prove milk produces butter, remember wrath produces strife.
That reminds me of a funny saying a friend of mine used to say…
If I could buy him/her for what she was worth and sell him/her for what she thought she was worth…I’d be rich. May we always be humble enough to know what we are worth outside of Christ…it's not much people, it’s not much.
Verse 5 reminds us that the word of God is without blemish. It is pure and flawless. It will protect us those of us who trust in God. The Lord really did give us all the answers; we just need to seek to find them, and most of time they are clear as day directly in front of us.
V7-9…What a perfect desire to have, just wanting to be somewhere in the middle. This will be my prayer from now on regarding our finances. I will pray that the Lord not make us rich or poor, but that He would just fill our needs. I never want to be so rich that I am not dependent on Him and I never want to be so poor that I compromise my faith to feed my family. I have never seen these verses before and I was so impressed with them.
I particularly enjoyed the 3 things which were too wonderful or amazing (depending on version) for him. That none of these things leave their mark or a trail is amazing. My commentary states that this is a natural illustration for the hypocrisy of concealment. It is a preface for the next verse about the adulterous woman.
Even the earth is perturbed when things don’t go as they should. When a fool is living well fed, or a servant is ruling, an unloved married woman…it’s like they should all be oxymoron’s in theory but they really exist from time to time.
I love the little wise ants. Again I am amazed at all the ways God incorporated lessons for us in His creation, even His tiniest of creation.
And then there is our warning or exhortation even…if you have been foolish thinking yourself better than you are be ashamed. Just as you can prove milk produces butter, remember wrath produces strife.
That reminds me of a funny saying a friend of mine used to say…
If I could buy him/her for what she was worth and sell him/her for what she thought she was worth…I’d be rich. May we always be humble enough to know what we are worth outside of Christ…it's not much people, it’s not much.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Proverbs 29
“A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.” Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV)
“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” (NIV)
I find it interesting that the word “vent” is used. Venting is generally just complaining for a long time with the hope that it will make you feel better. Really if we are learning to take captive our thoughts we will think of other things and not the things that are upsetting us so much. You can basically pray about things or change your thoughts to think about something else. A wise man will hold his feelings back. That really isn’t in the nature of women is it? We always need to tell people how we feel. This is not the only place that the Bible tells us not to let our feelings run the show. Remember that the heart is deceitful above all things. Verse 20 also addresses the issue of self control and speech. There is more hope for a fool than for a man who speaks to quickly. If you have been going through this study then you know how bad it is to be a fool. And now we are told that there is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks in haste. Wow! I long to perfect self control, in my speech particularly. My desire is to be a wise, self-controlled woman who does not vent all my feelings.
V 20…There is no need or purpose in fearing man. We need to always trust in the Lord. We can easily become ensnared by what-ifs. Trusting in the Lord through all circumstances will bring us both peace and safety.
“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” (NIV)
I find it interesting that the word “vent” is used. Venting is generally just complaining for a long time with the hope that it will make you feel better. Really if we are learning to take captive our thoughts we will think of other things and not the things that are upsetting us so much. You can basically pray about things or change your thoughts to think about something else. A wise man will hold his feelings back. That really isn’t in the nature of women is it? We always need to tell people how we feel. This is not the only place that the Bible tells us not to let our feelings run the show. Remember that the heart is deceitful above all things. Verse 20 also addresses the issue of self control and speech. There is more hope for a fool than for a man who speaks to quickly. If you have been going through this study then you know how bad it is to be a fool. And now we are told that there is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks in haste. Wow! I long to perfect self control, in my speech particularly. My desire is to be a wise, self-controlled woman who does not vent all my feelings.
V 20…There is no need or purpose in fearing man. We need to always trust in the Lord. We can easily become ensnared by what-ifs. Trusting in the Lord through all circumstances will bring us both peace and safety.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Proverbs 28
When we are not doing anything wrong we don’t feel guilty. The wicked man thinks everyone is blaming him for something. He is doing so much wrong he doesn’t even know who would be mad at him and why they would be mad.
It is better to be a poor man who is blameless with integrity than to be rich. We are not supposed to even desire to be rich. I wonder what God would say rich was. Would He say it was having more than we need? We would probably all be guilty of that.
Not obeying God make our prayers detestable to Him. That is a scary thought.
Hiding our sin is not good. I believe that Satan often uses shame as a tool to keep us from confessing our sin. Confessing our sin and changing our ways is how we will find mercy in the eyes of the Lord.
When we harden our hearts to the Lord’s guidance is when we fall into trouble.
We are called to work, not to chase after dreams. This is pretty opposite of what the world teaches.
Blessings come to those who are faithful. Walking in wisdom keeps us safe.
It is better to be a poor man who is blameless with integrity than to be rich. We are not supposed to even desire to be rich. I wonder what God would say rich was. Would He say it was having more than we need? We would probably all be guilty of that.
Not obeying God make our prayers detestable to Him. That is a scary thought.
Hiding our sin is not good. I believe that Satan often uses shame as a tool to keep us from confessing our sin. Confessing our sin and changing our ways is how we will find mercy in the eyes of the Lord.
When we harden our hearts to the Lord’s guidance is when we fall into trouble.
We are called to work, not to chase after dreams. This is pretty opposite of what the world teaches.
Blessings come to those who are faithful. Walking in wisdom keeps us safe.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Proverbs 27
We really don’t know what God has in store for our future. The best we can do is be wise and prepared and remember that He is in control. It is a scary place to be thinking we have control over everything. We have choices, free will, but we must remember that God is sovereign.
Someone willing to correct you is better than someone who loves you but keeps it a secret. In my flesh, I think I’d rather think people loved me in secret. But I guess the point is that open rebuke is a better kind of love. A friend will tell you what you need to hear, even if it hurts, while someone else may tell you what you want to hear even if it doesn’t benefit you. I would much prefer wounds of a friend and open rebuke.
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet…this reminded me of how people seek to fulfill themselves in the world. Every bitter thing (sin) is sweet (temporarily fulfilling). A satisfied soul doesn’t need the indulgences of honeycomb. My commentary said something completely different, but that is how this verse spoke to me.
I wondered for a long time today about verse 10. My commentary said to stick with friends that were tried and true because relatives may be less reliable than then genuine friends. I was thinking maybe it has something to do with distance or something. Anyway, I would like to know what this word for neighbor was in Hebrew because neighbor and friend don’t seem like close to the same word in our vocabulary, though I am great friends with my neighbor.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” This has become one of my favorite verses over the years. Amos and I always joke about how when iron sharpens iron there can be sparks. I believe God uses our spouses to sharpen us more than He uses anyone else.
A man’s actions reflect his heart. What is in our hearts will come out of us in one way or another. It is important to pay attention to such things. It is also a good tool to use for ourselves in evaluating our walk with the Lord.
Someone willing to correct you is better than someone who loves you but keeps it a secret. In my flesh, I think I’d rather think people loved me in secret. But I guess the point is that open rebuke is a better kind of love. A friend will tell you what you need to hear, even if it hurts, while someone else may tell you what you want to hear even if it doesn’t benefit you. I would much prefer wounds of a friend and open rebuke.
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet…this reminded me of how people seek to fulfill themselves in the world. Every bitter thing (sin) is sweet (temporarily fulfilling). A satisfied soul doesn’t need the indulgences of honeycomb. My commentary said something completely different, but that is how this verse spoke to me.
I wondered for a long time today about verse 10. My commentary said to stick with friends that were tried and true because relatives may be less reliable than then genuine friends. I was thinking maybe it has something to do with distance or something. Anyway, I would like to know what this word for neighbor was in Hebrew because neighbor and friend don’t seem like close to the same word in our vocabulary, though I am great friends with my neighbor.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” This has become one of my favorite verses over the years. Amos and I always joke about how when iron sharpens iron there can be sparks. I believe God uses our spouses to sharpen us more than He uses anyone else.
A man’s actions reflect his heart. What is in our hearts will come out of us in one way or another. It is important to pay attention to such things. It is also a good tool to use for ourselves in evaluating our walk with the Lord.
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