What a Woman!

29 

“Many women do noble things,

    but you surpass them all.”

30 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 

Honor her for all that her hands have done,

    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

(Proverbs 31:29-31)

After a long list of great characteristics of this woman of excellence, the writer wraps up with these words of wisdom.  They are still instructions for the sons, the young, as they seek the wisdom of God for their lives, instead of seeking all the other things that tempt.  It reminds my of the contrast this song makes between the queen of diamonds and queen of hearts: 

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?

You been out ridin' fences for so long now

Oh, you're a hard one but I know that you got your reasons

These things that are pleasin' you can hurt you somehow

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy

She'll beat you if she's able

You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine things

Have been laid upon your table

But you only want the ones that you can't get.

Choices: that's what proverbs is all about.  What looks most appealing is often not what is best. Choices have long-lasting results.  Choose wisely. 

Living Life in the Balance...

7 

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;

    do not refuse me before I die:

8 

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

    give me neither poverty nor riches,

    but give me only my daily bread.

9 

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

    and so dishonor the name of my God."

(Proverbs 30:7-9)

What does it take to finish well?  The book of Proverbs begins with a call for one's son(s) to seek wisdom, then warns of what happens when we choose to follow foolishness, waiting till the end to consider this weighty matter of whether one has lived his/her life well.  Two things is all the writer asks for: Truth and Contentment.  After all of the "information" and knowledge obtainable in this life is stored up, what really matters is truth - no spin, no excuses, no fantasizing - just plain truth - reality as God sees it.  "Lord, keep me on the road of truth." The same is true of the stuff of this world. Having had all sorts of experiences and experiments - satisfying all the senses - what really matters is not trying to get the next buzz or taste a better wine - it is knowing God gives us what is best, and there is not greater satisfaction in life than trusting in His wisdom and love for us.  May we finish well, having lived life in that place of balance - the scales of truth, and not having too much or too little. 

What We Get Ourselves Into...

22 

An angry person stirs up conflict,

    and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.

23 

Pride brings a person low,

    but the lowly in spirit gain honor.

24 

The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;

    they are put under oath and dare not testify.

25 

Fear of man will prove to be a snare,

    but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

(Proverbs 29)

How did I get into this mess? That is the question we often ask ourselves. How? By decisions we have made based upon the character we have developed, or not developed.  Anger, pride, and the desire to fit in and please others often get us into these messes. Anger out of control does not prove we are in control - it proves the opposite. Thinking highly of ourselves causes others to actually think less of us.  Joining in with evil will not protect us from it, but make us its victim.  Caring about what pleases others instead of what pleases God catches us in a web of worry and trouble.  How do we stay out of these messes? Choose contentment, humility, and a passion for the will of God. 

A bad kind of concealed carry...

13 

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

    but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

14 

Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,

    but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

(Proverbs 28:13,14)

In the midst of a number of more "whoever" proverbs are these core verses. While the overall theme of proverbs is finding wisdom to make life choices, the main theme here is having humility to confess and forsake one's foolishness.  Change is hard. Change for the good is harder.  Our tendency in a world of darkness is to hide ourselves and our sin.  It is a dead-end street that leads to destruction.  What does it take for you to sincerely admit you have been wrong, apologize, and seek support to make the changes necessary to be delivered from it?  Don't conceal, confess. Don't be hardened, be humble. God does not want you to carry this alone, and truth be told, you are not able to. 

Time will tell...

Do not boast about tomorrow,

    for you do not know what a day may bring.

2 

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;

    a stranger, and not your own lips.

3 

A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

    but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.

4 

Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

    but who can stand before jealousy?

5 

Better is open rebuke

    than hidden love.

6 

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

    profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

(Proverbs 27:1-6)

Time: It holds us all in it's grip - except when we entrust ourselves to the God of Eternity.  Nonetheless, we are bound by time in this life. Time can be our friend, or our enemy, depending on what we do with it.  We cannot live merely for today, but we also cannot live worrying about tomorrow and missing out on today.  Time proves character - we do not need to brag on ourselves - time will reveal what we are really like - wise or foolish.  We also cannot spend our time in envy or jealously; it turns anger into bitterness, over time. Time also proves who our true friends are; they are not our "yes men" who approve all we do; they are the ones who help us look ahead to the folly of our decisions today, and are still there when we get there, even when we have failed to live wisely. Time will tell.  May it have a good story to tell. Live wisely today. 

Foolishness is Out of Place...

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

    so honor is not fitting for a fool.

2 

Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

    a curse that is causeless does not alight.

3 

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

    and a rod for the back of fools.

4 

Answer not a fool according to his folly,

    lest you be like him yourself.

5 

Answer a fool according to his folly,

    lest he be wise in his own eyes.

6 

Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool

    cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

7 

Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,

    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8 

Like one who binds the stone in the sling

    is one who gives honor to a fool.

9 

Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard

    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10 

Like an archer who wounds everyone

    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

11 

Like a dog that returns to his vomit

    is a fool who repeats his folly.

12 

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?

    There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Proverbs 26:1-12

There is something just not right with the fool.  You can see it in his/her action, and hear it in his/her words: using profanity that makes no sense, arguing one's case with logic that is illogical, twisting the words of other, taking truths out of context, using entrusted authority to hurt others - both intentionally and not, always thinking he/she is right when nothing could be further from the truth. All of this is unacceptable.  We should not accept it - not only in other, but especially from ourselves.  It is out of place - all the more in the people of God. 

Wisdom is More... and Not...

16 

If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,

    lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.

17 

Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,

    lest he have his fill of you and hate you.

18 

A man who bears false witness against his neighbor

    is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.

19 

Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble

    is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

20 

Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart

    is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,

    and like vinegar on soda.

21 

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,

    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

22 

for you will heap burning coals on his head,

    and the Lord will reward you.

23 

The north wind brings forth rain,

    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24 

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop

    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

25 

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

    so is good news from a far country.

26 

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

    is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27 

It is not good to eat much honey,

    nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.

28 

A man without self-control

    is like a city broken into and left without walls.

(Proverbs 25:16-28)

Wisdom is more than common sense.  When we look at this string of sayings, a lot of these statements make sense, bringing a nod to our heads, as they describe experiences we may have had.  But some are counter-intuitive, like giving our enemy food and water. There is something deeper than "common sense" to wisdom; there is more - something God can see that we cannot see.  Something else we see here once again is how more is not always better or wise. Honey is good, but more, excess, is not.  Doing things for other, and doing "above and beyond" is basically good, except when it comes to giving an evil man his way all the time.  In other words, even words of wisdom can get us into trouble if we do not include the Author of Wisdom in applying them to our lives. They are more than "rules of the road"; they are discussion starters between us and God.

Do Nothings

10 

If you do nothing in a difficult time,

your strength is limited.

11 

Rescue those being taken off to death,

and save those stumbling toward slaughter.

12 

If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”

won’t He who weighs hearts consider it?

Won’t He who protects your life know?

Won’t He repay a person according to his work?

(Proverbs 24:10-12)

One of the biggest dangers God's people face is to do nothing. We can be so focused on not doing evil that we fail to do what is good.  As Scripture shows us and the Son demonstrated while here with us, compassion, mercy and justice matter to God. A phrase I learned early line life is this: "Ignorance of the law is no excuse."  We cannot hide our heads in the sand and say we did not know. We cannot ignore corruption, abortion, abuse, human trafficking, or any other number of issues in our world today.  Alone we cannot solve them all, but together, as God's people, we can be salt and light.  The final consideration about "doing nothing" is that when we sit around doing nothing about evil and focus on the bad things we do not do, we ultimately end up doing some kind of evil ourselves.  Do good. Seek justice. Love mercy. Get up and walk with God.

It's Where You Put Your Heart., Mind & Ears

My son, if your heart is wise,

my heart will indeed rejoice.

16 

My innermost being will cheer

when your lips say what is right.

17 

Don’t let your heart envy sinners;

instead, always fear the Lord.

18 

For then you will have a future,

and your hope will never fade.

19 

Listen, my son, and be wise;

keep your mind on the right course.

20 

Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine

or with those who gorge themselves on meat.

21 

For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor,

and grogginess will clothe them in rags.

22 

Listen to your father who gave you life,

and don’t despise your mother when she is old.

23 

Buy—and do not sell—truth,

wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

(Proverbs 23)

Choices. The first choices we make are where we will put our hearts, what we will put in our minds to process decisions, and who and what we will listen to.  We all come to those points of rude awakening when we wish we would have done something differently, thought differently, decided differently, and they always come back to this: "Where have I put my heart?"  Put it to seeking truth, wisdom, God Himself.