Chapter 31

Proverbs 31 (Linda)

I have read and reread Proverbs 31. There is so much here, it is hard to pick a part that is better or stands out more than the others.

Verse 1

The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him:

Isn’t it amazing what a child learns from his mother?

In verse 3, she tells him not to give his strength to women, or his ways to that which destroys kings. Than in verse 10 and 11 she tells him: “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.” The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

You begin to understand that a woman whose heart is toward the Lord will include all that she has and is for the good of all, but the heart of a woman that is not toward the Lord can destroy all hope for anyone.

This chapter brings back many memories, because this is the chapter read at my Mom’s funeral. My Mom had great faith and trusted the Lord Jesus with her whole being. She never doubted God’s faithfulness, goodness and grace and stood her strongest when there was opposition to this truth. Here I see verse 17, “She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” I also see her arms being strong because of carrying her children and in taking care of them and her family.

My mom was told she would never have children because of health issues. After being married for five years with no children, one night while praying she said, “Lord if you give me a child, I’ll it back to you.“ Then she looked at me and said, “He’s got you!” I was in my thirties when mom told me this

I am the oldest of 5 children. The fourth child she was to have surprised us with twins. Even the doctors were surprised as they never heard but one heart beat. That was of course before ultrasound.

In verse 20 I again see my Mom, as she gave to her family or those in need when in little or lot. She knew and trusted the Lord to provide for each and every need.

She loved and stood with my father in every way, she didn’t always agree with him but she encouraged him and stood with him no matter the outcome. Verse 12 says, “ She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” That was my mom.

Then in verses 25-31

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

My parents were married almost 57 years. Our mom taught us the ways of the Lord as did our dad, and we are thankful and blessed to have had the parents the Lord gave us. But each of us can look and give our mom honor for the things she has done for our families and in bringing us to a right and true relationship with the Lord Jesus. This is our inheritance, one we can pass on to our children and families and them on to the next generation, all because of hearing a mother’s words and her love for the Lord.

Chapter 30

Proverbs 30 (Susan)

In chapter 30 Solomon speaks of “things too wonderful for me… which I do not understand”. One thing he mentions in verse 19 is “the way of an eagle in the air”. This caught my attention.

On Jan. 1, 08, I was watching God.tv from the kitchen. As the crowd began to worship I felt a tug to go and worship with them. As I stood there worshipping with my eyes closed, I could see over an enormous valley. My eyes scanned the horizon before me and focused where the sun was just above the mountains, so far away they appeared small.

As my eyes scanned to the left and slightly behind me, I saw rock formations like the edge of the Grand Canyon. As my eyes scanned across the huge valley floor, toward the horizon to the right, I felt like an eagle in flight and began seeing myself as the eagle. I looked at my wings from one tip, across myself, to the other. My hands were already out in worship and I felt the urge to move them as I was flying.

As I lifted my hands higher in worship the eagle was stronger. I opened my fingers and in the spirit the eagle spread the feathers on the tips of his wings. I felt the strength of the eagle as she flew, as her wings moved up and down in slow motion.

The eagle seemed to have more than a 20 foot wing span. I could sense the weight, the strength and the power the eagle had. I was that eagle and I could see me and the eagle at the same time. I felt like I was in a costume way too big for me, I could see me inside the eagle, and I was the eagle.

The eagle flew high and proud. There was joy in this flight as she scanned the skies headed toward the sun. I had a sense of what it feels like to fly like an eagle with grace and agility; ‘to mount up on wings like eagles‘. This was “things too wonderful for me… which I do not understand”… “the way of an eagle in the air”. What a wonderful vision. What a mighty word from God. He is the wind beneath our wings, the lifter of our heads and our strength when we are weak.

When we worship we become stronger because He is our strength, no matter what we are going through.

Psalm 103:1-5

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Chapter 30

Proverbs 30 (Is)

"I am too ignorant to be human, and I lack common sense. 3 I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One. 4 Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name – and his son's name? Tell me if you know!" Proverbs 30:2-4 (NLT)

So there is this guy named Agur who is an oracle and he is talking to a couple of his friends. (By the way, an oracle is someone considered to be a source of wise counsel.) Agur strikes a chord with me because of his attitude and straight shooting.

Let me paraphrase these verses.
"Hey guys, check this out. I'm as clueless as anyone; probably even more than most folks. I'm unfit to act like I've got basic human "wisdom" figured out and I sure as heck can't pretend to understand God."

He then asks some rhetorical questions that sketch a picture of a God who has no equal.
Who else can do what God can do? Who controls the elements? Who is the creator of all things? What's his name?

Discard for a moment the idiotic viewpoint that there is no God or that there is another god who is equal and can accomplish these things. Agur is speaking from a Hebrew viewpoint where there is but one God. These people had a culture system that is entirely built around God. If there is anyone who ought to know something about God at this point in history, it's probably a Hebrew oracle like Agur. We know he's humble enough to admit he doesn't have it figured out and if you continue reading Proverbs chapter thirty you'll see him ask God for no more than what he needs. Agur knows his place and is aware of how the "stuff" of the world can pull us away from God. This guy is no idiot.

God is not one we can conquer, figure out, control, or apply science to. He's in ultimate control and has no equal. Thank God that his nature is love and through his love we have a path to true life. Let's not fool ourselves that we did something to be "good enough" or that we are "wise". True wisdom is knowing that we need God.

Chapter 29

Proverbs 29 (Jeannie)

"Scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath". Proverbs 29:8 (NKJV)

The definition of scoff is to show contempt by derisive acts, or words;

to mock; stresses insolence, disrespect, or incredulity as motivating the derision. After reading this, I looked up deride, the root word of derisive: to laugh at contemptuously; to subject to ridicule.

What an ugly action!! If asked, I think all of us would say we dislike ridicule, but do we see it for the dangerous thing that it is....not only to the person being ridiculed, but to the one doing it? It ignites flames of negative emotions, which hurt, and destroy. As the verse says scoffers can do immense damage. So why would one ridicule another? Romans 7:18 says " For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells...". If we allow negative emotions to take control, they will burn away our decency and our sense of justice.

As I pondered the second part of this verse, I wondered how "wise men turn away wrath", which is defined as violent anger, or rage. So I went to the dictionary again. "Turn away" is defined as: deflect, avert; to send away; reject, dismiss; to refuse admittance, or acceptance to; depart.

So, basically, a wise man refuses to have anything to do with wrath. He refuses to allow anger to take control of him, and he deflects or averts anger from others. One way he does this is given in Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath..." Therefore, a wise man can put out the flames.

Chapter 28

Proverbs 28 (Kent)

"He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue." Proverbs 28:23 NKJV

Here we have yet another verse about correction! Some others can be found in:Proverbs 3:11,12; 10:17; 12:1; 22:15; 23:13; 29:17; Ps 39:11; Jer.30:11; Heb 12:9; 2Tim 3:16; Job 5:17 (a good concordance covers a multitude of research; Kent 1:1) Of these Prov 3:12 provides the wonderful reassurance that "For whom the Lord loves He corrects..."

A good many verses on correction wouldn't you say? Wonder why? Actually I'm sure we all agree that the Lord has shown a great deal of restraint in the use of the word. But surely I digress. Back to 28:23.

Here "rebuke" which is a hard thing to receive is compared to "flattery" which is very easy to receive, even desired. Why then does the man rebuking find more favor afterward than the flatterer? Part of the answer can be found in Prov 29:5

"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."

Compare this to Prov 27:6

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend..."

Sooner or later we will realize the motives of those who reuke us and those who flatter. Wisdom is directly related to that time line.

Its like vegetables vs desserts with children(no age limit).

If it tastes bad its good for us and if it tastes good its bad for us. Simple dietary logic and sadly too true. What comes after digress? I'm there!

Have a great week.

Chapter 27

Proverbs 27 (Jean)

Proverbs 27:2 "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips."

2 Cor 10:12, 18 "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise... ...For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."

There is a difference between boasting about yourself and speaking the truth about yourself. We pretty much know boasting when we hear it and it gets on our nerves! The verses in 2 Corinthians say we have a tendency to see ourselves as smarter, handsomer, funnier and stronger than we really are. Not that we should berate ourselves, or exhibit a false humility, but we do have a few blindspots.

I like what Romans 12: 3 says. "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."

When someone else brags on us it is totally different. It's how he/she sees us. Proverbs 27:2 says LET another praise you... That's for y'all out there who don't think you have anything worth praising. You do! It's even better when the Lord boasts about us. Think of a proud daddy chatting up his son's winning homer or mom showing off photos of her daughter's graduation. He has some awesome truths he shares with us that binds us even tighter to him. The Lord commends; we are approved. We so need that.

1 John 3: 2-3 "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

Chapter 26

Proverbs 26 (David)

“Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.” Proverbs 26:20

Most young boys love fires. The best thing I remember about scouting was the camp fires – roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks… it doesn’t get much better than that. OK, most boys of any age love fires. The challenge of starting a fire with kindling and the greater test of building a fire that burns even the greenest wood. I confess I flunk both tests but I still love the hot dogs and sm’ores!

Actually, anyone can start a fire (with Duralogs) and given enough dry logs, the fire burns on. After all, the real key to an all-day fire is the art of stoking. If you stir up (stoke) burning logs from time to time, the fire stays hot and you simply add a log as needed. You can even stoke glowing embers long after the fire has died down, and like magic, a flame explodes and the fire is back, begging for more logs! If those embers ever cool down, though, you have to start all over again.

Once again, Solomon shows us wisdom is simple common sense. Want a fire? You need wood. Want a fire to go out? Take away the wood. Hmmm. Want an argument with someone? Just fuel it with gossip and cruel words. Want an argument to die a quick death? Stop using your words as weapons and begin using them as healing medicine.

Elsewhere in Proverbs 18:21, Solomon adds that “the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” With your words, you can kill or heal. It is a choice. An act of love or hate.

James adds his own wisdom on the subject:

“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell… Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” James 3:5-6, 10

Wow! James does not mix words. We can either speak for God or we can unleash the fire of hell on someone. Ouch. That is sobering to be sure.

I am reminded here my choice of words matter. Anyone can speak. WHAT we say matters most. Blessings or curses. We can start a fire or quench one. We can end a friendship or we can enrich one.

“Lord, help me to bless You and others with my words. Rather than blurt the first words that I think or feel, help me to wait for the right words, healing words, gracious words, Your words. Yes, let my words be Your words. Amen.”