Women - Chapter 31

So we come to the end of the book of Proverbs.  And what an ending it is!  After spending 30 chapters pouring out life-changing wisdom for the ages, this book ends on the topic that is more mysterious to men than any other.

Women.

After setting incredibly high standards for people of all ages and all races, Proverbs closes by setting the bar incredibly high for women.

It is critical to note that chapter 31 may be as much about men as it is about women. Because we can't make it without each other.  I've always been fascinated by the phrase, "the weaker sex."  Sure never has seemed that way to me!   But in a good way.

God put us here to compliment each other.  We can't have morning without evening.  We can't have daylight without twilight.  

And so as the virtues of women are outlined, man's role becomes clear.  We are to complement (and compliment) women.  When the bar is raised high for them, it is raised equally high for us.

What seems profound to you in your reading of chapter 31?

Numbers - Chapter 30

Are you a list-maker?  You know, one of those people who produces to-do lists so perfect they look like they need to be framed instead of checked?

Apparently, so was Agur, who wrote Proverbs chapter 30.  He is a list guy.  And they are no ordinary lists!  There is wisdom and instruction packed in them so tightly that we are better off reading them a few at a time than to try to fly through them in a matter of minutes.

Take your time with this chapter.  Spread it out over hours.  Are there any of the lists that really hit home with you?  Any sayings that made you stop in your tracks?

Pride and prejudice - Chapter 29

I believe pride is at the heart of every sin.  No sin occurs without pride being in the mix.  And yet, pride may be the most difficult sin to see in ourselves.  It is a paradox of human behavior like no other.

On top of that, by reading chapter 29 (and all the other chapters, for that matter), we can see where unchecked pride ultimately takes us and what our end will be if we do not humble ourselves and allow God to lift us up.

What verses spoke to you in this chapter?

The wicked, the evil and the poor - Chapter 28

The way wicked people think is twisted away from truth; they are more interested in trying to justify their own selfish reality than to seek what is good and right. Likewise, evil people don't see through spiritually rational eyes. Their lens are clouded by their selfish desires above everything else.

The scary thing is that both of those things have described me at times in my life. How about you?

Solomon says the poor are much better off than those who fall into wicked or evil behaviors.

Sobering thoughts.

Did any of these verses resonate with you?

Relationships - Chapter 27

Relationships can be tricky. They can lift us up and motivate us or they can devastate and crush us. Some people decide to check out of relationships altogether so they can avoid the pain.

That, however, was never God's intention.

This chapter in Proverbs examines how fragile relationships can be and where some of the landmines are that can destroy them.

Is there a particular verse that resonates with you?

Fools, sluggards & gossips - Chapter 26

Three things that no one wants to be characterized as - a fool, a sluggard or a gossip. Solomon gives some red flags for each of those in this chapter.  He talks about their behavior patterns and their motivations (or lack thereof).

Here's the difficult part for me: do I see myself in there anywhere?  When I look in the mirror, are there habits or actions in my life that put me in company I don't want to keep?

Which verses were especially convicting to you?

Words, part 3 - Chapter 25

I looked and looked for another angle to take on this chapter, but it is inescapable: Solomon is tunnel-visioned on the impact of words in the daily course of our lives.  It is one of the major themes throughout the book of Proverbs.

The connection between wisdom and words is profound.  Which leads us to the conclusion that we really cannot begin to attain wisdom without greatly maturing in our use of words.

Which passages really brought that point home to you today?

Rebellious people - Chapter 24

Let me ask you a question.  When someone tells you that you ARE going to do something or that you ARE NOT going to do something, does it twist your stomach up in a knot? Does it make you want to go against whatever they are forcing on you?

That's called rebellion.  

Rebellion isn't always bad.  It has been responsible for nations being freed from oppression.  It has been responsible for abuse being nipped in the bud.  As a matter of fact, rebellion is best used against evil.

But when it turns against God's plans and desire for humankind, it is like an out-of-control fire that devastates everything in it's path.  

This chapter of Proverbs hits on this fact repeatedly.

Which verse caught your attention today?

Wealth, wisdom and wine - Chapter 23

Although other topics are also touched on in this chapter, Solomon hits on these three repeatedly.  If he wrote the proverbs to instruct us on timeless truths, it would be wise to notice what subjects seem to come up time and time again.

What did he say in this chapter that really made you stop and examine yourself?

Potpourri for $1000 - Chapter 22

One of the most popular categories on the TV show Jeopardy is Potpourri.  Any question is fair game.

Chapter 22 of Proverbs is like that.  There isn't a clear theme, but it does contain a wealth of wisdom of all kinds and one of the most widely quoted verses in all of scripture.

Which passages spoke to you in this chapter?

Outsmarting God - Chapter 21

Human beings are fascinating creatures.  God gifted us with intelligence and the ability to reason and in turn, we often use His gifts in rebellion against Him.  The irony is unfathomable.

The chapter today speaks over and over of what happens when we use our God-given brain to think we are smarter than God or to think we know what is best for us more than He does.

What seems especially profound to you in this chapter?

The person of integrity - Chapter 20

The end justifies the mean.  Right?  That's the world's view.  If I got what I want, then it doesn't matter how I got it.

The path of the world is so seductive, so insidious, so subtle that it is easy to get sucked into it's logic.  Here's the problem with that: There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.  Remember that one from chapter 14?

Solomon lays out deep truths about personal integrity in Chapter 20 that can be transformational if we'll honestly assess our lives and then apply these verses to them.

Did any of these verses make you stop and think?  Which ones and why?

A family affair - Chapter 19

Several verses in this chapter speak to family relationships - for better or for worse.  Family can be a tricky thing to navigate. 

Which verses struck you as profound as you searched through this chapter?

Random deep thoughts - Chapter 18

The poor and the rich.  The wise man and the fool.  The proud and the humble.

Chapter 18 really doesn't have a discernible theme.  If you don't connect with one truth, go to the next one for a whole different topic.  So many profound statements on so many subjects.  There's something here for everyone.

Which ones made you stop and think?

Words, part 2 - Chapter 17

Almost half the verses in this chapter have to do directly with the words that come out of our mouths.  In several other verses, words are not explicitly stated, but are clearly implied.

Words are weapons of mass destruction or life-giving water.  

Please God, give me the grace to use them as the latter.

Which verses seemed new to you in this chapter?

God's sovereignty - Chapter 16

We can fool ourselves and others into thinking we have some say or influence, but in the course of life, really we're just a vapor.  So is it meaningless, as Solomon hits on in Ecclesiastes? 

Hardly.  We just have problems with the course and scope of the universe and our place in it.

Which verses enlightened you in some way as Solomon talks about wisdom in the grand scheme of things?

Words - Chapter 15

Words.

They fly off our tongues at light speed.

Sometimes they touch and warm a heart that is parched. Sometimes they worm their way into a soul, doing untold damage for years to come.

The lesson tomorrow morning is from the book of James, chapter 3. It is all about words. See which verses in chapter 15 of Proverbs strike home with you and then revisit this entry again after hearing what James has to say tomorrow and share further insights you have gained from both sets of verses.

By the way, please forgive the tardiness of getting this posted today. Last night's storm took out the Internet at our house and also at the Bammel building, so I'm crawling along getting this done on my cell phone.

Fools and other morons - Chapter 14

Obviously, I can only speak for myself, but I see myself in the proverbs fairly often.  And usually not on the good side of the equation.  One of the things these verses do for me is make me stop and reconsider aspects of who I am.  I really want to be wise.  I really want to be righteous.  I really want to be pleasing to The Creator.  The problem is that I'm often not.

Solomon's random chunks of truth reach deep within and call me to a more honorable way of daily living.  Which verse or verses caught your eye today?

Discipline and other things - Chapter 13

Discipline is not something we naturally seek. As a matter of fact, we often run away from it. And yet it has high value with God. Solomon talks about this and other topics in today's chapter.

Which verse most made you stop and think today?

Wickedness and truth - Chapter 12

The righteous and the wicked.  They are as far apart as the east is from the west.  Yet even the strongest of believers struggles with these issues at times.  Solomon lays out powerful contrasts between the two in chapter 12.

Which ones jump off the page at you and why?

More universal truths - Chapter 11

Pride, judgment, loans, integrity.  Solomon addresses these and many more subjects in this chapter.  They are meant to be slowly ingested.  Don't read too quickly or you'll miss something important.

What seems especially profound to you today?

Proverbial sayings - Chapter 10

Solomon has finished his discourse on the value of wisdom and how important it is when adultery is being considered. Now he begins a long series of rapid-fire sayings that often seem to be free-standing, verse by verse.

These are universal truths. They are obviously not true in every circumstance, but are general statements of wisdom that can help direct our thoughts and our focus.

Which ones stood out to you in Chapter 10 and why?

One last pitch for seeking wisdom - Chapter 9

Solomon is laying out - for the last time - his pitch for the value of seeking wisdom with the same tenacity that we would seek our next breath of air if it was taken away from us.  He's about to switch gears in dramatic fashion.

But before he does, what stood out to you in this chapter today?

The origin of wisdom - Chapter 8

Solomon explains where wisdom comes from and that it has been around longer than the earth itself.  

• It is more enduring than mankind.  
• It's virtues are limitless.  
• It's qualities are deeper than our imaginations.  
• It's benefits are unexplainable.

Well, then, it should be at the top of our spiritual shopping list, shouldn't it?

If it isn't, today is the perfect day to fix that.

Solomon uses language to describe wisdom that is similar in places to God's language in His response to Job.  What strikes you as poetic or especially meaningful in this chapter?

Warning against adultery, part 2 - Chapter 7

We live in a world that is so desensitized to sex that for many people, it is nothing more than a recreational event that gives pleasure.  Then the participants just move on.

No harm, no foul.  Right?

However, God had other plans for sex from the beginning.  It always does what it supposed to do: bond two people together.  It performs it's function whether the participants are married or not or whether they are in love or not.  A person can become numb to it and act as though it meant nothing, but that is a commentary on the condition of the heart and conscience of the person, not on the act of sexual intimacy.

Solomon desperately wants the son to whom he writes this to not fall into the trap of thinking sex is merely a recreational act with no deeper meaning.

Or consequences.

As he races toward the finish line of his warnings about sex, Solomon uses graphic, colorful language to make his points.

What point seems especially profound to you in this chapter?

Solomon takes a break from the adultery theme...and lists seven things God hates - Chapter 6

This section is full of wisdom and warnings...and that's only the first half. After Solomon's break, he dives back into the matter at hand - sexual fidelity and the price a person can pay when they break it.

Which passage or passages really struck you today?

Wisdom and adultery - Chapter 5

Now Solomon is getting heated up.  So what is the tie between wisdom and adultery? 

Nothing.  That's why Solomon is talking about it.

I have suggested for many years that men or women who are on the verge of an affair read chapters 5-7.  It tears back the veil and exposes what is really happening when people stray from their spouse.

Sobering stuff.

What part of this makes an impact on your thinking?  Or what do you recognize as truth in this passage when you look at this world?

Wisdom is supreme - Chapter 4

Solomon is gathering steam in his thoughts about how crucial wisdom is.  You can hear the passion building as he lays out the importance of wisdom above all other things a person could run after.

What struck you as profound today?

Further benefits of wisdom - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 sees Solomon heading further down the path of describing the virtues of wisdom.  What insights did you gain from this chapter?

Moral benefits of wisdom - Chapter 2

What insight or wisdom did you get from reading Proverbs chapter 2?

What is God saying to you? Chapter 1

So often, we read scripture through the lens of academic pursuit.  We can easily get caught up in the pursuit of trying to know more things instead of trying to grow. Knowledge is not the goal of scripture.  Transformation is.  Personal change is. Knowledge is a part of the path to get to transformation, but it is a mean, not the end goal (Romans 12:1-2).

Becoming more like Christ is much more than trying to cram facts about Him into our heads.  It is about letting scripture inhabit us, change us and mold us more and more into the image of our Savior.

With that in mind, we launch into our month of reading through Proverbs. Saturday, May 1 - Chapter 1.

What did God reveal to you that was meaningful or profound or transforming in chapter 1?

Respond in the comments section here for chapter 1.  I'll set up a new post for each day so we can keep our chapters separate.

May God bless you in unexpected ways as we seek His wisdom in Proverbs.