Proverb a Day in May - May 31st/Chapter 31

As we come to the last chapter, let me say thank you to all who took the journey with me. I pray that each of us learned something from it and come away stronger Christians for it. On this last chapter, I have asked Phyllis Blickensderfer to cover the topic of a virtuous woman for us. You can read her blog at http://blicktx.blogspot.com/, and you will not be sorry that you did. While it is obvious to see why this is important for women to know, it is also important for us guys to know, as well. This is the type of woman you should look to marry; the type of woman you should pray for and help your current wife to become; and the kind of woman yoou should seek to raise your daughter to be like. The follwoing is her study on this important subject:

I learned it years ago. So well that I can quote most of it still today. It was part of a program our church offered that encouraged verse memorization. To memorize it, we had to say it over and over and over again until it was a part of our thought pattern. I believe we do too little of that today.

Beginning with the tenth verse, "Who can find a virtuous woman?" Followed by not only her description, but by her family’s description – husband, children, servants. We move through her daily life of picking and choosing what needs to be done, and following through to provide for her household. There's no indication that she is a stay-at-home-mom, but there's also no mistaking how she looks after homemaking.

As women, we need to be certain how her qualities are displayed in our own lives.

Does the heart of our husbands safely trust us? We hold his heart in our hands to lift in celebration or squeeze down into a painful lump. We are to be of help to him, that remains a part of God's plan. We promise before God and an assembly of friends that we will do him good all the days we have together, till death parts us. That, too, is part of God's plan.

This is followed by her daily chores. Let me tell you, this lady is NOT lazy. Read through the list of work she accomplished. Verse 25, however, gives us pause -- she may not have recognition for this work, for "she shall rejoice in time to come." We could use some of that patience, couldn't we?

Don't think you get enough appreciation from your children? She does. "Her children arise up and call her blessed." Then, we are back to that husband, who does not only called her blessed but praises her. Those are awesome rewards, aren't they? Honestly, don't we get some of that? Our children do appreciate our work, and so does that wonderful man God provided to look after our family. At times we may think they don’t, but look back just a bit and recall their gratitude.

By the way, did any of her attributes include physical beauty? Is there a verse that tells how her looks stop a man in his tracks? Do any of her activities attract the attention of others?

Now, some would say there is not a witnessing message in this chapter, just examples for a woman to set as goals laid out in the Bible. Look again. Verse 30 gives us the true reason for her virtue, for the blessing from her children, from her husband – her focus is on her Lord:

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. [Proverbs 31:30 KJV]

Without the Lord, it is all in vain. Without the Lord our future ends with death.

Proverb a Day in May - May 30th/Chapter 30

Today, on our next to last chapter of Proverbs, we have a new human penmen - Agur. Not much is not for sure about him, but the Treasure of Scripture Knowledge says this: Agur was probably a public teacher, and Ithiel and Ucal, his pupils; and this was the massa, or oracle, which he delivered, not by his own wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit, for the benefit of man.

One of the great truths he touches on is found in Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. You get the sense from the start of the chapter that Agur is letting us know that these are not his words, because his words are brutish and lack wisdom and understanding. BUT, the words of God, and the Word of God, is pure. Pure from any doctrinal error, pure from any sinful corruption, and pure in It's preservation for us today in the King James Version for the English speaking people.

It is my prayer that you can sing with the Psalmist in Psalm 119:140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

Proverb a Day in May - May 29th/Chapter 29

Today, I want to cover a verse that is often misquoted: Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Many times when a pastor, or other type of leader, gets up to give a plan for the future, they some times will quote from Proverbs 29:18. When asked why other preachers and pastors are not as successful they will often reply, "Well, the Bible says that where there is no vision the people perish, and they just did not have a vision of growth for the future." And while that may be true about that pastor and his lack of vision for the future, the fact is the Bible is not speaking of "a vision of the future" here in this verse. The word vision comes from a Hebrew word which means, "oracle." This is evident by the part of the verse that is never quoted: but he that KEEPETH THE LAW, happy is he. The failure comes when there is no preaching of the truths of God's Word. When we proclaim the truth of God's Word, we give the hearer the opportunity to inherit true happiness through obedience.

As we continue to read and study God's Word every single day, let's take heed to this verse.

Proverb a Day in May - May 28th/Chapter 28

Today, let's look at Proverbs 28:10 Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.

This is not just a verse that deals with pastors, though it does take on a greater meaning to those who are in that calling. But each of us have what is called a "sphere of influence" that we must be careful with. The proverb implies that this person was leading the righteous astray by deceit and for their own pleasure since the end result would be that the person would fall into the pit that they created for others.

As I read it, I was reminded of all the televangelist that have led Christians away from the local church, and into their own personal ministries. They enjoy the fame and money for a while, but they always seem to fall into a pit of their own making in the end. Why? Because God is still in control!

Lets strive to be upright and lead those around us in our "sphere of influence" into the paths of righteousness so that we may have good things in possession.

Proverb a Day in May - May 27th/Chapter 27

In today's chapter, there is a thread of thought dealing with those around us. Let me share it with you quickly today (I do know that while some may want more detail in the post, not everyone has the time to read long entries, so it is with those folks in mind that I do try to keep it short...though by explaining it I have just taken more of your valuable time, so....oops.) Here goes:

1. 
   
   The ADVANCING of others - Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. If you have to tell everyone how great you are, then it probably is not true! It is not our job to advance ourselves, but to advance the gospel to the whole world. Let other's praise you, so that God may praise you in the end.
2. 
   
   The ASSEMBLING of others - Proverbs 27:8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. There is a nest of safety, a place that God has for each born-again believer. That place is the local, New Testament church. We should each seek our place and serve.
3. 
   
   The ADVICE of others - 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. This has been one of my purposes for this series this month. As I think about the subject of iron sharpening iron, I thought about what is involved. There has to be a little friction to make the blade sharp. But too much friction, and the blade become notched and ragged and unusable. Discussion is good, but can be taken too far. How many of our Proverbs deal with just leaving alone those who want to fight and argue just to do so? But as sincere, born-again believers, we should seek other like-minded people to discuss, and even disagree with sometimes (as long as it is not a fundamental truth), so that we might become "sharper" in our faith and knowledge.

Proverb a Day in May - May 26th/Chapter 26

In the 26th Proverb, there are a couple of topics covered, one of those being laziness. There is a lot that can be said about those who are lazy, but the fact is they are too lazy to read this so I will skip it. (That's sarcasm people, lighten up!) What I do want to cover is what is mentioned in Proverb 26:21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

What caught my eye in this verse is the example that Solomon uses of coal with strife and fighting. The weather here in MI is getting pretty warm, and it made me think of my smoker outside. I bought this smoker late last year, and it was a little too cold and windy to do much with it, so this will be our first summer smoking with it. I was looking and reading up on different techniques on how to keep the fire an smoke going with charcoal. BTW - my smoker is a horizontal unit that has the side burner. One of the techniques to use is to put unlit coals in the burner, then add a few pre-lit coals on top of those coals. What this does is keep a steady fire going with a steady stream of smoke. That is what you want for smoking meats - but not in our personal relationships.

Let's face the facts today - there are some who just like to fight. They are contentious by nature, and will do anything they can to keep the fire, or strife, burning. Matthew Henry makes a great point: Contention heats the spirit, and puts families and societies into a flame. And that fire is commonly kindled and kept burning by whisperers and backbiters. The proverb lets us know that strife is always there, and it is our responsibility to distance from it when all possible and not to fan the flame.

Proverb a Day in May - May 25th/Chapter 25

Today's Proverb starts off with an introduction to this section of the compilation of Proverbs, which is also referenced in another of Solomon's writings in Ecclesiastes 12:9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. We read how the Holy Spirit inspired Solomon to deliver many Proverbs, and king Hezekiah had his men copy them out. The reason why some believe Hezekiah did this was because many of the following Proverbs deal with political precepts and for the conduct of their house and kingdom (John Wesley).

What we see here is that Solomon authored many Proverbs, and many more that were not preserved by the Holy Spirit in our Holy Bible. I believe this is a picture of Christ, who was a "greater than Solomon." Remember how John ended his Gospel account: John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

As we continue to read and study these Proverbs, lets remember the One who is greater!