A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike; He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand. Proverbs 27:15-16

Here is a proverb concerning contentious women and the problems that come from them.  First we read that the contetious woman is compared to a constant dripping on a day of steady rain.  Thus we see that such a thing is a constant annoyance.  This is someone who will bother us greatly.  That drip, drip, drip that we hear will wear on us over time and drive us crazy.  Such is the contentious woman.  But understanding the word "contentious" is very important for us to grasp what Solomon is saying. 

The "contentious" woman is the woman who is involved with strife and dissension.  This is the Hebrew word, "madon" which refers to a quarrel or dispute that gets out of hand quickly.  Once started, it cannot be stopped.  These are the kind of disputes that create barriers between people.  According to Psalm 80:6 an evil heart is the source of these contentions and bitter arguments.  These things come from someone with a hot temper and are very difficult to contain.  Thus we see that the "contentious woman" is not someone who disagrees with us, but rather someone who vehemently disagrees and who takes that disagreement to the level of fighting and quarreling.  This fighting is not a normal disagreement, but becomes something that can separate people for long periods of time as bitterness and resentment seethe because of the fighting.  

Too often I have heard of this proverb used to disrespect a woman who respectfully disagrees with her husband.  The contentious woman is anything BUT respectful - she is fiesty and cantankerous.  She is itching for a fight - and when given the slightest reason to enter one - does so with both feet firmly set in the middle of it.  It is not sinful for a woman to disagree with someone - even her husband or a person in authority.  That is not what this proverb is about.  It is about a woman who is ready to fight, and quarrel, and do so disgustingly.  The next verse says that trying to restrain such a woman and her venom is like trying to restrain wind or grasp oil and hold it.  It is impossible to do so, because such things cannot be done.  Thus, when we come upon such a woman, we should avoid her and keep ourselves clear from her path.  She is a dangerous woman - whose actions will prove very destructive in the end.  Rather than trying to restrain and hold her back, we need to withdraw from her and avoid her at all costs.

What we should remember as we read this is that God places great value on a woman who has a quiet and gentle spirit.  This is what God desires - so when a woman goes the opposite direction, it is not only against what He wants, but it places an example before other women that is not only lacking, but it encourages them to behavior that is completely outside of what God desires in a Godly lady.  May the Lord give us grace to see such godly women raised up in our fellowships - women whose testimony only makes the gospel of Jesus Christ more attractive and beautiful - like He has made them.

To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. Proverbs 1:6

Here we have another of the purposes for the book of Proverbs.  Solomon tells us that part of the reason for this book is to help us with understanding four ways that wisdom will be communicated to us throughout this book. 

First we see it is to understand "a proverb."  The word for proverb here is "masal."  It means a short, pithy saying, a prophetic utterance usually in the form of comparisons.  If we are going to learn wisdom from this book, we will need to approach it as a collection of sayings that will be comparisons of things.  This can be positive comparisons and negative ones.  But to understand the wisdom God wants us to grasp - we are going to need to be able to compare things and learn from them.  Often we will find a comparison in nature - that has a saying of how that aspect of nature shows a spiritual comparison to a wise man or a fool. 

Second we see that we will have "figures" put before us.  Meliysah is the Hebrew word used here and it refers to a mocking or taunting expression.  God's Word is going to use satire to describe some things to us.  We will find that the proud and arrogant, the unteachable, the ones who reject reproof and rebuke are going to be mocked and and subject to satire.  We should learn from these satires - but be sure to see them for what they are - satire and not a statement of absolute fact. 

Third we will run into the words of the wise.  These is just simply things that wise people say to us.  We will have godly advice handed to us in very plain language.  There is no mystery to what is being said.  It is as plain as the nose on our faces - and is to be taken in the plainest sense.

Finally, there are the riddles of the wise.  Hiydah, the Hebrew word here means an enigma.  These were riddles - and were used at times by the wise men of the day to make their students think about what they were saying - to search it out so as to understand the wisdom that the wise man was seeking to impart.  Of the four types of statements used in Proverbs, these will probably be the most difficult to understand. 

What we have in Proverbs is a very creative book that will seek to teach us God's wisdom.  We are forewarned though that at times these sayings will need to be understood in the literary form in which they are written.  We cannot take everything in Proverbs at a face value - and come away with the wisdom God desires to give us.  There will be times when we will have to work a little (honestly sometimes we will have to work a lot) - to get the meaning of what is being said - and the wisdom it seeks to impart.  What I will say is that even when it takes time - you will be blessed by the wisdom offered in this book.  It is well worth the time and effort needed to dig out all that God has for us.  So, let's make a commitment here and now to search this book and learn to mine all the treasures that are within it.  The outcome will be precious gems of wisdom that will bless us, not just for a day, but for a lifetime.