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"She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong. Proverbs 31:17 The godly woman is not the quintessential weak or frail woman. According to God she is strong and does what is necessary to have physical strength in her arms. Please do not misunderstand me to be saying that a godly woman is a fitness freak. She isnrather a woman who knows that it is wise to be able to maintain her physical strength for the sake of her family, for the work God would have her do, and for even her own well-being. As a guy who is getting older I am realizing the wisdom in taking better care of my physical well being. You are much less effective in life when your health begins to fail. This is worse when your health fails due to your own lack of wisdom and bad eating and exercise habits. The wise woman knows this and takes care of herself. The wise woman makes herself and her arms strong for a good reason. At this point I am going to meddle a little for the sake of godliness for the ladies who read this. When you read this passage you see why this godly woman seeks to be physically fit and strong. She does it to be able to serve her Lord and her family. She is not getting fit in order to be hot and look good in a bikini. She is not doing it so that she can dress in tight clothes so she will have men compliment her on her figure and so women can tell her how skinny she is getting. She does it for the glory of God, not for her own glory. Ladies, the Word encourages you to be wise, to remain strong, and to stay healthy. It does so not so that you can serve the American cult of self-centered "hotness." he encourages this so that you can be an effective godly woman who loves her husband and who loves her children. In this way you will receive the only praise God desires for you to pursue - the praise of God Himself and the praise of your husband and children as they see in you that servant heart that brings glory to God and good to your family, church, and friends in Jesus name.
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Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters. Proverbs 25:13
How reliable and faithful are you when someone sends you with a message to deliver? Today's proverb encourages us to be faithful messengers. That means when our leaders or a friend - or even God sends us with a message, we need to deliver that message exactly as it was given to us. The problems that come from people misunderstanding one another are myriad. These misunderstandings can be the result of someone not grasping what has been said - but too many times it is because the original message has been changed in some way by the messenger. The end of these misunderstandings can be small - but there are other situations that can mean the difference between life and death itself. Our proverb today involves a practice that was distinct to the region of the middle east. That practice was taking snow from the higher mountainous elevations and packing it very tightly to bring it to the lower, much hotter regions for the purpose of cooling water and other drinks. This was done, according to this proverb, during the time of harvest - which was a time which was very warm in that region of the world. Not only was the temperature hot, but this time of life involved very strenuous labor. That is why having someone bring snow to cool water was such a wonderful thing. It allowed someone to have a cold drink when they were very hot. This wonderful cool drink is compared to someone who is a faithful messenger for his master. He faithfully communicates what his master wants to be said - and therefore refreshes his soul. The refreshing comes because the master knows that what he has said will not be misinterpreted or misunderstood because of a failure to speak the truth about what he has said. It is easy to understand why this is important in business because proper communication in that area can mean the difference between a job done well vesus a job that is completely messed up - and which costs the company anywhere from hundreds to thousands to even millions of dollars. Think about the recent recall of Toyotas that had defective brakes. That cost the company millions of dollars in repairs - and additonal millions of dollars in lawsuits. This happened because somewhere along the line someone did not pass the correct information along - and the brakes were defective because of it. Now consider for a moment the damage that comes when the gospel is not faithfully communicated for our ultimate Master, God. Whether the error is because of a failure to understand the gospel, or because someone has added something they think is important to it, or because of a cult leader who twists the gospel for his own ends - all these scenarios are disastrous . . . eternally! The gospel is the power of God unto salvation - and if communicated so that anything other than the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is our hope - that power is short-circuited. How devastating it will be for those who have believed a false gospel that has only offered to them a false hope. Yet on the other hand how refreshing and delightful it is to God to know that the message of His salvation through Jesus Christ has been communicated faithfully. What a blessing it is to know that salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ has truly transformed another heart and life! It blesses the heart of God (not to mention the heart of the one who has been saved) to know that the gospel has been shared faithfully and truly. Precious saints of God, we need to be faithful messengers with whatever has been communicated to us. We need to be those who take what has been entrusted to us - whether it is something small and seemingly insignificant or something as monumental as the gospel of God itself - and share it just as it has been given to us. By doing this we will be a wonderful drink of cool water on a hot day to those who have sent us. Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips. Do not say, "Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work." Proverbs 24:28-29
How important is it for a soceity to value telling the truth? One might argue that without this the ability of that soceity to function with any sort of justice is completely comprommised. There has to be a basic level of trustworthiness and honesty for a soceity to function. That is why our proverb for today is so important. It urges us to tell the truth - and not to be a witness against our neighbor without cause. Don't lie about your neighbor is what we are being told. This is especially the case when any kind of bitterness of thought of revenge comes into our minds. There is a basic level of honesty that must be prevelent for a soceity to function. Think for a moment about the number of transactions that take place every day that are based on the premise that we are being told the truth. Now consider the number of ponzie schemes that have been exposed recently in our financial system. This undermines everyone's confidence in the system itself. It is only when honesty and truth prevail that one can feel even remotely safe in a society. When that breaks down, the soceity itself breaks down. Unless there is the rule of law - and the most basic levels of truth in what we do - our society will wind up looking like a banana republic where almost everything you do will have to be accompanied by a bribe to be done. There will be no justice - and security will have to be maintained by how well you are armed. All this starts with the breakdown of honesty and truth between neighbors. This is why God tells us NEVER to be a false witness against our neighbor. We are not to give deceitful testimony - but rather to speak the truth. The breakdown of decency is not the fault of Washington. Decency broke down because we abandoned it toward our neighbors. What we have in Washington is what happens when a society in general leaves honesty and accepts growing levels of dishonesty in itself and in its leaders. We would not have the pack of dishonest, money-hungry, power-hungry fools leading us in our capitol accept for the fact that we ourselves did not DEMAND that our leaders be better than that. When faced with dishonesty in office, we should have DEMANDED RESIGNATIONS - and if that did not happen - they should have been told plainly that this is the last term they would ever serve as our representatives in government. Instead we traded truth for government hand-outs in the form of projects, grants, and every other way one can say government bribery without using the word bribe. Without honesty, truth, and integrity - we are doomed as a nation. Our proverb warns us in verse 29 that the worst way that dishonesty raises its ugly head is as a means of revenge. We are presented with a situation in which someone has been a false witness. We are warned not to decide that we will do to them what they have done to us. When we choose to fight fire with fire - everything and everyone gets burned. Scripture teaches us to turn the other cheek. We are informed to allow the proper government authorities to deal with these matters. We are also told that we are to treat others as we would have wanted to be treated ourselves. Know this . . . God is keeping track of all wrongs and His justice will prevail in the end. In the meantime - use every opportunity to show forth grace and mercy - so that you will also have opportunity to share the gospel - even with your enemies. Avoid revenge. It may give you a brief moment of pleasure at their pain - but in the end it will rot your soul. Give your offendedness to God for Him to heal - then embrace the very Spirit of Christ - Who will enable you to be gracioius to those who mistreat you, and will strengthen you to pray for those who abuse you. Then all will see that you are a son of your Father in heaven. Speak truth - be an honest witness - and leave judgment to God. Do not rob the poor because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate; for the LORD will plead their case and take the life of those who rob them. Proverbs 22:22-23
How does God feel about the poor and the afflicted? What kind of safeguard does God have against those who would treat these people with disregard? How does God protect these two groups from being expolited by the unscrupulous actions of others? That is what today's proverb is about. This proverb begins with a warning against robbing the poor or crushing the afflicted at the gate. The gate was the place where financial transactions took place in Israel. It was the "Wall Street" of their society. Because this is where the "movers and shakers" of their culture would meet to transact major business, it was also the place God commanded that the poor and the afflicted be given honest and fair treatment. The Lord warns against robbing from them and afflicting them. The word rob is the Hebrew word "gazal" which means to take something by force or to seize something from another because they cannot resist. Here God is protecting the poor and afflicted because they would not have the kind of business savvy or representation to protect themselves. The poor are those who a low or small in matters of importance in society. The word for poor is used to describe the lame, those who were defeated in a military engagement, or someone who is so weak that they are languishing before others. They cannot rise up to defend themsleves in the gate. They can barely care for themselves. Thus they are easy prey to those who want to abuse and steal. The Lord also warns against crushing the affllicted. The afflicted are those suffering in a state of poverty, oppression, or misery. They are in serious want - and biblically are those whose only hope is in the deliverance and grace of God. They are easy pickings for the ungodly and unprincipled. To crush them is to beat them down and oppress them. Again, their sad state of affairs makes them unable to stop those who would use their power and position to take advantage of their poverty. The warning God gives those with power and authority in the gate is to refrain from treating these people badly. But if someone at the gate would proceed in acting unjustly, we have a picture that should cause us to shrink back in terror. God says that He Himself will plead their cause. The poor and afflicted have no representation - or do they? God said that He would be their representative. He would "plead their case. This word "plead" is a legal term. It means that God Himself will rise up and argue their lawsuit. The word is "riyb" and it means to strive and contend in a lawsuit or legal case. Imagine someone among the poor and afflicted - trying to muster up enough strength to stand in the gate and argue their case. They have no ability to do this - and some in the crowd would even begin to laugh as they haltingly began their defense. Yet, as they stood humiliated in that setting suddenly a noise would be heard - a mighty rushing of wind from heaven - and all present would begin to tremble as the mighty presence of God descended into the area of the gate. The Lord, manifesting Himself as a mighty angel, suddenly appears at the proceeding. All shrink back from His glory and majesty - as they realize that God Himself has come to argue the cause of the afflicted and needy one. The prosecutor falls on his face and becomes speechless in the presence of God. Then God proceeds to take up the case of this one so frail and helpless. But God not only pleads their case with a passion and wisdom that causes all to fall silent. He also does something that terrifies everyone in the court-setting of the gate. Proverbs 22:23 tells us that God will "take the life of those who rob them." The phrase "take the life," is literally in the Hebrew "rob the soul." God promises to rob the soul of those who would rob the poor and afflicted. Our scene now resumes with God finishing His arguments and brilliantly defending the poor and afflicted in the gate. Then He turns to the one who so arrogantly thought he could rob the poor and crush the afflicted. He reaches out a hand toward this one and tears his soul from his body. Robbed of his very soul, the arrogant one falls lifeless to the ground. All gasp in horror as they watch this fool careen toward the ground with a thud. His lifeless, soul-less body now a monument to God's judgment upon those who would abuse the poor. This is what God promises to those who abuse the poor and afflicted ones. This is what He says will come to those who live their lives for the sordid gain they can gather from the weakest among us. Some may read this and mock, saying that they've seen the wealthy and powerful do this many times without retribution from God, but know this - their day is coming. This proverb is a promise from God - so you can know that one day it is going to happen. May you be ready by being one who loves and is gracious and compassionate towards the poor. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud. Proverbs 16:19
Humility is something to be embraced by God's people. It is not usually considered a great thing because often to be humble means that you will not be on the top rung of things. Here where Solomon tells us it would be better to be humble in spirit with the lowly that truth comes out. The humble man is the one who is to embrace a low social position. The humble man does not seek great things for himself. The sense of this Hebrew word is that one is not only humble, but they are also meek (strength under control) and they are contrite (they know their sin and greive over it. The humble also associate with a group most people would shun - the lowly. The lowly are those who are poor, afflicted, and usually crying out for help to the Lord. These people are often absued by the rich and by oppressive leaders. When you associate with such people, it means that you most likely will not be among the movers and shakers of society. Yet it is better to be here among the lowest of the low than to be with those who suffer from pride. Something that will prove helpful in understanding the second part of this proverb is the reality that the humble are not seeking advancement for themselves. They serve God and look to Him for their advancement and their victories. We are warned that it is better to be with the lowly and to be humble with them - than to divide the spoil with the proud. The proud (Hebrew word "ge'eh") are not just proud and haughty - they are those whose pride is bringing the Lord Himself to a point of desiring to judge them. Granted, they are getting the spoil - which meant money and things - but at what cost? The idea of spoil means that they are fighting or warring against another. The spoil was what was left over after they had wiped out their enemies. The proud conquer their opposition, and then rise up and take their stuff afterwards. Their advancement does not come by trusting the Lord - but by dominating and destroying their competition. They leave in their wake a large number of people who are either ruined or are so dominated that they surrender what is theirs to their conquerors. True, they may have a lot of money, a lot of stuff, and victories to their credit - but they also have God as their adversary. God watches all this and burns with anger - responding to their pride and arrogance by promising a recompense that may not come today - but it is surely coming. When you consider this, seeing that even though they have victories and spoils, they come at far too high a price, the judgment of God - you also see why it is better to be with the humble and even oppressed than with this crew who are one day going to face the wrath of God. Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it. Proverbs 15:16
More is better. That is the attitude of the world toward money. But the Scriptures tell us a different story. We learn from Proverbs that it is a far better investment to have the fear of the Lord than it is to have treasure without it. What is interesting to me as I read this particular Proverb today is that the guy who wrote it was arguably the richest man to ever walk the earth. We read that a little with the fear of the Lord is a good thing. The fear of God is a proper reverence for God. It is not a cowering fear that trembles at the thought that God might strike at any moment. It is a respect and reverence that puts one in their proper place - and in so doing this encourages in them a proper response to God. This respect for God will bless in far more ways than money. Since there is a respect for God Himself, there will also be a respect for His Word. This respect for the Bible leads us to read it and apply it. That in turn will bring blessings untold over time. The fear of God also leads one to have a great distaste of displeasing the Lord or disobeying Him. Therefore the principles that one reads in the Word will be followed with great caution. The other option is to get wealth no matter what is at risk. We read there is "turmoil" that comes with this great treasure. Turmoil here means to have confusion, panic, tumult, and distrubance. There are those who have a tremendous amount of money - yet with their riches they also have incredible trouble as well. Their family is destroyed - relationships are strained - and since what they truly value is money - they have few real friends. Instead they have sycophants who hang around them because they think they will be receiving something from them at some point in the future. Solomon had a heart for God at the beginning of his reign in Jerusalem. He had wisdom and turned to seek the Lord. His heart was geared toward pleasing God - and thus it could be said that he feared the Lord. But Solomon loved many women - way too many women. They turned his heart as they had him worship their false gods. Solomon may have been wealthy and may have had anything his heart desired financially, but he was a man filled with turmoil as he grew older. His desires ran rampant in his heart - and he became a fool who sought only after his own pleasure. In the end, his kingdom became more and more difficult to maintain - and his son - who followed his ways wound up losing almost all of it. If you interviewed Solomon at the end of his days, he would have been a man filled with regret - and also filled with a jaded view of things. That is exactly what we see in the book of Ecclesiastes. We watch Solomon looking over everything he had and saying that it all was vanity and like striving after wind. What we learn from his life is exactly what he wrote in this proverb. It is better to have just a little while fearing God - than having it all and living in a constant turmoil over it. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly. Proverbs 13:16
There are several words for prudent that are used throughout the book of Proverbs. This one is slightly different than the others, and as such, is well worthy of our attention for the day. The Hebrew word used here is "arum" which means being crafty, shrewd, or sensible. This adjective can have either a positive or a negative connotation to it. Here in this proverb it is taken in a positive way. We learn more about this word in the other places it is used positively. In Proverbs 12:16 the prudent man does not take offense at an insult. Thus we see that the sensibility and shrewdness shown is seen in a man not allowing an insult to be the stimulus for a reaction. How often has a reaction to an insult gotten us into trouble? We are insulted by something someone says - and we react. The insult itself is not our problem - but too often our reaction to it exacerbates the problem greatly. The insult, if left alone, would not have caused us more than a few moments of uncomfortableness. But when we react, saying something back, suddenly the problem is ours. If things escalate further there could be a very real problem develop that could take months if not years to solve. The prudent man also does not flaunt his knowledge before others (Proverbs 12:23). The wise man understands that a "know-it-all" is often ignored - and even at times resented. He reserves sharing his knowledge for situations when he either is asked, or for times when wisdom is badly needed in a situation. The prudent man also takes careful thought of his ways (Proverbs 14:8). He realizes that his actions have consequences, therefore is careful about what he does and says. He takes care how he lives for he knows that wisdom will help him have a much more profitable and pleasant life. Twice in Proverbs (22:3; 27:12) the wise man avoids danger. He knows that stepping into dangerous situations when he does not have to will raise the risk of injury and damage not just to his physical well-being, but also his spiritual and mental well-being as well. The fool is said to display folly. He does not think before he acts - does not consider his words or his lifestyle. He is quick to do whatever enters his thoughts - and acts without seriously thinking about consequences. Therefore his life is more of a display than a thought out series of actions. What he displays therefore is his lack of thinking - his lack of foresight - his lack of wisdom. He displays foolishness, stupidity, and a lack of a heart for God. There is a saying that goes like this, "Look before you leap." What that saying communicates is that we should not just look at what is before us as we consider leaping - but it communicates thinking about what you are about to do. This is what the prudent man does and yet, he does far more. He actually thinks and reasons according to what God says in His Word. After taking the time to think - to consider - to be sensible in what he is about to do - he then considers as well whether this action is according to the Word of God. This is what allows him to act with knowledge - even displaying knowledge in the choices he makes - rather than just showing everyone that he is a fool. The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor. Proverbs 3:35
Proverbs is all about the difference between the wise man and the fool. It is one of the major themes throughout this book. Therefore it should not be too suprising to see at the close of chapter three that we have a comparison between the wise and the foolish. The comparison that we see shown to us is what these two are receiving for their choices. The wise man receives honor - while the fool gets dishonor. What is most interesting though is how these two ends are described for us. The wise man is said to "inherit" honor. The Hebrew word "nahal" which is used here means to take property as a permanent possession. This was the word that was used to describe how Israel was to receive the promised land. The whole idea of inheritance also brings into focus that there is going to have to be a death for us to receive what God gives us. This points us to the sacrifices that were made when the Mosaic covenant was established. There was no covenant without blood - and without death. But for us the death is not ours - but the death of the sacrifice made on our behalf. Throughout the Old Testament that was the death and sacrifice of the animals upon which they had laid their hands and confessed their sin. But this was just a picture of what was to come. It was a picture of Jesus Christ who would take sin upon Himself and pay the full price for it. As a result, we would be able to inherit salvation - and honor from God. Truly, as the passage says, the WISE will inherit this honor. This reminds us that the ultimate wisdom from God, as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:21-24 is Jesus Christ as Him crucified. "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." The wise turn to Jesus - who is the wisdom of God unto us - as well as our righteousness and our redemption. The fool though is said to "display" dishonor. Here is a wonderful illustration of not just truth - but even of salvation and how we can know that we are saved. The wise inherits honor, but the fool displays his dishonor. Here we have a picture of the fool. Since he has no wisdom by which he can be honored in God's sight - all he has left is to live out his days displaying the dishonorable way that he lives. He shows forth what is in his heart - which is sin and dishonor. He has no work of grace going on inside of him - which is part and parcel of why he lives the way that he does. The lack of grace - the lack of salvation - the lack of wisdom - all will be disaplyed daily in a lifestyle that greives God. Dishonor will be given to God in how he lives because he is lost. So what we see throughout his life is not grace working to show honor - but foolishness and sin revealing dishonor. What do people see in us? What are we revealing or displaying to the world around us. If we were burnt in a fire - we would display the effects of the fire in our bodies for the rest of our lives. If we worked out 3 hours a day - there would be a display in our muscles of the fact that we have done this. What we see in the physical is also true in the spiritual realm as well. When we live by God's wisdom - or better said IF we live by God's wisdom - it WILL be seen in our lives. We will display an honorable life. If we are NOT displaying an honorable life, we should not lie and tell people we are living by His wisdom. IF we are being a fool - and living by the principles of the world - we will display dishonor in our lifestyle. If we are living in a way that dishonors the Lord - it is proof that we are living by foolish principles. There are many who ask the question, "How can I know that I am saved?" They may ask, "How can I know that I am doing God's will?" They want some kind of definitive thing that they can do once and say they know that they are saved. Yet God's Word tells us in a myriad of ways that the proof is in the lifestyle. This does not mean that we are saved by works - because God's Word is clear that it is only by grace we are saved. But . . . if there are no works - no change - no godliness - no living for God's glory and honor . . . we can honestly say that there is probably no salvation. If there is a continued lifestyle that displays dishonor to God - and dishonor towards His Word - dishonor when it comes to a righteous life - then we can know that we are living as a fool - and honestly - we don't know God through the grace He has given us in Jesus Christ. Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. Proverbs 3:34
How does God respond to those who scoff at Him? The first half of our proverb for today reveals that to us - then shares some very wonderful news with us about how the Lord responds to those who are afflicted. God is a God of grace and mercy - but He is not happy with those who mock and scoff at Him and His Word. Here in Proverbs 3:34 we find a strong statement about how God reacts to the ones who are scoffing at Him. We read that God responds with scoffing toward them. The "scoffer" is one who mocks God. He derides the Lord and holds Him in utter contempt - even boasting against the Lord. What God promises to these who mock Him is mocking in return. The difference here is that the human who is insane enough to mock God, does nothing to God by His mocking. He is powerless to have any affect on God's glory or anything to do with God. On the other hand - God's mocking and utter contempt comes with an eternity of consequences - literally! The mocker who thinks himself so powerful has less effect than a flea has as it crashes into an aircraft carrier as it speeds through the ocean. So the one hurt by these actions is the mocker himself - whose mocking is only storing up wrath for himself when God ultimately comes to humble the arrogant. The promise though is not just scoffing to the scoffer - but also grace to the afflicted. The word afflicted here is the Hebrew word "anaw" which has a much wider range than just the afflicted. It means one who is poor, oppressed, afflicted, and humble. This "afflicted one" is not proud, haughty, self-advancing, or self-assertive when it comes to standing before God. He is humble. He puts himself intentionally in a low and meek position. He does not view himself in comparison to men - either presently or in the past. He takes a good look at God and does the only wise thing a man can do - he chooses humility. One Hebrew commentary even suggests the idea of affliction here is that of self-affliction. He sees who he truly is in the sight of God - and chooses to humble himself in the dust before a God whose glory and majesty dwarfs him in a way that cannot be expressed in human language. Yet this humbling of himself is what makes him a candidate for God's grace. God looks at this humilty and desires to bless him. This is nothing more than the promise in James, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." That is pretty much what the writer is saying to us here. May God see us remove ourselves from among the scoffers - and align ourselves with every haste to the ones who humble themselves and give God glory! |
 Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. 
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