29-31

29.

Wisdom, righteousness, evil, justice & discipline

3. A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth

6. An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad

11. A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control

13. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

15. The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother

17. Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul

30.

This whole proverb is so good:

2 "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Let this be my prayer:
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

15 "The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. "There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!':
16 the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'

17 "The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

18 "There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.
20 "This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth 
 and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.'

21 "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:
22 a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food,
23 an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.

24 "Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;
27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.

29 "There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing:
30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;
31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat, 
and a king with his army around him.

32 "If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth!
33 For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, 
so stirring up anger produces strife."


31.

Proverbs 31 Woman: The Wife of noble character

10. A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies
11. Her husband has confidence in her…
12. She brings him good, not harm…
15. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls
17. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks
18. She sees her trading is profitable…
20. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy
22. …she is clothed in fine linen and purple
25. she is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come
26. She speaks wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue
28. …her husband also, and he praises her…
30. …but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised

Some things I’ve noticed about this woman:
She is:
*Valuable
*Good
*Hard-working (and has strong hands)
*Nurturing
*Smart
*Business-minded
*Gracious
*Giving
*Hospitable
*Well-dressed
*Strong
*Dignified
*She has a sense of humor
*Wise
*Faithful
*A teacher
*An overseer
*Loved
*God-fearing
*Praised (and that’s a good thing – that she can be rewarded by the praise of the city people)

She isn’t meek or timid or just there for beauty. She is a part of the community along with being an important part of the household. She makes business decisions and takes care of her family. And this is noble.

27, 28

27.

1. Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Reference to Matt 6:34 - “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of it’s own.”
Only God knows what tomorrow will bring and most days I am much happier about tomorrow being in God’s hands than in mine, but somedays I’m only thinking about tomorrow.

5. Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
Amen! You are hiding your love by not confessing to your brothers and sisters that you are worried about them (for any reason) and by not holding them accountable and to a higher calling.
6. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

9. Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel.

17. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

19. As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.

All this to say: friends are important. Deep relationships with those friends, even more so.
Those friendships keep you strong and make you stronger. They provide wisdom and insight. And the heart really shows who you are – not your head…

28.

12. When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

13. He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
So much easier to hide and conceal – but then it gets worse. But if we confess, we find sweet mercy and grace.

14. Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
First reading this, it seems like these 2 lines are unrelated (at least to me) but really exactly what I am doing when I harden my heart is say “it’s okay. I’m strong. I don’t need anyone.” This is something I’ve been working on. It was easy for me to put on a front after some pretty bad heartbreak and “not need anyone” but I’ve changed a lot since then, and am definitely a lot “softer” but I still struggle with that. It’s so much easier to put up that front. I don’t allow myself to be vulnerable with others and especially with God. I can say all I want that I trust in God and his plan for my life, but unless I soften up a little bit I’m not completely fearing the Lord and apparently I fall into trouble.

19. He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
God, I pray that you show me my land versus my fantasies and show me where my purpose lies and in what land I should be working.

26. He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

27. He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.