Archive for the ‘Wisdom for the Soul’ Category

Proverbs 1.2 For attaining wisdom and discipline

Posted: November 1, 2020 in Proverbs 01, Proverbs 01:02, Seeking Wisdom, Wisdom, Wisdom for the Soul
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Wisdom is the key word of the book and basically means “skill in living.” It is used in the Old Testament to refer to a physical skill such as tailoring, metalwork and woodwork, spinning, engraving and designing, and warfare. Used metaphorically, as in Proverbs, it refers to the skill to live life successfully.

Instruction refers to moral discipline of one’s life, not to classroom instruction. It refers to the discipline of a moral nature.

Understanding means the capability to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, what matters most, and what does not matter at all. To the Hebrew mind, wisdom was not knowledge alone, but the skill of living a godly life as God intended man to live. This word looks at the mental discipline which matures one for spiritual discernment.

Solomon came to the throne with great promise, privilege and opportunity. God had granted his request for understanding and his wisdom exceeded all others. However the shocking reality is that he failed to live out the truth that he knew and even taught his son Rehoboam, who subsequently rejected his father’s teaching.

Proverbs contains a gold mine of biblical theology, reflecting themes of Scripture brought to the lever of practical righteousness, by addressing man’s ethical choices, calling into question how he thinks, lives and manages his daily life in light of divine truth. More specifically, Proverbs calls man to live as the Creator intended him to live when He made man.

The recurring promise of Proverbs is that generally the wise (those of righteousness who obey God) live longer, prosper, and experience joy and the goodness of God temporally, while fools suffer shame and death. On the other hand, it must be remembered that this general principle is balanced by the reality that the wicked sometimes prosper, though only temporarily. Job illustrates that there are occasions when the godly wise are struck with disaster and suffering.

Proverbs 2:16-17 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words. 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God.

Posted: October 31, 2020 in Proverbs 02, Wisdom for the Soul
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To of the most difficult sins to resist are pride and sexual immorality.  Both are seductive.  Pride whispers, you deserve it, sexual desire demands, you need it.  In combination, their appeal is deadly.  Pride appeals to the empty head, sexual enticement to the empty heart.  By looking to God, we can fill our heads with his wisdom and our hearts with his love.  Ask God daily to fill you with his wisdom and love so that there will be little room inside you for these temptations to take root and grow.  Do not be fooled-remember what God says about who you are and what you meant to be. 

Proverbs 31:23 “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.”

Posted: October 31, 2020 in Proverbs 31, Seeking Wisdom, Wisdom, Wisdom for the Soul
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She builds her husband up, and he has respect in the town. She never does things to make him ashamed.

This woman made a significant contribution to her husband’s position in the community and to his success. His domestic comfort promoted his advancement in public honor. A man’s good reputation begins with his home and thus the virtue of his wife.

Proverbs 31:4-7 It is not for Kings, O Lemuel-not for Kings to drink win, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

Posted: October 31, 2020 in Proverbs 31, Seeking Wisdom, Wisdom, Wisdom for the Soul
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Drunkenness might be understandable among dying people in great pain, but it is inexcusable for national leaders.  Alcohol clouds the mind and can lead to injustice and poor decisions.  Leaders have better things to do than destroy themselves with alcohol. 

We are told that every day in Washington there are many cocktail parties for our government officials.  Republicans and Democrats both have this in common-the party membership doesn’t make any difference.  It is tragic to have drinking men in high potions of government!

Proverbs 31:02-07 O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, 3 do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. 4 It is not for Kings, O Lemuel not for Kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, 5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. 6 Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish 7 let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

Posted: October 31, 2020 in Proverbs 31, Seeking Wisdom, Wisdom, Wisdom for the Soul
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These 3 questions, as we stated before, make the person listening more attentive. These questions indicate the serious passion of a mother’s heart. Like Hannah, she had dedicated her child to the Lord.

 (In the verses of 2-9), the godly king is addressed and told that his reign should be characterized by:

(1) Holiness, verse 3;

(2) Sobriety, verses 4-7; and

(3) Compassion, verses 8-9.

This section is filled with concise and solemn warnings against vices to which kings are particularly susceptible; immorality, overindulgence, unrighteous rule and indifference to those in need. 

Verse 3: The prince here, is reminded by his mother not to give his strength and power into the hands of a woman. She is reminding him that someday he will be king, and he must retain his power for the throne. Also, multiplying foreign wives destroys a king like it did Solomon.

Verse 4: Kings and princes are called upon to make decisions that affect the entire kingdom. They must be sober and able to make clear headed decisions. Alcohol affects your ability to function properly. A drastic mistake could be made under the influence of strong drink. In this verse and the next we see that intoxicating drinks can weaken reason and judgment, loosen convictions, or pervert the heart. They do not suit rulers who need clear, steady minds and keen judgment.

Verse 5: A person under the influence of alcohol cannot think clearly and could not remember the laws of the land. A drastic injustice could be done

Verse 6: Strong drink is to be reserved to kill pain. Those who are grieving need wine to help them forget. Strong drink as a medicine dulls the senses and helps to forget.

Verse 7: Just as in this verse here, drinking is for those who cannot face reality. Drinking is a symptom of a greater problem. In extreme cases, possibly relating to a criminal on death row or someone agonizing in pain with a terminal illness or tragic circumstance, are in utter contrast to that of the king.

Proverbs 31:1-3 The sayings of King Lemuel-an oracle his mother taught him “O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.

Posted: October 31, 2020 in Proverbs 31, Seeking Wisdom, Wisdom, Wisdom for the Soul
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The queen mother appealed to her son King Lemuel as only a mother can do and warned him against the greatest threat to his life and reign – women. Kings, due to their power and riches, were great objects of seduction by whorish women. Kings, by their power and riches, lived luxuriously, which promoted lascivious living and the lusts of their eyes and flesh. This great mother despised whores and warned her son against them.

Kings ruled nations, raised armies, and conquered empires. Kings are the greatest rulers in history. They made weighty decisions that affected the lives of those in and out of their kingdoms. They had absolute authority of life and death over every citizen. To influence a king was to influence nations and the lives of millions. For a king to become infatuated with a woman was to give his strength, duty, and honor to the base lusts of his loins!

How many kings have been destroyed by evil women affecting their decisions? Or would it be easier to ask how many kings have not been so affected! The threat was real; the historical record bleak; and the consequences terrible. Kings, and all men in authority, must be stricter and stronger in resisting women than other men. Power is an aphrodisiac and an opportunity for the flesh. On these two counts men in leadership roles must be vigilant. They must deny the flesh to keep themselves, their offices, and their charges.

King Lemuel’s mother knew good women, for she wrote the loftiest description of the most perfect woman ever imagined (31:10-31) She wanted her son the king to have one woman – a virtuous, God-fearing woman – to be his wife. She did not desire a harem for him. She did not allow thoughts of mistresses. She despised concubines and courtesans. She knew his success depended on one great woman as his wife. Consider it well, men!

Samson was judge of Israel, but the conniving whore Delilah brought him down to terrible destruction. David had a harem of wives; but taking the wife of one of his best friends brought him sore trouble, nearly destroyed his kingdom, and cost him dearly for the rest of his life. His son Solomon followed David’s horrible example against his own wisdom and is left in ignominy and shame in the Bible (1 Kgs 11:1-11; Numb 13:26).

What are the lessons? Great mothers warn their sons plainly about the danger of whorish women. Great men, especially in positions of authority or leadership, must take extra precautions to be vigilant against this dangerous threat. And if women can destroy gifted rulers, common men should be even more careful. Great women will realize their sexual power and restrain it diligently for righteous purposes only with their husbands.

There is only one King never moved by evil. David wrote of his distant Son, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain” (II Sam 23:3-4). Jesus Christ is that perfect king. Tempted in all points like other men, He never sinned (Heb 4:15).

Proverbs 31:01 “The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.”

Posted: October 31, 2020 in Proverbs 31, Seeking Wisdom, Wisdom, Wisdom for the Soul
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The name “Lemuel” means unto God. There is no record of a king Lemuel other than here. Many believe this, too, is from Solomon to God. So much of this has already been uttered by Solomon in previous lessons. When we started (in Proverbs, chapter 1:8 told us): “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:” 

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