Brian @ Wongside

A few weeks, I did a post on Proverbs 23, which admonishes us not to strain to become rich. As a follow up, I love the message I found in the Mercury News a few weeks back. The article details the life of Jim Safka, former CEO of Ask.com. Through a series of unfortunate events, Jim Safka is confronted with his own mortality and decides he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life slaving away at some job. (Yes, CEOs can be slaves as well. They report to the Board of Directors and to the shareholders.)

So he quit his job at Ask.com and found something closer to home and with some more flexibility.

Sounds like he really took Proverbs 23 to hearth, perhaps without even knowing it.

Verse 3:

When I was a boy in my father’s house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother

This is an interesting bit of narrative. Solomon was the son of Bathsheba. The woman with whom David committed adultery.  He subsequently murdered her husband, and tried to cover it all up. But God knew better. But this seems to indicate that (at least for a while) Solomon was an only child. I wonder if he was always an only child, or if Bathsheba and David subsequently had other children who are not mentioned. Interesting…

Verses 1-2:

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

Seems to me that Solomon is not only admonishing his son, but us as well, that the wisdom contained in the Proverbs is useful for prolonging life and bringing about prosperity.

Verses 5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Two of my favorite verses in the entire Bible, and the very first two I memorized. Such a great comfort and affirmation. When we trust in God with all that we are, He takes care of the rest and makes our paths straight.  It’s only when we fail to do this that we end up in trouble.

Verse 7:

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

An admonition to not be haughty or proud. It seems that fearing God and shunning evil go hand-in-hand.

Verse 6:

For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

This is why James so admonishes the “12 tribe scattered among the nations” to ask God for wisdom. He’s the only one who can truly give it to us.

Verse 12:

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse

Does this seem to imply that wicked men are foolish?  Not sure whether or not the context allows the converse to be true.

Verses 16-17:

[Wisdom] will save you also from the adulteress,
from the wayward wife with her seductive words,
who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.

It’s an odd context to be reminded from.  But this is a lesson Charlene and I learned in our pre-engagement class. When you make your wedding vows, they are not primarily to the other person. They are made primarily towards God. In that way, the other person’s actions have no bearing on our vows. It doesn’t matter what they do or what they say, the vows I made to God on my wedding day are still in effect.

According to this verse, the adulteress has ignored this covenant to God.

Verse 10:

My son, if sinners entice you,
do not give in to them.

Such a bold statement in the first Proverb. I like the admonition to refrain from being swayed by peer pressure.

Verse 20:

Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public squares

I find it interesting that wisdom is personafied as a woman. (Not that women can’t be wise. I just find it an interesting way to anthropomorphize Wisdom.)

Charlene is already aware of this, but this was part of the set of criteria I was looking for in my future wife before we even started dating. I’ll do a more thorough analysis of some of the verses, but for now, here’s verse 10:

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

Indeed, a wife such as this is quite valuable. I am blessed to have a wife of noble character. They’re not impossible to find, but they are quite rare.

I thought this set of proverbs was a really nice change of pace from the rest of the proverbs. Apparently they’re the sayings of Agur. I have no idea who he is, but for the description in the text that Agur is and oracle and the son of Jakeh.

Verse 3:

I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

I can’t decide if this is simply a self-deprecating remark, i.e., who am I to claim that I really, truly “know” God, or if this is a remark that indicates he was not a follower of Jehovah. I’m inclined to believe the former.

Verses 5-6:

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

A great reminder when claiming the promises of God. His words are flawless, if for whatever reason it looks like God is fail to live up to His promises, it can’t be Him. As Pastor Paul at Abundant Life is fond of saying, when we claim God’s promises, we need to claim the whole thing, and that often means backing up to the verse prior and claiming that as well.

Verses 7-9:

Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

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.

These are great verses. Such wisdom! Requesting neither poverty nor riches, but the fine balance between the two. And it’s totally true, if we have too much, we forget God, and forget that He is our Provider. On the other hand, if we’re poor we might be prone to stealing and sinning against him.

Verse 7:

The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.

James expresses a similar sentiment when he indicates that true religion is taking care of orphans and widows in their distress.

Verse 18:

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
but blessed is he who keeps the law.

A verse I’ve heard quoted as the reason to be good at casting a vision and making sure that the people know the vision. I’ve read other translations indicate that the people will perish rather than cast off restraint.

Verse 13:

He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

A vivid reminder also found in James 5:16 that we should confess our sins–not simply to confess them, but because it produces real results. In this case, the verse indicates we will find mercy. The verse in James says that we will be healed.

Verse 1:

Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

A great reminder, also found in the Book of James

Verse 17:

As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.

Love this verse! Totally true and a great reason to have close brothers in Christ who can keep me accountable. I’m talking to my groomsmen here!

Verse 19:

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

Deep wisdom in this statement. If only men were more apt to share their hearts.

Verse 21:

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but man is tested by the praise he receives.

I often think this is true, especially for people who have a public face in Church, particularly pastors, worship leaders, emcees, etc. It’s easy to get a lot of praise in positions like that. Even as a worship leader, I’ve  been tested by the praise I receive. That’s why when people in such positions do a good job, rather than telling them “Worship was awesome tonight” or “That was a great sermon” I prefer the approach of thanking them for their time, efforts, service, or ministry to the church. Then it goes from being praise (which may or may not be construed as taking glory from God) to a statement of thankfulness.

Even in my own experiences as a worship leader, I’ve found it much easier to give praise to God when people make similar comments to me.