Whoever strays from the path of wisdom
ends up in the congregation of the dead.
Whoever loves pleasure becomes poor.
Whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.
The wicked is a ransom for the righteous
and the faithless for the upright.
It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome, worrisome wife. Proverbs 21:16-19, TLV
It’s Time to Open Some Boxes… Some of you may know we moved from Georgia to Illinois. We close on our house here in a few weeks, which means the movers will arrive shortly—hopefully—and we’ll begin the arduous task of unpacking. Today’s a pericope [a periscope is a set of verses that forms one coherent unit or thought] is a vivid reminder of what is to come—and what I need to unpack in my heart.
So, for this blog, I want to simply open a few boxes. Take a quick peek inside and see if we can’t glean a few treasures of truth before we begin our own unpacking with the Holy Spirit.
Verse 17 begins our unpacking: “Whoever loves pleasure becomes poor. Whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.” The direction I sensed the LORD taking me was not where I had initially expected. He laid the word foundation in my spirit. I believe this was the initial spark that He was going to reveal even more.
Summarizing
I could summarize my blog by: We sometimes forget that just because we have our sure foundation in Jesus’ blood covering us, it doesn’t end there. What we build on that foundation is also important. We can build what we want or, what God wants. And I don’t think we always know that—at least I don’t always know.
Opened Box #1: Foundation—What is the Lord showing us?
What we’re in charge of:
- Who we’re in relationship with
- What our community consists of
- Our primary focus in that community
It is easy to take each of these out of context and miss the whole picture the Holy Spirit is trying to show us. Having respect for context is critical to living God’s word. One of the best ways I know to learn the importance of context is by reading Proverbs each day.
Opened Box #2: Context.
The “Whoevers” appear to be pointing their way to a group of
people in particular. As an author, one of the first things publishers and editors drill into us is, “who is your audience?” Knowing who we’re writing to and for impacts how and what we write.
While most of Scripture lessons are for both male and female, there are passages that are clearly delineated for a specific group. I would say these passages could be meant that way, let the Holy Spirit guide you.
Opened Box #3: Audience
When meditating on a pericope, take special note of the first and last verses. Someone I know calls them the “bookends.” I like that. The first verse mentions the first “whoever” and the last verse ends with a seeming non sequitur about quarrelsome and worrisome wives driving their husbands into the desert.
So, does that mean difficult women — who stray from the path of wisdom — can cause serious problems? Even deadly ones as mentioned in verse 16?
Before we “blink”* past those questions, I have to tell you a true story. This is not a “someone-who-knows-someone-who-knows-someone-to the fifth degree.” This was told to me by a family member who was directly involved.
Testimony
This family member was asked to teach a group of women the basics of living a Christian life. She began with the very basics of what the Bible says how to be a good wife and mother—a lot of which meant being there for their families. Very basic. Very practical. Very boring — on the surface.
Well, this didn’t sit too well with most of the women. One woman in particular. She felt she was called to greater things. She argued that Jesus called all of us to preach the gospel and that wasn’t getting accomplished by preparing dinner and making beds.
These women stopped showing up for the discipleship meetings and began going out on “mission trips” to the local tavern — without their husbands. A tavern was where they could do the “most good,” they said. Here they could make a real difference. They didn’t need their husbands for protection — GOD was their protection.
This went on for a while. One evening the woman who spearheaded the “mission work,” had an argument with her husband. She took the car keys and drove off in a huff.
It was the last time her family saw her. She was later killed in a tragic car accident.
Shortly after this horrible heartbreak, the ladies contacted my family member and begged to be taught. These women stayed in fellowship for years. They went on to do great exploits with their families and for the LORD—some internationally. But it began with the foundational basics of accepting and living their Biblical responsibilities. Being accountable.
No Coincidence
It’s no coincidence that the noun for wisdom in the
Hebrew is feminine. It is why wisdom is referred to as a woman. What if wisdom strayed? It would be death at so many levels.
Opened Box #4: Women.
It seems when we stray from the path of wisdom we end up in an undesirable place. I’m not saying that anyone who does will end up like that poor woman, but there’s no question it’s not where we want to be. And I think we all want to be where God wants us to be, yes?
Four Boxes
So, we’ve peeked inside four boxes: foundation, context, audience, and women. And it seems there are more unopened boxes for us. I wonder what the Holy Spirit will show us in the months and years ahead.
Think More About It
What are the boxes that trouble your heart? Have you unpacked them with the Holy Spirit?
Until tomorrow, may we unpack all our Heavenly Father has for us, my friends.
Please, end the evil of the wicked
and sustain the righteous.
A just God examines hearts and minds.
My shield is God—
Savior of the upright in heart. Psalm 7:10-11, TLV
Many times Scripture give us the exact words we want to pray. These are those verses. Nothing I can add. Amen! Chag Semeach and God bless.
*A “blink” verse or passage are Bible verses that we tend to blink past. Either not really reading or because it’s confusing we ignore it and more on. Thanks to Dr. Raleigh Washington (co-creator of Promise Keepers and Road to Jerusalem) for coining this term.
