It’s Time to Open Some Boxes . . .

TODAY’S PROVERB: 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

Last month Daniah and I discovered one of those precious moments—those amazing moments when the Holy Spirit provokes us to spend more time with a passage. In this case a pericope [a periscope is a set of verses that forms one coherent unit or thought]. What’s especially sweet is that we both happened upon it together, at the same time.

We said we wanted to unpack this more this month together, 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 unpacking.

Your comments from last month’s blog and video were very encouraging and helpful in affirming us in this journey. Thank you! Here are a few:

• Shelly said: “I love it that you show the process of wrestling with scripture. Some people need to see THAT from their leaders/mentors and not the “finished product” all the time. So thank you.”
• Cheryl commented: “Wow… I love it when ‘the unpacking…’ is stated.”
• Jennifer provided insights: “Great share and insight ladies! I see loving the wine and oil as an example loving what nourishes us physically more than what nourishes us spiritually. Basically keep focused on spiritual things as we walk through this fleshly temporary realm. Have a blessed evening!!”

For our Proverbs LIVE discussion, I had chosen verse 17 as our focus: “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.

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.

Opened Box #1: Foundation.

Daniah explained that the pericope means we need to pay attention to how these verses fit together. What is the LORD showing us? She highlighted that these verses talk about:

• What we’re in charge of
• Who we’re in relationship with
• Who is our community
• What we’re focused on

We both noticed how easy it would be 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.

What I hadn’t seen while writing the blog for December 21^st, and what’s so clear now, is that 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 Scriptures’ 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, but we’ll know more as we unpack.

Opened Box #3: Audience

When meditating on a pericope, take special note of the first and last verses. Daniah 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.

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.

It’s no coincidence that the noun for wisdom in the Hebrew is feminine. It’s 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?

So, we’ve peeked inside four boxes: foundation, context, audience, and women. And it seems there are more unopened boxes for us. I’m looking forward to today’s Proverbs LIVE with my dear friend. Hope you’ll join us.

May we unpack all our Heavenly Father has for us, my friends.

Proverbs 21:16-19  #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs