The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting July 5th on Proverbs 5:11-14

Got 31 days in the month?  

God's got 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs! 

What a coincidence!

For each date then, again this month, you will find commentary on a few verses from the corresponding chapter. There are 7 months in the year with 31 days, so I divided each chapter into 7 parts and spread them out so that each verse will be reviewed on the date related to its chapter by the same number name.  No, I am not deliberately trying to make this explanation complicated! (But, if you can explain my system any better than I have tried to do in the past three 31-day months, there is probably a proverb proclaiming your wisdom, and you will be recognized here for your high achievement!).

Below this introduction you will find the whole chapter representing today's date, with this month's verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments for today low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 5

Warning Against Adultery

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.


7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.

11) My life must be nearly spent then, for I do a lot of groaning.  Or perhaps, on the up side, it just means that the pains will only get worse!  Hmmm.

Anyway, those who ignore Solomon's wise counsel, and partake in sin freely and deliberately, will do some real groaning.  And not just from sore muscles and complaining joints.  Furthermore, I think this warning applies to more than just the sexual adulteries.  Adultery is really any act that violates a commitment to God's ways.  Yes, the wayward wife and the philandering husband (doncha just love our euphemisms?) will lose everything, but so will the thief and the drunkard and many others.  As we wander from God's directions, we wander into trouble.

12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!

12) And then  "How I wish I could go back in time and be caught red-handed!  If only I could be arrested and punished and fined and humiliated and forced to admit that I was a sinner in need of a Savior!  And then saved.  And redeemed.  And live for God.  And avoid this depth of hell."

13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.

13) "If only I had begun with the basics, accepted my place as a student of life, and learned what they longed to teach me."

14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”

14) This sounds like he was "in the docks" in a court room.  I think there is probably no place more lonely, than standing in the shoes of a guilty defendant.  No matter how crowded the court, you stand there isolated before the only righteous Judge, God Himself.  Except, that is, for one other person: the Truth.  The Truth (Jesus Christ) will either condemn you in your sin, or advocate for your defense as one having been redeemed by His blood.  Your guilt will either fall upon you in that moment of judgement, or be taken on His shoulders.  It depends on you.  Will you receive His death and resurrection as offered for you, or take your own death and try to resurrect yourself? 

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?


21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.




[Anyone willing to author an explanation of my system, let me know, and if it makes more sense than my attempts (how could it not?) I will use it in October.]



By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting July 4th on Proverbs 4:14-17

Got 31 days in the month?  

God's got 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs! 

What a coincidence!

For each date then, again this month, you will find commentary on a few verses from the corresponding chapter. There are 7 months in the year with 31 days, so I divided each chapter into 7 parts and spread them out so that each verse will be reviewed on the date related to its chapter by the same number name.  No, I am not deliberately trying to make this explanation complicated! (But, if you can explain my system any better than I have tried to do in the past three 31-day months, there is probably a proverb proclaiming your wisdom, and you will be recognized here for your high achievement!).

Below this introduction you will find the whole chapter representing today's date, with this month's verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments for today low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 4

Get Wisdom at Any Cost


1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.
Though it cost all you have,[b] get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.”


10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.

14) Just a foot on the path is enough to drag us in with the wicked.  Not necessarily "in" with a particular gang of evildoers, but "in" the same status, the same camp, the same destiny.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.

15) The required self discipline, or true self control, comes only from God as a fruit of the spirit.  

Galatians 5:22,23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.

16) Scary.  The streets are full of such men.  God help us.

17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.

17) May the redeeming work of God in Christ deliver us from evil.  Not just from the violent works of the wicked, but from the evil seed born within me, and what it would produce.

18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.


20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
[Anyone willing to author an explanation of my system, let me know, and if it makes more sense than my attempts (how could it not?) I will use it in October.]



By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting July 3rd on Proverbs 3:16-20

Got 31 days in the month?  

God's got 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs! 

What a coincidence!

For each date then, again this month, you will find commentary on a few verses from the corresponding chapter. There are 7 months in the year with 31 days, so I divided each chapter into 7 parts and spread them out so that each verse will be reviewed on the date related to its chapter by the same number name.  No, I am not deliberately trying to make this explanation complicated! (But, if you can explain my system any better than I have tried to do in the past three 31-day months, there is probably a proverb proclaiming your wisdom, and you will be recognized here for your high achievement!).

Below this introduction you will find the whole chapter representing today's date, with this month's verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments for today low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 3

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

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


3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.


5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.


7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.


9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.


11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.


13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.

16) Who is the "her" here?  "She" is Wisdom!

And she brings long life, riches and honor!  Why do we not beckon her and listen to her counsel, instead of resist and scorn what she has to say?

17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.

17) Oh no!  Now pleasant ways and paths of peace!

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.

18) It all comes back to free will.  Freedom of choice.  On what basis will you make your decisions, big and small?


19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;

19) Any cursory glance at the "earth's foundations", or deep look into the heavens, will reveal the under girding wisdom of God.   Our scientists continually reveal the intricacies and marvels of the material world, yet constantly work to dissuade the natural tendency of rational man to connect the wonderfully created with a wonderful creator; instead they propose improvable and scandalously unscientific alternative explanations for its workings and its origin.  Let the truth stand.  It was by His wisdom, accomplished.

20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

20) If wisdom is knowledge applied correctly, imagine what foundational knowledge God does inherently master. 


21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the Lord will be at your side
and will keep your foot from being snared.


27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
who lives trustfully near you.
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
when they have done you no harm.


31 Do not envy the violent
or choose any of their ways.


32 For the Lord detests the perverse
but takes the upright into his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.
34 He mocks proud mockers
but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
35 The wise inherit honor,
but fools get only shame.




[Anyone willing to author an explanation of my system, let me know, and if it makes more sense than my attempts (how could it not?) I will use it in October.]


By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting July2nd on Proverbs 2:9-11

Got 31 days in the month?  

God's got 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs! 

What a coincidence!

For each date then, again this month, you will find commentary on a few verses from the corresponding chapter. There are 7 months in the year with 31 days, so I divided each chapter into 7 parts and spread them out so that each verse will be reviewed on the date related to its chapter by the same number name.  No, I am not deliberately trying to make this explanation complicated! (But, if you can explain my system any better than I have tried to do in the past three 31-day months, there is probably a proverb proclaiming your wisdom, and you will be recognized here for your high achievement!).

Below this introduction you will find the whole chapter representing today's date, with this month's verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments for today low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.


9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.

9) What a promise!  But what a Promiser!  God's promises are not like man's: He does not blow smoke or bait and switch or dabble in semantics.  Romans 3:4 makes the distinction:   Let God be true, and every human being a liar.  Perhaps you have trouble even imagining that what God says, He means.  But He does, and you can cling to His word. 

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

10) Go back and re read verses 1-4 above.  They are the "ifs" that lead to these precious "thens" we are reading now.  Anybody can do the "ifs", and they can be done from anywhere at anytime under any circumstances.  Let me gather the verbs together here, and you tell me if they can be done in heavy traffic, in the sickest of sickbeds, or in the direst of dire straights: Accept, store-up, turn, apply, call out, cry aloud, look and search for.  The only one that might be difficult to do if you were locked in the trunk of a car is to store-up His commands within you.  Unless you have a Bible and a flashlight, it may be too late for the storing up so do that now!

11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

11) Thank you Lord, for this great promise.  Please help me to accept your offer and practice the ifs you have given me.  I can always use discretion and understanding!

12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.


16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a]
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.


20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.




[Anyone willing to author an explanation of my system, let me know, and if it makes more sense than my attempts (how could it not?) I will use it in October.]

By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting July 1st on Proverbs 1:13-19

Got 31 days in the month? 

God's got 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs! 

What a coincidence!

For each date then, again this month, you will find commentary on a few verses from the corresponding chapter. There are 7 months in the year with 31 days, so I divided each chapter into 7 parts and spread them out so that each verse will be reviewed on the date related to its chapter by the same number name.  No, I am not deliberately trying to make this explanation complicated! (But, if you can explain my system any better than I have tried to do in the past three 31-day months, there is probably a proverb proclaiming your wisdom, and you will be recognized here for your high achievement!).

Below this introduction you will find the whole chapter representing today's date, with this month's share of verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments on each one low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 1

Purpose and Theme

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:


2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.


7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools[c] despise wisdom and instruction.

Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom
Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9 They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
10 My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;

13) How easy it is to justify our sin  ("But honey, if you help me cheat that no good store I'll be able to buy you that new car you want.").  We can always list some kind of payoff that makes it easier to lie or cheat or steal or gossip.

14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot ”—

14) Do they really need YOU to join them?  Will your involvement make their crime possible, or are you pressured to join them in shoplifting or smoking or drinking or vandalism or selling dope, just so they can spread their guilt around?  So they can minimize their personal conviction?

15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;

15) Listen to your father!  He is the only one truly on your side, and he knows what's really going on here!

16 for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.

16) Perhaps you think YOU will be the slowing voice of peace and reason once you have joined the gang.  No.  You will be caught in the hurry of evil and go down with the rest before you know what's happening.

17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!

17) That's why the corrupt nature of your tempting friends is so well hidden.  They intend for you to have the wrong, favorable impression.  Of course you like (most) of their traits, and sympathize with the rest.  But you are either already too corrupted to care where they will take you down, or too innocent to recognize the trap.  Listen to your father!

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!

18) This is their ultimate destiny, yes, but that is no consolation to a potential initiate, or much real comfort to their victims.  God will justly punish all the unrepentant perpetrators from all times.  Don't be one of them.

19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.

19) So the "ill-gotten gain" leads to... .what benefit?  Please take the narrow path that leads to life.


Wisdom’s Rebuke

20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:


22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you —
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.


28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”





[Anyone willing to author an explanation of my system, let me know, and if it makes more sense than my attempts (how could it not?) I will use it in October.]



By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

A Few Memories of My Brother Tom

Something I wrote for my brother's funeral today.  The funeral is in Alaska, but 5 of his siblings will meet in Wisconsin this afternoon and watch via the internet:

Tom is on the bottom, the baby boy (me) is on top.

Picture a staid and sober guy, in the middle of a serious discussion about....oh, about ANYTHING; from peak oil to old Pontiacs; or from Alaskan politics to chain saw sharpening. That's Tom. And then he says "Hey Mike, what's this?" and he starts jumping up and down with his arms flailing above his head, face all in a panicking grimace, and screaming as if in terrible pain! I am tempted to say "I almost got it, could you do it again?", but since this is Tom's very oldest gag and he knows I've seen it a million times, I laugh again at the crazy antics of his seemingly favorite joke, and say "The first man on the sun!" Then of course Tom regains his professional composure, sweeps the long bangs out of his eyes (this is a very old memory) and mumbles something like "why yes, the first man on the sun...it's damn hot up there you know..." Then he says, "Did you know...?" but before he can get quite back into the discussion about jellyfish or camera optics he grabs the nearest of his loving nieces by the waist and tickles her madly like only a favorite Uncle could!

I've been pretty mopey all week. How could it be that one of my brothers, the oldest and most munificent, whose generosity and great desire to simply share, whether from his horde or from his want, poured happily into my life as it did into any life that came within Tom's range, is now gone? The first smile came back to me when I pictured him doing his first man on the sun bit. But other smiles of gratitude have followed.

Tom came home from Viet Nam with a fancy camera he bought in Hong Kong. He let me "play" with it freely. Somehow I stripped the film inside to shreds. One year he left his cool 10 speed bike at home for me to use. I crashed it. When I arrived in Ketchikan car less after my Nova died in British Columbia in April of 1982, he not only put me up, but let me use his big old orange van to get around the island and look for a job. I ate too much, and used too much gas. When I got a cool job on Prince of Wales Island, he set me up with the rain gear and halibut jacket etc. that I would need until my first check came in. I paid him back! When my fiance arrived a few months later he and Terry put her up as well! And then both of us for a few weeks until we were married on September 11th.

The date did not matter then, and Tom never even mentioned to me that day, that it was his birthday! Thanks for standing up for me that day Tom. I am glad to stand up today, and honor you as my big brother. Thanks for always being willing to help me out, and to share, more than anything else, your great love for me and my family; for Kiki and Victoria and Noah and Josh. Me, my wife, and the kids all love you deeply, and we will miss your renowned input into our lives.






By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 31st on Proverbs 31:10-14

[If you have been here before, in May, then you might want to skip down below the green for today's post.]

"Thirty days hath September, 

April, June and November

All the rest have 31

Except February which has 28

Except during leap year when it has 29"

NO I DID NOT WRITE THIS "POEM"!  (Talk about free verse!)

Why didn't somebody just point out that the four months that do NOT have 31 days (except February, and everyone knows all about February The Exceptional) come every other month except that there is no 30 day month between July and August?  The silly poem above mixes up the order just to hide the fact that the real 30 day months come in two orderly pairs: April/June and September/November.  Can somebody please write a non-silly poem for us that will make this clear, and stick in our minds, but without gooping them up with exceptions (and please just leave February out of it!)?

And to make matters (far) worse, MILLERWRITES has created a Proverbs Pull-A-Part Plan that decimates that fine collection of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, by spreading commentary on each chapter out over 7 months (the good 31 day months)!  Oh don't ask me to explain his system.  You can try to decipher what he said about it at the top of any P31P posts from January or March if you like, or just follow along this month and figure it out.

All Bible passages are from the NIV, and are copied here from Biblegateway.com

REMEMBER: My ideas may be oh so mesmerizing, but you will get more benefit from simply reading the chapter itself!

So here I offer my amateur comments on verses 10-14.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).

PROVERBS 31

1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.


2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.


4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.


8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

By the Way: The rest of this chapter, verses 10-31, were written as an acrostic poem.  Each verse begins with a successive letter from the Hebrew alphabet.
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

10) "A noble character".  This is what a man really wants in his wife.  Can we all agree (at least those of us who are not still in our 20s) that having the "hot wife", or the "trophy wife" or the "supermodel wife" is simply not that important?  It is her honesty, her integrity; her maturity and wisdom; her willing and loving heart that far outweigh any physical attributes that may provide only a bonus.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value. 

11) Picture all the things that have true value.  None of them cost a penny, but a good wife can make them all appear through the work of her godly love. [Please note: As a poetic effort, remember that this section describes a super ideal wife.  One that probably has never existed in total and probably never will (The church, which is called "the bride of Christ", is not pictured here!).]

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

12) What man could ask for more than that? 

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

13) She is practical, diligent, and sacrificial.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

14) Sounds like she makes an effort to provide, not just quality meals, but with promising variety and surprise.

15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.




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