Note: Last night I just hit the wall. I tried reading the passage, but it just refused to make sense. Tonight (despite in many ways a more arduous day), I seem to be a little more on top of things. Sorry about the delay!
--
Today’s commentary is very short, but that’s because the message of the chapter is so strikingly clear.
Chapter 9 continues with the contrast between Wisdom and the wayward woman, but it spells out a little more clearly why the two are opposed.
The whore is representative not merely of sexual pleasures, but of the attitude in life that forgets about the tough questions and simply goes with the flow. It sounds great to do that sometimes. Life as a Christian can be very difficult, and you’re frequently running head-on against the world’s attitudes and values.
But as attractive as it may be to ignore brutal reality, it’s also stupid.
If a bus is about to hit me, thinking about something else does not protect me from being hit. Reality doesn’t care whether I think about it or not. Reality is what is still there if you stop believing in it. Wisdom says that one needs to understand and accept reality as much as one is able to.
Wisdom isn’t so much the ability to understand the world. If that were so, intelligent people would be wiser than people with less intelligence; the fact is we all know people with a high intelligence who live in a most unwise manner, and people whose intelligence is less developed and yet who possess considerable wisdom.
No, wisdom is more about the willingness to understand as fully as one can – and importantly, to accept whatever truths one discovers, whether they are what we want to hear or not.
And it is through wisdom that life deepens.
30 June 2011
28 June 2011
Chapter 8
Solomon contrasts the seductress (who could almost be seen as the very image of foolishness) with this personification of Wisdom.
The Message translation is a little jarring here – “You blockheads!” she says. “Shape up!” But really, that’s kind of the point of The Message. Much as we have ideas otherwise, the Bible was never actually written in the deep “spiritual” language we associate with it. Rather it was originally written in a very vernacular tongue. In any case, I digress.
Yesterday we read that the adulterous woman lay in wait for her prey in the dark. In contrast, Wisdom cries out in the middle of the street. Wisdom is available to all, at any time. And she’s not subtle – she calls out to anyone who will listen, and even plenty who won’t.
We also see that Wisdom is explicitly linked to truth, and to the knowledge of God. Once again, to Jews there was little conflict here; wisdom = God, and God = wisdom. Also the view of Wisdom is considerably more holistic than our view, encompassing (as it does) moral wisdom as well as mental wisdom.
Verses 12-21 in particular are good for understanding this.
Wisdom describes herself as:
• Connected with Sanity, Knowledge and Discretion.
• Opposed to evil, pride, arrogance and crooked talk.
• The assistance of authorities who govern well
• Accompanied by wealth and glory
• Substantial honour and reputation also
• Better than big salaries or bonuses
• Found in the same place as righteousness or justice.
Wisdom is the first of God’s creation, described as being created before the Heavens and the Earth. And here there is a poetic description of the role of Wisdom in the initial creation of our universe.
So what does all this flowery language and poetry mean for us?
Well, it’s obvious really. Solomon’s intent is to leave us thinking about where we lack wisdom and where we can get more. We all want wisdom; and James tells us that if anyone lacks, he should ask God, who will give wisdom to those who ask!
So now we know why it’s important. Time to pray for greater wisdom, people!
The Message translation is a little jarring here – “You blockheads!” she says. “Shape up!” But really, that’s kind of the point of The Message. Much as we have ideas otherwise, the Bible was never actually written in the deep “spiritual” language we associate with it. Rather it was originally written in a very vernacular tongue. In any case, I digress.
Yesterday we read that the adulterous woman lay in wait for her prey in the dark. In contrast, Wisdom cries out in the middle of the street. Wisdom is available to all, at any time. And she’s not subtle – she calls out to anyone who will listen, and even plenty who won’t.
We also see that Wisdom is explicitly linked to truth, and to the knowledge of God. Once again, to Jews there was little conflict here; wisdom = God, and God = wisdom. Also the view of Wisdom is considerably more holistic than our view, encompassing (as it does) moral wisdom as well as mental wisdom.
Verses 12-21 in particular are good for understanding this.
Wisdom describes herself as:
• Connected with Sanity, Knowledge and Discretion.
• Opposed to evil, pride, arrogance and crooked talk.
• The assistance of authorities who govern well
• Accompanied by wealth and glory
• Substantial honour and reputation also
• Better than big salaries or bonuses
• Found in the same place as righteousness or justice.
Wisdom is the first of God’s creation, described as being created before the Heavens and the Earth. And here there is a poetic description of the role of Wisdom in the initial creation of our universe.
So what does all this flowery language and poetry mean for us?
Well, it’s obvious really. Solomon’s intent is to leave us thinking about where we lack wisdom and where we can get more. We all want wisdom; and James tells us that if anyone lacks, he should ask God, who will give wisdom to those who ask!
So now we know why it’s important. Time to pray for greater wisdom, people!
27 June 2011
Chapter 7
A combination of extreme busyness during the weekend and computer struggles have gotten in the way of the Commentary, and for this I apologise. But no matter – we press on!
Tonight’s commentary is a short one, but it’s power packed. Once again, Solomon deals with the topic of adultery. He details the story of a young man seduced and taken away by a (married!) woman.
Once again, we can be struck by the contrast. Without a doubt many men in our society would think “The lucky guy!” After all, a (rich and beautiful) woman has declared her intention to have sex with him. That’s all she wants.
Hey, if that’s all she wants, where’s the harm?
But notice the metaphor that Solomon uses to describe him walking off towards her bed – “Like a calf led to the butcher’s shop; like a stag lured into ambush . . like a bird flying into a net.”
He’s not just describing RISKING death; he goes further. From Solomon’s viewpoint, the young man is already dead, he just doesn’t know it yet.
Not physically dead, of course. Even in the roughest of sexual relationships this would be unusual. But dead in the sense that he’s given up his life to this woman (quite probably without know what he’s lost). And the metaphor sees the seductress as the hunter – no subtlety here!
It’s tempting to see sex between consenting adults as a victimless crime, but it’s not. Quite apart from the harm it inflicts on the innocent husband (mentioned but not seen here), it hurts those who participate, in that whether they realize it or not, they will form a relationship. I have observed that friends who have experienced sexual relationships before they get married do have a higher incidence of marital trouble – so perhaps the damage it does could be seen as like a ticking time bomb.
What is Solomon’s answer? Bluntly, don’t go near her!
Oh, and ladies? Don’t you be smug – guys can seduce girls just as easily. So the same applies to you too. Treat that seemingly guilt-free encounter with caution. No, better than that – don’t give in! It’s dangerous!
Tonight’s commentary is a short one, but it’s power packed. Once again, Solomon deals with the topic of adultery. He details the story of a young man seduced and taken away by a (married!) woman.
Once again, we can be struck by the contrast. Without a doubt many men in our society would think “The lucky guy!” After all, a (rich and beautiful) woman has declared her intention to have sex with him. That’s all she wants.
Hey, if that’s all she wants, where’s the harm?
But notice the metaphor that Solomon uses to describe him walking off towards her bed – “Like a calf led to the butcher’s shop; like a stag lured into ambush . . like a bird flying into a net.”
He’s not just describing RISKING death; he goes further. From Solomon’s viewpoint, the young man is already dead, he just doesn’t know it yet.
Not physically dead, of course. Even in the roughest of sexual relationships this would be unusual. But dead in the sense that he’s given up his life to this woman (quite probably without know what he’s lost). And the metaphor sees the seductress as the hunter – no subtlety here!
It’s tempting to see sex between consenting adults as a victimless crime, but it’s not. Quite apart from the harm it inflicts on the innocent husband (mentioned but not seen here), it hurts those who participate, in that whether they realize it or not, they will form a relationship. I have observed that friends who have experienced sexual relationships before they get married do have a higher incidence of marital trouble – so perhaps the damage it does could be seen as like a ticking time bomb.
What is Solomon’s answer? Bluntly, don’t go near her!
Oh, and ladies? Don’t you be smug – guys can seduce girls just as easily. So the same applies to you too. Treat that seemingly guilt-free encounter with caution. No, better than that – don’t give in! It’s dangerous!
24 June 2011
Announcement
Hey all!
Some of you may know that Mere's Dad is currently sick, so she and the kids went up North to visit him last night. They left at about 2AM, which was late even for this nocturnal man, so I'm absolutely exhausted! So I doubt a commentary would make any sense tonight. Please forgive me, and I hope to write one tomorrow night.
All the best,
Johno
Some of you may know that Mere's Dad is currently sick, so she and the kids went up North to visit him last night. They left at about 2AM, which was late even for this nocturnal man, so I'm absolutely exhausted! So I doubt a commentary would make any sense tonight. Please forgive me, and I hope to write one tomorrow night.
All the best,
Johno
23 June 2011
Chapter 6
Chapter 6 moves away from the topic of the wayward woman, but not for the whole chapter. There’s more at the end, a significant amount.
Because we’ve already done so much on this issue, though (and because there’s more to come tomorrow night), we’re going to skip over that for this chapter. We’ll have a look at some other issues, beginning with . .
Debt. Debt is a massive problem today – it’s at the very core of the financial system, and most of your money now exists merely as a debt somewhere. The average Australian has a credit card debt in excess of $3000! Solomon is using hyperbole to make a point here. He’s not directly saying that all debt is bad; but he IS saying that a person who enters debt impulsively is by definition doing something unwise. His recommendation? That you do whatever it takes to free yourself from this debt.
Laziness. Solomon’s advice is well-known; in the Old KJV, it says “Go to the ant, O sluggard!” The Message translates it as “You lazy fool.” Laziness is not God’s plan for us. We are intended to be diligent workers, and to earn our keep. This can backfire, because we get so caught up in the “protestant work ethic” (as it’s often called) that we forget that in many situations, such as in the case of Salvation, we are in fact called to relax and let God take care of it. For our everyday needs, however, God intends that we work. He can and will step in if need be, but for the most part He wants us to do our bit.
Bad company. In this case the warning is implicit – Solomon doesn’t directly say “don’t hang around with these people,” but it’s sure implied. He warns you of the attitude shown by the “riff-raff” (Don’t you just love how the Message puts it?), and while he gives no instructions, it’s nevertheless clear that he intends you to do two things:
1) Avoid these people
2) Choose not to live the way they do.
What God hates. I remember this passage coming back to haunt me over and over again as a child. My grandmothers both used to know this passage (Granny Whitefield slightly better than Grandma Hughes), and whenever I got proud it was “Six things the Lord hates – A proud look!”
We’re unaccustomed to thinking about what God hates – He is LOVE! But He does hate certain things:
• Pride
• Dishonesty
• Murder
• Conspiracy
• Willingness to do wrong
• Perjury
• Disloyalty to family.
There is much one could say about all of these things. However, let’s keep it simple. Proverbs is about Wisdom, and right away there are a lot of areas where God’s wisdom can help us to live our lives well.
God isn’t JUST interested in us being saved so that we can join him when we die. He wants that, of course; He gave His Son so that we could. But He wants more than that. He wants us to live eternally, but He also wants us to THRIVE here on Earth. He wants us to live lives of blessing, being blessed and blessing others. He has created a world full of wealth and resources so that we can live blessed, prosperous and happy lives.
Now, where some Christians go wrong is forgetting that this is a fallen world. And the sin in the world doesn’t just affect the “bad” people, it also affects the “good” people. Or to put it another way, sin doesn’t just affect the sinner, it affects others around the sinner. And for that reason, God doesn’t promise for us to be free from poverty, diseases or misfortune. If such things affect you, it does NOT mean that you were in some way deficient!
But by applying wisdom, we CAN experience a life that is not so fraught with difficulties. We can escape from some of life’s snares, and we can avoid some of the traps.
Because we’ve already done so much on this issue, though (and because there’s more to come tomorrow night), we’re going to skip over that for this chapter. We’ll have a look at some other issues, beginning with . .
Debt. Debt is a massive problem today – it’s at the very core of the financial system, and most of your money now exists merely as a debt somewhere. The average Australian has a credit card debt in excess of $3000! Solomon is using hyperbole to make a point here. He’s not directly saying that all debt is bad; but he IS saying that a person who enters debt impulsively is by definition doing something unwise. His recommendation? That you do whatever it takes to free yourself from this debt.
Laziness. Solomon’s advice is well-known; in the Old KJV, it says “Go to the ant, O sluggard!” The Message translates it as “You lazy fool.” Laziness is not God’s plan for us. We are intended to be diligent workers, and to earn our keep. This can backfire, because we get so caught up in the “protestant work ethic” (as it’s often called) that we forget that in many situations, such as in the case of Salvation, we are in fact called to relax and let God take care of it. For our everyday needs, however, God intends that we work. He can and will step in if need be, but for the most part He wants us to do our bit.
Bad company. In this case the warning is implicit – Solomon doesn’t directly say “don’t hang around with these people,” but it’s sure implied. He warns you of the attitude shown by the “riff-raff” (Don’t you just love how the Message puts it?), and while he gives no instructions, it’s nevertheless clear that he intends you to do two things:
1) Avoid these people
2) Choose not to live the way they do.
What God hates. I remember this passage coming back to haunt me over and over again as a child. My grandmothers both used to know this passage (Granny Whitefield slightly better than Grandma Hughes), and whenever I got proud it was “Six things the Lord hates – A proud look!”
We’re unaccustomed to thinking about what God hates – He is LOVE! But He does hate certain things:
• Pride
• Dishonesty
• Murder
• Conspiracy
• Willingness to do wrong
• Perjury
• Disloyalty to family.
There is much one could say about all of these things. However, let’s keep it simple. Proverbs is about Wisdom, and right away there are a lot of areas where God’s wisdom can help us to live our lives well.
God isn’t JUST interested in us being saved so that we can join him when we die. He wants that, of course; He gave His Son so that we could. But He wants more than that. He wants us to live eternally, but He also wants us to THRIVE here on Earth. He wants us to live lives of blessing, being blessed and blessing others. He has created a world full of wealth and resources so that we can live blessed, prosperous and happy lives.
Now, where some Christians go wrong is forgetting that this is a fallen world. And the sin in the world doesn’t just affect the “bad” people, it also affects the “good” people. Or to put it another way, sin doesn’t just affect the sinner, it affects others around the sinner. And for that reason, God doesn’t promise for us to be free from poverty, diseases or misfortune. If such things affect you, it does NOT mean that you were in some way deficient!
But by applying wisdom, we CAN experience a life that is not so fraught with difficulties. We can escape from some of life’s snares, and we can avoid some of the traps.
22 June 2011
Chapter 5
A lot of non-Christians often ask the question “Why are Christians so concerned with who people sleep with? It’s not their problem, is it?”
Of course this completely misses the fact that we live in a society so obsessed with sex that it’s ridiculous. Movies have sex scenes all over the place (euphemistically called “love scenes”). Many magazines advertise sex on the cover (often out of context, so you will buy the magazine unawares). Sex is used in advertisements for clothes, cars and snack food. So who’s concerned?
The truth is that all of us are interested in sex, perhaps pathologically so. There’s no shame in admitting that it’s an easy way to grab our attention.
Sometimes that’s good. Within a healthy marriage, it’s great.
Sex CAN be destructive, though, and the most obvious context in which this happens is the dreaded “affair”.
I have blogged before about the innocuous little word – “affair” – which is designed to help you to forget that what we’re discussing is an act of complete betrayal of trust. So I won’t go into that again. But here we’re looking at the issue from the other side, from a standpoint of wisdom.
Proverbs 5 talks about this issue – that of the seductress. Culturally speaking, there was a perception at the time that marital unfaithfulness often (or even usually) began with the woman. Today we know that men are just as likely to stray, if not more so; so perhaps today this passage would be written with both male and female seducers in mind! But I want to consider one little point.
Normally when someone is unfaithful to their partner, we consider them to have been selfish and taken advantage of the innocent party; rightly so, too, because that is often the case. But if you look carefully, verses 7 – 14 talk about how the person who PARTICIPATES in unfaithfulness is also one who has been taken advantage of.
How could that be, since that person is the one who had fun?
Well, it is simple – whoever encourages them to forget about their marriage vows is taking advantage of them. And ultimately, they will be hurt by their unfaithfulness. Ultimately they’ll wish it had never happened. The price of the moment’s pleasure in an illicit affair is a lifetime of regrets.
An affair is not a victimless crime. It has three victims – the innocent spouse who has been betrayed, and both people directly involved in the affair.
Affairs can really play havoc with any one of those victims. They hurt people badly, and I’m sick of seeing so many in society. Tragically, Christians are involved in MANY affairs today.
One thing that Proverbs 5 recommends is this: “Draw water from your own spring-fed well.” In other words, don’t take your marriage for granted. You need to work on it. There are ALWAYS times when you don’t really feel in love with that person you married – but press on anyway. It’s worth it. And remember that if you find the initial “in-love” feeling has gone (as it will go), that’s a normal part of any marriage. The “spark” can be brought back if a couple are willing to make the effort.
Once an affair has already happened, it’s much harder to repair the damage (and many people are not willing to). So the best way to stop affairs is to not let them start in the first place!
God wants us remaining faithful to the one we marry. It also makes good sense. So let’s pray that we do so, relying on His strength rather than our own.
Of course this completely misses the fact that we live in a society so obsessed with sex that it’s ridiculous. Movies have sex scenes all over the place (euphemistically called “love scenes”). Many magazines advertise sex on the cover (often out of context, so you will buy the magazine unawares). Sex is used in advertisements for clothes, cars and snack food. So who’s concerned?
The truth is that all of us are interested in sex, perhaps pathologically so. There’s no shame in admitting that it’s an easy way to grab our attention.
Sometimes that’s good. Within a healthy marriage, it’s great.
Sex CAN be destructive, though, and the most obvious context in which this happens is the dreaded “affair”.
I have blogged before about the innocuous little word – “affair” – which is designed to help you to forget that what we’re discussing is an act of complete betrayal of trust. So I won’t go into that again. But here we’re looking at the issue from the other side, from a standpoint of wisdom.
Proverbs 5 talks about this issue – that of the seductress. Culturally speaking, there was a perception at the time that marital unfaithfulness often (or even usually) began with the woman. Today we know that men are just as likely to stray, if not more so; so perhaps today this passage would be written with both male and female seducers in mind! But I want to consider one little point.
Normally when someone is unfaithful to their partner, we consider them to have been selfish and taken advantage of the innocent party; rightly so, too, because that is often the case. But if you look carefully, verses 7 – 14 talk about how the person who PARTICIPATES in unfaithfulness is also one who has been taken advantage of.
How could that be, since that person is the one who had fun?
Well, it is simple – whoever encourages them to forget about their marriage vows is taking advantage of them. And ultimately, they will be hurt by their unfaithfulness. Ultimately they’ll wish it had never happened. The price of the moment’s pleasure in an illicit affair is a lifetime of regrets.
An affair is not a victimless crime. It has three victims – the innocent spouse who has been betrayed, and both people directly involved in the affair.
Affairs can really play havoc with any one of those victims. They hurt people badly, and I’m sick of seeing so many in society. Tragically, Christians are involved in MANY affairs today.
One thing that Proverbs 5 recommends is this: “Draw water from your own spring-fed well.” In other words, don’t take your marriage for granted. You need to work on it. There are ALWAYS times when you don’t really feel in love with that person you married – but press on anyway. It’s worth it. And remember that if you find the initial “in-love” feeling has gone (as it will go), that’s a normal part of any marriage. The “spark” can be brought back if a couple are willing to make the effort.
Once an affair has already happened, it’s much harder to repair the damage (and many people are not willing to). So the best way to stop affairs is to not let them start in the first place!
God wants us remaining faithful to the one we marry. It also makes good sense. So let’s pray that we do so, relying on His strength rather than our own.
21 June 2011
Chapter 4
Solomon is really INTO Wisdom, isn’t he?
Just check out chapter 4. He’s already given us plenty of the benefits of Wisdom, but now he’s going all out!
Verses 3-9 talk about how when Solomon was a boy, his father would tell him to “Sell everything and buy wisdom.” And from there, he tells us the benefits of wisdom, which are:
• Guards your life
• Keeps an eye on you
• Make your life glorious
• Garland your life with grace
• Festoon you with beauty
But that’s not all!
Solomon then outlines a few metaphors of what he is trying to do. Now, this is a poetic technique you find in a few places in the Old Testament – the author tries to say the same phrase in a number of different ways. In this case, it’s Solomon telling the reader that he really wants to help the reader find wisdom – and he then describes his assistance in three or four different ways.
Then we move on to the reverse of wisdom, which (hopefully you’re expecting) is not just mere STUPIDITY.
That’s right – the opposite (see vs 16 – 19 for the contrast) is once again not the stupid person, but he EVIL person.
Of course, it could well be that Solomon saw those two words as so tightly entwined that this discussion would sound nonsensical. Maybe.
Finally, verses 20 – 27 outline instructions on how to go about getting wisdom – “Keep a vigilant watch over your mouth,” “Keep your eyes straight ahead”, “ Watch your step”.
It’s interesting that Solomon sees a need to drum these benefits into us. After all, we all want wisdom, don’t we?
Maybe, or maybe not.
I mean, we SAY we want wisdom; but I can’t help thinking that our behaviour is often more representative of “I want things my own way” rather than “I want wisdom.”
That’s all very well, but often our own way is the path of foolishness rather than wisdom. We want our own way, and we’re prepared to walk roughshod over anyone who gets in the way.
Remember – a fool isn’t just an idiot, a fool may well be someone who is morally bankrupt too. So doing things our own way, never mind the cost, could be described as foolish behaviour.
NOW evaluate your behaviour. How are we doing?
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be embarrassed at how often the foolish behaviour crops up.
So Solomon has it right with us – and it’s not much of a stretch to say that he’s got it right for most humans.
So maybe we need this repetition!
Just check out chapter 4. He’s already given us plenty of the benefits of Wisdom, but now he’s going all out!
Verses 3-9 talk about how when Solomon was a boy, his father would tell him to “Sell everything and buy wisdom.” And from there, he tells us the benefits of wisdom, which are:
• Guards your life
• Keeps an eye on you
• Make your life glorious
• Garland your life with grace
• Festoon you with beauty
But that’s not all!
Solomon then outlines a few metaphors of what he is trying to do. Now, this is a poetic technique you find in a few places in the Old Testament – the author tries to say the same phrase in a number of different ways. In this case, it’s Solomon telling the reader that he really wants to help the reader find wisdom – and he then describes his assistance in three or four different ways.
Then we move on to the reverse of wisdom, which (hopefully you’re expecting) is not just mere STUPIDITY.
That’s right – the opposite (see vs 16 – 19 for the contrast) is once again not the stupid person, but he EVIL person.
Of course, it could well be that Solomon saw those two words as so tightly entwined that this discussion would sound nonsensical. Maybe.
Finally, verses 20 – 27 outline instructions on how to go about getting wisdom – “Keep a vigilant watch over your mouth,” “Keep your eyes straight ahead”, “ Watch your step”.
It’s interesting that Solomon sees a need to drum these benefits into us. After all, we all want wisdom, don’t we?
Maybe, or maybe not.
I mean, we SAY we want wisdom; but I can’t help thinking that our behaviour is often more representative of “I want things my own way” rather than “I want wisdom.”
That’s all very well, but often our own way is the path of foolishness rather than wisdom. We want our own way, and we’re prepared to walk roughshod over anyone who gets in the way.
Remember – a fool isn’t just an idiot, a fool may well be someone who is morally bankrupt too. So doing things our own way, never mind the cost, could be described as foolish behaviour.
NOW evaluate your behaviour. How are we doing?
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be embarrassed at how often the foolish behaviour crops up.
So Solomon has it right with us – and it’s not much of a stretch to say that he’s got it right for most humans.
So maybe we need this repetition!
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