by Shelby Bland | Oct 19, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 7
This chapter of Proverbs is clearly addressed to a young man, but women, too, can glean truth from these verses. Wisdom takes many figurative forms in Proverbs, but this specific chapter paints wisdom as a protective shield against temptation.
The first five verses lay out a user guide—a battle plan of sorts—to wield wisdom against temptation. The son is told to treasure wise commands. The simple act of treasuring wisdom guards against seeing these commands as a restrictive set of rules, and allows them to be seen as a freeing guide to life.
“Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family. Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman, from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman” (2-5).
These verses emphasize the active nature of treasuring wisdom. We must set out to guard it, make outward reminders of it, and etch it deeply into our hearts so that it is a part of us, integrated into our very being. Likewise, making wisdom as close as a member of our family makes us even more loyal to it, protective of it, and it’s that much more endearing. This level of active, committed devotion to wisdom protects us from the deception of sinfulness.
The rest of the chapter tells the tale of a foolish young man who, instead of treasuring wisdom, wanders right into the most disastrous place possible—the house of an immoral woman. Instead of keeping wisdom close, he dwells close to temptation. Her adulterous bed made lavish, her pretty words spoken eloquently, the young man follows her and “like an ox going to the slaughter,” he walks into a situation that will “cost him his life.” This is a stark contrast with verse 2, which says that obeying wise commands leads to life.
The young man’s story is a direct parallel with Romans 1:25: “They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself…” Passively regarding wisdom leads to neglect, which leads to trading God’s truths for the world’s lies. To live a life of wisdom, it must be actively treasured and etched into our hearts.
Photography: @phredman
by Chelsea Rohde | Oct 19, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 6: 20-35
In our house growing up, my parents had a beautiful stain glass lamp, the kind that just looks like it should be tucked away behind a protective barrier. Constantly, we were reminded to not play near the lamp, come close to the lamp, touch the lamp, or even breathe near the lamp. So naturally, my rambunctious curly haired little sister would get as close as possible to it. The lamp was just so pretty, so shiny, so alluring to her – how could she not gaze at its majesty?
The lure of the lamp reminds me of sin’s seduction. Proverbs 6: 20-35 gives a warning against an adulteress that draws in people with her beauty … much like a shiny breakable forbidden object to a 5 year old.
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
Historically, children are known for rolling their eyes. Proverbs instructs us to do just the opposite. For a full life, we are to take hold of the commandments of our father and mother. Not just knowing them, but keeping those instructions close to our heart as they bring counsel and comfort.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
The commandments of our father serve to guide us not as rules for rules sake, but to keep us from harm and protect us from temptations that arise. Sin is attractive. The enemy knows just how to reel you in with the beauty and allure of the adulteress. Sin is seemingly easy as your nature bends towards it, but it will cost you everything; it will cost you your life.
27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house.
With adultery, danger is lurking around the corner. The pain listed here is physical, but it can be equated to the emotional distress and pain that comes with an immoral relationship. Not only is there pain of the heart and mind, but then the facing of an angry husband. Proverbs makes it clear that disaster is guaranteed.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts.
The message of this passage is completely clear: Sin isn’t worth it. What appears beautifully attractive, but is outside of God’s instructions is deadly. The instructions of our Father can only influence our lives if we obey them. Bind God’s commandments close to you, draw them near to your heart and He will steer you away from the traps of the adulteress.
Photography: @djaeoutlaw
by Madison McKinzie | Oct 18, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 6: 12-19
Have you ever wondered, when meeting a new person, whether or not they are someone who will help you grow or even just be a good friend to have? Have you ever asked yourself, “What are worthless and wicked people like?” In Proverbs chapter 6, Solomon gives us many lessons for our daily lives. He warms us about wicked people and their perverted hearts, and also many things that the Lord hates.
To answer the question of ‘what are worthless people like’, Solomon answers with this, “…they are constant liars, signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.” Solomon doesn’t say that wicked people are going to be so obvious that if you don’t realize that they are wicked then you are absolutely crazy, but instead he puts an image that wicked people won’t always be so obvious, they will be sneaky and hard to read. But he goes on to say that “their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble.” Instead of joining in on their wicked ways, I believe that Solomon gives us this warning because he wants us to be aware that these people will not help you grow, but instead they will stop you from the growth that is needed.
“BUT they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.” (Emphasis added on ‘but’). This is another warning that Solomon was sharing with us, to stay away from the ways of the wicked, otherwise we will also be destroyed, and broken in an instant.
“There are six things the Lord hates no, seven things he detests:”
before we jump into what God hates, we must understand that God hates these things because He did not intend for them to be in this world, but because we as humans sinned, this world became a broken place full of these things.
“haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies
a person who sows discord in a family.”
The book of Proverbs notes different types of people and actions that God hates, they are guidelines of what not to be and do. I want to encourage you to take a deeper look into the book of Proverbs so that you can be aware of these things that Solomon talks about.
Photography: @brandon_nalley
by Macy Tiradoegas | Oct 17, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 6:1-11
Have you ever had someone shake you out of a funk? Maybe it was a best friend, a mentor, a coach, a mom or a dad, and maybe for you it was laziness, insecurity, materialism or pride. Whether you asked for it or not, they weren’t going to let you get away with it. That’s how I see God using Solomon in this passage, shaking us out of a funk. And I love that he cares enough about the details of our lives to do so.
“Straight up, don’t be stupid with your money and the things you have, learn to work hard and earn it!” Something like that. 😉
In verses 1-6, Soloman is warning against suretyship- the process of paying someone else’s debt when you can’t afford it. If you find yourself in a financial situation where you got yourself in over your head, he’s saying, do yourself a favor and go fix it. Help yourself. “Swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased.” He gives us permission to make things right. There IS something you can do about it, but you have to be willing to to humble yourself.
Verses 6-11 are especially convicting to me. He harshly advocates against laziness. In our American culture we are raising a generation of people who are used to having things given to them. So many of us don’t know what it means to work hard. The message version says it this way: “A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy— do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest.”
What I see from this is wisdom in the small decisions. We know God is calling us to do more, we know his word says that whatever we do, do unto the Lord, but we say, “I’ll just push it back, I’ll work hard tomorrow.” Tomorrow may never come. There are so many excuses with laziness as the root.
Don’t just read this and look right past it. Examine your heart. Do you work hard at everything you do? Do you makes excuses? What are you putting off? How can you make better use of your time? What is causing your laziness? Whatever it is, change it. Whatever the excuse is, it’s not good enough. Stop waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Be a doer. We are responsible for our own time and our own life. Let’s steward it well and make the most of it!
Photography: @jacobnnorris
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