Old Testament - Proverbs 22 & 31 - August 31, 2022

 8/31/2022 – Proverbs 22 & 31

Proverbs 22: Verse 1 starts with “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches”. The Lord sent us here to grow in faith and in love. As far as the reason we are on this earth, money is not all that important to the desired outcome we had in mind as we left our Father’s home. 

V 2 appropriately follows v 1: “The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.” And then there is v 4: “By humility and fear [reverence of the Lord] of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.”  Then v 5 tells us how to make our earthly journey smoother and easier: “Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward [perverse]: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.”  We are to think of others, not just of ourselves: “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” (v9) And then v 10 tells  us a way to have a life without contention: “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea strife and reproach shall cease.” When we are with others, we should find ourselves searching out their goodness and their strengths instead of doing the opposite. That has to help both sides of a friendship! V 17 is wonderful advice: “Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.” I think this is helping us to combine love and humility within ourselves.

Proverbs 31 warns us against strong drink for that causes us to “forget the law, and pervert the judgment…” (v 5)  And then v’s 10-31 go on to tell us the blessings that come from trying to live a virtuous life: our relationships are founded upon trust; we work willingly, we take care of our bodies by girding our “loins with strength and strengtheneth her arms”, and this will cause “strength and honor [to be our] clothing”; “Her children arise up , and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her”—and that is the wish of a parent’s heart—for the parent feels the same for their children.


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