Proverbs 30-31 - Coming To A Close
We are in Proverbs 30, and Proverbs 30 is one of these chapters that has a lot of verses that are connected.
I believe last chapter we talked about was pretty disconnected, some kind of random thoughts, but this chapter here has some larger sections of all interconnected thoughts.
So we're not going to go over all of them, but we are going to look in on a few of these. Verse number five, kind of five and six, kind of conclude a little bit of a thought that he's going over in verses one through six.
He's basically talking about the fact that, hey, I am not smart enough. I'm not bright enough for all of these things, but he gives the answer to where true wisdom is found. And he says, every word of God is pure.
He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar. Here you have the certainty of God's words.
And Solomon here even gives a reprimand, a warning to us of, hey, because this is where God's wisdom is found, it's found in the Bible, don't add to his words.
Sometimes in an effort to try and help make people more holy, we can try and add things to God's word and say, okay, if you have God's word, and if you do this other thing, if you have God's word and you wear these specific clothing items, if you
have God's word and you sing these specific, maybe songs, then you are truly holy, then you are really wise if you have the Bible and whatever things that I think you should have. But the truth is that God says, add thou not unto his words, lest he
reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. And man, that's a challenge to me as I teach, you know, teach sometimes on Strength of the Day, teaching a lot with the kids of, okay, I should only be saying what the Bible says.
Because if I say more than what the Bible says, this verse says, God will reprove me. And so we need to be careful what we say, hey, God says this or this is right. We need to always come back to the Bible.
A couple of these sections have great truths that I'd encourage you maybe afterwards to kind of read through some of these things. I'm gonna just hit a few highlights here.
But in verses 11 through 14, he talks specifically about some different generations or things that can be indicative of how a generation conducts itself.
And it's challenging to read through some of these and go, okay, what are some characteristics in my life that are showing up in this list? I don't want to be, I think, a verse 12 in particular.
There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness. And then I don't want to be that person that would say, hey, I'm perfect in everything that I do. Every intention of my heart is always right.
Everything I say, everything I do is right. And yet, for me not to be washed from my filthiness. And so I want to be the person that would come back to God's word and say, hey, what do I need to change in my life?
Also want to say good morning to Alvy and to Christa. Then he goes in verses 15 through 17 and kind of talks about some different aspects of things that are always taking and are never satisfied.
And obviously the encouragement there would be that we would be those that would be satisfied, that would be content with what God has given.
Verses 18 and 19, he talks about things that are wonderful, that are good and are just kind of general thoughts. Verse number 20 is an interesting verse. It says, such is the way of an adulterous woman.
She eateth and wipeeth her mouth and saith, I have done no wickedness.
And the thought here being that when we are living in sin, we have this tendency to justify even the smallest things in our life as a good action that we want to either to ourselves or to others establish, hey, this thing that I'm doing is good, and
this thing that I'm doing is good, and this thing that I'm doing is good, almost in an attempt to ward off any thoughts of, I wonder if that person's doing something wrong. And when we have this constant need to justify ourselves or to label
everything that we are doing or thinking as right, man, it could be indicative of a larger heart problem in our life. And that's just something that we might want to take a look at and check at in our life. That from verse number 20 of chapter 30.
Verses 21 through 23 talk about things that are just not quite right, that are kind of odd.
It talks about for a servant, when he reigns, a fool, when he's filled with meat, an odious woman or an obnoxious woman, when she is married and a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
These are things that are all kind of odd that are outside of the norm. Verses 24 through 28 are things that are little, yet have great strength.
And the Bible talks here about the wisdom that many of them have and their diligence in their work ethic. It's a great thing for us to have as well. I want to say good morning as well to Andra and to Ms.
Maria. Good to see you both today. Verses 29 through 31 talk about things that are strong and that are valiant.
And then verse number 33 kind of rounds out the chapter. It says, Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, And the ringing of the nose bringeth forth blood. And so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.
And the thought here is just as when you do all of the churning things. I haven't personally churned butter. I'm sure many of you on here have, but I haven't personally done it.
But I've seen the handle thing and they churn the butter. I'm more familiar with the ringing of the nose bringeth forth blood. My dad always hated this verse just for the mental picture that it gave him.
But man, the ringing of the nose bringeth forth blood. It says, so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. When we are angry with people, it can only cause a fight.
And we need to be careful that we are both forgiving of people, that we wouldn't always be angry people, that we'd be long suffering, that we would have that patience with others that can endure maybe some hard times or some times when people are
unkind that we wouldn't just fly off the handle at them, while also having wisdom to know, okay, when do I need to set some boundaries with people that they're not able to be constantly provoking me? But man, when it comes to our anger, I can think
even in the New Testament several times, I believe it's mentioned even in James, that the wrath of man brings not the righteousness of God. It doesn't show God's righteousness when we are just consumed with anger. So having that thought in mind.
Chapter 31 is such a great chapter.
The first maybe nine or so verses going over some various things, talking about the habits of kings, talking about right uses even of alcohol and things of that nature, speaking for those that cannot help themselves. They are in verse eight and nine.
But I'm going to focus just a little bit on verses 10 through kind of the end of the chapter, talk about we would often know the phrase, the Proverbs 31 woman, and this is a woman that's diligent. I'm going to read a couple of verses at a time.
Just give a quick thought. And we'll go through this. Who can find a virtuous woman?
Verse number 10, for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchant ships. She bringeth her food from afar.
In these verses 10 through 14, you can see the diligence of a Proverbs 31 woman. This is a woman that is very diligent in all of her work. It says that she works with wool and flax.
She works willingly. She brings food from afar. This is a person that is totally given over to being successful wherever they're at.
And man, that's an encouragement to me and a challenge to me of, okay, right now, I am an assistant pastor at the church, and wherever I am, I need to attempt to, like this woman, be successful in everything that I do.
If I'm down teaching the kids, I want the kids to have a great time. I want them to have fun. I want them to learn the Bible, and that needs to be my thing.
I can't just go, okay, I guess I'll just burn some time here. No, I want to do what I do with excellence, and that's what this woman is doing. Then here, verses number 15 through 19.
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considers a field and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.
She girds her loins with strength, and strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good. Her candle goes not out by night.
She weighs her hand to the spindle, and her hands hold the de-staff. In all of these things, we can see really the depths that she goes to in her hard work. She works early, early in the morning.
It says she rises while it's yet night. She rises early in the morning. She works for her household.
She gives them food. It says she works to strengthen herself. She works out.
Man, that's an encouragement to me.
Sometimes we can be so focused on everything else that we can forget that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and so we need to do what we can, whether that's eating right, working out, all of those things, to take care of our body.
It says she perceives that her merchandise is good. She does quality control on the work that she does.
It says her candle goes out by night, that she would be one that would even work late into the night and starting very early in the morning to do what's right, to work hard at where she's at. Verse number 28, she stretches out her hand to the poor.
She reaches forth her hands to the needy. She's not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes herself coverings of tapestry.
Her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates. These would be the areas of commerce and of justice.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes fine linen and sells it and delivers girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honor are her clothing and she shall rejoice in time to come.
And all of these things, it talks about the fact that there are great benefits to a diligent work ethic. And you can see some of that, verse number 21, it says her household is clothed with scarlet.
And scarlet would be a very pricey, trying to think of a word here. It would be a very pricey clothing. It would be a very pricey, I cannot remember the name of it.
If you know the name of what clothing is made of, it's a type of whatever. So it would be scarlet, you would have wool. You might nowadays have, you know, polyurethane is not the right word.
I do apologize. I normally don't blank this hard on material. Thank you.
Here you have scarlet material that would be very pricey to have, as well as in the next verse, silk and purple. Silk would be imported from very far away and purple clothing would be as well, a very, very expensive material.
So she's able to make money with all of our merchandise that were in the previous verses, and she is diligent and she reaps rewards as a result of it.
As well in verse number 23, that her husband has even gained notoriety in the city because of her diligent work ethic. And man, that is a great thing. And so she makes Vineland and sells it.
It says strength and honor are her clothing. And we need to have that goal that that would be us as well, that when people see us and because of our work ethic, they would go, man, that's an honorable person. That's a good person.
Closing here with verses 26 through 31, she opens her mouth with wisdom and her tongue is the law of kindness. She looks well to the ways of her household and eats not the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also and he praises her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favor is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands and let our own works praise her in the gates.
The ending of this chapter is simply the fact that, hey, even though she is, you know, famous in the city, that she has, you know, decent amounts of money, her husband is known in the places of business and of even, you know, local government here.
Even though all of this takes place, the three things that it ends with saying, hey, these are the best results of what this woman's diligence has done. It says her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband honors and praises her.
And it says that she fears the Lord. She respects, she worships, she's in awe of the Lord. And man, what an encouragement this is that we would realize, hey, when we put in a diligent work ethic, there are good results that come of it.
That it's great not only for us, it's great for our family, and it really even helps the city when Christians would say, I'm going to be like the Proverbs 31 woman, and I'm going to have a good work ethic in what I do.
Well, thanks so much for tuning in today. As we mentioned at the beginning, there will not be strength for the day for the next couple of weeks. We're taking a little bit of a sabbatical.
We've got teen camp next week, and tons of different things that we're doing as a church. And so to that end, we'll be taking a few weeks off. Pastor wanted to be here today, but as I mentioned, he got called into a chaplaincy call.
And so be in prayer for him this morning. Thanks so much for tuning in and look forward to seeing you Sunday for All American Sunday.
