Proverbs 16-19, Psalm 15, Ephesians 5
I love the book of Proverbs. Where else in the Bible can you find this kind of nuts-and-bolts wisdom about keeping one’s mouth shut:
“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.” ( Proverbs 17:28)
Or this jewel on relationships:
“He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 18:22)
Speaking as a wife, I find that last verse remarkably insightful.
Besides three jam-packed chapters in Proverbs, today we also read chapter five of Ephesians. Since we’ve been talking about wives, it makes sense to note that much has been made of the apostle Paul’s injunction for wives to be subject to their husbands as the church is subject to Christ, its head. Personally, I find the image of Christ loving us, his church, as a husband loves his wife to be tender, intimate and moving. But in the shuffle that frequently arises about men’s and women’s roles we can lose Paul’s message that we are all called to live in love toward one another, imitating Jesus in self-sacrifice (verse two). The Christian life (and marriage, for that matter) is not about putting self first, or even keeping a safe, frosty distance. It is about serving one another in love.
Yet
the phrase that intrigues me most in chapter five is verse ten: “Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” It puts a spin on all the practical wisdom in Proverbs. Do this or that, Proverbs suggests, and it will go well with you. But when we are transformed by the love of Jesus, we become a little less concerned about wisdom for its own sake. We are caught up in a relationship with the beloved, the one whom we want to please. May we all learn more every day about what truly pleases God, and be empowered by the Spirit to do it.
I love the book of Proverbs. Where else in the Bible can you find this kind of nuts-and-bolts wisdom about keeping one’s mouth shut:
“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.” ( Proverbs 17:28)
Or this jewel on relationships:
“He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 18:22)
Speaking as a wife, I find that last verse remarkably insightful.
Besides three jam-packed chapters in Proverbs, today we also read chapter five of Ephesians. Since we’ve been talking about wives, it makes sense to note that much has been made of the apostle Paul’s injunction for wives to be subject to their husbands as the church is subject to Christ, its head. Personally, I find the image of Christ loving us, his church, as a husband loves his wife to be tender, intimate and moving. But in the shuffle that frequently arises about men’s and women’s roles we can lose Paul’s message that we are all called to live in love toward one another, imitating Jesus in self-sacrifice (verse two). The Christian life (and marriage, for that matter) is not about putting self first, or even keeping a safe, frosty distance. It is about serving one another in love.
Yet
the phrase that intrigues me most in chapter five is verse ten: “Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” It puts a spin on all the practical wisdom in Proverbs. Do this or that, Proverbs suggests, and it will go well with you. But when we are transformed by the love of Jesus, we become a little less concerned about wisdom for its own sake. We are caught up in a relationship with the beloved, the one whom we want to please. May we all learn more every day about what truly pleases God, and be empowered by the Spirit to do it.
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