DBG - July 24 - Proverbs 28-31

In this chapter we continue a collection of miscellaneous proverbs.

vs. 1-28 - Further contrasts between the wise and the unwise.  In vs. 1 we see the effects of a guilty conscience and the boldness of an innocent conscience.  We are wanted against covering and hiding our sins without properly dealing with them in vs. 13.  In vs. 26 we are warned against following our heart.

In this chapter we continue a collection of miscellaneous proverbs.

vs. 1-27 - Further contrasts between the wise and the unwise.  The wisdom of not speaking all your mind is seen in vs. 11.  One of the most misused verses in the Bible is vs. 18.  The “vision” being discussed is not leadership goals.  It is the revelation of God.  Life and happiness are tired to holding and following God’s truth.

In this chapter we have words attributed to Agur. 

vs. 1 – Who is Agur, the author of this chapter?  Some think he is a forgotten wise man.  I would rather believe that this is Solomon using a pseudonym.  Agur means “gatherer” and Jakeh means “pious”, which could reflect Solomon as gathering wisdom as the son of pious David.  Ithiel (“God is with me”) and Ucal (“devoured”) are said to have heard these words.  These could be descriptions of the person that devours the teaching and thus walks the path of righteousness with God.  I think Solomon likely wrote this very late in life.

vs. 2-3 – A confession of humility and abasement.

vs. 4-6 – The greatness of the Creator and His Word.

vs. 7-10 – A prayer to be delivered from falsehoods and to maintain a pure heart.

vs. 11-14 – Four proverbs concerning “this generation”.  These are four types of wicked men that we have met in Proverbs.

vs. 15-16 – Four proverbs concerning things that are not satisfied.  These are compared to the insatiable appetite of a leach. 

vs. 17 – A singular proverb that interrupts the flow of discussing things in fours.  It reiterates the destruction that awaits the wicked.

vs. 18-20 – Four proverbs concerning things that “are too wonderful” for the author to comprehend and leave no trace behind them.  These are compared to the adulteress that claims she has committed no evil.

vs. 21-23 – Four proverbs concerning things that the world cannot bear and are intolerable.

vs. 24-28 – Four proverbs concerning small things on earth that are proven wise.  The ant works with its colony to prepare for winter.  The coney, or the hyrax to use its modern name, are small mammals that dwell safely among the rocks.  The locusts have no leader but move in large, coordinated groups.  The spider (wrongly translated as lizard by many) lives in the grandest halls of men.

vs. 29-31 – Four proverbs concerning things that are beautiful in their movement: a lion, a greyhound (literally “girt about the loins”, describing a slender dog), a ram, and a king.

vs. 32-33 – A final word of caution to have self-control.

In this chapter we have words attributed to Lemuel.

vs. 1 – Who is king Lemuel?  I believe this is another pseudonym for Solomon.  Lemuel means “dedicated to God”.  The interesting effect of this, which is rarely discussed, is that “his mother” is then Bathsheba. 

vs. 2-9 – This is Bathsheba’s instruction to young Solomon.  I do not know if she originally arranged it in poetic form if Solomon later reworked it to be such.  She strongly warns her son against the dangers of alcohol and strange women.  She then exhorts him to execute justice for the weak and downtrodden. 

vs. 10-31 – This final section is an acrostic using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  It is a description of the ideal wife.  I do not know if this is a continuation of Bathsheba’s instructions or if this is Solomon looking at his mother’s example as inspiration.  The ideal woman is here a wife that is virtuous, trustworthy, industrious, diligent, caring, generous, prepared, and wise.  She brings joy and blessings upon her family.

If the fact that Bathsheba is tied in some way to the “virtuous woman” of Proverbs 31 shocks you, then you sadly do not understand God’s grace.  Her and David were guilty of adultery, and she was complicit in the murder of her husband.  We praise David for finding forgiveness through confession and repentance (see Psalm 51), but what about Bathsheba?  I believe that she too found forgiveness just as David did.  There is plenty of evidence for it if you pay attention to the details of her life after her and David’s sin was exposed.  This amazing story of God’s grace has too long been overlooked because we would rather judge Bathsheba for her sin than acknowledge the change in her that came afterward. 

Our hymn today is “Gracious Savior, Who Didst Honor”, written by Emily Shirreff in 1897.  She was an advocate for the improvement of education for women in Victorian England.  This work is a prayer that God would bless the work of mothers.

Gracious Savior, who didst honor
Womankind as woman’s Son;
Very Man, though God begotten,
And with God the Father One;
Grant our womanhood may be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Jesus, Son of human mother,
Bless our motherhood, we pray;
Give us grace to lead our children,
Draw them to Thee day by day;
May our sons and daughters be
Dedicated, Lord, to Thee.

Thou who didst with Joseph labor,
Nor didst humble work disdain,
Grant we may Thy footsteps follow
Patiently through toil and pain;
May our quiet home life be
Lived, O Lord, in Thee, to Thee.

Thou who didst go forth in sorrow,
Toiling for the souls of men,
Thou who shalt draw all men to Thee,
Though despised, rejected then;
Humble though our influence be,
Use it in the world for Thee.