Proverbs 31

Song of Songs

 God’s Bride

 We end our study in Proverbs with the excellent wife in Chapter 31. Described here in this section is an overwhelming list for any woman but it is not just any woman Solomon is talking about. Israel entered into a marriage covenant with God at Mt. Sinai after God used Moses to bring the nation out of slavery in Egypt. To break this covenant would be like the nation committing adultery in the eyes of God which is the reason we have Chapters 5-7 and 9.

 The excellent wife here is the nation Israel and the things we see her doing in this section are things and attitudes that have been discussed in previous chapters. The call here, and in the entire book, is for Israel to remain faithful to God and serve Him by producing fruit; that is, carrying out God’s plan in the sight of the other nations that they might turn to God and embrace the Law and His plan. Of course this section also foreshadows the Church to come which is the Bride of Christ, so we, as the Church, need to take heed with what is being said here.  

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that the Church is one body made up of many parts. Each part has been gifted by the Holy Spirit for the specific task God wants us to accomplish. As individuals we cannot accomplish all that is listed here in Chapter 31. However, as the body of Christ comes together and uses the gifts we have been given, we can accomplish our task. As the Church allows Christ to be the head of His body the Church, we are as Paul writes in Ephesians 4:16, …being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for building up of itself in love. NASB

 Jesus commanded His Church to love one another and that love is to be our witness to the world. John 13:34&35.

 This brings us to the Song of Songs. Solomon wrote 1,005 songs but only one is recorded so this is the Song of Songs. It is a love story between God and the nation of Israel. God’s love for Israel and Israel’s love for God is being played out before a group of onlookers referred to as the Daughters of Jerusalem who witness the interaction between the lover and the beloved or the bride and bridegroom.  

There are types and shadows in this book which we need to be aware of. The bridegroom king is a shepherd king. He represents God and foreshadows Jesus the Good Shepherd. His love for His bride is always expressed and he never has a critical thing to say about His bride.

In Chapter 1 the bride has a vineyard she is unable to take care of because of oppression that has caused her to slave for others in the heat of the day. This speaks of the slavery in Egypt but also foreshadows the great tribulation. The vineyard represents Israel as we see in Isaiah 5. Israel was to bring forth fruit from the vineyard to the world for the King. Their specific task was to bring God’s Law to a dying and lawless world. Not only were they to proclaim it but they lived it and continue to live it in the sight of the world.

In Chapter 2 it appears the bride is in the Promised Land and at rest.  In verse 8 the bridegroom allowed her to sleep in but in verse 10 he calls her to join Him as there is a new season coming, but she does not go with him. He has come and gone and she has missed him as Israel missed Jesus when He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey and later handed Him over to be crucified. Like the foolish virgins in Matthew 25, they missed the bridegroom and were left standing at the door knocking and will be again in the future.

So, that is enough to get us started. For now, watch out for the little foxes that sneak in and ruin the vineyard. Verse 15.

Pastor Dave

Proverbs 28-30

Taking the Reins

 When we began this journey in the book of Proverbs Solomon’s son was a young child. As we traveled through the chapters we have seen Solomon’s son grow and mature.  As he grew older Solomon gave him age appropriate wisdom and instruction, and now the young man is getting close to taking on the responsibility of being king over the nation of Israel.

Chapter 27 set Solomon’s son up for the wisdom and instruction we will read in our chapters today. In verse 23 Solomon told his son to be aware of the condition of his flocks or, in his case, the people around him and his subjects. In verse 19 Solomon told his son that what is truly in the heart of the people will be evidenced by the things they say and do. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 15:18-20.

In our study today Solomon will tie the actions of people that are observable to the heart condition of the person. It is important for kings, leaders, and us, to be able to see and understand the motive behind the actions of the people around us, especially our friends and trusted advisors.

Ahithophel was King David’s trusted advisor. He had a reputation of speaking wisdom from God, but when David’s son Absalom rebelled and tried to take the kingdom from David, Ahithophel abandoned David and joined Absalom in his conspiracy.  As the grandfather of Bathsheba he apparently had a deep seated resentment against David that he kept under control until the opportune time presented itself. His action and counsel reflected what was truly in his heart. The story is recorded in 2 Samuel 15-17.

 It is important that we learn to “read” people by observing their actions. Jesus didn’t call down fire from heaven on those whose actions prompted His instructions in Mathew 15.* He simply said to his disciples to distance themselves from those people. Before Jesus pointed out what was in their heart the disciples were worried that Jesus had offended them because they were the religious rulers of the day. Jesus pointed out that leader or not, actions show what is in the heart, wisdom does not automatically come with a title or position of power.

David, when he heard about Ahithophel joining with Absalom, did the only thing he could do. He prayed. Jesus and David exhibited wisdom and leadership skills needed to navigate the things that came up on the path of life they were faced with. We would be wise to do the same and that is why Solomon told his son to get wisdom no matter what the cost. Solomon told his son, The Beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.  Proverbs 4:7 NASB

 We learn by repetition. This is why I encourage people, especially young people, to read a chapter of Proverbs every day and keep reading this book over and over. We need to hide God’s wisdom in our heart but there is one more thing we must do. We need to put God’s wisdom into practice.  Solomon started by encouraging his son to get wisdom, but as he grew and progressed through the chapters of Proverbs, he showed his son ways to put wisdom into practice. It is great to have God’s wisdom in our mind and even understand the benefits of His wisdom, but, we will never really know and develop trust in God’s wisdom unless we put God’s wisdom into practice. Putting God’s wisdom into practice in every situation we are facing is what will establish God’s wisdom in our heart. Do not be deceived about this. Situations will arise that demand actions and we will act. The question is what wisdom have we hidden in our heart that will be shown by our actions? We must put God’s wisdom into action if we are to retain it. Jesus said if we are faithful in little things we will be faithful in bigger things.

In 1960 my dad bought a new car with a stick shift transmission. I asked him why he didn’t buy one with an automatic transmission. He simply said he had been driving stick shift transmissions all his life and shifting gears had become automatic. Repetition is essential to establish wisdom in our heart. That is why we need to put God’s wisdom into practice! It becomes our automatic response when needed. Proverbs 24:3-4.

Along with reading a chapter of Proverbs daily, I recommend reading 8 verses a day of Psalm 119 until you get through the Psalm and then repeat periodically. Psalm 119: 11 is our goal.

May God establish us in His wisdom!

Pastor Dave

* See 2 Kings 1; Luke 9:51-56