My Daily Pause

Month: September 2011

  • Proverbs 5:15-19 – Cherish Marriage

    Proverbs 5:15-19 – Cherish Marriage

    The entire chapter of Proverbs 5 is a warning against adultery. As you your read it you can break it down into the following sub sections:

    • A description of the ungodly woman (Proverbs 5:3-6)
    • Avoid her (Proverbs 5:7-8)
    • What happens to her partners (Proverbs 5:9-14)
    • Cherish love with marriage (Proverbs 5:15-19)
    • A sin against God (Proverbs 5:20-23)

    Of particular beauty is the reminder to live within the bounds of a godly marriage:

    15 Be faithful to your own wife,
    just as you drink water from your own well.
    16 Don’t pour your water in the streets;
    don’t give your love to just any woman.
    17 These things are yours alone
    and shouldn’t be shared with strangers.
    18 Be happy with the wife you married when you were young.
    She gives you joy, as your fountain gives you water.
    19 She is as lovely and graceful as a deer.
    Let her love always make you happy;
    let her love always hold you captive. – Proverbs 5:15-19 NCV

  • Proverbs 2:1-8 – Finding God

     1 My child, listen to what I say 
           and remember what I command you.
     2 Listen carefully to wisdom; 
           set your mind on understanding.
     3 Cry out for wisdom, 
           and beg for understanding.
     4 Search for it like silver, 
           and hunt for it like hidden treasure.
     5 Then you will understand respect for the Lord, 
           and you will find that you know God.
     6 Only the Lord gives wisdom; 
           he gives knowledge and understanding.
     7 He stores up wisdom for those who are honest. 
           Like a shield he protects the innocent.
     8 He makes sure that justice is done, 
           and he protects those who are loyal to him. –      Proverbs 2:1-8 NCV

    Proverbs 2 lists five fruits of wisdom. This first paragraph promises that we will find God in our quest for wisdom.

    Read about the second fruit here

    Read about the third fruit here

    We are expected to search for it in the same way men search for riches. Notice that the Bible teaches that while God makes available what we need, he doesn’t hand it to us. Manna for the Israelites needed to be gathered, the walls of Jericho had to be marched around and salvation is given conditionally (Mark 16:16, Matthew 7:21). In the same way we come to know God through our search for knowledge in the Scriptures.

  • Proverbs 1:1-7 – The Importance of Proverbs

    Proverbs 1:1-7 – The Importance of Proverbs

    1 These are the wise words of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.
    2 They teach wisdom and self-control;
    they will help you understand wise words.
    3 They will teach you how to be wise and self-controlled
    and will teach you to do what is honest and fair and right.
    4 They make the uneducated wise
    and give knowledge and sense to the young.
    5 Wise people can also listen and learn;
    even they can find good advice in these words.
    6 Then anyone can understand wise words and stories,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

    7 Knowledge begins with respect for the Lord,
    but fools hate wisdom and discipline.

    I learned of an old technique for better living, better business and better relationships that I have been trying to develop into a habit. The technique is to read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month and reflect on one or more of the principles given for that day. The idea is that these ageless bits of wisdom can still be used today and will make one a more godly person.

    The opening lines of the book tells us just how important these words are.