Thoughts on the Proverbs, Day 21, Lent 2013
Today's selection for mega-Bible-reading-Lent-2013 is all of Proverbs. Last night's snowstorm dumped enough snow on the driveway for me to listen to much of the book while I shoveled a couple times today.
Here are a couple of my favorites.
Proverbs 10:19 The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words. This closely related to one of my life verses.
Prov. 17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. I think having a blog defeats the purpose of choosing this as a life verse though. I'm still learning to bite my tongue, like this verse says.
Prov. 21:23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.
I've got the gray now, so I appreciate this Prov. 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness. This also shows the limitations of these proverbs. Not everyone who is gray is righteous. Not everyone who is bald is unrighteous. Not everyone who uses hair color is unrighteous either.
Prov. 13:2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence. I mostly like this because it reminds me of Guns-N-Roses awesome album, Appetite for Destruction.
I wondered why the advice concerning marriage and fidelity were directed towards men. Why is the man the victim and the woman the aggressor? If there is a Proverbs 31 wife, how come there isn't the Proverbs 32 husband? Maybe there is a Proverbs 1-30 husband instead. One avenue of thought I'm trying out, is that these were composed with young men as the intended audience, either because women would not be literate at that time or not part of the regular listeners when this was read aloud.
I have not finished all of Sirach, a collection of proverbs in the Apocrypha, I intend to this weekend, but I think both collections, Proverbs and Sirach, have hits and misses.
Here are a couple of my favorites.
Proverbs 10:19 The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words. This closely related to one of my life verses.
Prov. 17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. I think having a blog defeats the purpose of choosing this as a life verse though. I'm still learning to bite my tongue, like this verse says.
Prov. 21:23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.
I've got the gray now, so I appreciate this Prov. 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness. This also shows the limitations of these proverbs. Not everyone who is gray is righteous. Not everyone who is bald is unrighteous. Not everyone who uses hair color is unrighteous either.
Prov. 13:2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence. I mostly like this because it reminds me of Guns-N-Roses awesome album, Appetite for Destruction.
I wondered why the advice concerning marriage and fidelity were directed towards men. Why is the man the victim and the woman the aggressor? If there is a Proverbs 31 wife, how come there isn't the Proverbs 32 husband? Maybe there is a Proverbs 1-30 husband instead. One avenue of thought I'm trying out, is that these were composed with young men as the intended audience, either because women would not be literate at that time or not part of the regular listeners when this was read aloud.
I have not finished all of Sirach, a collection of proverbs in the Apocrypha, I intend to this weekend, but I think both collections, Proverbs and Sirach, have hits and misses.
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