Proverbs 27:15-16 Drip-free homes

¹⁵ A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping
    of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
¹⁶ restraining her is like restraining the wind
    or grasping oil with the hand.

The climate of the Middle East is one of contrasts. There are times of extreme dryness, when rain would be welcomed, but it does not come. Then there are periods of soaking rains, when it seems that it will never stop.
Imagine if you are inside your home, and the rainy season has arrived.  Now imagine that your roof is leaking in spots. Arrrggghhh! You spend your time running about with pots and pans, trying to catch the drips. You can't go outside to fix the roof, because it's pouring out there. You are miserable inside, because of the constant drip, drip, drip into the containers . . . It's getting on your nerves. It's making you crazy.

This is the situation that Solomon is comparing to a nagging wife. I know we have studied this before, but God had a good reason to bring it to our attention again. We're human, and we're forgetful!  Are we quarrelsome at times? Do we argue, debate, fight, quarrel, and question everything?  Oy.

Here's the way we are supposed to act; in Proverbs 11:16 we already saw:

¹⁶ A kindhearted woman gains honor,
    but ruthless men gain only wealth.

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.  Ephesians 5:33

If we are to give more than lip service to the notion of "how much I love my husband" then we need to be kindhearted, and we need to respect him. If we question every decision, and every opinion he states, we will be perceived as a disrespectful spouse.
Let's look at the second verse . . .are you wondering what Solomon meant? I think we can all identify with the fact that mere mortals can't restrain the wind --- Christ told the wind and the waves to "be still," but that's not in our department! The other example Solomon gives us is to "grasp oil."  This word is specific to the heavily perfumed oils for personal use, not the oils for light or fuel. You know what happens when you spritz some perfume into the air, or onto your wrist? It goes everywhere, doesn't it? You can't exactly grab it in your hand and hide it . . .
One commentary that I read, said that a wise husband, for the sake of his reputation and that of his wife, will try to hide the fact that she is contentious and quarrelsome --- but that his efforts will be futile, like those of someone who tries to stop the wind from blowing, or the scent of perfume from spreading.
Let's determine to be the type of woman that our Father would have us be; and use this guidance from I Peter chapter 3:

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.

It will be much easier then, for our husbands to act correctly in return (also I Peter 3):

 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Those are some "tall orders" but with God's help, our homes can be "drip-free"!! 

Proverbs 26:17 Don't rush in...

¹⁷ Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears
    is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.

Let's imagine that you have done what Solomon is saying here --- you have grabbed a stray dog by the ears. Perhaps he was menacing you or your little one, and you grabbed the first thing your hand touched . . . what's going to happen? Well, if you keep holding on, you have a pretty good chance of getting bitten by the squirming dog. If you let go, you have a pretty good chance of getting bitten, by the squirming-but-now-free-to-move dog.

Either way, it doesn't look good!

Solomon is telling us that, just as in the example above, there are not many good consequences if we rush into a quarrel that is not our own.  Just in the last chapter, number 25, we were told in verse 8: Don't go forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
If we are to be slow to anger, and not be hasty to get into fights on our own account, then we definitely don't need to be meddling in other people's business!

But, you say, I'm just trying to help. I've got the best of intentions, and I have a great track record, too. Well, let's look at a story of a king who had a super track record, and great intentions . . .

In the Old Testament, one of the shining stars is King Josiah. He ascended to the throne at the tender age of eight, and when he was a mere teenager (nineteen) he started reforms in his kingdom, to end pagan worship. He took down idols, burned and destroyed false prophets bones and idolatrous shrines, and just generally was giving his kingdom a good spring cleaning.
When he was twenty-five, he decided to rebuild the temple of the Lord. Workers found a dusty old book, and it was discovered to be a "Bible" or what was known to be scripture at that time. (It would have been the first five books of our modern-day Bible.)  As a portion of it was read to King Josiah, he realized what it was, and tore his kingly garment. This was to show his sadness and repentance, as he realized how far his country had gone, away from God.
Filled with energy and enthusiasm, he began a campaign to restore his country's worship of God. The population was assembled, and the entire scripture was read to them. King Josiah and the people pledged themselves to the covenant of God, and more reforms and "cleaning" were carried out. Finally, King Josiah hosted a huge Passover celebration; this hadn't happened for years. All of the people of Judah, and some from Israel, joined the celebration and worship of God.
Now that you know his track record, let's hear the rest of the story. In Josiah's 31st year as King, The Egyptian king and his army wanted to cross over Judah to get to a battle with someone else. "Just let me scoot across here," he said, "I have no quarrel with you." (My paraphrase.)  He was even inspired by God to tell Josiah that he should not meddle in this situation.
Now, whether Josiah thought he could meddle and keep the two factions from fighting, or whether he just wanted to keep the other king out of his land, he should have obeyed the message from God, and minded his own business.
But he didn't. (You knew I was going to say that, right?) He went into battle and was mortally wounded --- and Judah slipped right back into their old sinful ways.

If we stick our noses into a dispute that is not ours; if we rush to take sides in a quarrel that has nothing to do with us; oh, the consequences are often pretty distasteful. Let's heed Solomon here, and learn to mind our own business!