Proverbs 31:1 A mother's calling

"The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him."

That. Is. Motivating.

Look at it again. His mother taught him an inspired utterance. Not just opinion. Not just something she thought up on the spur of the moment, but an inspired teaching. 

Compared to the men in the Bible, we don't hear that much from the women of the Bible....not in so many words. There are many that we can read about, and see what others said about them, but this is a woman's words to her son. This is actually her advice to him.

Mother's ministry to her children is the strongest, most tender, and most influential of any ministries in this world. When she relies on God the Father for her ministry, it becomes not a job, not a chore, but an awesome and exhilarating adventure!
Think of all that motherhood means to us, and to the people of the ancient world: She has borne her child, and fed him at her breast or in her arms, has watched over his infancy and childhood with sedulous care, has shielded, sustained, and comforted him, fed him and clothed him -- in short, she has "mothered" him.

Think also of the motherly training and instruction that a godly mother imparts. . . this includes much more than the physical needs that have been met. It includes educating the childish intellect, molding and shaping the will of the child, the first impartings of religious instruction and values, and the many prayers uttered in that child's behalf. 

The godly and faithful mother also is unselfishly devoted to the best interest of her child; she is the bearer of true love and affection for her offspring. 

What is the duty of this child, now grown into an adult? (Many translations mention that this may be the words of Solomon's mother, for there are records of his being called "Lemuel" as a sort of family or "pet" name.) Surely the first responsibility is to respect the words of mother, to give them attention and consideration, and to dedicate oneself to honoring the advice that is given. For to do otherwise would be to wound the heart of one's faithful mother.

We need, as Christian women, to dedicate ourselves to being the faithful and noble woman described later in this chapter -- to give teachings to our children that are inspired by the Bible. And we need to honor our own mothers with respect and attention.

Proverbs 30:33 Deliberately stirring things up

33 "For as churning cream produces butter,
    and as twisting the nose produces blood,
    so stirring up anger produces strife."

Have you ever tried to use a butter churn? There is an art to it . . .it's not just slamming a paddle up and down inside the churn for a brief time. The start of the process is separating cream from milk; this cream is cooled, because the fat droplets will clump more easily when hard, then when they are soft. The cream is poured into the churn. Then the dash, or dasher, is introduced into the churn, and a steady, even pace of moving the dasher is begun. Youngsters were often given the job of churning the cream into butter, but often had the chore taken from them, since they lacked the patience needed to continue the rhythmic movements in just the way the mother needed them to do, for the best results!

Here is my point: there is a routine, a deliberate and planned way of churning butter. And there are people in our world who have a routine, a deliberate and planned way of stirring up other folks' anger. I believe that this is what Agur is speaking of in this verse. 

He is telling us that just as surely as churning cream results in butter, or hurting someone's nose results in bleeding, stirring up anger has an expected result as well -- strife.  You see, it is not the anger itself that he is speaking of, but the deliberate effort to stir up anger; it's very deliberate, and there is an end result in the mind of the "stirrer."
These folks enjoy seeing the strife and conflict that they stir up. They love to see division and disunity, and they love to see friendships torn asunder. In that way, they are very like our enemy, Satan, for the scriptures say that he likes to see those things, too.
Satan is the author of confusion, and he enjoys planting fearful thoughts in our minds to distract us from our peace, our faith in our Father. In this way he torments us (if we allow it) and plants strife and conflict in our hearts.
But our Savior likes to see just the opposite.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.  Romans 16:17

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.  1 Cor 1:10

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Eph 4:1-6

Let's be agents of peace and healing, not like those who deliberately stir things up!

Friday Slowdown - Kind Words

I enjoy the searches that I do, to find songs and hymns that work with our studies. This one has been in my ear since I found it . . . I hope that you enjoy this, on today's Friday Slowdown.

Let us Oft Speak Kind Words

Let us oft speak kind words to each other

At home or where'er we may be;

Like the warblings of birds on the heather,

The tones will be welcome and free.

They'll gladden the heart that's repining,

Give courage and hope from above,

And where the dark clouds hide the shining,

Let in the bright sunlight of love.

 

Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live

And sunshine forever impart.

Let us oft speak kind words to each other;

Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.

 

Like the sunbeams of morn on the mountains,

The soul they awake to good cheer;

Like the murmur of cool, pleasant fountains,

They fall in sweet cadences near.

Let's oft, then, in kindly toned voices,

Our mutual friendship renew,

Till heart meets with heart and rejoices

In friendship that ever is true.

 

 

Proverbs 30:32 Shut My Mouth

If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
    or if you plan evil,
    clap your hand over your mouth!

"Well, shut my mouth!"

Whew, how many times do I wish I had? How many negative consequences could I have avoided? And are you anything like me here?
Agur must have read all of the admonitions from Solomon to "watch your tongue" but he felt compelled here to tell us again . . . maybe because we need so often to be reminded? (Grin)

Exalting oneself is definitely playing the fool -- the opposite of that is humility. Humility is something that we gain and practice as we grow in wisdom and grace. I found a quote from Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary that helps:

"a prominent Christian grace. It is a state of mind well pleasing to God; it preserves the soul in tranquility and makes us patient under trials."

David told us:

He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way. Ps 25:9

And Peter, too:

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” I Peter 5:5b

Now, as for the second half of the verse,  perhaps we don't often "plan" evil, but are there times when we say something that isn't very nice? About someone else? You know, when we are out in public, at church, amongst Christian friends, we may do a good job of being careful. We may think before we speak in those times. But when we are at home, do we "let our hair down"? Do we whine, complain, yell, or worse, and after all, they're family so they have to put up with us? Ouch.
This is a very old concept, but let's try to remember this acrostic:
                                    T -- Is it true?  
                                    H -- Is it helpful?  
                                     I -- Is it inspiring?
                                    N -- Is it necessary? (That one gets me a lot.)
                                    K -- Is it kind?
I think I shall post some of these verses around where I can see them. Often. Very often.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Eph. 4:29

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col. 4:6

Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart 
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven,
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few. Eccl. 5:2

Maybe then I won't have to say, "Well, shut my mouth!"

Proverbs 30:29-31 Security even for kings

²⁹ “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
³⁰ a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
³¹ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.




Another translation says it this way, "a king against whom there is no rising up."  Many kings have been powerful and majestic in the history of this earth. Many have maintained their kingdoms by might and fury, others by wisdom and justice. Let's study this last portion of verse 31 and see if there are some nuggets here for us . . .
First, there is a key here if we look at each of the animals we studied -- they were creatures who "went solo" and didn't really depend on others for their traits. The lion is fearless, the rooster or war-horse didn't need other cocks or horses, and the he-goat doesn't consult the other goats before he does anything. (Grin)
The king, however, is established by having good people around him, whether we are talking about a loyal army or wise counselors. Solomon and his father David were great kings in their own right. They understood the power of a king, and they wrote about it. He was to be feared as the lion is feared in the jungle, and he was to suppress all evil in his realm. Agur says here that we are to admire his invincibility.
Anyone besides me admit to knowing what "Cliff notes" are? I guess they are obsolete now, since you can find most anything on the internet! We used to refer to these to get a much-condensed plot for a novel we needed to read in college . . .well, this chapter in Proverbs is almost a Cliff notes for a king -- it tells how the king can be established, and secure against revolt.
Check it out:
First, a king becomes stately by humility -- verses 1-4, and 32-33.
Next, he becomes established by listening to God's tested word -- verses 5-6.
He should renounce lying, and not focus on gathering wealth -- verses 7-9.
He should honor his parents -- verses 11-14.
He should refuse folly, and remain honorable --- verses 20-23.
Lastly, the king should not be puffed up, but consider himself small, and strive for the wisdom found in many natural things -- verses 24-28.
If the king will do all of these things, he will be secure, established, good and wise.

Now, we know that Christ, our Savior, is the King of Kings, and fulfills all of these traits perfectly.  But Christians should also seek to fulfill them. It is not enough for us to be righteous . . . we should also be stately and comely in going -- adding grace and attractiveness to everything that we do. The manner and spirit in which we do our duties adds to their beauty.

Are we bold and fearless like the lion in doing our Christian duties, regardless of persecution? Are we quick to keep the commandments of God, like the greyhound or war-horse? Are we leaders in our friendships and relationships, pointing others to the protection of God, like the he-goat guiding his flock?  Are we unmovable, like a great king, in defending our faith and our Lord?

I believe that I need to study this chapter even more, and dedicate myself to the concepts we've studied here!

Prayer Requests

I hope that you will join me today in a specific time of your day that you set aside for prayer. We may be tempted to take for granted the privilege that we have, to speak to our Father in prayer.

We may be tempted by the hurry and busyness of life, to give just a few moments and then rush away, to things that seem more important.

What could be more important?

We have the opportunity to thank our Father for His blessings, to intercede for others who are hurting, sick, grieving, or in harm's way. We have the privilege of asking for His help in our own lives, as well.

Please look over our prayer request page, and scroll down to the comments below it. Check this page, also, to see if those who have visited already, have left a heartfelt request that you can pray for.

Let's be an army on our knees.

Join me, won't you?

Let's remember those touched by the extreme storms in the US, the lives touched by terrorism all across the world, and those of our sisters who have left requests that are on their hearts.

Proverbs 30:29-31 Sure-footed leadership

²⁹ “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
³⁰ a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
³¹ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.

You may be thinking to yourself, what is Snoodles thinking? We have learned some qualities of animals that we should try to imitate in other verses, but now . . . a goat?

Yes, a goat. Specifically, a "he-goat" is what Agur refers to.

Let's look closely at this. There are two things that come to my mind as I study this animal. One, is his sure-footedness, and the other is his leadership.
First, his sure-footedness.The goat, whether he is a domesticated animal or a mountain-dweller, is gifted by God with a nimbleness that is pretty awe-inspiring. Mountain goats can traverse tiny rock ledges and jump from foot-hold to foot-hold, as casually as we walk down a city sidewalk. Their balance and their ability to place their hooves "just so" and maintain their position without hurtling downward is amazing!
The domestic goat tries his best to emulate his wild brother, as I have seen them climb on cars, barns, and the roofs of houses, with just as uncanny an ability, to perform what we would consider death-defying feats of climbing and agility!
He-goats are known to be good leaders, as well. They are always found at the front of the flock, and are excellent patriarchs, guides and protectors of the other goats. They are strong and courageous in their protection of the flock.
Do you see some applications here? I sure do! I long to be able to show sure-footedness like the goat, and I hope that I can be a leader and protector of others, too!
In order to be sure-footed, we must trust God to order our steps.

Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Ps 119:133

Here is one that gets right to the point:

²³ The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall, 

upholds him with his hand.  Ps 37:23-24

In Jeremiah 50:8, there is a reference to being in the forefront, the leadership role: ..."be like the goats that lead the flock."
But how?

3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!  Philippians 2:3-8

There's true leadership!