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On August 31, 2023 By In Culture, Wisdom, Women

Powerful Woman?

“A strong woman who can find? Her worth is far above jewels.”

~Proverbs 31:10

During World War II, Rosie the Riveter became an iconic figure of the strong woman. The seventeen-year-old Geraldine Doyle posed for a picture that would become a cultural phenomenon, fueling the feminist image and agenda of what women should be: strong, independent women. Doyle didn’t really embody the legend surrounding her image. She only worked for the metal stamping company for two weeks, afraid she would mangle her hands as did her predecessor. Crippled hands would be disastrous for her passion as a cellist. However, the myth bound up in Rosie the Riveter gained a life of its own, becoming something of a foundational story for second-wave feminists.

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On August 24, 2023 By In Family and Children, Wisdom, Women

Lady Wisdom: By Me Kings Reign

“He who finds a wife finds good and obtains favor from Yahweh.”
“For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from Yahweh.”

Proverbs 18:22; 8:35

The parallels between a wife and Wisdom are apparent in Proverbs 18:22 and 8:35. The man who finds a wife and the man who finds Wisdom finds good, true life, and obtains favor from Yahweh. The image of Wisdom–the incarnation of Wisdom–is a good wife. Proverbs 18:22 leads us to reflect on the whole of Proverbs 8 as a description of Lady Wisdom. The parallels are detailed in Proverbs 31:10-31, but we start learning of the character of Lady Wisdom long before we reach the end of Proverbs.

One truth we learn about Lady Wisdom as a good wife from Proverbs 8 is that by her kings reign (8:15). Lady Wisdom is the glory of the king.

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On August 17, 2023 By In Wisdom, Women

Bad Wife, Bad Life

“A constant dripping on a day of steady rain and a contentious woman are alike; whoever hides her hides the wind and calls [her] oil of his right hand.”

~Proverbs 27.15-16

Men and women are capable of all sins, no matter our sex. However, there are sins to which we are more inclined because of our different sexes. Men, for example, are more prone to sins of violence, while women are more inclined to sins of manipulation. This is not to say that women are incapable of violence and men are incapable of manipulation. It is to say that the strengths of men and women are perversely exacerbated when sin distorts them. Because we have different strengths and weaknesses as men and women, certain sins will manifest more prominently because of our sex.

As Solomon guides his son in Proverbs concerning his wife-hunting, he writes a great deal about the sins of women. There are those long sections in chapters 5, 6, and 7 that deal with her sexual power with men. The son is to be one guard against perverted female sexual powers. But there is another characteristic sin of women for which the son must keep up his guard: contentiousness.

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On August 10, 2023 By In Men, Wisdom, Women

Do Not Give Your Strength To Women

The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What, my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings.

~Proverbs 31.1-3

In 1969, Mallory Millet was invited by her sister, Kate, to attend a meeting to start a revolution. They were in the preliminary stages of forming The National Organization of Women. Kate was finishing her Ph. D. thesis for Columbia University that later became the book, Sexual Politics. The group met in the home of one of Kate’s friends, calling the meeting a “consciousness-raising-group.” The group was unabashedly Marxist, taking on communist talk and exercises. In the meeting, according to Mallory, the women went through a litany much like the Catholic Church might do but with very different content.

“Why are we here today?” she asked.
“To make revolution,” they answered.
“What kind of revolution?” she replied.
“The Cultural Revolution,” they chanted.
“And how do we make Cultural Revolution?” she demanded.
“By destroying the American family!” they answered.
“How do we destroy the family?” she came back.
“By destroying the American Patriarch,” they cried exuberantly.
“And how do we destroy the American Patriarch?” she replied.
“By taking away his power!”
“How do we do that?”
“By destroying monogamy!” they shouted.
“How can we destroy monogamy?”
“By promoting promiscuity, eroticism, prostitution and homosexuality!” they resounded.

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On August 6, 2023 By In Wisdom

The Failure of Wisdom

Solomon writes Proverbs to his son, the king-in-waiting. Rehoboam was the son that succeeded Solomon on the throne, so it is safe to assume that he was a primary focus. A common thread between both father and son is that neither lived up to the wisdom encouraged in Proverbs. Solomon warned his son about Harlot Folly with all her wiles, yet he allowed women to turn his heart from Yahweh (1 Kg 11:1-3). Rehoboam was taught to listen to the aged, yet he took the counsel of his peers, a sort of power-hungry gang of blood-thirsty tyrants as described in Proverbs 1. What happened? How could Solomon, of all people, who prayed for and was granted wisdom by God, turn from that wisdom to live as he did?

Since teaching through Proverbs, I have been asked this question several times. I don’t have all the answers, but I will venture to answer the best I can. The first answer has to do with a theological theme that runs through Scripture, and the second has to do with man’s fallen nature.

One prevalent theme in Scripture is the inadequacy of everything in the old creation under Adam. Everything from the time of the fall up to the time of Jesus is anticipatory, a type and shadow that looks to its substance in Christ (Col 2:17). Types and shadows aren’t evil, but they are weak because of the flesh, fallen humanity (Rom 8:1-3). God’s Law, for instance, is a type and shadow. The Law of God is perfect. It is holy and just and good (Rom 7:12). However, the Law is powerless to ultimately cure the death of sin through the needed resurrection life (Gal 3:21). The Law is good; it is good as it reflects the character of God and remains useful for us, but it is inadequate because it was not created to bring the promised life.

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On August 3, 2023 By In Men, Wisdom, Women

The Wonder of Attraction

“Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not know: the way of an eagle in the heavens, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the heart of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.”

~Proverbs 30.18-19

When you first see her in the crowd, she catches your eye. You wonder who she is, so you ask people about her. As you mill about in other conversations, you constantly scan the room to find out where she is, wondering if she has noticed you. You are nervous about talking to her, but you summon the willpower knowing rejection is better than regret. As you approach her, you notice that she becomes a little fidgety herself, involuntarily giving a little grin with a blush and a concern about her appearance. Your heart rates increase, and your minds are singularly focused on one another, blocking out everything and everyone in the room. You are attracted to one another. Much more must be learned about one another to sustain and mature this attraction, but the dance has begun.

Why her? Why him? Why didn’t you feel this way around other people in the crowd or other people you’ve met in various situations? Ahhh, the wonder and mystery of attraction. Some aspects of attraction are quite obvious, but some we will never grasp. This intersexual dance is a beautiful feature of God’s created design and an integral aspect of fulfilling the mission God gave us.

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On July 27, 2023 By In Discipleship, Wisdom

Loyalty

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born of adversity.”

~Proverbs 17.17

“Friends” aren’t difficult to find in our modern world. Say something spicy online or reveal yourself inappropriately, and people will flock to you, “friending” or following you. If you are extremely popular, you will have no lack of sycophants who believe everything you post is “fire” and will dote all over you, trying to get your attention and share in your perceived or real power. Finding good friends, those who genuinely know you and not only your online presence, who will be loyal to you in good times and bad, who will make sustained efforts to maintain a close friendship, and who will call you out when you’re stupid despite your fame, those types of friends are rare jewels. They are difficult to find but priceless.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born of adversity” (Pr 17.17). As Solomon wrote this, “at all times” stands at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize the unshakeable loyalty of genuine, close friends. “All times” means precisely that: all times. These are good times and bad times, times when you are up and times when you are down, times when you are pleasant and times when you are unpleasant, times when you have an abundance to give and times when you have nothing to offer, times when you are well and times when you are ill. A friend loves you in all these times. He is loyal.

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On June 28, 2023 By In Discipleship, Men, Wisdom, Women

Toxic Friendships

“The satisfied soul tramples the honeycomb but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

~Proverbs 27.7

“Toxic” is a word that is overused and often misused in cultural conversations—any discomfort in any relationship, whether casual or intimate, may be characterized as toxic. You said something with which I disagree and hurt my feelings, so I now characterize you and my relationship with you as toxic. Toxic masculinity is all the rage for any male who demonstrates any traits of masculinity at all. If you want to shut down any meaningful, intellectual, and logical debate, label your interlocuter “toxic.” This is as bad as being a “racist” or “abusive,” also overused and misused.

The reaction may be that there is no such thing as a toxic relationship. However, the abuse of a word doesn’t negate its legitimacy. Some relationships are toxic, and Solomon warns his son about toxic companions.

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On June 22, 2023 By In Discipleship, Men, Theology, Wisdom, Women

Influencers

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer evil.”

~Proverbs 13.20

Though “influencer” has been practically coined in recent years with the rise of social media’s vast number of personalities, the concept is nothing new. We have always had these types in marketing or the latest gurus who gain popularity by promising the good life to those who buy what they are selling, follow their teaching, or, most of the time, both. Influencers, as we now understand them, are celebrities, real or perceived experts, popular social media personalities, and content creators who can separate you from your money and/or change how you think and act. From the Kardashians to Jordan Peterson, influencers affect our lives. They may not affect our lives directly, but they indirectly shape our lives by shaping the culture.

Influencers have always been around. Other people influence our thinking and affections from the time we are born until the time we die. Whether parents, peers, or potentates, our hearts are shaped by our relationships. This is why we must be vigilant in guarding our hearts by guarding our friendships.

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On June 15, 2023 By In Culture, Discipleship, Men, Theology, Wisdom, Women

Why Friends?

“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he quarrels against all wise judgment.”

~Proverbs 18.1

We need friends. Whether same-sex comradery or the intimacy of marriage, we need to know and be known by others.

Friendships at every level have faced challenges in every age of history. Twenty-first century Western culture is no different. Though the challenges take different forms, genuine friendships are threatened by a number of cultural factors. The way we understand friendships is changing rapidly. We are more connected with people and less relational. We are friends with hundreds or thousands but with few or any in particular. Technology changes the way we relate. The telegraph gave us information about people thousands of miles away with whom we had no connection and contributed to desensitizing us. (See Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves To Death.) The blessing of air conditioning holed us up in our homes and made it uncomfortable to visit with neighbors. Television became a source of entertainment and information tempted us not to interact with the people in our homes.

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