Talk of JESUS . com

Tag: Proverbs

A popular saying, regarded as conveying wisdom. Scripture records a great number of didactic proverbs and also preserves some popular sayings.

Proverbs – Biblehub.com Proverbs topical index

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  • Friends and Brothers: Adversity

    Friends and Brothers: Adversity

    1 Thessalonians 5:11  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

    I was praying for a sister in the Lord this morning. I had already prayed for my wife and our own children. I had already prayed for others – brothers and sisters in the Lord — dear friends… and as I prayed for these, each became dearer to my heart.

    I had prayed through the sufferings of my own adversities and also the more severe impending adversity of family members. I asked God to get them through it all.  I remembered the encouragement my faithful mother had often given to me, my brothers and my sister as I thought of a mom so discouraged and concerned for the salvation of her own children.

    Yes, God is also concerned for these; yet God will give it all the time required, while we struggle with the adversity of our daily life and adversity in the lives of our loved ones.

    What peace God gives us though prayer. Peace in our own struggles and peace for our faithfulness in praying for loved ones.

    Proverbs 17:17

    A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for adversity.

    Have you ever considered the comfort of Jesus, after having invested considerable, limited earthly time with twelve Apostles, calls them His friends? (John 15)

    What a Friend we have in Jesus

    all our sins and griefs to bear!

    What a privilege to carry
    everything to God in prayer!

    O what peace we often forfeit,
    O what needless pain we bear,
    all because we do not carry
    everything to God in prayer. 

    [all verses]

    Do you have a friend and brother who does not suffer adversity?  Do you have a friend and sister who does not grieve over her children and afflictions of her family?

    Pray for these.

    1 Thessalonians 5:16

    Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing,

    18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you…

    25 Brothers, pray for us.

    26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

    You are my brothers, my sisters, and friends — my family — family of our friend, Brother and Lord, Jesus.

    Isaiah 30:20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.

  • Prophesy in a Proverb

    Prophesy in a Proverb

    Hear and understand what is not of your own tongue or written with words of your understanding:

    Proverbs 30:

     דִּבְרֵי אָגוּר בִּן־יָקֶה הַמַּשָּׂא נְאֻם הַגֶּבֶר לְאִֽיתִיאֵל לְאִיתִיאֵל וְאֻכָֽל׃

     כִּי בַעַר אָנֹכִי מֵאִישׁ וְלֹֽא־בִינַת אָדָם לִֽי׃

      וְלֹֽא־לָמַדְתִּי חָכְמָה וְדַעַת קְדֹשִׁים אֵדָֽע׃

     מִי עָלָֽה־שָׁמַיִם וַיֵּרַד מִי אָֽסַף־רוּחַ בְּחָפְנָיו מִי צָֽרַר־מַיִם בַּשִּׂמְלָה מִי הֵקִים כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ מַה־שְּׁמֹו וּמַֽה־שֶּׁם־בְּנֹו כִּי תֵדָֽע׃

    This is how you may have read it, but you still do not understand:

    The Words of Agur

    30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.

    Do you ever feel this way about the wisdom of the Bible?

    The man declares, I am weary, O God;
    I am weary, O God, and worn out.
    2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
    I have not the understanding of a man.
    3 I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

    “Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.”  Do you ever feel this way about the wisdom of the Bible?  I do.

    The King James uses the word ‘brutish’ for stupid.  I don’t like to think of myself as stupid or brutish, but often when I try to understand the written word of God, I realize: “I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.”

    Prior to going back to the opening Hebrew, let’s look at the King James Version for verse 1.

     Proverbs 30:1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal

    Behind each gem of scripture; beneath each verse of knowledge of the Holy One; dwells understanding to be studied and understood in God’s meaning for us.  Take just this verse, for example:

    Agur means: gathered. He is son of Jakeh: which means blameless.

    Ithiel means: God is with me. Ucal means: devoured and he is a student of the teacher: Agur

    Without this wisdom and understanding of who speaks to us the burden of prophesy in this Proverb, the weight of the following verse will most likely fall on deaf ears of a brutish man like you or me.

    You are not so brutish, or am I so wise as to understand what you cannot study in scripture.  I will leave the key verse of Proverbs 30:4 to your word study.  May the Lord and the Son give you knowledge.  yada yada

    4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
    Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
    What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
    Surely you know!

     

  • An Excellent Wife Who Can Find?

    An Excellent Wife Who Can Find?

    Proverbs 31:

    10 An excellent wife who can find?
    She is far more precious than jewels.
    11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
    and he will have no lack of gain.
    12 She does him good, and not harm,
    all the days of her life.

    A rare jewel is a wife faithful to Christ Jesus.  A reward more precious than gold is a wife faithful to her husband.

    An excellent wife who can find?

    The vows of commitment of our Christian marriage speak of unbreakable relationship:

    • unbreakable relationship of a man to a woman (We sure need them in our lives.)
    • unbreakable relationship of a woman to a man
    • and life-long relationship to our God as perfect example of love to both.

     “In the name of God, I, ______, take you, ______, to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”

    The vow and the word of a Christian is witness to our trust in Christ Jesus as our Lord.

    A Christian wife is trusted by her husband as he must also trust in Christ our Lord to keep His promise of eternal Life.

    When we are joined as one in the name of God, we are also one with the witness of our vows: our God and Lord, Christ Jesus. A Christian wife would no more betray her husband than an Apostle would betray his Lord. She is a woman of faith and integrity in the Lord.

    The Bible makes clear that Christian marriage is the best example of the intimacy of the Bride, Christ’s Church, being joined as One with the returning Bridegroom, Jesus Christ our Lord, who IS and will return for His faithful Bride.

    “She does Him good and not harm all the days of her life.”

    Is this not the witness every Christian (man or woman) ought to have for Christ our Lord?

    The Bible offers many examples of advice for men and about the counsel and company of other godly men; but the one place in the Bible offering some of the best advice for women is Proverbs 31.

    Proverbs 31 opens with a reference to King Lemuel.

    I never knew anything of this wise husband.  I can offer no better insight than that of John MacArthur, a faithful authority on scripture.

    I would offer my sisters in the Lord one additional resource to the scripture. (Some may be familiar with their radio broadcasts, which I too find encouraging.) Proverbs 31 Ministries.

    Like a faithful husband in the Lord, a good wife needs encouragement of other Christians, women to offer her encouragement in scripture and prayer.

    Please pray for my wife.  Pray also for me.

    Beloved sister in the Lord,

    Seek the Lord and you will find Him. He is faithful to His bride.

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    I love my wife, my blessing.

    (“Love” includes many loves for me. {See 1 Corinthians 13 & Song of Songs})

    I love Jesus Christ as my Lord. Let no one doubt this First love of mine.

    I will pray also for your Christian marriage.

    (Just add a comment.)