An Idea Borrowed

Years ago on a radio program someone shared that they read a chapter in Proverbs every day. Since there are 31 chapters and the longest month has 31 days it allows you to read through Proverbs on a regular basis. I use it as the launch pad for my personal worship time and branch out from there. On this blog I will try to share some of the insights I have in the Word. I will try to organize them in the archive by reference.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Look Before You Leap

(Proverbs 30:23 KJV)  For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

Once again the KJV brings a nuance that the NASB misses.  In fact the NASB has the weakest translation of this passage when compared to the ones I have in my software.  The NASB calls this woman “unloved” (8130).  She certainly was but there was good reason for that.  The KJV uses “odious” and others used “hated” and “hateful.” 

Now look at the context beginning in verse 21 where it talks about the things that make the earth shake.

The point is that there are some people who can ruin your life if you get too close to them.  I don’t know how they worm their way into close relationships.  I don’t know how an “odious” woman can get a guy to pop the question.  I don’t know how some people become business partners, but we have all seen it happen.

So?  Obviously we are called to be lovers, not haters.  But a word of caution.  Before you tie yourself to someone, seek guidance.  Prayer, friends, and family come to mind but one of the biggest reasons we get into these situation is because we want something and refuse to see the facts in front of our faces. 

1 comment:

Gorges Smythe said...

This is only vaguely related to your post, but in high school, I used the following to illustrate the difference between liberals and conservatives. "A conservative always looks before he leaps, whereas a liberal, no matter how good his intentions, never really knows where he's going until after he gets there." My liberal teacher then asked for the "textbook explanation" of the difference. A scrawny, country-club city-slicker, who'd probably never done a chore in his life, gave her what she wanted to hear: "A liberal wants to make things better, while a conservative wants to return to the horse and buggy days." I responded that I knew a lot of conservatives and that not a one desired that, either literally or figuratively. (Amazingly, the class was on my side.)