Get Ravished

(Proverbs 5:19 KJV)  Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

My wife likes to tell the kids that what attracted me was the short red dress she wore.  Since it was an asset, I can’t argue.  I am wise enough not to point out all the long discussions we had about life and how we seemed so much on the same page in our commitment to the Lord and desire to serve.  Let her have her moment.  Solomon would have nodded his head and smiled.  He knew what she was talking about.

Physical attraction is part of how God built us.  It is part of the program and it is more than a gimmick to insure the existence of the next generation.  Paul put it this way.

(1 Corinthians 7:5 KJV)  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Is it any wonder that the Prayer and Fasting League never caught on?

So?  If you are married the attraction you feel for each other is holy.  If you are not married and feel the attraction then the answer is marriage.  Children are just an added bonus.  They will certainly change your Christmas season. 

Be a Hugger

(Proverbs 4:8 KJV)  Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

Are you a hugger?  I am not.  I can hug.  I have hugged.  I can hug well.  I am not a hugger.  Both translations I refer to use “embrace” (2263).  I am not an embracer either.

Just because I am not something by nature does not mean I cannot learn how and when to practice it.  I am not a runner by nature.  My advice to visitors in Boston years ago when cars were rushing toward them as they used a crosswalk, “Whatever you do, don’t lose your dignity.”  Yet I have been known to run when my children are in trouble.  I never chose to eat sushi.  If you have me to your house and serve sushi I will eat it with a smile on my face.  We can learn.

So?  Wisdom can be learned.  It is offered by God.  You have the Holy Spirit as a tutor as well as examples in living flesh around you.  Just because you are not a hugger does not mean you cannot learn wisdom.  Remember, this is a limited time offer.

Right Hand Blessing

(Proverbs 3:16 KJV)  Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.

Why is “long” (753) “life” (3117) something to be desired?  We could play with the KJV’s “length of days” which is more literal but that begs my question.  We could speculate that this includes eternity, and some day I might, but today I notice that the other hand has “riches” (6239) and “honor” (3519b) and, as they say, “you can’t take it with you”.  Why are we not told to hurry up and get out of this life and move on to a better world?

I think one good question deserves another.  Why did God create us in the first place?  I sometimes think that we bring joy to Him by the constant generation of new experiences.  The longer we are here on Earth the more we will have to add to the eternal stew and in some way God will savor it and allow us to join in the enjoyment.  I know there is heresy waiting just around the corner as I talk about adding to God in any way but keep in mind that the Bible seems to indicate our praise and worship are something He desires.

So?  Live long in righteousness.  Why?  This may be one of those places where God would just say, “Because I said so.” 

Boring Temptations

(Proverbs 2:16 KJV)  To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

I feel a little let down.  I don’t think I have ever needed to be rescued from an aggressive woman.  I have come across the scene in books and probably seen it on the screen.  Two people meet by accident in a bar and within a few pages are having wild and improbable sex at her place.  I am still waiting to practice my self control.  Somehow I don’t think it is going to happen with all that drama.

I need wisdom to “deliver” (5337) me from more mundane things.  With me it is more meeting a box of Cheese-Its in a grocery store and within a few pages having wild and too common gluttony in the recliner at my place.  It isn’t quite as exciting.  Hollywood won’t make a movie about it.  I still need delivery.

So?  Wisdom will give us the focus to help us deal with the real challenges we face.  They may come in a box or in a conversation.  Help is not on the way, it has arrived. 

Because

(Proverbs 1:11 KJV)  If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

This compound word “without cause” (2600) is fairly common in the OT.  It should be telling us something about how we respond to people.  We have often been taught that certain things, such as killing, are always forbidden.  We get the idea that we should never get angry.  Maybe that is not true based on this term.

Obviously some things are always wrong.  There is never a legitimate reason to jump someone in the dark and rob them.  But there are many things in life which are acceptable, or even necessary, if the situation is right.  You would not normally go and pound on your neighbors door at 2:00 A.M. but if his house is on fire he would understand.  You don’t normally get up and walk out of church but you might if the pastor has just denied the divinity of Christ.

At the core is our motivation and the path of reasoning we have followed. 

So?  Make sure you don’t rationalize what God will punish.  Keep seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and enrich your mind with the words God has given to us for that help. 

Multi-Dimensional

(Proverbs 30:22 KJV)  For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

It used to be said, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”  Of course that would be considered sexist today, even if it is still true.  It may be true but it reflects the opening salvo of a relationship.  Good cooking is not enough to build a life long relationship on.  Neither is looks or sex.  The point being made here is that a “fool” (5036) tends to be one dimensional.

If your measure of success is food then you are a fool.  Proverbs also has the same thing to say about people fixated with wealth and power.  People who only have one interest tend to be driven in that area but ignore the rest.  Followers of Jesus need to be well rounded.  No one will be great in everything and a person who is at the 50 percentile in everything is boring but we cannot rest on one strength.

So?  We may only have one gift but we have all of the fruit.  Both rooms of our character need to be developed. 

Forks and Choices

(Proverbs 29:26 KJV)  Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.

Remember the words of Joshua,

(Joshua 24:15 KJV)  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

The part that sticks with us is “choose you this day whom ye will serve;...”  For Joshua it was a fork-in-the-road day.  It was a matter of picking one and going in a different direction.  That is really too simple.  Oh, that it was that easy.  In reality we make this decision repeatedly.

Walking with Jesus is just that, a walk.  It is a series of steps, each one involving choices on direction, length of stride, speed and which way we lean.  It might be possible to move forward while you lean back and throw your center of gravity behind your feet, but you would be stretching it to call it walking.  In the same way it is not safe to turn left when your eyes are to the right.  Try it in a grocery aisle some day.

So?  Seek the Lord’s favor.  Whether it leads to a longer life is up to Him.  I guarantee it will lead to a happier eternity.