Let Your Foot Rarely Be In Your Neighbor’s House (Notes on Proverbs)

August 27, 2015 by

My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs

The following is an excerpt from the book, My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs.

“Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house, or he will become weary of you and hate you” (25:17). In trying to be good neighbors, some will take it upon themselves to visit and spend time with them to show their neighbors that they value their relationship. Often this is done with the best of intentions, but Solomon offers a word of caution in this verse. What is often done with good intentions can be interpreted much differently by one’s neighbor. While it is good to be friendly, we also need to respect the privacy of others and not impose when we are unwelcome. If a neighbor invites us into his home, we must be careful not to overstay our welcome, lest the good feelings he has for us become exhausted and he learns to resent us.

You can read more comments on the book of Proverbs in My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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Those Who Are Given To Change (Notes on Proverbs)

August 20, 2015 by

My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs

The following is an excerpt from the book, My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs.

“My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change, for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?” (24:21-22). In choosing one’s companions, it is important to do so in the fear of God. Solomon couples this with the fear one ought to have for the king. Because of this connection, we must understand this ruler to be one who is ruling according to the will of God. This is why he says, “Do not associate with those who are given to change.” Change can be good, particularly if sin and corruption need to be corrected. If rulers are acting contrary to the will of God, we ought to desire change in this regard. But change for the sake of change – which is what Solomon is referring to here – is not good. It reflects an attitude of rebellion and discontent. Seeking change for these reasons, rather than for principles of righteousness, will lead one not only to resist civil leaders, but God as well. Those who have such a rebellious and discontented heart will face calamity “suddenly.” Therefore, one who is following the path of wisdom will avoid “those who are given to change.”

You can read more comments on the book of Proverbs in My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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A Dry Morsel and Quietness (Notes on Proverbs)

August 13, 2015 by

My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs

The following is an excerpt from the book, My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs.

“Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred” (15:17). “Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it than a house full of feasting with strife” (17:1). A poor family is able to sustain itself on little more than a “dish of vegetables” and a “dry morsel.” While such a condition may not be desirable in itself, Solomon makes the point that if there is love and quietness (the absence of strife) within a home, poverty can be endured. More than that, the prosperity that allows one to enjoy feasting is not worth pursuing if it leads to hatred and strife within the home. Too many people sacrifice family in order to pursue success in the things of this life. But no amount of this world’s wealth can replace the blessing of harmony in the home.

You can read more comments on the book of Proverbs in My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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Drink Water From Your Own Cistern (Notes on Proverbs)

August 6, 2015 by

My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs

The following is an excerpt from the book, My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs.

“Drink water from your own cistern and fresh water from your own well. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving hind and a gracious doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; be exhilarated always with her love. For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress and embrace the bosom of a foreigner?” (5:15-20). God designed marriage as the relationship in which a man and a woman can fulfill their sexual desires (Genesis 2:24; Hebrews 13:4). Solomon’s advice to his son in these verses is that he should be content with his wife in regard to their sexual relationship (5:15). He was not to seek out the adulteress (5:20); we have already noticed warnings about her in other passages (5:1-14; 6:24-35; 7:1-27; 9:13-18). He warns his son not to let his “springs be dispersed abroad” (5:16), dividing his attention, support, care, and affections between his wife (to whom they should exclusively be directed) and others. He says, “Let your fountain be blessed” (5:18). A fountain refers to a source. In this context, it is the source of his life, which is his heart (cf. 4:23). His heart and his life will be blessed as he rejoices “in the wife of [his] youth” (5:18). He is to enjoy their sexual relationship and “be exhilarated always with her love” (5:19). Pursuing sexual desires outside of marriage only leads to trouble. Fulfilling sexual desires within marriage, as God intended, is a great blessing.

You can read more comments on the book of Proverbs in My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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Dressed as a Harlot (Notes on Proverbs)

July 30, 2015 by

My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs

The following is an excerpt from the book, My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs.

“And behold, a woman comes to meet him, dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart” (7:10). We have already noticed how the adulteress is actively trying to capture one in sin – “An adulteress hunts for the precious life” (6:26). Here, after the naive young man foolishly takes the way past her house, she seizes the opportunity and goes out to meet him. The first thing he will notice about this woman is her clothing. She wears “the attire of an harlot” (KJV), which will only add fuel to the fire of any lustful thoughts he may have. This is deliberate on her part, as she is “cunning of heart.” But what any woman ought to remember is that if she goes out “dressed as a harlot,” wearing clothing that invites lust, she has complicity in the sin of one who lusts after her, regardless of whether or not her intention was to seduce him (as was the intention of the harlot).

You can read more comments on the book of Proverbs in My Son, Hear My Words: Notes on Proverbs. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

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