Proverbs - Wisdom from our Elders

I am on a roll - I finished Proverbs!

Again, as with Psalms, my lovely daughter suggested I may not want to read Proverbs straight through.  But did I listen?  Of course not.  And Proverbs was a much easier read than Psalms ever was.

All those little tidbits of wisdom.  

    Proverbs 16: 31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

    Proverbs 18:13 To answer before listening--that is folly and shame.

    Proverbs 19: 21 Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

I went into Proverbs thinking it was all written by King Solomon.  Surprise!  It was not.  Okay, most of it was based on the teachings of Solomon, but not all.  I found it interesting that Proverbs begins with the Purpose and Theme, much like a paper you would write for a class.  

Next comes the prologue.  Or, why was this written?  

The answer to why is pretty straightforward.  To provide wisdom.  And why do we need wisdom?  For the moral benefits and for our well-being.  To provide warnings against adultery, folly, adultery again, and the adulterous woman.  (Adultery was apparently a big issue for Solomon.)

Finally, the book moves into what I thought it was all about - the Proverbs of Solomon.

There are a lot of little snippets of wisdom here - many that are repeated over and over in just slightly different manners.  Don't gossip.  Be generous to the needy and poor.  Don't be lazy.  Control your temper.  Be Fair.  Discipline your children.  Don't be a fool. You get the picture.

Then some other people chime in with their words to the wise followed by a little more from Solomon.

Don't be a quarrelsome wife.  Don't eat too much honey (or you will vomit).  Pay attention to what you have - it will not be there forever.  Greedy people stir up conflict.

Next, a few words from Agur and King Lemuel.  

And finally the Proverbs 31 woman... The Wife of Noble Character.  I heard people reference that verse before, but I never really knew what they were talking about.  Now I do...sort of.  At first I thought she was an unrealistic superwoman.  I mean, who can do all she does?  Then I reread it again, and yes, I still think she is unrealistic. But, I also wonder if this was really meant as praise all good, hardworking, faithful women and not a rulebook on how to be a good wife as I have heard it described.  

Something to ponder, I guess.

Psalms - I will not be Shaken

What was I thinking?

When I told my daughter I was going to read the Bible in a year (okay - two years) she was surprised that my strategy was to read it straight through.  Even Psalms?  There are so many Bible reading plans out there.  Plans to guide you and set goals and help to make sense of what you are reading.  Plans that have you read from different parts of the Bible on the same day to help put it all together in a meaningful manner.  Plans that have you read chronologically.  There is even a Chronological Bible that could have made it so easy! 

But, I am stubborn.  

I was going to do this my way.  I didn't want to follow someone else's plan.  What if I fell behind?  I would feel like I failed.  I didn't want to skip all over the Bible in my reading everyday.  That felt untidy.  I even bought a Chronological Bible, but that was after I had already finished Genesis and Exodus, so I just couldn't start over.  I was determined I could read the Bible like any other book.

Honestly, my plan was harder than I thought it would be.

For one thing, I fell behind.  Way behind.  Instead of Bible in a Year, I am now on the Bible in Two Years plan.  And I hope I finish by the end of this year.  But, if I don't, I will just keep plugging along.  I will finish.  And when I finish, I will go back and read my Chronological Bible...just to put things in perspective.

Anyway, I finished Psalms!

I learned that Psalms is divided into five parts and that David did not write the whole thing like I thought.  I had to look up some of the other people; I had no idea who they were.  I was not sure what was written when - which was a bit confusing.  Some of the chapters and verses sounded very familiar...some did not.  Some seemed to be David praising God, but at the same time asking God to destroy his enemies.  Some seemed to be David just complaining (definitely not perfect).  Some simply praised God.  Some were history lessons written in verse.  Some I could have used an interpreter to better understand their meaning.

Honestly, I was just trying to finish.  

I did notice the the phrase, Praise the Lord, many times over and over again.  I understood that.  It felt very positive and uplifting.  The Lord is my refuge was another common theme.  It reminded me of my mom...I am not sure why, but it is comforting.  And I will not be Shaken.  It reminded me of a Steve Bell song we used to sing and brought back good memories.

Bottom line, I probably could use some more instruction on Psalms, but that will be for another time.

For now - on to Proverbs (another tough read)!