Proverbs 31:10-12

Proverbs 31:10-12 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. This is our last chapter in Proverbs. That means that we will soon be starting another book of the Bible. Are you excited? Today’s verses are talking about finding a wife. I know you are too young to think about getting a wife, but you are never too young to know the right kind of a wife to look for. If you are a girl, you may say, “I am not looking for a wife.” But someday, you will want to be the kind of a wife that a good husband is looking for. So our verses apply to you whether you are a boy or a girl. Virtuous means a woman who is filled with goodness. The wife that Solomon is talking about here is a good wife. Verse 11 says that this good woman’s husband doesn’t have to worry about his wife. He can trust her decisions and he doesn’t worry about what is going on in the house. His wife is taking care of their house. She has the meals under control and has the bills paid. Well, he may pay the bills, or he may have his wife to pay the bills. Either way, he doesn’t have to worry about things at home. His faithful wife is taking care of that. he never has to worry that she will be talking about him behind his back. That is because she loves him and she wants everyone else to think well of her husband. They take care of each other. That is the way a husband and wife should be: each taking care of the other’s best interests. I am glad that I married a good wife. I am glad that your dad married a good wife too.

Proverbs 30:29-31

Proverbs 30:29-31 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. Today we have four things that are the best in their areas. Lions are not afraid of anything. So they are tops in bravery. A greyhound is the quickest dog, so they are tops in speed. The he goat scrambles up steep mountain slopes without slipping. He is tops in sure-footedness. And then there is the king. Everyone has to bow to the king. Whatever the king says, goes. Whatever the king says is always right. Isn’t it great to know that we are the followers of King Jesus! He is always right. And we are always right if we are on His side!

Proverbs 30:24-28

Proverbs 30:24-28 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:  The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;  The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. These four things are little and feeble, but they manage to live and survive because they stick together and work as one. That is good advice. Ants are teeny tiny and are easy to squish. But they are able to survive because they work together. Conies are like little rabbits. They do not have sharp claws or teeth, but they survive by hiding in the rocks. They use the rocks as their protection. Locusts do not follow leaders, yet they know when to fly and where to find their next meal. Spiders are found everywhere. Even in the palace of the king, Way up in the ceiling, the spiders are hiding and making their webs to catch their supper. Always remember, no matter how good you are, you are not as good as two other people. When you have a tough job, get help. Let someone help you. Don’t rely on your own strength. Rely on your friends and help your friends. All of you will do well.

Proverbs 30:21-23

Proverbs 30:21-23 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress. We have another interesting list, but we are back to four annoying things. These things are not well. When they exist, nobody has any rest. When someone who has no management experience gets promoted, he doesn’t know how to lead people. The people under him are out of control and nothing gets done. Not good. Second is when a fool is filled with food. He starts running his mouth and no one has any peace and quiet. Thirdly is an odious woman when she is married. Odious means someone who is not very kind or understanding or skilled or careful. An odious woman is loud and harsh and braggy. She thinks she is better than everyone else. And then when she is married, she really thinks she is better than everyone else. The last thing that is annoying is a little complicated. When a wealthy woman cannot have a baby, she may decide to adopt one of her servants. This is not the same as adopting a baby to raise. This is giving a servant the position of honor that she does not deserve nor has been prepared to have. The servant will not act like a daughter, she will be uppity and act like a servant who has too much authority. Again, this is an annoying situation. So what is the lesson of these four situations?  People should be trained before they receive promotions. You shouldn’t just give things to someone who is not ready to for them. It’s like giving a kid $500. They will waste it at the toy store. You shouldn’t let a kid drive a car. They should practice on a golf cart and learn to drive first. Our lesson is to learn and wait until we are ready. If we prepare and wait, our chance will come. We should be patient.

Proverbs 30:18,19

Proverbs 30:18, 19 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. Our verses for today are a list like Tuesday’s list. But I like this list better than the list yesterday. Today’s verses talk about wonderful things, and, like yesterday’s list, there are four things. The first wonderful thing is an eagle in the air. Eagles have wonderful eyesight. Unlike most other birds that have eyes on the side of their heads, eagles eyes that are both on the front of their heads. This gives them what we call binocular vision – they can see depth very well. Look around with one eye closed, and then look around with both eyes open. Can’t you see depth much better? Eagles soar miles above the canyons, but can see a rabbit moving in the brush from that far away! The second of the four wonderful things is a snake that moves so gracefully on a rock. Although serpents are scary and threatening, their movement is so fluid and graceful that you are drawn to them.  Thirdly is the movement of a sailing ship upon the wide, wide sea. It is amazing that a ship can sail across the ocean without a road, and get to the destination safely and accurately. Fourth and last is the way of a young man with his girlfriend. He will just stare and stare into her eyes, trying to memorize each feature. He will do anything to be able to visit her. He will travel great distances just to spend a few minutes with her. His love and devotion is wonderful. These four are wonderful things, but God’s love is even more wonderful! And His love is devoted to you!