Tag Archives: god

May 14, 2024 · 9:34 am

The Proverbs 31 Woman

This is something that has been germinating in my head for a long time. Remember – this is a blog, and not a theological treatise. The purpose is simply to spark imagination and meditation down perhaps a different line.

The genre of Proverbs is “wisdom literature”. Proverbs are not laws, nor are they epistles, nor are they history books. They are short, pithy statements designed to be meditated on and remembered. They are to be savored, floated over the tongue, read aloud, tasted, tasted again…

Perhaps this is why so many people who are “black and white” oriented have such a hard time with them. For example, neo-reformed theologians are notoriously short on imagination, and tend to think that everything in the bible is about making other people know their place.

So when the Proverbs speak about sons and rods, they can’t see anything other than beating children.

And when Proverbs speaks of an “excellent woman”, they can’t help but think of a list of rules designed to keep women in line.

But maybe that isn’t what it is about at all.

 

Proverbs is a book about wisdom. Read the first nine chapters. The first nine chapters introduce us to two women: Lady Folly, and Lady Wisdom. Lady Wisdom is with God from before all worlds. Lady Wisdom guides the feet in the right path. Lady Wisdom leads to health and life, and is more valuable than rubies. If you have Lady Wisdom, you have life.

Naturally, we don’t have Wisdom. We are allured by Lady Folly into the paths of death and ruin. But if we ask for wisdom, if we diligently seek her as we seek for hidden treasures, the Lord will give her to us.

Then we will find life. We will avoid the pitfalls and temptations of drunkenness, fornication, laziness, greed, pride – and all the other things that lead to ruin.

But if we find Wisdom, our lives will be rescued from destruction and our feet saved from the pit…

And then we go into the long pithy sayings of the differences between wisdom and folly. These were compiled over the centuries and put together into the inspired book we have now.

As the book concludes, we read about a woman again. She is described in many of the same images and types as she is throughout the whole book. He who finds her finds a good thing.

She is worth more than rubies. Her paths lead to life and beauty and order. The one who finds this woman finds success and thrives. Her children call her blessed.

Maybe, seen in the light of the whole of Proverbs, this isn’t about a list of duties to keep proper women in line. Perhaps this is again the urging of the Holy Spirit to find wisdom or die.

 

If you read chapter 8 carefully, wisdom is personified. She is exalted, and she is searching for her children. She is begging mankind to turn in to her and away from folly.

And throughout the history of the Church, theologians of every kind have seen Christ in Proverbs 8. HE is the wisdom of God, who was made flesh.

He calls us. He searches for us. And he begs us to find him and find life.

And he is also freely given by God to all who diligently seek him.

“Her children rise and call her blessed” – Agur

“Wisdom is justified of her children” – Jesus

“Here am I, and the children you have given men” – Isaiah, quoted by the writer to the Hebrews.

Do you see where I am going?

Now, read Proverbs 31 again.

Proverbs 31:10–31 (NIV)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

      10 A wife of noble character who can find?
          She is worth far more than rubies.
       11 Her husband has full confidence in her
          and lacks nothing of value.
       12 She brings him good, not harm,
          all the days of her life.
       13 She selects wool and flax
          and works with eager hands.
       14 She is like the merchant ships,
          bringing her food from afar.
       15 She gets up while it is still night;
          she provides food for her family
          and portions for her female servants.
       16 She considers a field and buys it;
          out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
       17 She sets about her work vigorously;
          her arms are strong for her tasks.
       18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
          and her lamp does not go out at night.
       19 In her hand she holds the distaff
          and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
       20 She opens her arms to the poor
          and extends her hands to the needy.
       21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
          for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
       22 She makes coverings for her bed;
          she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
       23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
          where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
       24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
          and supplies the merchants with sashes.
       25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
          she can laugh at the days to come.
       26 She speaks with wisdom,
          and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
       27 She watches over the affairs of her household
          and does not eat the bread of idleness.
       28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
          her husband also, and he praises her:
       29 “Many women do noble things,
          but you surpass them all.”
       30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
          but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
       31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
          and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

If you hold to this as an instruction manual on how proper wives are to behave, there are only two end results:

1 – either despair. You give up and say that living the Bible is too hard and you can’t do it – maybe you don’t have enough faith, or God doesn’t love you enough.

OR 2 – pride. Worse than giving up is the conclusion that you have accomplished the proper Proverbs 31 wife role. And you join the ranks of the Church Ladies who look with scorn on those who haven’t quite accomplished it.

The children of folly are ugly, aren’t they?

But wisdom is justified of her children. Wisdom’s children rise up and call her blessed.

When you seek diligently after wisdom, and the Lord grants you wisdom, then your words change, your actions change. You find life and peace and beauty and order.

Not because you sought to exalt yourself above your neighbor by baking your own bread, homeschooling your kids, growing your own flax and trying your damndest to be the proper Proverbs 31 wife…

But because you sought wisdom in the only place it can be found:

2 My son, if you accept my words
          and store up my commands within you,
       2 turning your ear to wisdom
          and applying your heart to understanding—
       3 indeed, if you call out for insight
          and cry aloud for understanding,
       4 and if you look for it as for silver
          and search for it as for hidden treasure,
       5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
          and find the knowledge of God.
       6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
          from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:1-6)

And where do we find that wisdom? Only in Christ. He is become wisdom for us that we might find life in him. And then, of course, if your skills and love are growing flax and baking bread and sewing garments, have at it, whether you are male or female, because this isn’t about that. It is about finding wisdom and the life that comes from it.

30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NIV)

1 Comment

Filed under Men and women, Wisdom

Tagged as , , , , ,

February 25, 2024 · 2:49 pm

The man’s man, who pisseth against the wall

It’s a curious expression. I was brought up on the King James Version and I remember giggling to myself whenever the old and venerable preacher would read it.

I would have gotten the tar knocked out of me if I said it. But if it is in the King James, it must be godly, right?

As I got older, I realized that there wasn’t any other English translation that uses that phrase.

Then when I studied Hebrew, I realized that the King James literally translates the Hebrew there. The Word of God does indeed say, “Every man that pisses against the wall.”

I started thinking about this a week or so back. Someone shared a clip of a southern preacher bemoaning the “lack of real men”. He said that the problem in America is that men pee sitting down, unlike what the Bible says. The Bible says that real men piss against the wall.

He was serious, by the way, and there are more problems with that exegesis than can be mentioned in this blog.

But it illustrates a serious problem in the way that the modern bearded dude-bro thinks. There is a worship of manly men. An obsession with authority. A lust for manly power. Pulpits mostly focus on men being men, and many careers have been made with the shaming of “effeminate men” who pee sitting down, and manly men who piss against the wall like men are supposed to.

You all know who I am talking about. A sermon shaming effeminate men and extolling manly men will go viral, if done well. And the manly man is equated with godliness, strength, courage, and power.

The horrible sermon about “pissing against the wall” was simply pandering to the spirit of the evangelical age of Trump, I’m afraid.

But here is the problem.

“Pisseth against the wall” is used 6 times in the Old Testament – all of them in the Age of the Kings.

And each time it is used, it is used as a promise of destruction.

David said that if Abigail hadn’t intervened, not one of Nabal’s men would have been left alive. All who pisseth against the wall would have been destroyed.

And then the curse on the house of Ahab – not one of Ahab would be left. Not one who “pisseth against the wall”.

If you think about it, the preacher was right about one thing. The man who “pisseth against the wall” is the manly man. He is outside the city, protecting the perimeter. He is with the soldiers. He isn’t inside on the couches and with the women. He is outside, pissing against the wall of the city, or the fortress, or the tower.

He is Nimrod, the mighty hunter. Esau, the hairy man of the field.
He is the mighty men of David. The soldiers.

And every time they are mentioned in the scripture, the term is used as a mark of contempt. You mighty men who piss against the wall, so proud of your manly strength. Not one of you will be left when the Lord finished his work.

Your armies can’t protect you. Your strength can’t protect you. Your authority and power can’t protect you.

A careful reading of the prophets shows a very important theme: Woe to all who put their trust in armies, strength, weapons, horses – or in the modern age – guns, tanks, politics, police, armies, patriarchs, men who pee standing up.

This is not where the kingdom of God is. Never has been. Never will be.

Where you find the spirit of God is where you find love and joy, peace and longsuffering.

I mourn when I see the established church lust after war and death. I hate seeing the people of God crying out for blood.

That is not what Christianity is. The kingdom is not advanced by armies and death and destruction.

God takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.

Like any other gift, the gift of strength can and has been used for God’s glory. God uses men of war for many different reasons, and many honorable men and women have served in the armed forces. That isn’t what this is about.

What this is about is trust. The problem with the “manly man” theology in the pews is that it drives the soul from Christ.

It makes us think that with strong resolve and will power, with strength and determination, we can overcome any obstacles and defeat any enemy.

And the bible calls this “pride”. We think that sin is something that can be overcome by strength of will. We think that the armies of evil can be destroyed by manliness and courage. We think that the problem in the country are those “other people”. When I was a kid, it was the hippies. Now, apparently, it is people who pee sitting down. How he got that information is beyond my imagination. But it all boils down to pride.  And God hates it.

God resists the proud.

But he gives strength to the humble. The humble one, in Biblical thought, is the one who is afflicted, without any resources, without any strength, without any hope.’ In the ancient Hebrew, the word for “humble” can also be translated, oppressed, afflicted, crushed, poor, or desperate.

It is the opposite of the one receiving a major award and saying “I’m so humbled by this award….”

Rather, it is the one with leprosy, cast out of the city without a cure.

It is the one who is destitute, begging for scraps at the temple.

It is the woman who reaches out to touch the hem of the garment.

It is the child stripped and dragged away as a captive.

It is the old man crushed under the wagon wheels.

It is the blind beggar that is shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

It is the rich ruler whose dearly loved daughter is about to die. He is destitute and his money and position can do nothing.

In other words, the one that God resists is the one who boastfully pisseth against the wall, spits on the ground, says to himself “At least I don’t pee sitting down”.

That has nothing to do with Christ. He didn’t come for those who have strength. When we were without strength, Christ died for the ungodly.

Those who pee sitting down because their legs don’t work.

The one who is so overcome with his sin and misery that he can only cry out, “Lord have mercy”.

Remember the cry of the desperate? “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This is the gospel. The church was called to give that message. To teach who Jesus is so that the desperate know who to call out to.

Whosoever calls on the name of Jesus will be saved.

11 Comments

Filed under Gospel, Men and women

Tagged as , , , , ,

December 13, 2023 · 6:27 pm

Separation? or Divorce? Thoughts concerning Freedom in Christ.

Today there was a debate which reminded me of something…

Those who make an idol of marriage tend to stubbornly refuse to admit that sometimes abuse is so horrible that the spouse must flee from the home in order to protect her own life.

To them, divorce is the worst thing a person can do.
(Cue John Piper’s horrible statement about a wife “perhaps enduring being smacked around for an evening”).

But then it seems as if they grow a bit of a conscience and have a vague feeling of unease. The truth of the brutality of the depths of abuse tend to make us uncomfortable. You start to think that perhaps your tribe or your church or your people are a bit better than other tribes and other people and then the ugly reality of sin rears its head. It sometimes hits you hard upside the head to hear what evil things humans can do to those they profess to love.

And so when you are hit upside the head, but you cannot give up the “God hates divorce” mantra, you come up with something silly like “Sometimes separation is necessary, but divorce is never an option. Separate until he repents and then…” but really does it matter at this point?

So a couple of things.

First, separation is never a viable option in the scripture. You are either divorced or married. If you are married, live in love and respect and mutual honor and dignity. Love one another and put the other one first. When the covenant is broken and the situation has become treacherous, it is better to divorce than to live in hatred (See Malachi 2). For God would have us free, rather than in bondage to misery, death and hatred (1 Corinthians 7)

Speaking of 1 Corinthians, chapter 7 is speaking of a specific situation. Paul is showing the church how to apply the universal principle of godly love in a godless and cruel culture. It has nothing to do with a 21st century woman married to a son of Belial. That is the reason God gave us divorce to begin with.

Second, the idea seems to be that by separation the abuser will see the errors of his ways and repent. This belief is hopelessly naive and ultimately tempting God. I wrote about this here.

So the abused spouse is expected to remain alone, drive herself into poverty, and live in continuous fear of harm rather than accept the remedy that God has provided, simply because some preacher somewhere said that God hates divorce.

I’m not buying it, and it isn’t actually taught in the scripture.

When the law prescribes death for the adulterer, it is showing us how hateful it is in the eyes of God for the covenant of marriage to be broken. But it isn’t the one sinned against that was culpable. It was the one who broke the covenant.

Whether that covenant was broken through sexual sin, degradation, reviling, depravation of food, sleep, safety, or other actions of hate, God has provided a remedy for the one who has been sinned against (Exodus 21:9-10)

Because he hates her, let him send her away, says the Lord God of Israel. (Malachi 2:16)

Hope this helps.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Divorce, Marriage

Tagged as , , , ,