Tag: Proverbs

The ideal wife?

Sometimes in discussions about the roles of men and women, especially with regards to the debate about complementarianism and egalitarianism, Proverbs 31 is cited as significant.   How relevant exactly is this passage to the debate? That will depend on the purpose of the passage. There are three options. Different commentators have made their case in… Continue reading The ideal wife?

Why does Proverbs focus so much on two commands “honour your parents” and “Do not commit adultery”?

The wisdom literature, including both Psalms and Proverbs provides reflection and meditation on the Law, helping us to think through God’s commands and apply them to our circumstances.  You may notice, as you read through them that there seems to be a heavy focus on two commands “Honour your parents” and “Do not commit adultery.” … Continue reading Why does Proverbs focus so much on two commands “honour your parents” and “Do not commit adultery”?

Proverbs – prescriptions, promises or principles?

We want to be clear that when we come to the book of Proverbs, we are not opening up a box of promises or predictions about how our lives will go.  Now are they to be treated as prescriptive commands to be followed in a ritualistic or legalistic manner.  So, we sometimes talk about the… Continue reading Proverbs – prescriptions, promises or principles?

Lashing out and sounding off

This group of proverbs warn about the danger of making quick, surface responses.  There are those who are quick to sound off, to give their opinion, to let others know what they think and feel, everything is brimming up close to the surface. Examples of this type of person include those who are unloving and… Continue reading Lashing out and sounding off

How Reading Proverbs has helped my understanding of the rest of the Bible

I love the Proverbs but my appreciation of them has grown when I’ve spent time reading them as a book of the Bible, not just selecting memorable ones to quote.  You see, whilst we tend to treat them as a source book for lots of anatomised wise advice, I believe that we are meant to… Continue reading How Reading Proverbs has helped my understanding of the rest of the Bible

Reading Proverbs

It’s quite rare to see a church preaching/teaching series on Proverbs. So I’m pretty excited that our church are going to have a mini series on the book and looking forward to hearing Chris and Rich introduce us to a fantastic and crucial Old Testament book. We did work through much of Proverbs at my… Continue reading Reading Proverbs

Teaching Proverbs

It’s probably a book of the Bible rarely preached on as a sequential expository series. People tend to focus on individual proverbs in isolation. However, when I spent time with a local church working through Proverbs as a teaching series, we found it deeply helpful and encouraging. So, if you are looking for a future… Continue reading Teaching Proverbs

Isolated (Proverbs 18)

“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;    he breaks out against all sound judgment.”[1] These are probably not helpful words for a Government attempting to encouraging COVID-19 patients to self-isolate. Yet, our experience of having to socially isolate over these past 7 months have been a crash course in the cost of such isolation. When we… Continue reading Isolated (Proverbs 18)