A 31-Day study of Proverbs
Proverbs 31
Throughout the book of Proverbs, the reader receives the exhortation to choose godly wisdom instead of folly. In the final verses of the book, the God-fearing woman is praised for her decision to pursue what is eternal rather than what is fleeting. The word for praise is halal in Hebrew, which means to shine. The…
Proverbs 30
We could study Proverbs 30 for days as it overflows with puzzling verses, prophecy, and nuggets of truth, but today, we’ll simply pause in the second half of the chapter. Here in verses 17-31, we consider the natural world and the Holy One’s incredible creativity. Ten creatures, from the tiny ant to the soaring eagle,…
Proverbs 29
God made His image bearers to feel a wide range of emotions, and He sent His Son into a world broken by sin to show us the way to respond to joy and sorrow, anger and compassion, empathy and frustration. Jesus lived out today’s highlighted verse and quietly held back His spirit (vs. 11). He…
Proverbs 28
The lion is often referred to as the king or queen of all beasts because it fears no animal. Throughout secular literature and in the Bible, the lion is depicted as confident and courageous, the mightiest of all beasts and retreating from nothing. In today’s proverb, “the righteous are bold as a lion” (vs. 1).…
Proverbs 27
I coined the phrase “There’s no growth in easy” when I was a young mom and faced refining challenges in my life. I came to see that when God tests my heart and allows challenges to enter my story, He gives me opportunities to grow in Christlikeness (Proverbs 17:3). Challenges are a gift to embrace…
Proverbs 26
Proverbs 26 continues the theme of our words, and I immediately spot in verse 17 the chaos of my life with little ones — and our world. The Message says it this way: “You grab a mad dog by the ears when you butt into a quarrel that’s none of your business.” Oh, how true,…
Proverbs 25
Proverbs 25 begins a string of proverbs that were first part of Israel’s oral tradition and then copied down under the direction of Judah’s King Hezekiah. He was eager — almost anxious — to have them written down, so future generations wouldn’t miss the wise words first spoken by King Solomon. I Kings 4:32 tells…
Proverbs 24
As we continue our march through Proverbs, I’m asking God to put a roadblock in your place here in Proverbs 24 to cause you to slow and to wrestle with a verse or grouping of verses. I’m praying that you’ll be changed by something you read today from God’s Word — and not by my…
Proverbs 23
Just hours before wildfire smoke choked our valley, about 100 fluttering, diving, and looping barn swifts near my home caught my eye. Clustered together, the birds seemed frantic, and I now wonder at their innate sense that something stagnant was storming toward them. At the time, I simply marveled at the fleeting dance show, knowing…
Proverbs 22
One of my favorite books is The Hedge of Thorns, a short parable published 200 years ago about a boy and his little sister who lived in the English countryside. Each day they walked back and forth to school along a hedge of thorns. Overly curious and suffering from the modern-day FOMO (fear of missing…
Proverbs 21
According to I Kings 4, an incredible peace covered Judah and Israel during the reign of King Solomon, who boasted 12,000 chariot and saddle horses in 4,000 stables spread throughout the country. These beasts of burden, which were first introduced in Israel’s warfare under the reign of Absalom, signified power. A nation with horses was…
Proverbs 20
The world is full of prickly, porcupine-like people who, when irritated, leave painful reminders that they aren’t happy. Throughout Proverbs they are called quarrelers. In the animal kingdom, they are known as quill pigs, the prickliest of rodents with coats of more than 30,000 sharp quills that warn predators they won’t be an easy meal…
Proverbs 19
In Genesis 3 after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God pursued them and in love asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (3:11). Adam replied, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit…
Proverbs 18
If I produced a movie about the year 2020, I think I might call it “The Year of Isolation.” In an attempt to defeat the dreaded coronavirus, we’ve hibernated in our homes. We’ve covered expression-filled faces with masks. And we’ve kept our dearest people at a 6-foot distance. Then, we added a series of devastating…
Proverbs 17
The other day a friend made a passing comment about the state of life today that could have easily brought discouragement and a conversation descending into the depths of despair. In response, I voiced a positive that had come from the situation, to which my friend said, “Well, there you go again, finding the good.”…
Proverbs 16
“Gray hair is a crown of glory.” I’ve heard this part of today’s key verse recited many times by graying elders in my life, often with a chuckle as they blew out their birthday candles. In my youth, I thought this verse described the beautiful, crowning achievement of living to a ripe old age, but…
Proverbs 15
Proverbs 15 is full of verses about the tongue and the impact of our words upon the people around us. We’re advised to have a soft answer when confronted with less-than-pleasant words from others, but this is easier said than done, right? While our speech is directly mentioned in eight verses (1, 2, 4, 7,…
Proverbs 14
Throwing aside folly to achieve wisdom isn’t a one-time achievement in life but a moment-by-moment choice as we navigate through daily decisions and the actions that follow. We see from Proverbs 14 that when our eyes aren’t fixed on God and His best for us, even the wise woman can easily and quickly become a…
Proverbs 13
We have 25 incredible verses in Proverbs 13 full of nuggets of wisdom, but today we’re just going to look at verse 20 to consider who we are doing life with both in-person and online. Our answers just might help us see whether we are setting ourselves up to be wise or foolish people.
Proverbs 12
Proverbs 12 reminds us to be diligent as we move through our days. Contrasting the diligent one with the lazy or slothful person (vs. 24 and 27), our wisdom giver says hard work will bring blessing, while the frivolity of the one who lacks sense will bring poverty.
Proverbs 11
In this chapter, the phrases “remains silent” (vs. 12) and “keeps a thing covered” (vs. 13) jumped out at me. I’m a journalist by training who loves to report a good and sometimes fantastic story for the world to hear, one that clarifies the facts. As a reporter, I worked diligently, especially in local government…
Proverbs 10
The emergency alert came to my phone early Monday afternoon that “hot, dry, and potentially historic strong easterly winds” were expected. The warning briefly brought to mind the verse from Proverbs 10 that I had just read that morning about the tempest, a strong storm wind with destructive forces. When the forecasted winds came later…
Proverbs 9
Today, as we finish reading Proverbs 9, we come to the end of the first of three sections in this incredible book of wisdom. As Solomon concludes a letter to his son about walking in the way of wisdom, he contrasts the offerings of wisdom and folly. While they sound similar, wisdom loudly proclaims life,…
Proverbs 8
I love ah-ha moments when I’m studying God’s Word, and a slow reading of Proverbs 8 gave me one of those pauses. I’m praying you catch it, too, for it moves wisdom from a concept or lofty goal to something far richer. My ah-ha moment came with the two words I, wisdom (vs. 12) as…
Proverbs 7
In the original language of Proverbs 7, the word treasure from verse 1 is tsaphan, meaning to hide. It is the same Hebrew word that was used to describe what Moses’ mother did for three months to protect her newborn son from Pharaoh’s deadly plan to reduce the Israelite population (Exodus 2:23). It’s also the…
Proverbs 6
It’s far too easy to point one’s finger at others who are guilty of the seven sins of Proverbs 6:16-19, but it’s not so comfortable to see that the pointing hand has more fingers pointing back at oneself. This section reminds us that when God hates something we too must hate — and seek to…
Proverbs 5
As Jamie Harms and I dig into the Proverbs and share study prompts with you this month, we’re gaining a new appreciation for the book and the wisdom wrapped within its pages. For me, I’m sitting longer in chapters like this fifth one that I once thought was just for men lusting for what is…
Proverbs 4
In Proverbs 4, a father is talking to his son, urging him to get wisdom (vs. 7), to accept it (vs. 10), and to hold onto it (vs. 13). Then, using imagery we discussed in Psalm 119, he talks about a full-body obedience to wise ways — ear inclined, heart kept, mouth honoring, eyes fixed,…
Proverbs 3
Proverbs 3 includes the often-quoted trust verses (5-6), which revisit the “path” theme from yesterday, along with other nuggets of truth that we don’t want you to miss. For instance, in verses 11 and 12, a father’s love and delight in his child is displayed through correction. This is the parent who pulls an erring…
Proverbs 2
When our family goes hiking, a little one often skips along in front and is the first to spot a fork in the path. She calls out, “Which way do we go?” and waits for her father’s direction. Today as we approach Proverbs 2, we see that calling out to our trustworthy heavenly Father and…
Proverbs 1
Our Wisdom in Chaos study officially begins today with Proverbs 1. We encourage you to head over to ufcwomen.blog for the full text of Proverbs 1, key verses, a couple questions to ponder, and a prayer. This is a simple study you can do on your own a little bit each day through October 1…
Wisdom in a World of Chaos
For the month of September, we want to seek wisdom from the source of wisdom — God in His Word — as we read one chapter of Proverbs each day. Each morning you can expect to find at ufcwomen.blog the text of the Proverb, a key verse to Pause and consider, a few questions to…
Editor’s Desk: A Peek into Fall
What a joy it is to wrap up our Summer in the Psalms study today with a look back and a look ahead. Join us at ufcwomen.blog for more on what’s ahead for UFC Women this fall.