King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Thursday, June 22, 2023
Chapters: Proverbs Chapters 30-31
Study: Leaving A Christ impression
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, I kept thinking about my wedding that is coming up in sixteen days and wondering if I have what it takes to be a virtuous wife. Will I be there for my husband through thick and thin? Will I be his greatest cheerleader? Will I be the help meet that he deserves? Well, according to God, I am on the right track as long as I keep my heart and mind through Christ, in fact, that goes for the both of us.
[Philippians 4:5-8 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.]
Let me tell you, in this world of wickedness, men have lost their fight, they are becoming quite timid, afraid, or just too lazy to stand up and fight for what is right. Now, I will tell you this, my beloved is not afraid to fight, he is a God fearing man, ready for battle, he just needs a little encouragement and motivation to keep going. Now, with that being said, there is a shortage of God fearing men stepping up to fight for what is right, sadly, many women are left to raise their families. That is why it is imperative that us God fearing women step up and be the Godly influence that the men in their lives need, albeit their husbands, fathers, uncles, sons, and nephews, [2 Timothy 1:5-7 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.]
As we return to and come to the end of the reading of Proverbs, we find that they are written by two different men. However, after you read about Solomon’s rise and fall from God, you start to get the picture that it was either him who wrote them, or someone who knew him rather well, watched what was going on, and God laid it on their heart to write about it. First, we have Agur and he starts his writing with an amazing prophecy.
[Proverbs 30:1-6 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell? 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.]
[what is his name, and what is his son’s name,] I do not care what era that you came from, everyone knew that God has a Son, they may not have known that His name is Jesus, but they did know that they needed to kiss Him, [Psalms 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.]
[Add thou not unto his words,] And this is coming from someone who is not a preacher, priest, or even a servant of God in the temple. We cannot doubt one word written in His Word, nor attempt to put in it what we believe ought to be there. God’s Word, is inspired, meaning God is the one who told these Holy Spirit filled men to tell His story, often through their own stories, nothing has been left out. How do we know that this is true? [2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.]
My aim in this life has never been fame or fortune, it has always been to be content. I do not want to have to wait until my next paycheck comes in to decide which bills are more important or when some unexpected event comes (which there always is) it can be taken care of right away. Now, while God actually does want us to be content, He does not want us to get too content that we become complacent.
[Proverbs 30:7-14 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. 10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. 11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.]
[Lest I be full, and deny thee,] By now, I do understand that God wants me to ask Him for my daily bread at all times, which is why He sees fit to never let me get too comfortable. Getting too comfortable with life tends to take our focus off God, and gives the false sense that we can get by without Him. I do not care if you are a king or queen, we did not get there on our own, and we cannot get through this life on our own. And I do not care how strong your faith in God is, all it takes is one person, one job, one skill, one influence to turn our heart, [2 Peter 2:21-22 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.]
[There is a generation,] God, has always given us signs of His Son’s first coming, and also of His return. If there was ever a time more certain that the signs of His return are prominent, it is now. With the fact that they are not only trying to rewrite God’s Word, but history itself, there is no doubt the prophecies of His return are coming quickly. Did you notice that this is the very generation that is starting to rule our nations? They are absolutely disrespectful to their parents, have no regard for life itself, as immoral as can be, and proud to live that way. Pretty much, they have given themselves to a reprobate life, [Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;]
God, knows what we need, and while it is definitely not wrong to take care of the poor, it is wrong to ignore, condone, and encourage those who are doing these abominable things, and yes, they are abominable to God. I will admit that there are things that are way too wonderful for me to understand, and probably never will.
[Proverbs 30:18-23 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: 19 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. 20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. 21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: 22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; 23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.]
[There be three things which are too wonderful for me,] How can we compare an eagle, snake, ship, and a woman to a God fearing Christian? Eagles are amazing creatures, especially when they are in flight, they can soar up the highest point in the atmosphere, then dive straight down to the lowest point of the ground without a flinch. Snakes, slither up rocks, and just sit there without even moving, when it leaves there is no impression by which it can be traced. A ship, is perhaps one of the most incredible inventions made by man, it can withstand the most tempestuous of storms. And as for a woman, she is mans greatest influence. Put them all together and you will have wings as eagles, stand upon the Rock that leaves no sin behind, set sail with the Master of the sea, and await the day Christ comes for His bride, [Revelation 21:9-10 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,]
True satisfaction will never come from worldly lusts, it comes from being humble and taking pride in representing ourselves as one of Christ’s. The Proverb goes on to show us four things that are little and yet are very admirable. We can take a few lessons from some of the animals that God has created.
[Proverbs 30:24-28,33 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces. 33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.]
[so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.] Do you see all those fools in all their PRIDE? I am not just talking about the rainbow people, but “Black Lives Matter”, “Jane’s Revenge”, “Me Too”, “White Privilege”, and all those other fools forcing wrath among everyone for no reason other than to stir everyone up, [Romans 13:13-14 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.]
Proverbs 31, is famous for being written as a guide for women, even though it starts out by King Lemuel, who is getting his wisdom from his mother concerning women, she encourages him not to give his strength to women. King Lemuel, is actually King Solomon, his name means; one from God or belonging to God. Such a one was Solomon being given by God to David and Bathsheba as a pledge of his reconciliation to them after their repenting of their sin. Perhaps his mother gave him this name to remind him of his great obligations to God, and of the justice and necessity of his devoting himself to God’s service, but he found it necessary to write down the words his mother told him about women.
[Proverbs 31:1-7 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. 2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? 3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. 7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.]
[nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.] Having been there herself and seeing that perhaps she was partly to blame for the adultery between her and David, she lets it be known how destructive for a man to give all his strength to a woman. Do not underestimate the power of a woman, she can lift a guy up high, but she can also destroy him. Women have a great influence on men, they have since Eve influenced Adam to take a bite of that forbidden fruit, [1 Timothy 2:13-15 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.]
We are in the world for a reason, and it is not to become one of them, it is to bring people to Christ. It may only be one person that God sends to us to get saved, but it is just as important as a thousand. Living as the world does will not bring people to Christ, which is why we are to live virtuously, and that includes not giving ourselves to every lust of our flesh.
[Proverbs 31:10-18 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. 18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.]
[Who can find a virtuous woman?] [Virtuous; Morally good; acting in conformity to the moral law.] Often throughout the Bible you read about men being blessed by conforming themselves to the Word of God, but once in a while something pops up to remind women that they to need to live by every word too, perhaps even more than men. Do not underestimate the power of a woman, she can lift a guy up high, but she can also destroy him. Women have always had a great influence on men, they have since Eve influenced Adam to take a bite of that forbidden fruit. Nevertheless, the power of a Godly woman is a great asset.
[Proverbs 31:23-27,30-31 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.]
[and let her own works praise her in the gates.] We all mess up sometimes, after all, we are not perfect, but those who fear God and live by His Word are greatly blessed and their hard work will get noticed, even if it is only God who notices. God, has given us the life He has given us because He knows we can handle it, as we find our strength through Him. While living by every word of God is not what saves us, it is what helps us out of struggles and keeps us guarded against all evil, [1 Timothy 6:6-8,12 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I believe that everything in Your Word is true and that I will receive all the promises You made as I learn and grow in it. You have us here for a purpose, and that is to shine the light of Christ in this dark world. I want to live my life as as example of Your Son in me. Lord, Lead me and guide me, keep me in the ways of virtue, and let me be a Godly influence to both women and men, and especially by bethrothed. Give me Your power, wisdom, and guidance, and the will to be both a hearer and a doer of Your Word. Let me not be tempted by others who are not living by Your Word and use me to be an example on how to influence others to live by every word. Also, give me Your mercy, grace, and strength to keep going and show me how to be content, yet not get too comfortable with my surroundings. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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