Knowing God - He Cares When We're Thirsty

Isa 41:17

 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

The Lord lets us know here that when someone is lacking something and they have tried to find it and yet come up empty, the Lod hears them.  He doesn’t only hear the cries of His people, but He hears our searches, thirsts and discouragement.  When He hears us He does not forsake us.  The Lord is committed to His people by covenant.  For Christians, this is a new covenant that is not made with the blood of animals but with the blood of Jesus Christ.  If the Lord did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not, also with Him, freely give us all things?  The Lord sees your thirst.  The Lord sees the fact that you cannot find that which will quench your thirst and He hears you.  He will not forsake you.

Proverbs - Parenting A Scorner

Proverbs 9:7-8

  He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame:

 and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:

 teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

                        A scorner is one who mocks wisdom and is wise in his or her own eyes.  When someone is operating out of pride we must be careful how we give instruction and reproof.  When our child is arrogantly stating his or her position as an adolescent we must be careful how much we say in instruction because their hearts are so hardened at that moment.  We must still give them the Lord’s standard but a reproof involves not only the standard but instruction in righteousness.  At the time we discern a scornful disposition in our child we should lift the standard, state the consequence and wait until his or her heart softens to instruct them in the way that they should go. 

                        If we try to instruct our children when their hearts are hardened we will get ourselves a blot.  Most likely we sill succumb to the temptation of anger and wrath because our words are not finding a place in their hearts.  Body language, verbal responses and tone of voice will signal to us at those times that they are in a scornful frame of mind.  We can pray at those times for their hearts to be softened.  We can pray that they will be wise and just and increase in learning.  We must be careful about trying to plant seed on hard ground.  Rather, scatter the seed of the word upon them and wait on the rain of His Spirit to soften their hearts and cause the Word to penetrate to the depths of their being,

                        Are you a wise woman?  Do you receive instruction or do you think you know how to do it?  Are you teachable?  If so you will be yet wiser and you will increase in learning.  Approach the Word of God, pastoral studies and insights other Christians give you with an eagerness to be taught and guess what?  You will learn.

Knowing God - He is a Fire

Isa 10:17

 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

The Lord is called the light of Israel.  The Lord shall be a fire.  The Holy one is a flame.  The Lord is able to devour thorns and briers.  The Assyrians had conquered Israel and their presence was like thorns and briers – trapping God’s people in subjection to them.  When we find ourselves trapped by things we must remember that the Holy one is a flame and able to devour those very things that seem to be encroaching on us and restricting us in moving freely as His children.  Thank You Lord for being the light of Israel and the Holy One is a flame.  Lord, devour those thorns and briers that are standing in our path that we might accomplish all You have for us.

Proverbs - A Proven Record

Proverbs 9:1-6

             Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

             She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine;

she hath also furnished her table.

She hath sent forth her maidens:

she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

             Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:

 as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

             Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

             Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

                        The wisdom and instruction that the Lord wants to give us has a proven record.  His instructions for our lives build our homes and lives with strong support and sure position.  His wisdom kills those things that want to come into our lives and devour all that He has done for us.  His wisdom is aged, like fine wine, with a quality and depth incomparable to any sort of trendy advice offered by the ‘experts’ our time.  His wisdom has all of the substance and delicacies any one could desire and when followed furnishes us with nourishment and lasting strength for all that this life has to offer.

                        Even when we might entertain foolish pursuits, His voice is there, crying at the high places of the city, beckoning us to forsake foolish living and go in the way of Your Maker.

                        If you find yourself lacking this judgment, if you find yourself at a loss for direction, take a turn towards the Lord and eat of His bread.  Open the Word of God with the hunger to be counseled and directed. Don’t give in to the temptation that your lack of understanding disqualifies you for a life that is blessed, but rather take it as a wonderful opportunity to take your empty cup to the fountain of life and be filled.  Sometimes when we lack wisdom we listen better to the Lord and we are not so tempted to lean on our own understanding.

                        Foolish living depletes of life.  When we stay up too late, are slothful in our work, talk too much, spend money we don’t have, commit to things the Lord never asked us to do, squander our resources, we end up drained and weary.  We must forsake these ‘natural’ choices and choose rather to go ‘supernaturally’ towards an upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  The Lord has saved us to show the world around us what a life surrendered to Christ and His wisdom can be like.  Let us go in the way of understanding and trust that to be like the carpool lane - much faster, less crowed and a more enjoyable ride.

Knowing God - He Won't Drive Out Your Enemies

Josh 23:13

 Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.

                                                                      

Joshua warns the people of God that if they begin to compromise and join with those who do not serve the Lord, the Lord will not drive out their enemies before them.  The Lord loves to fight for us but He expects us to know which side of the battle we are on.  We cannot expect God to fight our enemies when we join with them as if they are our allies.  They will be snares and traps to us.  They will be thorns in our eyes and we can lose the inheritance the Lord has for us if we mistakenly or rebelliously embrace the very things the Lord wants to drive out of our lives.  The Lord fight for us, yes, but He will step back and allow the consequences of our actions to come forth when we do not position ourselves in opposition to the things He is fighting.  

Proverbs - Loving Death

Proverbs 8:35-36

  For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

             But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:

            all they that hate me love death.

                        When we determine God’s way of doing things we find life.  We sense the support and intimacy our Father so wants us to have with Him.  If we stiffen our necks and run our own lives we will not only grieve His heart but our own souls will be treated so harshly in this life.  Our emotions, will and intellect will go through unnecessary torment by going against the counsel of the Lord for our lives.  If we are foolish women who don’t want to heart His counsel, we are actually loving death.  Our choices against His counsel will drain us of life and soon we will be going through the motions without life.  We need to watch, wait, hear and find what the Lord has to say to us about every area of our lives.

Knowing God - In All the Earth

Ps 105:7

 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

The Lord’s standards are in all the earth.  They are for the Korean, American, Fijian, Jew, Canadian and every other nationality.  The Lord made the earth and all that is in it.  He accepts culture and has allowed cultures to have their own unique customs and traditions but these should bow to God’s eternal truths.  Whenever culture clashes with the Word of God, God’s judgments supersede cultural standards.  His judgments are in all the earth.  There is a universal conscience He has placed in all that are created wherever they may live.  Our God is the Lord and He is over ALL the earth.  His judgments are applicable in all the earth.  When we study what He says is sin and what He says is good and righteous we can be quite confident when declaring His truths wherever we go and with whomever we meet.

Proverbs - Watching Daily

Proverbs 8:34

           

             Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates,

waiting at the posts of my doors.

                        Wisdom can be heard and wisdom will be predictably given to all who watch daily at the Lord’s gates and wait at the posts of His doors.  Are you continuing to make decisions based upon your own reasoning or without coming before Your God and asking Him for counsel and wisdom?  Are you barreling into your day with your lists of things to do determining priorities without coming before Him in the morning watching, waiting and listening?  The Lord has so much wonderful wisdom to give us as mothers, budgeters, domestic engineers, employees, and every other sort of work He has for us to do.  Let us ask and we shall receive, seek and we shall find.

Knowing God - His Touch

Dan 10:10

 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

An angel was sent by the Lord to Daniel in response to his prayers.  The Lord sends His angels to do His work.  Here, the angel touches Daniel and it resulted in Daniel being on his knees and the palms of his hands.  This teaches us that one posture we can take in response to the Lord answering our prayers is on our knees with our palms on the ground.  In our society we have tried to move away from empty ritualistic positions of prayer so that sincerity of communication is sought rather than structured positions.  In doing this, we may be losing the fact that there are examples of different postures of prayer recorded in the scriptures.  The Lord’s touch is intended to have an effect on us.  Let’s be open and flexible to the responses He would desire from us as He reaches into our lives and communicates with us.

Proverbs - Wisdom is Needed

Proverbs 8:22-33

 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

 When there were no depths, I was brought forth;

 when there were no fountains abounding with water.

 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,

 nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

 When he prepared the heavens, I was there:

 when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

 When he established the clouds above:

when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him:

 and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth;

 and my delights were with the sons of men.

 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children:

 for blessed are they that keep my ways.

 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

                        In this section of scripture we see that the wisdom of God is being explained.  His wisdom is forever settled and He knows how to counsel us in life’s matters.  His wisdom creates things within us that we don’t naturally have and can always bring Him glory.

                        God’s wisdom understands the highs and lows of our lives and whether it is a time we believe we are ‘in the heavens’ or ‘in the depths’, the wisdom of the Lord wants to speak to us about our lives and choices at those times.

                        The wisdom of the Lord will often give us boundaries just like when the Lord gave His command that the ocean waters can only go so far.  He will tell us with His wisdom our boundaries even of good and beautiful things.

                        Our very world in which we live in declares the wisdom of God.  The seasons, the continents, climate, position of the sun from the earth, habitations designed for specific creatures, the rotation of the earth around the sun all speak of perfect wisdom and a God who knows how to cause all things to work together for the good.

                       

                        If wisdom was so foundational for all of creation, how much more do we need to ask for wisdom in the creation of our lives and days?  Let us ask the Lord throughout this day for His boundaries and His priorities.  Let us not go with our own inclinations, but know that His ways are higher than our ways.  Let us be quiet and receptive to His leading trusting that His wisdom creates beautiful things.

Knowing God - He Does Not Hearken to Curses

Josh 24:10

But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

When Balaam was trying to curse God’s people, the Lord would not hearken to his prayer; rather He blessed them.  The Lord does not hearken to the wishes of those who want to harm His people.  The Lord can actually turn a curse into a blessing.   There will be opposition in our lives and there will be those who desire to curse us.  We mustn’t fear or resent those who do.  We must commit ourselves into the hands of our Faithful Creator knowing that He blesses us still and delivers us out of their hand.  

Proverbs - Durable Riches

Proverbs 8:18-21

           

 Riches and honour are with me;

 yea, durable riches and righteousness.

 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;

 and my revenue than choice silver.

 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance;

 and I will fill their treasures.

                        The riches and honor that last are found in Christ.  He gives us those things that are better than any thing this world has to offer.  The profit we receive from taking His Word and mixing it with faith can be drawn on throughout our lives never diminishing in worth or value.  The Lord leads us in ways that are right and safe.  He wants our lives to bring Him glory and show this world that He judges righteously.  Our children should see a mother whose decisions are not based on temporal profit but that which her Maker deems as durable riches. 

                        The Lord leads us in ways that are right and judged accurately.  We must listen to His counsel and trust that along His paths are treasures and substance.  Substance can be seen and built upon.  The things of this world lack substance.  They will always evade us and our eyes will never be satisfied. When we choose the way of the Lord and His will for our lives we may think we are lacking some things at first, according to the world, but in the long run we will abide satisfied.  The Lord will cause those of us who love Him to inherit substance.  It will just come to us.  The Lord will fill our treasures.  

Knowing God - His Majesty

Ps 145:5

I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.

The Lord’s majesty is full of glorious splendor.  This means that God is so much more beautiful than we have yet to fully grasp.  The fact that God is King should draw us to a place where we meditate on the glorious splendor of this fact.  Our God is a King who does all things well.   Our God is a King who is motivated by love.  Our God is a King who pardons and receives.  Our God is a King who can take things and work them together for our good.  Our God is a King who can provide.  Oh Lord, the glorious splendor of your majesty is worth meditating on.  Your beauty is intended for my meditation.  I lift up my eyes and I WILL meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty.  

Proverbs - Seek Wisdom Early

Proverbs 8:14-17

Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Seek and Seek Early

            The Lord has counsel.  Counsel is His.  This means that it is His to give.  Let us go to Him first for advice.  Our prayer life is not one of religious duty but where we come to the One who has counsel, sound counsel to give us.  He can show us how to love, manage money, parent, manage time and all other matters related to our existence.  Prayer is a wonderful time to come to the One who is understanding, who has strength and counsel. 

            We need to seek the Lord early.  This is not necessarily early in the day, although that is a great time to check in but also early in the processes of life.  We need to pray for our husbands before we even meet them.  We need to seek Him about our children’s future before it happens.  We need to seek Him about growing older before we do.  We need to seek Him about handling matters before they even show up.  He is the God who is the “...Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev 1:8) He is outside of this element of time and we can approach Him about the future trusting Him to order our steps now to bring us to His desired end.  Sister in Christ, come before Him rather than be anxious about tomorrow.  Pray about tomorrow trusting Him to equip you today.

Knowing God - He Makes Himself Available

Matt 13:1

 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

Jesus left the crowds and sat by the sea side.  The crowds followed him there.  Why did he leave the house?  Why did he go to another location?  The bible doesn’t clearly let us in on this but we can learn from His example.  The house had a limited amount of seating.  Right before this, we see that Jesus’ family was standing outside of the house and was having a difficult time getting to Him.  Perhaps Jesus moved to the seaside to make Himself available to more people.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He came that we would know the One and True God.  Jesus went to a different location where many could come and hear Him.  Like Jesus, it is important that we make ourselves available.  Sometimes the Lord may have us change jobs, move or even sit in a different location at church so that we might be available to love and minister to someone.  Let us be sensitive to the changes in our location and trust that He is leading us for His purposes.

Proverbs - God Wants Us to Hate

Proverbs 8:12-17

 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride,

and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

                        When we hate evil we are choosing to esteem the Lord’s judgment on matters over our own or the world’s in which we live.  Sometimes we can hear something funny on a show or movie and we chuckle.  We must evaluate whether this response is appropriate.  Is the joke dealing with things that the Lord says are sinful?  Does the story line exalt folly and mock at righteousness?  If we find pleasure in those things and allow ourselves to enjoy them we are not walking in the fear of the Lord.  We are taught to hate evil not be entertained by it.

            After we determine to hate whatever the Lord calls evil we see here a list of some of the things that He hates.  We must hate pride, arrogancy, the evil way and the froward mouth.  The first place to hate these is within our own lives.  Whenever we speak or think out of pride or speak in any sort of deceptive manner we must confess this as sin and hate it enough to cry out to the Lord for deliverance and determine to reject these responses as acceptable.  Another good place to start is asking the Lord to give us a hatred for these things.  If we want to be like Him, we should love the things He loves and hate the things He hates.  

Proverbs - Wisdom is Better

Proverbs 8:10-11

                                            Receive my instruction, and not silver;

and knowledge rather than choice gold.

 For wisdom is better than rubies;

and all the things that may be desired

are not to be compared to it.

                        Here we are given a choice.  We should receive instruction - not silver and knowledge rather than gold.  What does this say to the believer who chooses to earn time-and-a-half on a Sunday rather than sit under his pastor’s bible teaching?  What does this say to the one who chooses to ignore the gathering together with believers giving his or her employment as the priority?  Receiving instruction is of higher value than receiving a paycheck.

                        Another lesson to learn from these verses is that choosing to take on employment which conflicts with wisdom for your family cheapens the quality of life the Lord would have for you.  A woman may think that her husband taking a second job, or she, herself, committing to that outside source of income will solve their problems but, in fact, could very well be foolish and result in the devastation of their marriage or family.  We do not measure our choices by their financial success.  We measure our choices by the leading of the Holy Spirit and God’s priorities for our homes.  A foolish woman tears down her own house.  When a woman is seeking to make decisions to gain financially she most likely will make choices that invite the enemy of her soul to come and kill, steal and destroy.  Let’s ask for the insight into the wise choices rather than those that produce silver, gold or rubies.

                        I like the word ‘all’ in the bible.  It is so entailing.  It covers everything.  I don’t even have to think of which the verse refers.  Here ALL the things that may be desired are not to be compared with wisdom.  That means, marriage, a home, security, good health, reputation, children, peace etc. are not to be compared with wisdom.  We need to seek the Lord for wisdom and many of the things we desire will come as a result of His leading in our lives.

Knowing God - When Jesus was Scolded

Luke 2:48-50

 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

Jesus never sinned.  Jesus did all things well, and yet we see that His choices made His parents worried and sorrowful.  This shows us that when others are worried or upset about our choices it doesn’t deem our choices wrong.  The responses of others to our choices are never to be used as the only criteria for whether our actions are sinful or not.  Jesus chose to discourse with the teachers of the law in the temple and his parents were put in a place of worry and frenzied search. We can learn from this about our own choices and the choices of others. It is very important that we remember that when others’ choices upset us, it doesn’t mean they have sinned against us.  Jesus’ actions affected His parents but He did not sin against them.  This should help us in our relationships and instruct us in being able to allow others to be upset with choices we have made even though we have not sinned against them.  Sin is determined by God and not by whether the actions upset us or not.  We need truth in our lives and not allow human responses to determine whether something is wrong or right in God’s eyes.

Knowing God - He Prayed Earnestly

Luke 22:44

 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus was agonizing the night before His crucifixion.  During this agony, he prayed more earnestly.  We learn from Him that agonizing times call for more earnest prayer.  We must find a place to pour out our hearts to the Lord; a place where we can cry out, weep and perhaps even raise our voice in His presence.  Agony is painful and agony can produce a great sense of being drowned or suffocated.  Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus took His disciples with Him.  In those times of agony, find a Garden of Gethsemane.  In those times of great trepidation, take some friends who love you and the Lord with you.  Pray more earnestly in order to get the strength you may need for what is about to happen.  Your will, will catch up to His when an earnest prayer is made in the midst of agony.

Proverbs - NOTHING Twisted

Proverbs 8:7-9

 For my mouth shall speak truth;

 and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

 They are all plain to him that understandeth,

and right to them that find knowledge.

                        Isn’t it just the most wonderful discovery that all that our God has to say to us in His Word is in righteousness and that there is nothing twisted or deceptive in it?  All other sources are open game for the opinions of man, demonic inspiration or misguided conclusions.  They are just so pure we have to take our fill and be refreshed! 

Proverbs - Wisdom Cries Out

Proverbs 8:1-6

 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

 She standeth in the top of high places,

by the way in the places of the paths.

 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.  Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.  Hear; for I will speak of excellent things;

 and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

                        Wisdom - God’s way of handling things - is speaking to us in every situation.  If we are quiet enough and slow to react, we should hear wisdom call us to an understanding heart. 

                        Wisdom speaks of excellent things - things that excel the average way of handling things.  Jesus has been made unto us “...the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:24) God has given to us the mind of Christ.  We can operate from this mind as we yield our own understanding to the understanding we lift our voice to get.  When He opens His mouth He speaks right things.  It is good to know we can hear things that are right.

                        Even if we lack understanding we can become wise.  If we listen and hear we will understand wisdom as well as have an understanding heart.  The Lord loves to give us wisdom and in turn we give Him the credit for our well-built lives.

Knowing God - The Lord Speaks Suddenly

                                                      Num 12:4                          

And the Lord spake suddenly

unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam,

The Lord spoke suddenly.  Miriam and Aaron were speaking about Moses behind Moses’ back.  Then, the Lord spoke.  He spoke to all of them at once.  He didn’t take it lightly that these two were deciding whether they thought the Lord should be using Moses.  They challenged his personal life and came to the conclusion that Moses couldn’t really be the man of God everyone thought he was based on their own analysis and conclusions.  Moses most likely didn’t even know they were talking behind his back, but the Lord heard it and addressed it suddenly.  The voice of the Lord can come suddenly especially when he is provoked.  It is good to know that the Lord is provoked when His servants that are doing what He asked them to do are judged wrongly.  The Lord will speak suddenly.  May we be attentive to hearing His sudden rebuke as well as avoid being a Miriam or Aaron in critiquing those He has directed.  

Proverbs - Modeling After the World

Proverbs 7:22-27

 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter,

or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare,

and knoweth not that it is for his life.

 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

 For she hath cast down many wounded:

 yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

                                                                        The world’s esteem of the provocative, seductive woman is the antithesis of God’s view of her.  People are wounded from sexual sin and strong men are actually slain by such encounters.  Sexual promiscuity is the way to hell.  May we as Christian women reject all such suggestions to model ourselves after this world.  “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. (1 Tim 2:9‑10)

Knowing God - The Practical is Spiritual

John 13:4-5

He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.  After that he poureth water into a bason,….

Jesus got up from the table after eating dinner and got things ready to refresh his disciples.  He took the necessary steps in preparing himself and all that he needed to be a source of refreshment to his disciples.  Jesus shows us that practical steps are holy steps.  When we get dinner ready, vacuum the living room or go to the market to buy milk, we are being like Jesus.  Jesus served his friends not just with deep wisdom and teachings, but in using his own hands to bring them comfort and cleansing.  As we go throughout our days seeking to be like Jesus, we can take great comfort in knowing that the practical is spiritual.  It is through the practical that so much of His love and care is experienced.  The Word was made flesh so that we might hear, touch and see God!  May all we have learned in the Word, come out through our fleshly lives.  As we serve those we love today, remember that you are following in His footsteps!

Proverbs - Lips

Proverbs 7:13-21

 So she caught him, and kissed him,

and with an impudent face said unto him,

I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

 Therefore came I forth to meet thee,

diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry,

with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning:

let us solace ourselves with loves.

 For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

 He hath taken a bag of money with him,

 and will come home at the day appointed.

 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield,

with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

                        This woman is the initiator and with her bait catches the man.  The woman of God is not so.  She waits upon the Lord and surrenders her desires to her God and looks to Him for her steps to be ordered.

                        We see that this woman lies to the man and says she diligently sought him.  We know from the context that she was just in the street and that this fellow happened by.  Our speech needs to be seasoned with grace and always in truth.  If we gain attention through flattery or deceit we have partnered with the father of lies and aided him in destroying our lives.  We, as women, have tremendous influence with our speech.  May our lips speak wisdom and give encouragement to others.  May our lips never cause people to yield to sin or compromise.