DAY 262

ONE SIDE OF THE STORY

Proverbs 30 & 31 and 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Today it seems as if we are in a part of this letter to the Corinthians where we can only “hear” one-side of the conversation. Have you ever had that experience, listening to someone on the phone, even thinking you understand, but later realizing you did not have the full picture? I feel like that today. Certainly Paul and his teaching are being challenged. Paul appeals, but we do not have the full picture. For now we see Paul appealing that they hold onto the true gospel.

There are any number of places and any number of ways to “get off track” reading the Bible; to see/hear only a side of the lesson. One of the proverbs we are reading today, chapter 31, is one which has gotten people off track. It is a proverb that praises a woman for her wisdom and behavior…the problem has been it has been universally applied to all woman…as if they should somehow be “cookie-cutter” companions. Just go to Amazon or other books sellers and type in “proverbs 31 woman” and see how many books you get..I got over 3,000.

It is not that the woman described in the Bible is bad, quite the opposite. It is rather the indiscriminate application of the verses to all women. We should not do that with the Bible. We need to remember its big picture story and its big picture purpose. Its purpose is to reveal God to us…its story is a story of God’s love for us. Yes there are many places with great advice and even direction on how to live, but we must always be thinking and seeking God’s will in it all.