Brownback A Woman's Wisdom

How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything
1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4335-2830-9
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 224 Seiten

Advice books are no short-lived trend. They continue to top bestseller lists even though much of the 'wisdom' being offered proves shallow in the long run. People are looking for practical, proven advice for life and the book of Proverbs is the wisest place to start. Unpacking the book of Proverbs, Lydia Brownback shows how the Bible speaks to real life issues such as money, purity, marriage, and the day-to-day grind. Writing with a familiar yet knowledgeable tone, Brownback draws in the busiest of readers and asks realistic questions for personal reflection or group study. This well-conceived, twelve chapter book contains three parts: - What Is Wisdom and Why Does It Matter? - Six Things Wise Women Know - A Portrait of Wisdom A Woman's Wisdom gives women-a way to be wise, to know the very Author of wisdom, and to understand how to apply his relevant, riches.

 Lydia Brownback (MAR, Westminster Theological Seminary) is the author of several books in addition to the Flourish Bible Study series, including the On-the-Go Devotionals for women; Finding God in My Loneliness; and Sing a New Song. She is a regular speaker at conferences and events and is passionate about teaching God's word.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Brownback, Lydia

Leseproben

A young couple walks hand in hand into the jewelry store. The girl’s face is aglow with happiness. The young man looks happy too, but he also gives off a bit of nervous anxiety. His girl has just said yes to his marriage proposal, and they have come in to buy an engagement ring. The jeweler, who has seen dozens of couples walk through his doors, knows from first glance why they have come. As he greets the couple, he unlocks the glass case inside of which are nestled rows of diamond rings—oval, emerald, marquis, and princess—and whisks onto the counter a black velvet display square. He knows that the sparkle of the rings shows most brightly against the contrasting dark background of the velvet.

The book of Proverbs does something similar. Its authors knew that wisdom is seen in the light of full splendor when displayed against the darkness of folly. A foolish woman is the opposite of a wise woman. A foolish woman is not necessarily one lacking intellectual capabilities; in fact, from an intellectual standpoint, she might be one of the brightest women around. So what makes her foolish?

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

but the mouths of fools feed on folly. (Prov. 15:14)

Unlike a wise woman, a foolish one does not fear the Lord. She doesn’t submit to God but seeks to live unencumbered by any rule or authority that thwarts her desires. She feeds on arrogance rather than on humility, as we will see here in this quick overview, and later throughout the book.

traits of a foolish woman

The dark threads of folly are woven throughout the thirty-one chapters of Proverbs, and, as we will note, these dark threads can entangle us spiritually, emotionally, physically, and materially.

She Is Easily Enticed by the World

Proverbs shows us that a foolish woman is one easily enticed by the world. We see her in the woman who buys into the lie that looking young and beautiful is the path to fulfillment. Anyone who believes that has been ensnared by folly. Such a woman devotes the best of her resources—time and money—to her appearance. Her belief in the sparkling but false promises of physical beauty will prevent her from enjoying the freedom of aging gracefully.

In everything the prudent acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly. (Prov. 13:16).

A woman easily enticed by the world is also materialistic and ambitious for worldly success. She is intrigued by worldly philosophies and allows them to shape her understanding about everything. For such a woman, self-esteem and self-worth can seem to her more valuable than following Christ in a lifestyle of self-denial.

She Trusts in Riches

A foolish woman believes the lie that material blessings can be gained apart from God.

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

(Prov. 11:28)

Such a woman disregards the warning of Proverbs 1:

If sinners entice you,

do not consent.

If they say, . . .

“we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

my son, do not walk in the way with them;

hold back your foot from their paths. (Prov. 1:10–15)

Temptation to acquire more and more rarely comes at us in such an obvious way. More often, it lurks in the shadows and twists last night’s dinner with a friend into a legitimate business expense or convinces us that it’s not wrong to rack up credit card debt for a new sofa.

She Is Proud and Hates Knowledge

A foolish woman hates knowledge. She is one who shuns, ignores, disdains, scorns, or rationalizes away biblical wisdom and counsel. She lives by the dictates of her emotions, and she insists on fulfilling her personal desires and believes that her way of thinking is always the right way. To such a woman Proverbs asks:

How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools hate knowledge? (Prov. 1:22)

The foolish woman is proud, and she is a scoffer. Proverbs indicates that scoffing is a refusal to embrace God’s ways—hanging onto that one secret sin, that one relationship, that one bad habit, that one questionable indulgence.

Despite the warnings God sends through his Word and his people, scoffers never really get what they seek, and wisdom will laugh in their face:

Because you have ignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when terror strikes you. (Prov. 1:25–26)

Put more simply, a scoffer, someone characterized and dominated by pride, will inevitably taste great regret. We may not be full-blown scoffers, but we all, without exception, are tainted by the folly of pride. Whenever we blame God for something, we can be sure we are proud. Whenever we think we don’t have a problem with pride, we have a problem with pride. Any time the knowledge of God and his ways is scorned, pride lies at the root of it.

She Is Complacent

A foolish woman is complacent, which, in this context, means she is contented with a mediocre Christian life. She fails to grasp the truth that there is no middle road, no fence-sitting, when it comes to discipleship; we are at all times either going forward or going backward. That’s why living in limbo is really only an illusion.

Certainly there are times, such as when we are faced with a difficult decision or a perplexing problem, when sitting still for a season is more constructive than throwing all our energies at a quick solution. That sort of limbo is wise because it gives us time to seek God’s leading from Scripture and to get advice from others. The limbo of complacency, on the other hand, isn’t characterized by seeking. Instead, it is characterized by a desire to do nothing more than escape an uncomfortable situation or avoid making a decision. The limbo of complacency is comfortable at first, and often it feels like the safest place to be. There seem to be no risks, whereas to enter wholeheartedly into one particular course or another just feels too scary; after all, we have no guarantee of how things will turn out. But avoidance is actually unsafe. Proverbs is very clear on the danger of complacency:

The simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them. (Prov. 1:32)

She Is Lazy

A foolish woman is also lazy. Proverbs advises us to think about how ants live:

Go to the ant, O sluggard;

consider her ways, and be wise.

Without having any chief,

officer, or ruler,

she prepares her bread in summer

and gathers her food in harvest. (Prov. 6:6–8)

As we look at these ants, we recognize the wisdom of working hard at our particular callings, whether that be homemaking, full-time ministry, or a career. But the principle of industriousness applies equally to spiritual matters and to every other area of our lives. Proverbs sounds a cry to exercise ourselves toward wisdom and good judgment in all our ways and relationships. A lazy woman has no zeal, and her folly is revealed in her refusal to fight against indwelling sin and to live for the glory of God. Underlying much of her struggle with laziness is often a refusal to give up personal comforts.

She Is Sinfully Independent

A foolish woman is sinfully independent. In other words, she seeks autonomy from God and others. To her Proverbs says:

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;

he breaks out against all sound judgment. (Prov. 18:1)

Foolish independence disregards advice. When we dig in our heels against biblically sound advice, it is typically because we are concerned only with what we want and with our own perceptions. I have witnessed this very scenario with Abby. For months Abby’s friends have expressed concern about her romance with Pete. Over time, the relationship has pulled Abby away from her pursuit of spiritual things, and the light has gone out of her eyes. Pete doesn’t treat her with gentle care or respect. Abby’s friends have seen all this and have voiced their concerns to Abby, but in response she either changes the subject or tells them everything is fine. Deep down she knows they are right, but Abby has been ensnared by folly. If she persists, her heart will grow hard, and she is likely to waste weeks, months, or years in a destructive romantic relationship simply because the immediate, usually short-lived, pain of a breakup is too difficult to contemplate.

how to recognize a fool

As we consider how Proverbs defines foolish character, we might already have in mind a friend who could well benefit from some serious time in this portion of Scripture. Very likely, there are several friends or acquaintances we have mentally pegged. If we want to be wise, however, we won’t devote ourselves to pegging others as fools. We will look instead at ourselves. We cannot know the hearts of others, and we are utterly dependent on God to discern correctly anything about ourselves. Jesus’s conversation with the disciples at the Last Supper makes that clear. Jesus said, “‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.’ They began to...