DAILY BIBLE READING

May 31: 1King 3-4; 2Chron 1; Ps 72
Jun 1: Ps 119:89-176
Jun 2: Solomon
Jun 3: Prov 1-3
Jun 4: Prov 4-6
Jun 5: Prov 7-9
Jun 6: Prov 10-12
Jun 7: Prov 13-15

NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S READINGS

·         Solomon takes the throne in Monday’s reading, and his first act is to ask for wisdom.  God grants his request, and also promises wealth, riches, and honor.  After completing the reading of Psalm 119 (a long acrostic poem which looks to God’s Word as our wisdom), the rest of this week’s readings focus on Solomon’s wisdom.

·         The Song of Solomon has been and remains one of the most debated books of the Bible.  The first question is who wrote it.  The Hebrew title is indefinite – “of Solomon” can mean that Solomon wrote it, that it was written about him, or that it was written to or for him.  Biblical scholars disagree.  The English title also varies as a result – “Song of Solomon” is how I learned it, but newer translations use “Song of Songs” – which can either mean “one song of many” or “the best song.” 

·         The greatest disagreement is about the Song of Songs is what it means and why it’s in the Bible.  It’s a very sensual book, overtly celebrating the joys of romantic and physical passion.  Some readers have said the book is an allegory of love between God and his people (Israel or the church).  Others have insisted it’s about physical attraction – but then Solomon with his 1,000 wives and concubines is hardly a model for monogamy and faithfulness.  I think the best way to read the book is to look beyond all that and simply enjoy it like you do a good “chick flick” – giving thanks for God’s wisdom in creating us with the capacity for loving and being loved, and for expressing that love in soul and body.

·         The first half of Proverbs is the next segment of our reading this week.  Those of us who believe the whole Bible is the Word of God need to  be sure we understand the genre (literary type) of the Proverbs.  Proverbs are not promises – they are wise sayings (quips, maxims) that apply the biblical world view to daily living.  Don’t turn them into absolutes, in other words – many of the proverbs have exceptions and a key part of the wisdom is discernment .  (Look, for example, at 26:4,5, which give opposite advice about whether to “answer a fool according to his folly.”  Both are true in different situations.)

·         Most of the proverbs are attributed to Solomon, which is why they wind up here in our “chronological” plan.  (The whole collection was probably not finalized until long after the time of Solomon.)  The proverbs were inspired by God and preserved by believers because they are such amazing and practical expressions of godly wisdom passed on to each succeeding generation by the voice of experience.

·         Much of the first part of Proverbs is a personification of Wisdom, which New Testament writers later see as fulfilled in Christ.  Starting with chapter 10, the one-liner quips begin and continue through most of the rest of the book.  Note the dominant feature of Hebrew poetry throughout the book – parallelism.  The second line will either rephrase the same thought, offer a contrast, or complete the first line.

DEVOTIONS

How do you know what God’s will is for you?

It’s an interesting question, and probably one not asked in the same way by preceding generations of Christians who were less individualistic in the way they understood and lived out their faith.

So is God wanting to direct you personally in all the choices you make – whom to marry, where to go to school, what job to take, whether to have another child, where to go on vacation, etc.?

What about “lesser decisions” – where to buy your groceries, which TV program to watch, what to plan for dinner, which shirt you should wear today, whether to take a bath or a shower, how long your toenails need to be before you trim them? 

Does God have a will for every detail of your life? 

Yes and no.

All of life matters to God.  Every decision should be made with careful attention to what would honor and please him, in keeping with his revealed Word, the Bible.

But we can come to think of God as the worst kind of micromanager, waiting to punish us if we make an unwise choice.  Or we can become terrified that our life will somehow become irreparably off course by taking the wrong fork at a critical moment.

None of that would seem to fit the simple faith expressed by one of the Bible’s great words on personal guidance – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Our part is to trust and acknowledge the Lord, and to admit that life is too complex and we are too flawed for us to figure it out ourselves.  In other words, it’s a matter of the heart.

When our heart wants for ourselves what God wants for us, God will bulldoze the path in front of us and we can move forward with confidence, knowing he is directing us.  We read the Bible, we pray, we listen to the counsel of others, and we apply practical wisdom to decisions based on the unfolding circumstances.  Then we make the best decisions we can, and trust God to work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).