Read
13Foolish children bring disgrace
to their fathers.
A nagging wife goes on and on
like the drip, drip, drip
of the rain.
14You may inherit all you own
from your parents,
but a sensible wife
is a gift from the Lord.
9 It's better to stay outside
on the roof of your house
than to live inside
with a nagging wife.
19It's better out in the desert
than at home with a nagging,
complaining wife.
Reflect
“Home sweet home.” Who hasn’t heard this phrase that describes so well the comfort, the warmth, the protection and the well-being of home? Engaged couples always dream of their own place. They ponder such things as decorations, furniture, color schemes and where everything should go. They’ll probably have their future home inspected. This will put their minds at ease as to the solidity of the homes structure, with perhaps special attention given to the condition of the roof. Who would want to live in a house with a leaking roof?
The Book of Proverbs was of course written in an age when relations between husband and wife were far different from what they are today. In Solomon’s time the wise man would naturally want to be cautious in choosing a wife that would be, in effect, a gift from God. She would employ her intelligence and her energy in the home, making it a haven of well-being. She would be the one seeking to bring peace while at the same time never tolerating any form of backbiting or arguing in her home. It was an intelligent man who sought such a wife. It was a loving and wise woman who desires to be valued as “a gift from God” to her husband and home. In the reality of today, all of this applies equally to husband and wife.
May God grant us the grace and the ability to be that “gift of the Lord” to our partner in life and marriage. If you are single and thinking of marriage, may God give you discernment and self-control in your pursuit of this “gift of the Lord.”
Respond
Lord God, I want to live in peace and harmony. Help me to be/to become “the Lord’s gift” to those around me, particularly in my own household. I want to develop an attitude of love, respect and encouragement. Thank you for being with me in this. Amen.
Gérald Emery
Born in Switzerland, Gérald Emery moved to Quebec when he was 18 in order to operate a dairy farm. Six years later, he went into the ministry, serving in Quebec City for six years and in Portneuf for nine years. In addition, he taught for nine years at the bible college (Institut Biblique du Québec) in Longueil. He has been pastor of a church in Gatineau since 2011. Emery holds a bachelor’s degree in theology (BTh) from Eastern Pentecostal Bible College, and he has almost completed his master’s degree, studying at St. Paul University in Ottawa.