"I Need Some Answers Now!"

Ancient Proverbs

If you have ever been to a Chinese restaurant to eat, you have received a fortune cookie when the meal was finished. This is a fun way to end the meal as each person opens their cookie to see what words of wisdom they received from the great cookie maker, oops! I mean from the wise old man that sits and writes these words of experience year after year.

Some believe that the cookie originated in California. A Chinese immigrant, David Jung, living in Los Angeles and founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company invented the fortune cookie in 1918.
The story goes that David Jung was concerned with all the poor he saw in the streets near his shop. So he created a cookie to pass out to them for free. Each cookie contained an inspirational verse written by the local Presbyterian minister.

What's so interesting is that the most profound messages are usually made of very simple language and yet based on the principles that govern our world. It's kind of funny to read and think a moment of how it could apply to our lives but they are usually very accurate as well. I would like to look into a message that was written just as those fortune cookies are written; very simple yet profound wisdom when applied to our life and practiced in our homes. I encourage you to not only learn from these truths but to also share them with your children on their level so that they too will be wiser.

The book of Proverbs was authored by Solomon who was raised in the castle and taught the wisdom passed down through the ages collected by his father, King David. The words of this book were believed to have been given by Divine knowledge from God to Solomon and will benefit the reader to take the time to understand and apply the knowledge to their understanding. Let's open up the first proverb laying before us today.

Proverbs 27:14 He that blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

This proverb makes no sense at all to me when I read it so I had to look into the Hebrew. Why would a blessing on someone cause him to be cursed? Do you see what I'm seeing here? When I look at the Hebrew, it gradually began to make much more sense! Let me just word it out using the exact translation of each word for you.

"Someone who adores an associate, brother, companion or neighbor exceedingly with their voice gets up at the break of day to fabricate a curse for the one he blesses."

Solomon is trying to tell us about those ex spouses that keep fooling you into believing they are still caring and kind before they pull another one of their curses on you! He is trying to help us out here and teach us to watch out for people who will say good things to you our loud! You know, that guy who always says something nice about you in front of your friends at work. Maybe that woman at work that pumps you up every time you go to the break room. I think we can tell if we use discernment, that the compliments that are for real are normally given in private.

The next verse is for those of you who have a spouse who is not going to let it go no matter what you say. You try and try but you cannot say anything right. When it doesn't stop, you finally get mad and loose control, saying thing that you regret and that cause more injury to the relationship. I know men and women have been through this but as a man, Soloman wrote it from his view point. Let's open the next cookie and see what we have been given this time!

Pro 27:15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.

This proverb translated literally means "A fast dripping sound during continuous rain and a brawling woman resemble each other." You know, I remember living in an apartment when in college in Tennessee where the water would drip right on the window sill outside every time it rained and it rained all the time in Chattanooga, TN. The weather man would actually make a special announcement when it wasn't going to rain. That dripping was so penetrating that I had to go to the local restaurant or library to study many times. Something I realized was that no matter what I tried, the sound wouldn't go away. This proverb says that this is what it is like to live with someone who wants to fight and argue all the time and there really is no way to silence them. So what in the world do you do?

Let's open the final cookie and see what it has to say! keep your fingers crossed and maybe we'll get a proverb that will answer the question that has plagued all single parents at some time or another in their relationship!

Proverbs 27:16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.

What? I have no clue as to what the old wise man was thinking when he wrote this one. I thought we were going to get something profound for sure! Well, let's try looking into the Hebrew and see if we can make any sense of this proverb!

Proverbs 27:16 Whosoever hidethH6845 her hidethH6845 the wind,H7307 and the ointmentH8081 of his right hand,H3225 which bewrayethH7121 itself.

I did this so that you can see something with me. This is how it looks when the words are labeled by numbers that correlate with the exact words that were written in the Hebrew language. As you can see, the first two words only have one number and sometimes there are three words with only one number beside them. That is because someone tried to make it sound right when they translated it from the Greek meaning to the English language. Let's take a look at this verse translated literally form the Hebrew language as I see it in my Hebrew dictionary.

"To deny or attempt to quiet this person's breath or voice only increases their countenance and makes their strength rich whenever they encounter you."

The word ointment is translated "oil" and is used to increase the richness of not only food but the way that things look. Evidently they used oil back then just like women do today on their skin and Solomon is saying that you might as well apply oil on them and make them shine when you try to quiet their voice. The phrase "of his right hand" actually means" the stronger and more dexterous side of a person". So, we bring that out when we try to quiet them down. The best thing to do is to avoid this person, stay calm and quiet and pray for them instead of falling into their cycle of control.

These proverbs were written many years ago but still hold true today. Very simple truths but they can make a difference that can last a lifetime for us and our children. Watch for the person who compliments you publicly all the time and stay clear of the one whose pleasure is found in arguing and likes to make your life miserable.

Continue to study the Proverbs and increase in wisdom and knowledge. It's there for our strength and dexterity!