your honor

January 4, 2016

Beware of female strangers (Prov 5:7-5:14)

“Now my child!

Listen to me!

Do not depart from the words of my mouth.

Keep your way far from her!

Do not go near the door of her house!

Do not let your honor go to others!

Do not let your years go to the merciless!

The strangers will take their fill of your wealth.

Your labors will go to the house of an alien.

At the end of your life

You will groan.

When your flesh and body are consumed,

You will say.

‘How I hated discipline!

My heart despised reproof!

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers.

I did not incline my ear to my instructors.

Now I am at the point of utter ruin

In the public assembly.’”

The parental admonitions continue. Once again he wants the children to listen to him and his words. He wanted them to avoid the house of strange women. This seems to be a follow up to the loose women already mentioned. If you went to them, you would lose your honor, your wealth, and maybe even your life. In fact, all your labor will go to a foreigner. At the end of your life you will not be happy because your life has been consumed. Your death bed pronouncement will be how you hated discipline and correction. You never listened to your teachers and instructors. Thus you ended up in utter ruin in the middle of your local assembly. Thus this is more about what happens to you if you follow the strange women.

July 12, 2015

The redeemer (Job 19:25-19:27)

“I know that my redeemer lives.

Then at the last he will stand upon the earth.

After my skin has been thus destroyed,

Then in my flesh I shall see God.

I shall see him on my side.

My eyes shall behold.

Not another shall behold.

My heart faints within me!”

This passage has a different translation in the Greek, Syriac, and Latin. It is often referred to as a precursor of Jesus the redeemer, or the Messianic savior who came to earth. Redeemer could also mean defender or vindicator. The Hebrew word of ‘goel’ or redeemer means a member of the family who avenged your honor, despite debts. Job believed that someone would help him. Whether this is God or not is not clear. However, even more controversial is the idea that his flesh will see God after his skin has been destroyed. Is this a hint at a resurrection, since throughout this work he talked about Sheol as a dead end place? His eyes will see even though he was faint.