Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 20 NASB, Ch. 21 GWT

Podcast Introduction

Today is Poetry Thursday. We’ll read Proverbs 20-21. I’m calling this episode “Is the Bible Sexist?”

Summary

Proverbs 20 has some wise sayings that speak for themselves. One verse, number 14, reminds me of my wife’s job in the car business. She’s a top salesperson because she’s honest with her clients. It’s like the give and take of negotiating – buyers complain, but later brag about their purchase. When done right, both parties win.

Verse 24 in Proverbs 20 says that our lives are in God’s hands. We may think we’re in control, but God knows where He wants us to go. It’s smarter to follow His plan than challenge it. I’d rather trust God and have a meaningful life when I face Him one day.

Proverbs 21 talks about living with a difficult woman. Some people think this means the Bible is anti-woman, but that’s not true. Solomon, who wrote Proverbs, had wisdom but also had many concubines. He wrote from a man’s perspective, sharing about the challenges of marital peace. It doesn’t give men an excuse to be difficult or put women down.

The Bible actually values women. For example, in Ephesians 5:25, husbands are told to love their wives sacrificially. And after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared first to a woman, Mary. The Bible is definitely not against women.

Listen to the episode for more!

Support

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The Team

Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Denise: Transcript Correction
Michael Haner: Podcasting 2.0 Chapters
Scott Snider: Show Art
Jason Paschall: Show Art
Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Brittaney: Newsletter Publisher

Transcript

Download .txt file.

Transcript corrected by Sister Denise

Steve Webb 0:00
Some who were, well, let’s say not so much.

Steve Webb 0:10
Coming to you once again from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring! One Year Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I am your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. Today is Poetry Thursday, and we’ll read Proverbs 20 and 21. By the way, we’re now officially into the last third of this season’s episodes. Two-thirds of the season is behind us. And after today, there are just 121 episodes remaining. If you’ve been with me all season long, thank you. It takes a real commitment to listen every day. God bless you. And if you joined the Lifespring family sometime later in the season, I am so glad you joined us. I hope you’ve been able to catch up but if not, you can always go back. The past episodes will be there for you for the foreseeable future. You can find all the episodes and most every episode I’ve ever produced over at lifespringmedia.com. There are nearly three thousand episodes over there, not just of the Lifespring! One Year Bible, but of the original Lifespring! show with lots of great interviews and other content. There’s a music show there that I did over a hundred episodes of. Some short devotional-type episodes in the form of “Lifespring! HymnStories” or “In Touch with God’s Character.” Lots of stuff. Take a look at lifespringmedia.com. If you’d like to get in contact with me, that information will be at the end of today’s show. Before we get started, let’s have a word of prayer. Our loving heavenly Father, we thank you so much for our time together and I pray that you would bless us as we study your Word today. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Okay, let’s get started.

Steve Webb 1:43
Proverbs, chapter 20. Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise. The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life. Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, But any fool will quarrel. The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, So he begs during the harvest and has nothing. A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out. Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, But who can find a trustworthy man? A righteous man who walks in his integrity— How blessed are his sons after him. A king who sits on the throne of justice Disperses all evil with his eyes. Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”? Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the Lord. It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself If his conduct is pure and right. The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made both of them. Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food. “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, But when he goes his way, then he boasts. There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing. Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; And for foreigners, hold him in pledge. Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. Prepare plans by consultation, And make war by wise guidance. He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip. He who curses his father or his mother, His lamp will go out in time of darkness. An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning Will not be blessed in the end. Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you. Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord, And a false scale is not good. Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, How then can man understand his way? It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!” And after the vows to make inquiry. A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over him. The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. Loyalty and truth preserve the king, And he upholds his throne by righteousness. The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair. Stripes that wound scour away evil, And strokes reach the innermost parts.

Steve Webb 5:02
Proverbs, chapter 21. The king’s heart is like streams of water. Both are under the Lord’s control. He turns them in any direction he chooses. A person thinks everything he does is right, but the Lord weighs hearts. Doing what is right and fair is more acceptable to the Lord than offering a sacrifice. A conceited look and an arrogant attitude, which are the lamps of wicked people, are sins. The plans of a hard-working person lead to prosperity, but everyone who is always in a hurry ends up in poverty. Those who gather wealth by lying are wasting time. They are looking for death. The violence of wicked people will drag them away since they refuse to do what is just. The way of a guilty person is crooked, but the behavior of those who are pure is moral. Better to live on a corner of a roof than to share a home with a quarreling woman. The mind of a wicked person desires evil and has no consideration for his neighbor. When a mocker is punished, a gullible person becomes wise, and when a wise person is instructed, he gains knowledge. A righteous person wisely considers the house of a wicked person. He throws wicked people into disasters. Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will call and not be answered. A gift given in secret calms anger, and a secret bribe calms great fury. When justice is done, a righteous person is delighted, but troublemakers are terrified. A person who wanders from the way of wise behavior will rest in the assembly of the dead. Whoever loves pleasure will become poor. Whoever loves wine and expensive food will not become rich. Wicked people become a ransom for righteous people, and treacherous people will take the place of decent people. Better to live in a desert than with a quarreling and angry woman. Costly treasure and wealth are in the home of a wise person, but a fool devours them. Whoever pursues righteousness and mercy will find life, righteousness, and honor. A wise man attacks a city of warriors and pulls down the strong defenses in which they trust. Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. An arrogant, conceited person is called a mocker. His arrogance knows no limits. The desire of a lazy person will kill him because his hands refuse to work. All day long he feels greedy, but a righteous person gives and does not hold back. The sacrifice of wicked people is disgusting, especially if they bring it with evil intent. A lying witness will die, but a person who listens to advice will continue to speak. A wicked person puts up a bold front, but a decent person’s way of life is his own security. No wisdom, no understanding, and no advice can stand up against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.

Steve Webb 8:32
Well, just a few comments today. Most of the verses, or Proverbs, speak for themselves. They just need to be rolled over in our minds and made a part of who we are. My wife the Lovely Lady LeeAnn has been in the car business for several years now, and God has blessed her. She’s the director for the internet sales department at her dealership and every month she’s almost always the top salesperson because she treats her clients openly and honestly. Verse 14 of Proverbs 20 makes me think of the sales process that so many people seem to want to go through. The verse says “‘Bad, bad,’ says the buyer, But when he goes away, then he boasts.” It’s all about the give and take of, not just the car business, but any financial transaction where negotiations are involved. The buyer points out the problems with the merchandise and the seller extols the virtues. If the process is done right, both parties are winners. The buyer comes away feeling like he’s gotten a good deal and the seller makes a reasonable profit. And then verse 24, says, “Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, How then can man understand his way?” Well, that last part is better translated, “How can a man understand his own way?” It’s true. Our lives are in God’s hand, right? He knows where he wants us and what he wants us to do and be and we sometimes think, probably most of the time, we think that we’re planning and running our lives. And to a certain extent, I suppose we are since we do have the freedom to choose, but God’s ultimate overarching plan for creation will be accomplished. Seems to me that it’s kind of foolish to think that we can challenge God. Don’t you agree? Doesn’t it seem wiser to acknowledge his Lordship and follow him one step at a time and allow ourselves to be in harmony with his plan? If our plan is in conflict with his, all of our planning will be for nothing. There’s an old Jewish proverb. It’s not from the Bible, and I guess you could say it’s somewhat cynical. It says, “Man makes his plan and God laughs.” I think I’d much rather give myself to him, and have the assurance that my life will have meant something when I stand before him at the judgment. I’ve told you many times that my ultimate goal is to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Now moving to Proverbs 21. I’m sure you noticed Solomon’s comments about living with a disagreeable woman. In some circles, this is fodder for the fallacy that the Bible is anti-woman. Well, of course, I disagree, and here’s a few reasons. Proverbs was written by Solomon who was a man that was a king with not only great wisdom and great wealth, but he also had a large amount of concubines, and yet, he’s still credited with having wisdom. Well living with so many women, I’m sure that he was well-acquainted with what it was like to live with, easy-to-get-along-with women, and some who were, well, let’s say not so much. The purpose of Proverbs is what? To impart wisdom. Well, why would we want to have wisdom? Well, with wisdom comes many things, one of which is peace. Well, obviously, Solomon was writing from a man’s perspective, so he talked about marital peace from that vantage point. So he wrote about living with a quarrelsome woman and the disruption of peace that causes. I guess he could say, better to live on a corner of a roof than to share a home with a quarrelsome mate. Do I hear an amen from the women? I thought so. This scripture doesn’t give men the right to be quarrelsome, and it doesn’t denigrate women. So how do I know that the Bible is not anti-woman? There are many reasons but Ephesians 5:25 comes to mind. Paul said, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.” I tell ya, the way Christ loved the church is the epitome of love. Husbands are to put the welfare of their wives above their own. One more example, after his resurrection, Jesus could have chosen anyone in the world to be the first person he appeared to. He could have appeared to Peter. He could have appeared to John, the one that is called the disciple that he loved. He could have given Pontius Pilate a heart attack by appearing to him. No, Jesus appeared first to Mary when she went to his tomb on that resurrection morning. Jesus appeared first to a woman. No, the Bible is not anti-woman, not in the least. What are your thoughts? Do you have a question? Contact information is at the end of the show. Tomorrow will be Prophecy Friday, and our reading will be Hosea chapters 8 through 14, which will complete that book.

Steve Webb 13:23
Beloved, the Lifespring! One Year Bible is a value-for-value podcast. Value is what we think something is worth. Your car is worth a certain amount of dollars to you, but probably less to a car dealer or your insurance company. If you work for an employer, your time is worth so many dollars per hour, usually. But sometimes it’s not quite as easy to quantify the value of something in dollars. What’s your health worth? What about a night out with your spouse or significant other? It’s hard to put a dollar figure on that, right? Is it five dollars? Maybe twenty? A hundred? A thousand? Well, that depends on you and your circumstances, doesn’t it? For some people, five dollars might be all they can afford. For somebody else, a thousand wouldn’t even dent the budget. Well, let me ask you a question. Does the Lifespring! One Year Bible have value? For you? You’re listening so I guess it has some value. How much value it has for you is something that only you can decide. Is helping people read through the Bible in a year a good thing? Is helping you read through the Bible a good thing? Do the thoughts I share at the end of each day’s reading help you understand or help you to think more about what we’ve read? Would you give some thought and prayer to that question and then help keep the show going by returning whatever value you think it’s worth? Every donation no matter the size is very much appreciated. To make a donation or to find out more. Take a look over here: lifespringmedia.com/support. I will thank you and I believe God will bless you.

Steve Webb 14:58
Our show art today is courtesy of Scott Snider. Thank you, Scott. And also thanks to Sister Denise, Michael Haner, Jason Paschall, and Sister Brittaney. If you have a comment, a question, a prayer request, or a praise report, leave a voice message on the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511. Or if you’d rather use your keyboard for prayer requests and praise reports, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. And for comments or questions go to comment.lifespringmedia.com. Send a boostagram, or send an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thank you so much, Beloved, for inviting me to be with you today. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

Announcer 15:44
Podcasts are cool!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai