A Woman's Wisdom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything (23 page)

1. Do you have an informed understanding of your personal or familial financial picture? Why or
why not?

2. In what way can keeping abreast of family finances be a way in which we fulfill our calling as helper in marriage?

3. Discuss or describe the overall teaching of Proverbs about money management. To what does Proverbs link financial prosperity?

4. What does Proverbs teach about borrowing money? How do you think this teaching can be applied wisely in our present-day culture?

5. Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” Discuss or describe how you’ve seen this played out in your life or in the life of someone
you know.

6. Discuss or describe some of the stresses that can accompany wealth.

7. Read the following passages that mention money:

• Proverbs 3:9; 13:11
  

• Ecclesiastes 5:10–12
  

• Matthew 6:24–33
  

• 1 Timothy 6:6–10
  

• Hebrews 13:5–6
  

Describe the attitude that a disciple of Jesus should have toward money. How does your attitude align with Scripture’s teaching?

8. Reread the prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30:8–9. Can you wholeheartedly make Agur’s prayer your own? If not,
why not?

9. Why can money be a spiritual danger?

10. Discuss or describe from Scripture why there is hope for Christians who are floundering due to unwise financial decisions.

1. What was the original purpose for Proverbs’ instructions about sexual purity? Why is this instruction important for today’s women?

2. Discuss or describe why sexual activity outside of marriage is evil. Base your answer on Scripture passages such as 1 Corinthians 3:1–13; 6:12–20; and 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8.

3. Why are we so susceptible to sexual temptation?

4. Identify the consequences for sexual sin put forth in Proverbs 5:9–21 and 7:22–27. Where have you observed the reality of these consequences?

5. What link do we find in Proverbs between immoral behavior and discontentment?

6. Discuss or describe some character traits of the immoral woman in Proverbs.

7. Discuss or describe some practical ways to avoid
sexual sin.

8. Why is adultery a direct attack on marriage and not merely a violation
of it?

9. What are some ways Proverbs gives for safeguarding our marriage from adultery? How might these safeguards be applied practically in our own marriage?

10. Read the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:1–12:23. What truths from Proverbs about adultery do you see manifested in this story?

1. How does the Proverbs 31 woman function in the book of Proverbs—in other words, how are we meant to
view her?

2. In what ways does the Proverbs 31 woman depict a wife who can be trusted?

3. Considered in light of how the statement was discussed in chapter 9, do you agree that all women are called to be homemakers? Why or
why not?

4. The Proverbs 31 woman is depicted as active from before sunrise till long after sundown. We aren’t meant to make a literal application of that to our lives—we couldn’t anyway! But what changes can we make to our lives to better fulfill Paul’s mandate in Ephesians 5:15–16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days
are evil”?

5. Read the stories of the wives in Scripture (listed below). Give concrete examples of how they compare and contrast with the ideal wife of
Proverbs 31.

• Rebekah (Gen. 25:19–27; 27:1–35)
  

• Abigail (1 Sam. 25:1–42)
  

• Michal (2 Sam. 6:16–23)
  

• Jezebel (1 Kings 21:1–16)
  

• Sapphira (Acts 5:1–10)
  

6. Discuss or describe all the ways the Proverbs 31 woman is held forth as a nurturer.

7. What is your view of mothers working outside the home? Does the Proverbs 31 woman influence your view? What do we see in the poem that made her business endeavors godly rather than sinfully selfish?

8. What can we learn from the Proverbs 31 woman about the value of a woman’s personal appearance? What makes an effort to look attractive either godly or worldly?

9. What is the significance of the fabrics we find in
the poem?

10. The Proverbs 31 woman is depicted as confident (vv. 21, 25). What is the basis for her confidence?

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