Isn’t it interesting when you’re reading the Bible and you see something you haven’t noticed before?

That happened to me yesterday as I was reading Proverbs 31. Believe me, this is not the first time I’ve read this particular chapter – the one that most people look to to describe an ideal wife.

Here’s what I noticed:

Proverbs 31:1
The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him: (emphasis added)

My first thought was “Isn’t that funny?! The chapter that we often use to describe an ideal wife and it was taught to him by his mother!” But then I reflected a little longer – in many cases a mother might be the best equipped to teach her sons how to look for a good wife.

Now I could certainly take this very short text and make it into “children honor your parents.” I could point out how we accept disobedience as being “strong willed” and how marketing to teens tries to separate them from the influence of their parents so that they’ll make bad decisions. I might even be right to do that. But today I’d like to go a different direction.
» Read more: Are There Treasures in Your Baggage?