Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 12:4(KJV): 
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 12:4(Amplified):
A virtuous and worthy wife -- earnest and strong in character -- is a crowning joy to her husband, but she who makes ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs is continually contrasting the life of a righteous person against the life of the wicked person. Verse 4 in this selected study begins with a contrast between a good and worthy wife, and a bad one, who causes shame to her husband.  A wife of good character will bring honor to her husband, while the opposite kind causes a man to become sick. The expression, "rottenness in his bones" simply means he suffers with a lot of pain because she is no good, and they are joined in marriage.  In the the book of Genesis when God created the first man, the scripture says that God made him from the dust of the ground. Then he caused Adam to go into a deep sleep and God took one of Adam's ribs and made the first woman from his rib. Since the woman came from the man's bone, the expression "bone of my bones" is referring to a man's mate. She has become one with him in marriage, as expressed in "bone of my bones."

Genesis 2:21-24:
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

The Amplified Bible makes this notation about these verses in Genesis: The same essential chemical elements are found in man and animal life that are in the soil.  This scientific fact was not known to man until recent times, but God was displaying it here.

In the book of Ephesians the Lord also speaks about how when a man and woman are joined together in marriage, they become one flesh.  This means if one of them is dishonorable, it brings dishonor on them both. If one of them suffers in illness, they are both ill, as the other must take care of the hurting one, and they too are hurting because of the pain of the other one.  On the positive side, when honor comes to one of them, they both receive honor. Ephesians 5 tells us how a godly marriage should reflect the way the Lord loves the church and gave Himself for it.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

When a husband or wife says bad things about their own mate, they are hurting themselves, as they are attacking their own flesh. Each mate should build up the other; honoring and preferring them.  Many marriages are built on the wrong foundation; as they are built on what the other one can do for them, instead of the unselfish position of what they can do for their mate. If each mate sows good things toward the other, they both will reap good things.  Ungodly mates who use their partners as their servants or attempt to control and dominate them are not obeying the scripture to love their mates. 

The husband should lay down his life for his wife, just as Jesus laid down His life for the body of Christ.  The wife should honor and respect her husband, just as the body of Christ honors and respects Christ, as her Head.  When both mates serve each other, then there is no lack of love in the relationship. The scripture says that the woman is the glory of the man. (I Corinthians 11:7). She reflects her husband's qualities. When she is loved and cared for by her husband, it will show in her life.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for my good and wonderful husband.  Help me to be the kind of wife that will always bring honor to him and to You. Lord, help me to guard my mouth and speak edifying things in his presence. Forgive me, as sometimes in my frustration with my problems, I air them in the wrong way to my husband.  I know he kindly listens to me, but help me not to speak things that should just be taken to You in prayer.  Lord, I pray for all marriages in the body of Christ today and ask that You strengthen each of them.  May we all ask to be filled with Your love daily so that we become the kind of mates that we should be.  I ask this in Your son Jesus' name. Amen.