Being a wise or foolish woman

In January I read a classic novel, and reading the Book of Proverbs alongside Gone with the Wind was very interesting. The contrasts are obvious, with Scarlett O´Hara on one side, and the sayings of wise men/women on the other.

Scarlett was a girl that grew up in a Catholic home, with a gentle, loving and virtuous mother. She knew this was the ideal, and must also have known the Bible pretty well, considering the daily devotions for the whole household. But as she matures, and her life becomes a lot more challenging, these values are abandoned one by one.

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Prov. 22:1
Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. Prov. 21:19 

Instead, she chooses a different path.

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. Prov. 21:13
A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. Prov. 21:6 

Loosing friends and loved ones is the result of her insatiable desire and lust for riches. These verses all fit her character very well, as one who esteemed gold more than a good name. When she finally realized the damage she had done, it seemed too late - her husband preferring "the desert" over their miserable union. A lot more proverbs could have been chosen as examples here, so this is a Bible Study I can recommend. 

Along with my Bible reading I have been listening to David Pawson´s "Unlocking the Bible". You can find the whole teaching series here on youtube. For his teaching on Proverbs what really stuck with me was that these proverbs are not promises. They are generally true wise saying, but are not to be treated like magic formulas. As with Scarlett, it is sadly not always the fact that if you Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Prov. 22:6

PS. I once sewed a dress from green velvet curtains. It is not a recommended fabric for a dress. That was a fun scene to read in the book though.

PSS. The Scarlett print can be bought here.