Hank Smith: 00:05 Hello, everyone. Welcome to another edition of followHIM Favorites. You know the deal; John and I take on a certain question from this week’s lesson.

Hank Smith: 00:15 Well, it’s a little bit different this week, because we’re going to be in the Book of Proverbs. So instead of asking a question, we’re just going to say, what are our followHIM favorite proverbs?

Hank Smith: 00:28 The Book of Proverbs is made up of short little sayings. It’s like the ancient world’s Instagram, where you can kind of scroll through and just get little quotes that you like and you can put up on your mirror.

Hank Smith: 00:39 So John, tell me about the Book of Proverbs. What jumps out at you?

John Bytheway: 00:44 They’re like refrigerator magnets, little quotations. 

John Bytheway: 00:47 I think we probably ought to start with the youth theme for this year, right? Proverbs 3:5. “Trust in the Lord with all of thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thine ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.”

John Bytheway: 01:01 So that’s Proverbs three, five and six.

Hank Smith: 01:04 Absolutely. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not to thine own understanding.”

Hank Smith: 01:10 This one is a little bit of an interesting one. It’s Proverbs 6:27. It says, “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?”

Hank Smith: 01:20 It’s kind of a funny question. Can you pick up fire and hold it and not get burned?

John Bytheway: 01:26 We probably should add, please don’t try this at home.

Hank Smith: 01:28 Yes, please don’t do this. Please don’t do this at home.

Hank Smith: 01:31 The wisdom in this is that when you’re dealing with very important things like human sexuality, you’ve got to be careful. If you’re not careful, you’re going to get burned. And you don’t want to take fire, you don’t want to pick it up and go, “Oh wow. This really hurts.” It’s smart to be wise about things like that.

Hank Smith: 01:49 Okay, John, back to you. Can you find another one?

John Bytheway: 01:52 Yes. Proverbs 4:7. “Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding.”

Hank Smith: 02:03 “In all thy getting … “

John Bytheway: 02:03 “With all thy getting … ” Whatever that means. With everything you’ve got.

Hank Smith: 02:07 Yep. If you’re getting a lot, make sure you’re getting understanding.

Hank Smith: 02:11 How about Proverbs 14, verse four? See if you can follow this one, John. “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean.”

Hank Smith: 02:19 I love this one. “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean.”

Hank Smith: 02:23 Now, that’s only the first half. And what it means is, if you don’t want to clean up oxen manure, don’t have any oxen. “Where no oxen are, the crib,” or the stall,” is clean. If you don’t want oxen manure, don’t have oxen.

Hank Smith: 02:38 But then it finishes with, “But much increase is by the strength of the ox.”

Hank Smith: 02:44 So it’s a give and take.

Hank Smith: 02:47 I like this because there’s no such thing as a manure-free ox. If you’re going to have an ox, you’re going to have to deal with both the pros and the cons. You’re going to have to deal with the pros, which is the strength of the ox, but also the cons; cleaning up after the ox.

 

Hank Smith: 03:03 I’ve used this in marriage many times. If you don’t want to have marriage problems, don’t get married, but there’s a lot of blessings from being married. If you don’t want to have kid problems, don’t have kids, but there’s a lot of blessings that come from having kids.

Hank Smith: 03:17 Just one of my favorites. “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox.”

Hank Smith: 03:25 Back to you.

John Bytheway: 03:26 Oh, that’s great. And I have heard you use that. I’m so glad you did.

John Bytheway: 03:29 Proverbs 15:13. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart, the spirit is broken.” Skip to verse15. “All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.”

John Bytheway: 03:46 And then verse 17. “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.”

Hank Smith: 03:55 I’d rather …

John Bytheway: 03:57 How would you like your stalled ox? I’ll have mine medium well. And do you have some A1 Sauce with that?

Hank Smith: 04:01 I’d rather have a salad with my friends than a nice big steak with someone I don’t like.

John Bytheway: 04:08 And Ruth’s Chris with my enemies, right?