As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
An article of golden jewelry is beautiful until it is placed in the snout of a pig. It is the same with a beautiful woman who lacks sound judgment.
This is an interesting proverb. I wonder if this is the reason why many feminists are fond of nose rings that look like a jewel in a pig’s snout. Do they do this to scoff at this proverb, or does God enjoy this bit of irony as He gives them over to this modern fashion statement?
It’s easy to poke fun, but we might be lacking good judgement ourselves when we do. I know at least one, nose-ring-wearing feminist, and I love this person and I hope that God will call her to Jesus someday. She and I have a very similar history, and I know that any good judgment that I have came from God.
I’ve been a very foolish person in many ways, and as I’ve written about before, my lousy judgment had a lot to do with living with a trauma-riddled brain. It’s amazing how difficult it is to make good, wise, and strong decisions when you have no real bases for what is true, what is good, and when you do not trust your own perceptions of reality. I don’t know how common this is, but I sympathize with women who are foolish because of trauma thinking.
I also know that Jesus can do amazing things. He can teach us discretion (judgement). In-fact, I think that those who do not trust in themselves and their own judgment are just the sort of people that Jesus can use and teach, because He is glorified in them since they know just how foolish they naturally are without Him.
There are a lot of women in our society that need to learn sound judgment. There is an epidemic of sorts in this regard, leading to all sorts of problems in our nation.
It does not matter how a woman looks outwardly when she does not value the right things.
If a woman does not value strong, male leadership, then she will find herself trying to do it all on her own or joined with someone who makes her feel as if she might as well be alone—or worse yet—wind up moving from man to man because she attracts the wrong sorts of people.
If a woman does not value motherhood, she might jump on the bandwagon of “my body, my choice,” thereby condoning the murder of her children before they are ever born. Or she might take up motherhood half-heartedly and negligently while she makes friends with other moms who justify her bad mothering.
If a woman values serving herself instead of others, she will find praise in a society that encourages her to do whatever makes her happy, no matter who she hurts along the way. Women today are encouraged to be vain, self-serving, and to distort reality in favor of “their truth.” Their unhealthy lifestyles and poor mental states are considered brave and fashionable.
A society full of damaged women without good judgment is sure to fail.
I know of a woman who was raised by a mother who lacked good judgment. This mother was emotionally and physically abusive and encouraged all sorts of worldly mindsets, including a half-hearted Christianity based on an idea of an all-love Jesus with no standards of righteousness because we are simply forgiven when we pray a prayer once. This woman was raised to hate men and to rely on herself, but she was also raised to hate herself and to do whatever she must to get even the smallest morsels of love, even if that meant denying her own boundaries and judgments.
This woman I know feels as if our society is being raised by her mother, and it’s going to be hell.
Yet, there is hope for all of us in Jesus.
If we turn to Him, He can do amazing things. He can free our minds from untruths as He shows us His truth and makes us strong in Him. He can take that ring out of the pig’s snout, put it to the fire, reshape it, and make it into something new and useful. I know because I have experienced it, and there is more to be done. There’s always more to be done, but we can still look at what has been done and be thankful.
Truly, nothing can get in-between our Savior and those He chooses to save. Nothing.
PREVIOUS STUDY: Considering Proverbs 11:21 – “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.”
The purpose of this bible study in The Proverbs is to consider present-day events in terms of the teachings and wisdom of Jesus Christ. Follow in WordPress or subscribe by email (red button at the bottom of each page below the comments) if you would like to join this discussion and receive updates of future posts. Visit the link above for easy access to all posts within this series.
Jesus Alone 