A Contentious Wife Makes Life Miserable

Proverbs 21:1–10
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There is no king or ruler so great that he can act in independence of God. Whether he admits it or not God is controlling him just as he controls the water in the rivers (v. 1). A good example of this was Pharaoh. We may think that nothing is wrong in the things we are doing but the Lord knows what is in our heart (v. 2). We tend to excuse and explain away things in our lives that we would not tolerate in the lives of others. God prefers people’s obedience over their sacrifice (v. 3). In Israel, involvement in the sacrificial system was no substitute for the “sacrifice” of righteous living (1 Sam. 15:22).  Arrogance and pride, as well as hypocrisy, is what the wicked thrive on. But pride is sin. Pride is the lamp of the wicked, that is, it is their very life (v. 4).

This passage refers to wealth (vv. 5-6). A person who carefully plans his work and works his plan will find profit in his labor. People who are guilty of violence to others will find that it will boomerang, just as evil talk does, and eventually they themselves will be dragged away like fish caught in a net (v. 7). Devious and upright describe the conduct of the guilty and the innocent (v. 8). This verse contrasts the crookedness of guilty people with the uprightness of godly people.

The statement about a quarrelsome wife is the preference of living in cramped quarters where one can at least have peace and quiet rather than in a spacious house with an argumentative, contentious wife (v. 9). A wife who causes strife makes a home unpleasant and undesirable. The wicked person craves evil as if he were addicted to it (v. 10).

Application

Have you ever done something that you didn’t think anyone saw, even God? What are some areas of my life that would be different if I were constantly realizing God’s presence?