And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. — Proverbs 27:27

Remembering how the Lord brought her family through distressing ordeals during the Great Depression in the United States, a Christian lady and her son related the following witness to how God provided for their family.

“When the children were still young, my husband had an attack of rheumatism, and was in great pain. He was so helpless that he could not even get his hands to his face. One day his pulse became so weak I thought he was dying. I gathered the children around his bed and we started praying for him. His pulse became stronger, and then each day he slowly began to improve. Eventually, he was able to get out of bed and walk and use his arms and hands.

“That same winter the weather was very severe. One blizzard after another came along, with temperatures well below zero. One day we did not have enough wood to last through the night, and there was no money to buy more. However, God was watching over us. About dusk that evening a young man drove into our yard and left a load of wood. We had no idea he would be bringing it! Many times the Lord helped us in situations that seemed hopeless.”

Her son recounted, “For years we had been very, very poor, and the future looked bleak. But after my father was saved, we could pray and ask God to help us. It seemed that the Lord allowed us to go through trials because of my father’s ill health, but He always answered our prayers and took us through.

“One winter, my father was very ill again. It was hard on the family. The summer before, we had planted potatoes. This was during the drought, and few people could get anything to grow. But from that one patch, we dug about sixty bushels of potatoes. During that winter, about all we had to eat were potatoes, but we knew the Lord had answered our prayers and had helped us again.

“On Thanksgiving one year, a situation happened that I would never forget, no matter how far I was from God. My father and a Christian man named Jack Hoover had gone to Minnesota to look for work. Mr. Hoover’s wife, Margaret, had raised some chickens that year. She had sold most of her chickens, but had kept one that she planned to fix for her family, and the Lord laid it on her heart to share that one chicken with us. Although we were not destitute of food at this time, we did not have very much, and we certainly would not have had chicken for dinner. The Lord looked down that day and blessed us. There were thirteen of us in all — seven of us children, my mother, Mrs. Hoover, her three children, and her nephew who drove them to our house that day. And we were a hungry bunch! But after we had eaten all we wanted, there was chicken left over! Many years after that, Mrs. Hoover would tell about the time the Lord multiplied the chicken.”

While our focus verse is not intended to be a promise that will overrule circumstances, it is clear that God blesses and watches over His people. This family proved that He is ever mindful of our needs and attentive to our prayers when we do our best to follow Him. We can prove the same truth!

BACKGROUND

These two chapters continue the compilation of Solomon’s proverbs which were copied and preserved by King Hezekiah’s scribes.

In chapter 27, Solomon offered counsel concerning human relationships. Repeating a common theme among the proverbs, special attention is directed in this portion of text to how one’s words can be used for good or evil. Verses 2, 5, 14, 15, 17, and 21 all contain admonitions regarding speech.

Heavy rainfall in Solomon’s day caused the earthen roofs to spring numerous leaks, generating great exasperation. In verses 15-16, he compared this irritation with the continual ranting of an argumentative woman, inferring that she was annoying and impossible to restrain.

The proverbs in verses 23-27 are based upon the nomadic lifestyle of a large segment of Israel’s population from Solomon’s time. His point was that because life is fleeting and uncertain, one should be diligent and act with foresight, giving responsible attention to home, family, and occupation, just as a farmer must tend to his lands and herds.

Chapter 28 provides another series of comparisons between the rewards of walking uprightly and the judgments that will accrue to one who is evil. Several categories of wickedness are denounced: the oppressor, those who forsake the law, the perverse, the riotous, those who lead the righteous astray, wicked rulers, the greedy, the flatterer, and the proud.

The Book of Proverbs frequently reveals God’s compassion for the poor; verses 6, 8, 11 and 27 in this chapter are examples of this.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

(Hannah’s Bible Outlines - Used by permission per WORDsearch)
III.    The sayings of the way of wisdom
       C.    The words of Solomon arranged by the men of Hezekiah
               2.   The 119 proverbs

A CLOSER LOOK

1. What characteristic of a wise or prudent man is given in Proverbs 27:12?
   
   
2. How would you explain the word picture presented in Proverbs 27:17? 
   
   
3. Proverbs 28:26 admonishes us to walk wisely. What are some specific ways we can do this?

CONCLUSION

If we are following God, there is no need to fear deprivation. Our omniscient Heavenly Father is on His throne, and He sustains us.