Dr. Stieglitz
Dec 18, 20182 min
"A man of too many friends comes to ruin. But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
This verse doesn't make much sense until you link it to verse 22 and realize that foreign to the oriental way of thinking is the fact that your wife could be your best friend. This idea that your wife could be your friend and confidant was not a common idea of that culture. So Solomon is saying that you have a potential friend who is closer than even your own brother – your wife.
The idea of verse 22 is that a woman who is a full wife is such an incredible blessing that only God could give you a woman who would minister to your soul-needs as a good wife can. The idea also seems to be that there is a difference between a wife and a woman to whom you are married. When a woman becomes a godly wife and meets your deepest needs – Respect; Adaptability; Domestic Leadership; Intimacy; Companionship; Attractive; Listener – then you have found a very good thing.
One of the key pieces to this verse 24 is: Will you let your wife become your best friend by adapting to her and opening up to her and really forming a team? In many cases a man has a wife who is just a business partner or, worse, a maid. This would especially be true in a culture of arranged marriages.
When a man finds himself in a marriage where his wife could meet his deepest needs and become his best friend, then this is a reason for great rejoicing. He has received a gift from the Lord and should ever be thankful.
Thankfully, God gave me such a woman to be my wife.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz
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