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Pleasantness and Peace

In Proverbs 3 Solomon speaks of wisdom as a godly lady, and he tells his son the reason why he should pursue this lady named wisdom. One reason why is found in verse 17: "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."

Pleasantness and peace sound nice. Pleasantness means enjoyable or agreeable. Everyone wants to have an enjoyable and peaceful life, but I think Solomon might be saying something a little more clever than just that. 

Although she is not mentioned by name in the book of Proverbs, according to 1 Kings 14:31, Solomon's wife's name was Naamah. The Hebrew word for pleasantness is noam, which is closely associated with Solomon's wife's name (her name is also translated as pleasantness). But there is more.

In the Song of Songs, Solomon's young wife is not named, but she is called Shulamite, which is the feminine form of Solomon's name (kind of like being called "Mrs. Solomon"). Shulamite is connected with the Hebrew word shalom, which is translated as peace.

So in Proverbs 3:17 Solomon tells his son to pursue Lady Wisdom, and she will give him pleasantness and peace, and both of those words are connected to his wife's name. Because he is speaking to his son, it may be a clever way of telling him to obey his mother. That is a wise thing for any child to do.

If he is inserting his wife into the proverb, it may be a clever way of saying to use wisdom when choosing a spouse. That is a wise thing for anyone to do. 

And of course this may be a tip of the cap to his wife, a romantic gesture in which he inserts her name because of the pleasantness and peace she brings into his life. He viewed her as a benefit to having wisdom, one of the blessings he told his son that wisdom produces. 

This is a nice way for any husband to think of his wife (and a wife to think of her husband). We should view them as a gift from God. 

No matter how we take Solomon's words in this simple proverb, there are important lessons for all of us. 

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