Proverbs - Week 4 - Dating

Pray to begin.

Opening Question:
How do you see dating culture around you shaping how people think about relationships?

Read the following proverbs:

The Importance of Character

Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
    but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 20:6-7
Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
    but a faithful man who can find?
7 The righteous who walks in his integrity—
    blessed are his children after him!

Discuss

1. What qualities do these verses suggest we should value most in a partner?

2. How does modern dating culture undermine the importance of Godly Character?

3. Does this mean, attraction or chemistry are not important at all? What would be a wise way to navigate the relative importance of these things?

4. In the context of a marriage, why is character important in the long run?

The Dangers of Over-Desiring or under-desiring a partner.

Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing
    and obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:14
House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

5. How might an over-desire for marriage lead someone into unwise or harmful choices?

6. What does it look like to desire marriage rightly, without making it ultimate?

7. What are some cultural reasons people under-desire marriage today?

8. How do we hold marriage in high esteem without while still upholding the good reasons that some remain single.

The Role of Humility, Counsel and Community in Dating.

Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel plans fail,
    but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
    profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

9. Why do we tend to hide dating relationships from community input?

10. How could inviting counsel (friends, family, older believers) protect us from mistakes?

11. How could you position yourself to be approachable and helpful to those around you navigating the world of dating?
12. How can our church better support each other in singleness, dating, and marriage?

Apply and Pray.
Share one prayer point for where you need wisdom in your current relational state (single/ dating/ married)?
Pray