I remember a missionary telling me about a time when he used this teaching. He was sitting in a hut with some of the other village men. The man’s house he was in had a poster of a scantily clad woman on his wall. “I’d love to marry her someday,” said his host as he looked after her admiringly.
“Not me,” said the missionary. The village men were shocked and stared at him in disbelief.
“Well, just look at her,” said the missionary. “Do you think she would know how to pick out good mushrooms that weren’t poisonous?” (Mushrooms are a staple food in this village.) The village men laughed and said no.
“Do you think she would work hard in the rice field and make a nice home?” No, they agreed, shaking their head.
“Do you think she would be faithful?” Probably not, they agreed.
“You see, that woman is like the underwater current control that they built over at the river. The original one that stood out of the river was fancy and made everyone proud, but it broke down quickly and the river flooded. But the other one was built underwater with firm concrete. It is invisible, not fancy and has stood the test of time. That’s like these woman. They may not look like the woman in the poster, but they are actually the better choice.”
“Wow!” the men said. “We’ve never heard anything like this? Where did you get this kind of teaching?
Then the missionary proceeded to tell him about “the book”
Deut 4:5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?