wise

27
Mar
2024

Who Will win in Round 11?

“Answer not a fool according to his folly,

Lest you be like him yourself.

Answer a fool according to his folly,

Lest he be wise in his own eyes.”

Proverbs 26:4, 5

 

Sometimes conversation with others can be frustrating. Have you had those conversations? Your point of view and the other person’s point of view are opposite. It is important to you to come to a resolution with the other person, and yet that resolution seems like a farfetched dream. Your ideas are so opposed to each other.

It is important in these situations to be evaluating what you are saying against the truth of Scripture. These conversations can be about various things. In a marriage it could be about what car to buy. In a friendship it could be where to meet for supper. In a church it could be what color to paint a classroom. These do not seem like difficult conversations, nor do these decisions seem to go with our verse and yet if we look at these situations more closely they do.

Every relationship has challenges and difficulties. We must decide to approach every relationship and every conversation with humility, grace, and truth. If we come into each relationship with pride, we will think the only one with the right opinion is yourself. We will not be open to the opinions of others. If we are listening to the opinions of others and they are contradictory to the truth especially the truth from God’s Word, then we must not answer “the fool according to his folly.” (Prov. 26:4).

  1. Answer not a fool according to his folly

When a conversation becomes a sword fight, we are answering the fool according to his folly. We are trying to get the win in the verbal battle rather than be on the lookout as to how you can help the other person grow in faith in Christ or come to know the Lord as their personal Savior. If a person is not willing to listen to what you have to say when you are speaking in love and gentleness and only wants to have their own way, we must be willing to let the conversation die and “leave the presence of the fool.” (Prov. 14:7).

  1. Lest you be like him yourself.

We become like the fool when we willingly enter into the verbal sparring match because we are so determined to make sure the other person knows how wrong they are and how right we are. If we are so determined to make sure the other person knows how right we are so we enter the verbal “boxing ring” and are willing to go 11 rounds just so we can be determined the verbal winner, we have “become like the fool.”

  1. Answer a fool according to his folly

This is like the “tit for tat.” If you hit me, I’ll hit you back. This is revenge with words. If you said unkind things to me, I will say them back. When we say words that would only come from a fool, then we would also be considered a fool. When we get caught in a verbal sparring match with another and the words or tone of voice that come from our mouth sound no different than the words or tone of voice that are coming from the fool, what would that make us?

  1. Lest he be wise in his own eyes

The fool that is listening to you utter the same words that he is using will think to himself that he is the wise one. He is listening to his own press and thinking how wise he is. “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”  (Prov. 17:28). We so often think that we must return word for word in what we consider to be wise words to the other person’s foolish words. Rather, we must keep a guard on our mouths and refuse to enter into the sparring match that the other person so urgently wants to begin.

We must be so concerned about the soul of the other person that we need to not be worried about defending our honor or making sure that our point is heard. What matters is understanding and seeking to help the other person become more like Christ. Sometimes, our honor may be tarnished, but God who knows all is the One that will help to make things right. What we must be concerned about above all is representing Christ well. Sometimes, we must let Christ be the One who makes things right, and we must keep our mouths closed so that He can be the One to do that.

 

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09
Aug
2023

Simple or Prudent? Wise or Foolish?

The simple believes everything,

But the prudent gives thought to his steps.

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,

But a fool is reckless and careless.”

Proverbs 14:15, 16

We all have many choices and decisions that we make throughout our days. Many of these decisions that we make are made without much conscious thought. The choices that we make daily without conscious thought have become habits in our lives. There are many books written on developing good habits, but the basis of many of our choices are based on habit. My husband gets up for work at the same time every day, walks on the treadmill, takes a shower, has a glass of OJ, and heads to work. He no longer gives a lot of thought to these activities because they have become habits in his life.

We all know the people that have habits that we would consider reckless and careless: poor diet choices, poor entertainment choices, no exercise choice, poor relationship choices, etc.

Our verses from Proverbs today start and end with the simple and the fool. The simple person is someone who is gullible. They are easily led astray usually by their desires. They think that if the desires of their heart are met they will find peace, satisfaction, and happiness. They hope that the infomercial about the next great weight loss pill will solve all of their weight struggles. They believe anything that anyone tells them and think that what they are told will meet all their needs.

This simple, gullible person is easily led astray. They are taken advantage of often and those that are manipulators love this simple gullible person. The manipulator will have a follower in the simple. The simple will have someone who they think “cares” for them. Only too often, the manipulator is taking advantage of the simple.

In order to not be simple and not be gullible, we must seek to surround ourselves with those that are prudent and wise. We must consider the end result of the decision we are deciding to make. Will this thing that I buy actually give the promised results? If I eat this extra scoop of ice cream, am I making a healthy wise choice? If I spend time watching TV, playing this video game, or scrolling through social media am I using my time wisely when there are many chores that need to be done?

The prudent and the wise person thinks before acting and decides if the choice they are making will produce God honoring results or results that are fleeting. So many people are seeking happiness, satisfaction, and having their needs met only to find out that the temporal things they are seeking to satisfy these needs will never give to them what they had hoped. The wise and prudent person sees and understands this. The wise and prudent person understands that God and a relationship with Jesus is the only thing that will satisfy. The wise and prudent person understands that the Bible is the manual for how to live life, not their fleeting desires.

The fool is reckless and careless because they think that the fleeting desires they have will be satisfied by temporal things. Look at the lives of the rich and the famous. They seem to have all that the world has to offer – fame, fortune, and power – yet they are usually looking for more. Drugs, alcohol, illicit relationships, and possessions are what they keep turning to thinking that what is around the corner will satisfy. Yet, it never does.

Spend some time evaluating your life. What are your habits? Are you spending time in God’s Word each day seeking to live according to God’s standard for joy? Or are you known to frequent some external pleasure to provide the satisfaction you are looking for, only to be let down one more time because “it” did not satisfy?

Are you simple or prudent? Wise or foolish?

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10
May
2023

Are you wise or a scoffer?

My husband and I were out with our daughters last week. We had eaten together and after dinner my husband told one of our daughters that she had something in her teeth. This has happened to most of us. Maybe we didn’t have something in our teeth, maybe it was something on our face or on our clothes. Why is that we didn’t know about these things in our teeth, on our face, or on our clothes? We couldn’t see them. What about the time you walk out with a black sock and a blue sock on? Again, we got dressed in the dark and didn’t see that the colors were not the same. So often we are “blinded” because we aren’t in front of a mirror, aren’t looking for the stain on our clothes, or are in the dark when we get dressed.

Life is the same.

What does Proverbs have to say about when we point out flaws, correct, or reprove someone?

Proverbs 9:7-9 “Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning.”

A scoffer is someone who expresses contempt to others. So when you point out to a scoffer things you see in their life that is a poor choice, a character flaw, or a sin they will not receive what you have to say to them about them with kind reception. Rather, they will respond poorly. They may verbally abuse you. They may reject you and the relationship that you had with them. They do not accept what you have to say. As a matter of fact, they will do everything in their power to prove you wrong.

They do not see you as someone that can objectively see the ketchup on their face or the food in your teeth, rather they think that you do not know what you are talking about and have the wrong perspective. They refuse to listen to what you have to say and think that they know much better than you do about their life. They refuse to look introspectively to see the “thing” that you are bringing to their attention.

What kind of injury do you receive from the wicked man? (Prov. 9:7). When we open our mouths and point out something in someone’s life that they do not see, we risk losing the relationship. We risk losing a good friend that we enjoyed living life with. We risk losing that family member that we spent time making many memories together. Holidays are no longer the same because they refuse to be a part. Maybe the person that we risked pointing out the sin, the blind spot, or a poor choice will take to social media and spew forth unkind things about us. Maybe they will gossip and tell a tale about us that is not true in order to get back at us for what we said. They want to injure our reputation. So they poor forth lies about us. We may be injured. Our reputation may be injured. Unfortunately for them, they are so busy trying to prove you wrong, that they end up injuring themselves.

What will a wise man or woman do when they are given instruction? They will gladly accept it. They will appreciate the fact that you had the courage to risk the relationship to point out to them the sin, the blind spot, or the poor choice that they are making. The righteous man or woman will gladly look introspectively into their life and see the things that you noticed and appreciate you for having the courage to speak up. Since you did have the courage to speak truth into their lives, rather than harming the relationship, the relationship will be stronger and better for the instruction that you gave.

So my question for you dear friend is this: Which person are you? When someone reproves you, what do you do? Do you pour out abuse on the poor person that spoke up? Do you gladly receive the rebuke from someone and seek to change so that you can be more conformed to the image of God’s Son? A scoffer is proud and a wise person is humble. Do some introspection and ask the Lord to help you see with new eyes the kind of person you are. After all, that piece of food that is between your teeth left there will be unattractive, but if removed will make you more pleasant to be looked on by others. So it is with rebuke. Seek the Lord.

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03
May
2023

Peace or Distress?

Have you ever said about yourself or about someone else, “that was a dumb mistake?” When we look at another’s life, we easily can see what decision they should have made. When we look at our own lives we tend to be clouded in our judgement in the midst of a decision. Later on, when we look over the same situation, we say, “what was I thinking?”

Proverbs 7 and Proverbs 8 have quite the contrast between wisdom and folly. In the midst of the scene that is set for us in Proverbs 7, the young man that is mentioned would not say in the moment, “this is a dumb mistake.” Rather, he is being led along by his fleshly desires.

Proverbs 7 sets the scene for the forbidden woman. These characteristics that are laid out for us can apply to many different foolish decisions that we make.

This scene in Proverbs 7 is set at night. Jesus said in John 3:19 “…men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” Foolishly, we think that if we participate in satisfying our fleshly desires in the dark or at night, they will less likely be seen. However, God is not blinded by darkness. “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:20).

The characteristics that define this forbidden woman are smooth/flattering words (7:5), wiley of heart (7:10), wayward (7:11), not a keeper at home (7:11), lies in wait for her victims (7:12), has a form of godliness (7:14), seductive (7:16, 17), illicit means of satisfying her fleshly desires (7:18), and plots and plans her deception (7:19, 20).

The key here is deception or lies. She wants the simple to believe the same lies that she believes. The more someone else believes her lies, the better she gets at telling them. These principles do not just apply to a man that is being seduced into an adulterous relationship with a woman.

These principles can also be applied to a woman that is being seduced by her sin. We all have desires that we are trying to get satisfied. We believe the lie that our desires must be satisfied and we must do whatever it takes to have our desires satisfied.

Proverbs 8 is the contrast to Proverbs 7 and shows us the characteristics of wisdom. The words that a wise person uses are wise and understanding words. These words that wisdom desires to share are not hidden or spoken in secret. “Wisdom cries aloud in the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads, beside the gates, and at the entrance of the town.” (Proverbs 8:1, 2).

The words of the wise seek to educate the simple or those they are with (8:5). The wise also speak words of truth and righteousness (8:7, 8).

So the contrast between those that are walking on the path of foolishness vs. the path of wisdom is seen in our actions and our words. Underlying all of these are our thoughts. What thoughts are you thinking?  I will do whatever needs to be done so that my desires can be satisfied. The adulterous woman has a form of godliness (“I offered my sacrifices” Prov. 7:14) making others think that she is a good woman when in reality she is covering the sin in her heart with outward actions that are a form of godliness.

The way of the wise do not hide the truth. They are willing to tell whoever will listen to them what the truth is.

What thoughts characterize your life? Are you seeking to satisfy your desires and believing lies or are you searching for the truth? Wisdom does not hide what it thinks, but the deceived tell things in secret. What is the result of listening to folly? You will injure yourself. Foolish choices produce injury and impact someone for the rest of their life. Wise choices give us life and produce fruit in our life that begets more wise choices.

The young man that went the way of the adulterous will find it easier the next time to turn onto her path. The person who tells one lie will find it easier the next time to tell a lie. The person who drinks alcohol or looks at pornography or whatever foolish choice will find it easier to go down that path again. The more sin we commit the more deceived we are into thinking this is the only way my desires will be satisfied. Rather than experiencing peace and satisfaction we will experience disharmony, agitation, and distress.

Those that choose the path of wisdom will continue to follow that path because the wise choices bring peace. Wisdom begets life, peace, joy, and favor from the Lord.

Are you experiencing peace or discontentment? Are the choices that you are making producing life or causing you injury?

“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates and waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself and all who hate me love death.” (Proverbs 8:32-26).

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05
Apr
2023

Confusion or Clarity

There are various methods for Bible study. As I have been writing this blog on the book of Proverbs, I have been making columns of the positives and negatives that are in each chapter. It certainly has helped me to organize the main concepts and ideas in each chapter. Proverbs calls these positives and negatives the way of the wise and the way of the fool. How many of us want someone to call us a fool? Wise? There are many different characteristics that define those that are wise or foolish. While we are on this side of heaven there will daily be things in our lives that would be characterized as foolish. The goal that God has for us is that with each day we live more wisely and continue to put off the foolish ways of our old self. (Eph. 4: 22-24).

As we enter Proverbs 5, we see wisdom contrasted with foolishness. Both wisdom and foolishness are referred to often as “she.” Proverbs 5 has four main characters. The father is speaking again to his son. We have seen this in the last four chapters. He is telling his son that he needs to be aware of the “forbidden woman” and be satisfied with the love of his wife.

Just because the father is speaking to his son, does not mean that there are only principles for young men in this Proverbs. There are principles in this Proverb for all.

Solomon says again that his son needs to listen, be attentive, incline his ear, and not depart from the wise words he was sharing with his son.  How many times have we as parents told our kids the same thing only in different ways?

I homeschooled my kids. I remember teaching a concept to one of our daughters. I explained the concept to her a number of different ways. Finally, the last way she understood it and said, “Why didn’t you explain it to me this way in the first place?” We all have different learning styles. We explain things how we understand them best first. That is what I did in this particular situation, but that was not the best way for her learn.

God has been using the pen of Solomon to tell us the same thing in different ways over and over again, and will continue to do so throughout the entire book of Proverbs. Why? We all learn different ways, and need things explained in different ways.

We understand the wisdom that Solomon was trying to impart on his son and also consequently on us. He keeps reminding him to listen. Do we listen to those that are wise?

The negatives in this chapter are the description of the forbidden woman, but no one is saying that only women are evil and men are perfect. Since Solomon was speaking to his son in this book, he would be warning him about the forbidden woman. If he was speaking to his daughter, he would have warned her about the forbidden man.

Let’s look at these qualities of the foolish person. They are deceptive (Prov. 5:3), leave us with a feeling of uneasiness (5:4), lead to a bad/deadly outcome (5:5), no thought to the consequences of their actions (5:6), no direction or goals (5:6), and self-deceived (5:6).

What happens to us when we do not listen and allow our lives to become entangled with a foolish person? We will lose our reputation and our integrity (5:9). The foolish are deceivers and manage to swindle others. God has called us to be good stewards of what He has given to us, but when we seek to satisfy our selfish desires the satisfaction we are seeking through these selfish desires never satisfies.

What is the conclusion of this chapter that compares and contrasts the wise and the foolish person? Proverbs 5:12-14 tell us what the foolish person looks like so then the converse of this would be the characteristics of a wise person.

“And you say, ‘How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers, or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.’” (Prov. 5:1-14)

The wise person listens to those that are wise, searches God’s Word for the principles necessary to live a life of wisdom, and surrounds themselves with people that are wise. Do you run to God first when seeking to make a decision? Do you seek the counsel of those that are wise when making a decision? Do the people that you surround yourself with have godly goals?

The foolish person will leave us with a feeling of uneasiness or confusion. They will deceive you into helping them fulfill their desires, but have no care for what your desires are. They are seeking for others to meet their needs.

“For a man’s/woman’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.” (Prov. 5:21)

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08
Mar
2023

Principles

Have you had a conversation with someone, and you did not see to eye on the situation? It could be a situation with a family member, friend, co-worker, or a boss. What about a decision you needed to make and there were multiple options to choose from, maybe there were only two options to choose from?

Life is about circumstances and choices. We are constantly inundated with circumstances and choices.

As we continue to look at Proverbs, we continue to see throughout the book that making wise choices and responding wisely in the midst of each circumstance will bring us blessings and peace. Wisdom is essentially living according to godly ways and godly principles. We have two choices in how to live life: wisely or foolishly.

How many times have we struggled to make a decision or struggled in how to respond in the midst of a circumstance? If we are seeking to follow God’s principles, our first step is to follow James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

What has God given us to help us in respond wisely in all circumstances and make godly choices? The first thing we must follow is His Word. Does God’s Word give us the answer to our question? It may not specifically tell us what job to take, what church to attend, what person to marry, who to become friends with, or where to go on vacation; but it gives us very direct principles to answer these questions.

II Peter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

How do we know how to live a “life of godliness?”  “Through the knowledge of Him who called us” (II Peter 1:3.

Do you seek God’s Word and seek to find principles that pertain to your decision or circumstance or do you seek the option that you think in the moment will make you happy?

We are in the second half of Proverbs 3, and in it there are three principles that will help us to life a life of godliness.

  1. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. (Prov. 3:27)

The verses that follow (Prov. 3:28-32) tell us not to turn someone away when you can be of assistance, do not plan to do evil against another, do not strive with someone for no reason, do not envy another, and do not be devious.

How often do we treat others through the lens of our own selfishness? We want something and we want the other person to provide it for us. We want something and someone else is getting in the way of what we want. We treat others selfishly rather than “treat others as you want to be treated.” (Mt. 7:12)

  1. To the humble he gives favor (Proverbs 3: 34)

C.S. Lewis said that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. When we are humble, we realize our own inadequacies and weaknesses. We realize that someone may be better able to accomplish the task. Humility is allowing someone else to get the praise for something and not trying to steal the recognition from them. Humility is realizing that you don’t always have the answers and need to seek wise counsel.  Three times in Proverbs 3 Solomon says “my son,”  reminding the reader that often our parents know us better than any other person and know us better than we know ourselves. It is a wise parent that will take their child to God’s Word to assist them in making a decision or navigate a circumstance. So often we see children buck at the teaching of their parents because they want to do it in the famous words of Frank Sinatra “My Way.” Do you want favor? Solomon says in order to gain favor, we must be humble.

  1. The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace. (Proverbs 3:35).

Would you rather live a life with honor or disgrace? Since we are made in the image of God (Gen.1:27), God has given us the play book on how to live life. The play book is His Word. He has told us repeatedly that living a life of wisdom will bring about honor, but being foolish will be disgraceful. When we see someone that explodes in anger, is always “negative Nancy,” goes to a substance for comfort, always looks out for their own interests, dishonors God, or dishonors their parents, we see someone who is foolish. Have you seen these people in real life? Do you see the fruits of their wisdom or the fruits of their foolishness? Are they people that are honorable that you want to spend time with or are they people that are a disgrace.

The book of Proverbs is a book of principles. Solomon was letting us know that as he observed life this is what he saw. He saw that the typical wise person was honorable and the typical foolish person was a disgrace. The typical humble person received favor. The typical wise person offered to help those in need.

When faced with a circumstance or a choice to make, what will you do? You must seek God’s Word for a principle or command to follow in making that choice. No matter what the choice, there is a godly principle to help us navigate the way wisely.

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22
Feb
2023

Who will win?

I love a good competition. I was born into a family that loved competition, and I married a man who loves competition. We enjoy playing games just the two of us. (By the way, the last game we played, I won:)

Competition can be a good thing. Have you noticed, though, the amount of things that are always fighting for our attention? Let’s just name a few things to get us both on the same page: Phone calls, texts, emails, social media, music, advertisements, podcasts, books, television, friends, family, work, books we read, house work, meal prep, laundry. The list could be endless. As I was thinking about what I needed to accomplish today, I decided I would get done the most pressing thing with the nearest deadline.

We all have choices as we go through our days because so many things are competing for our attention. How do we decide what to choose to do and what we will fill our time with?

Proverbs 2 tells us about a few things that are competing for our attention, and as we analyze these things what is best should rise to the surface as we read about it in the Bible. However, as we get caught up in the whirlwind of our days, it may not seem so obvious on what we should choose.

Read through the box below and take some time to ponder what is in each column and the contrast that the first column – the way of wisdom from the Lord – and the other two columns that are the way of destruction.

Proverbs 2:6-11, 20-21 Proverbs 2: 12- 15 Proverbs 2:16-19, 22
The Lord gives wisdom The way of evil The forbidden woman
From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding Men with perverted speech Adulteress
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright Forsake the path of uprightness Smooth words
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity Walk in the ways of darkness Forsakes the companion of her youth
He guards the paths of justice Rejoice in doing evil Forgets the covenant of her God
He watches over the way of His saints Delight in the perverseness of evil Her house sinks down to death
You will understand righteousness,  justice, equity, every good path Men whose paths are crooked Her paths lead to the departed
Wisdom will come into your heart Devious in their ways None who go to her come back
Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul Nor do they regain the paths of life
Walk in the way of good
Keep to the paths of the righteous
The upright will inhabit the land
Those with integrity will remain in it

God’s ways protect us from harm. His ways are pleasant. His ways are good. His path is straight. His ways provide peace.

The ways of the man with perverted speech and the forbidden woman provide nothing good. The difficulty is that these ways are deceitful. We do not realize we are on this path at first. It seems to be fulfilling our desires and longings. We would call these people in our language today manipulators. They make us think that their ways are good for us and will provide us with the peace we are longing for. We think that their ways will bring fulfillment to what we want. What they really do is bring chaos into our lives. Their words and their actions bring chaos. Their words and actions cause you turn away from those who really love and care for you. They do this because they twist the words and actions of others into something they are not. Today, we call this gas lighting.

However, as we begin on this crooked path ourselves we are blind because the way is “dark.” We find ourselves making excuses to those that truly love and care for us. As we head down this “dark and crooked” path, the ones that love us are like Proverbs 8:1 “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?” Wisdom calls out after those that are on the dark crooked path, but the further they get down this path they can no longer hear what wisdom is saying. The further they get from the voice of wisdom, the closer they get to destruction.

What is competing for your attention? What is competing for your thoughts? What is competing for your time? What is competing for your treasure (money)? What is competing for desires?

What is competing for your heart?

Stop and look around what path you are on. If you do not know, ask those that love you the most. If you do not know who loves you the most, ask your pastor. Many people have wise parents that would also love to give some wise counsel. You may not want to ask the ones right next to you because they may be on the same dark crooked path that you are. We need those that are wise in our lives so they can speak God’s truth into our lives. We need them to help provide that discernment in the midst of the competition

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.” (Prov. 2:1, 2)

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25
Jan
2023

Valuable Words

As we continue our study of Proverbs, let us revisit the definition of wisdom. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to navigate life. Everyone is navigating life. The question is how are we navigating life? The remainder of Proverbs 1 gives us some clues as to how to determine if you are navigating life in a way of wisdom or a way of folly. Every decision we make will affect our lives. We do not realize or think about how each decision will impact the decisions we make in the future.

We all understand this when it comes to what we eat, at least I think we do.  If you eat 1 doughnut every day, that does not seem to be that big of a deal, but that 1 doughnut provides no nutritional value and adds calories that our body has to burn. Pretty soon we will have added 20 pounds to our body and our joints will wear out sooner and our cholesterol will be elevated. One doughnut seems like no big deal, but over time that choice will affect our future health.

Wisdom

How we navigate life – WISDOM – is made up of tiny little choices that we make every day.

My last two blogs (To Know and Receive Wisdom and Fear God or Foolishness) gave us an introduction to Proverbs. The remainder of Proverbs chapter one I have condensed into two different lists. The two lists are the way of wisdom and the foolishness.

The first thing on the list is to listen to your father and your mother’s teaching. The book of Proverbs is addressed to a “son” of Solomon. The word “son” is used 55 times in the book of Proverbs. The word “Father” is used 26 times and the word “Mother” is used 14 times.

Solomon is trying to tell his son and also all of those that have come after him that read the book of Proverbs that the most important thing we can do in order to be wise and navigate life in a way that is wise is to listen as children to our parents and to their teaching.

Listen

Why should a child listen to their parents? God gave each parent the child/children that He knew would need those parents. I could have had any number of parents and yet God chose the parents that he knew that I needed. He chose the parents that He knew you needed as well. He chose the children you have to be your children.

1. Lived Life

Since God chose these particular people to be our parents, there must be a reason or two. The first reason is that each of our parents have lived life longer than we have. They have made decisions, both good and bad decisions, and they want to be sure that you learn from them so you do not make the same poor choices that have hurt them or you make the same godly choices that have helped them.

2. Know Us

The second reason that we need to listen to our parents is because they know us. Just as God knows everything about us, He has given us parents that know us. They know what we like and what we don’t like. They know our strengths and our weaknesses. They have walked through every day of life with us so they know and share the memories that we have.

Whenever there is a choice to make, we should consult our parents and include them in our decisions. As we age, we begin to make decisions on our own because we have been practicing with our parents how to navigate life –WISDOM- in a way that is honoring God.

Our parents have sacrificed so much for us. I have sacrificed so much for my kids, and I would do it all over again. Parents have done so much to invest in the lives of their kids. Why would we not want their input and words of wisdom in our lives? Why would we shy away from their advice?

If we do shy away from their advice, what is our reasoning? Do we shy away from their advice, because it contradicts what we want? We must ask ourselves, why does it contradict?

As we continue the study the book of Proverbs, we will delve into these ideas in future blog posts. For now, consider with me how valuable your parents are and how valuable the words they want to share with you are.

Proverbs 1:8 “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching”

 

I have also kept the list in this post of what we see in someone that is wise and someone that is foolish from Proverbs 1.

 

Wise

Hear your father’s instruction

Do not forsake your mother’s teaching

Does not consent to enticement by sinners/foolish

Does not walk in the way with the foolish

Wisdom cries aloud the truth

Dwell secure

Easier life in the end because of the difficult choice to listen to wisdom in the beginning

Does not dread what is to come

Foolish

Entice others

Looks for ways to ambush the innocent –manipulates others

Looks for ways to take from others

Manipulates them into thinking that they will split all things (v. 14)

Runs to evil

Greedy

Takes from others unjustly

Simple

Scoff at the truth

Hate knowledge

Refuses to listen

Ignores wisdom’s counsel

Calamity will strike

Will be distressed and anguished

Hate knowledge

Did not choose the fear of the Lord

They will get what is coming to them because of their foolish choices

Complacent

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
11
Jan
2023

To Know and Receive Wisdom

I have been reading the book of Proverbs every day for many years. I know that I have been reading one chapter a day for as long as we have lived in our current home, so that would be six years. The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon, the wisest of men. God asked Solomon what he wanted, and rather than asking for great riches or great power Solomon asked God for wisdom. (I Kings 3:5-14).

I have been reading the book of Proverbs along with other books of the Bible desiring to become wise. I ask God so often to give me wisdom, and yet I still feel so foolish. I know there is still so much more for me to learn and know. There is so much more for me to understand. One of the things that I do know is that I learn best by studying and then teaching what I learn to others.

It has been a while since I have consistently written my blog. Part of me has not known what to write about, and part of me decided that I was too busy. We will know as time goes by if this will continue to be a priority, or if it will fall by the wayside. So many things I enjoy doing and that clamor for my time.

Please, begin this study of Proverbs with me through this blog. I want to learn out loud if you will. As I learn and share the way of wisdom that God is teaching me, won’t you come along with me and learn.

The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, King Israel:

To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,

To receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

To give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth” (Proverbs 1:1-4)

 

The first thing I notice as I look at these verses is how each verse starts: to know, to receive, to give.

In order to give, we must first know and receive. The purpose of Proverbs is to become wise. I am pretty sure not too many people walk around saying, “I want to be a fool.” Most people would willingly admit that they want to be wise.

What is the requirements for being wise? “To know and to receive.” Before we can give out wisdom, we must be humble and respectful and willing to take in wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

How do we become wise? By listening. As we read through the book of Proverbs, the word listen or hear is used 30 times. There are other words that the author also uses that would indicate we need to be listening such as “receive” or be “attentive.”

The point that Solomon wants us to take with us from the book of Proverbs is that we need to listen to those that are wise. We need to willingly receive instruction from those who are wise. We cannot give knowledge and prudence (discernment) to others if we ourselves do not possess wisdom.

As I have gone through various situations in life, I seek to gain wisdom and prudence from those that have traveled the path of life before me. I diligently search God’s Word for answers to how to navigate difficult situations. I seek to have wise people in my life so that I can talk with them and ask them for direction. I spend much time in prayer seeking the Giver of perfect wisdom to discern how to handle a situation or navigate a difficult decision.

So when you are faced with a choice, no matter how great or how small, where do you turn?

As some of you may know, one of the things that I do is provide Biblical Counseling to others. I went through the requirements to become a certified Biblical Counselor. I was talking with one of my counselees this morning and she shared with me how important my encouragement to her to read God’s Word every day was. She said it has been so helpful in her life.

Are you reading God’s Word every day seeking to gain wisdom in the many situations you will face today? Start your day off with reading the book that God gave us so we know how to live in the way of wisdom and not the way of folly. This is the way “to know and to receive wisdom and instruction.”

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 4 comments