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
