Thursday 6 July 2017

PROVERBS: A Treasure Trove of Wisdom

The Purpose and Theme of Proverbs

(Proverbs 1:1-7)
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight*;
for receiving instruction in prudent* behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to those who are simple*,
knowledge and discretion* to the young—
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning* get guidance—
for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles* of the wise.
The fear of the Lord* is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools* despise* wisdom and instruction.

                        ~~~~~~

The book of Proverbs is a treasure trove of wisdom; it is God’s handbook of instruction for living a life of worth and effectiveness. It is essential to study the book of Proverbs, if one wants to gain wisdom and understanding and to apply the teachings of the Bible to practical everyday life. As you read, where you find yourself doubting or disagreeing, dig deeper, for surely there is more to it than meets the eye. Look up the references, use a dictionary and thesaurus and the Holy Spirit will give new insights even to familiar verses and passages. God’s Word is NEVER wrong, so seek understanding and don’t rest until you get to the real meaning behind the proverbs.

Solomon, son of King David is the author of much of the book of Proverbs, but there are some chapters by other wise men that have been included. The purpose of this book is to help us attain wisdom and lead a disciplined life. It helps us give thought to the future, while acting in the present – to be aware of the consequences of our actions and to do what is right, just and fair. Those who lack good sense will learn from Proverbs to think and act in better ways. Children and young people will learn to be careful and have good judgment. There is wisdom here to handle life. Those who are already wise will learn more that will be useful in making good decisions. Those who are already discerning will get good guidance from studying Proverbs and will understand the sayings of the wise, even things that are unclear.

The most important factor in gaining knowledge, acquiring wisdom and discipline is a reverent “fear of the Lord” – an unwillingness to do anything that will displease God. People who fear the Lord always want to do what is good and right in His eyes, because they love, value and revere Him and are afraid of hurting, grieving or displeasing Him. But “fools” ignore wisdom and are not bothered to do the right thing - they disregard it as unimportant. They don’t want to be held to rules that restrict their freedom to do what they want and they reject God’s ways by simply ignoring them.

Therefore, since Proverbs is a book that is aimed at giving us wisdom, it is foolish to neglect it. By doing so, you may bring harm and disaster upon yourself and others. Be wise; study the Proverbs and try to understand and apply them to your life.

Glossary:
*insight: accurate and deep understanding;
*prudent: giving care and thought to the future;
*simple: naïve, gullible, lacking sense, low in intelligence;
*discretion: good judgment, caution, carefulness;
*discerning: having good judgment, able to distinguish or recognize differences;
*riddle: difficult to understand, puzzling;
*Lord: God, king, master, ruler, one who has complete authority over us;
*fool: lacking moral sense, not concerned with right and wrong;
*despise: have contempt for, look down on, disregard, neglect, ignore.

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