LEARNING DAILY

 

Proverbs 8:10-11, Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

 

God asked Solomon what he wanted from God. Solomon’s reply was to ask for wisdom which pleased God. Because he did not ask for riches and fame, God made him the wisest man that ever lived; He also gave him both wealth and fame throughout the world.

 

As Christians living in an evil and deceptive world, we need to have knowledge of how God want us to live and the wisdom to use that knowledge. We need the wisdom from above that helps us be aware what deception is trying to get us to believe and where it wants to lead us. What better words than the proverbs of the wisest man to live on this earth? I am going to spend some time writing from the book of Proverbs to help us live our lives from God’s point of view as to how we are to live wisely in these days. As a reference, I am using the daily devotional, the Chronological writing of the Bible because it has done all the grouping of Proverbs by topic.

 

Let me give some background to the Proverbs today. Solomon is credited with writing thousands of proverbs. “The proverbs are short poems, usually in the form of couplets, which set high ethical standards and give practical advice for daily living through the use of comparative, or perhaps antithetical, imagery” (written as an introduction to the Proverbs in the Daily Bible written in Chronological Order). Often the verse in Proverbs places a high value on wisdom and contrast living as God demands with evil living so prevalent in the world today. Righteousness is contrasted to wickedness and justice is contrasted to injustice.

 

The David Jeremiah Study Bible points out a significant thought we must understand. “Somewhere between Solomon’s day and the present, knowledge became separate from wisdom, especially in the modern West. While contemporary emphasis is often on knowledge to the exclusion of wisdom, the ancient Near East upheld the importance of wisdom – of how to live well in the world. Knowledge was not devalued; rather it was regarded as a means to an end. The end was wisdom – where knowledge, discernment, and understanding combined to produce a positive outcome. The opposite of wisdom is foolishness – ignorance, lack of discernment, and limited insight in favor of one’s personal preference or opinion. In Proverbs, the wise person is humble before the holiness and counsel of God.”

 

Solomon writes the purpose for writing the proverbs in chapter 1 verses 1-4, “to know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, judgment, and equity, to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” The book of Proverbs clearly shows two groups of people in humanity – those who submit to the will of God and those who do not. Proverbs contrasts those who live in the world by following God’s principles and those who live by their own knowledge, apart from God. Those benefit the most when God is honored and revealed as the true source of one’s wisdom.

 

Solomon often mentions that he is writing to his son as he writes the Proverbs. As parents and grandparents, we are to be teaching our children and grandchildren the ways of God and how to live a life that honors Him. His writing also tells us the need to live a life of continual training and discipline because we all lack His wisdom. So, we are going to seek God’s wisdom through the Proverbs in the days ahead. We must not be careless in seeking God’s wisdom; we must be diligent in doing so. God taught Solomon and He will teach us as well through the Holy spirit He gives to us when He saves us. Ask the Holy Spirit to instruct your heart each day and to help you open the Word of God to you. Pray that He will help you apply His Word to every circumstance you face and when you need wisdom the most.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.