Proverbs 1: 1-6

Intro

Okay so starting from here on out we are going to be doing things different

we only have a short hour on Wednesday nights, so on Wednesday Nights instead of doing a very in depth bible study, we are going to be focusing more on fellowship ( fun ) and we are replacing a study with more of a Devotional

Now I know we aren’t finished going through the book of Corinthians but we are going to take a pause on that and continue through that at the start of the new school year

So Instead of going through 1st corinthians for the summer we are going to go through the book of Proverbs,

Obviously there is a-lot to un pack in the book of proverbs but for those of you who have ever gone through proverbs you know that it is rich with wise council from Men in that time period that learned the Hard way and it is perfect for Devotionals

So tonight we are going to start in chapter 1 and we are going to go over the first 6 verses and this time I promise we will not be going more than 10 Minutes

Also tonight we are handing out in a flyer the summer schedule for the High- school Students, obviously our Wednesday Nights are combined so anything that falls on a Wednesday is combined ! ( Go through the calendar with the Kids )

Proverbs

Okay so lets go through the first 6 verses of the book

Before we get started I want to give you guys a quick little back ground

SO the book of proverbs as it says in the very first verse was written mostly by the one who was considered the wisest man on Earth that ever lived ( King Solomon )

Now King Solomon was the son of King David and He wrote most of the Proverbs to help us acquire and apply the wisdom of God to our daily life

When we look at the word wisdom alone in the book of Proverbs it is used at minimum 125 times

if we were to look at the book of Job, Ecclesiastes , and Proverbs they all fall under the category of Wisdom Literature

The writers of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs, wrestled with many of life’s difficult questions

They sought to understand the problems of Life through the eyes of God

the funny thing is Ecclesiastes, and proverbs were both written by Solomon, and some even believe that the Book of Job was partially written by King Solomon as well ( I just thought this was interesting)

When it comes to biblical wisdom as believers, something that we should always think about is How do we apply it, How do we apply Wisdom?

sometimes we get comfortable in the space of Faith and we don’t actually act out on wisdom that is in-front of us, Just because we are believers and we walk by faith , doesn’t mean we put our minds on a shelf and stop thinking

The Lord expects us to apply what it is we are learning wether thats studying Gods word or learning something new in life in general

True wisdom is accompanied by action and the application of Gods truth and Guidance

we can have all the intellectual knowledge in the world but with out the proper use of that Knowledge , we have no wisdom

Some of us in this room have just learned this week to use a fire arm. You have the knowledge on how to use it but just because you have that knowledge doesn’t mean you are wise with that fire arm , it doesn’t mean you know when to use it and when to keep it holstered

so many times do i hear, oh well i’ve played video games and i know how to use a gun and i’m really good with one, ya all that is cool but that does not mean you have the experience or the wisdom with that firearm

when mistakes are made with firearms its not because someone didn’t Know but its because they weren’t being wise with their fire arm, Just the other day I watched a video of a guy shoot himself in the leg because he had His finger on the trigger standing in line at like a burger king or something.

Knowledge alone is not wisdom, the proper use of that Knowledge is wisdom

Moving On , So Solomon the Author of Most of these proverbs , In 1st Kings 3 asked the Lord for wisdom and the Lord granted HIM THE WISDOM HE ASKED FOR AND ACTUALLY MORE THAN WHAT HE ASKED FOR

but in ch 3 of 1st Kings in verse 14 he says this

1 Kings 3:14 “14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.””

even from the beginning The lord told Solomon that he would be wise so long as he keeps his statutes and commandments and that he would live a ling life ( Wise people generally live longer, Women live longer because they don’t do stupid things Guys do !)

Wisdom comes from applying the biblical knowledge that we gain

a commentator i Like said this “ Wise men and women have the competence to grasp the meaning of a situation and understand what to do and how to do it in the right way at the right time”

Without the Lord wisdom is impossible

1 Corinthians 3:19 “19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;

worldly wisdom is not wisdom because it does not Have God in it. Worldly wisdom is rooted in Man and his ideas, his opinions without the council of God

Proverbs may have a couple other Authors as well that we see throughout the book of proverbs

“ The Men of Hezekiah, they were known as a group of scholars “ Proverbs 25:1 “1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:”

and theres potentially one more but can be traced back as potentially being Solomon

So Solomon wrote these proverbs from the wisdom granted to Him by the Lord

So with that being Said starting in vs 1:

Proverbs 1:1 “1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:”

Proverbs 1:2 “2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,”

this is funny because today in our life time we live in what is called the information age

everyone knows everything because knowledge is at the tips of our fingers with the internet

you can google any thing and everything and with in a couple of seconds you have gained the Knowledge you wanted

but when we look around can you say that we live in an age that is Wise ? No its not, everyone knows everything but no one knows anything

its funny because like 2 years ago i was having a conversation with someone and they were talking about starting a business and my first thought was , talk to my dad he’s really successful , but then they went on to tell me that they got insight from someone else, well that someone else was a guy that didn’t even have a job….. Its like dude that guy didn’t even own a business and yet he’s giving you advice on how to start yours…..

you can know everything yet have no success…

Information age not a “wisdom age”

Proverbs 1:3 “3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity;”

again the purpose of the proverbs is to teach people wisdom

( teach them the proper use of knowledge and how to apply that knowledge ) and also to help them understand the insights of the wise

The purpose of proverbs is to teach discipline , to receive instruction , to live successful lives and to do what is right, just and fair

what good is Knowledge / wisdom to someone who is too proud to receive it ? If you are too proud to hear, to listen to what the book of proverbs or any book of the bible has to say, you will fall into the category of being unwise

its very important that we understand not only what the book of proverbs was written for but honestly the word of God

the word of God is there for us to Learn from and to apply what we have learned to our daily life

we should never look at Gods word and think to ourself that it was just a good story,

what is written there is for you to become wise !!

its for you to gain knowledge, to take that knowledge and to apply it to your life, the proper steps in that if followed the right way will bring about success, spiritual, and not spiritual

Proverbs 1:4 “4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion—”

the simple, the simple are considered people who have not chosen a path , they haven’t chosen righteousness or the path of the world ( they may even be gullible , easily influenced to take the wrong path )

the proverbs Give insights to those who read them will direct them on the right path, especially those who don’t know what to do.

Young People , this is funny because we are in a season of Graduation and some of you might be completely stressed out on decisions that could affect you for the rest of your life

but guess what Proverbs is here for you, Gods word is here for you, to give you insights, to speak to you and to help you make the right decisions

the wisdom in the book of proverbs is here to help you gain knowledge and discretion, Just make sure you apply it

Proverbs 1:5 “5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,”

A wise man , a man that is discerning has the capacity to understand what he hears and sees and to internalize knowledge so that it directs his actions

Proverbs 1:6 “6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.”

So Proverbs , Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the bible to go through because regardless of what life throws at us there is wisdom in proverbs

I remember back in my fire days when things would be going south and we would have hard days, i would go into my room, kinda sneak away and i would read a proverb , every-time i would read it it would speak to me

THESE proverbs/ parables can be tricky to understand but when we put our head down and seek the knowledge and understanding and apply it to our life we can see that we will mature and become more wise

I think everyone as a christian Prays and Prays for wisdom and one of the best ways to receive biblical wisdom is to go through and read Proverbs with an Open heart

Thats what we are going to do on Wednesday Nights during this summer season

Lets Pray for Wisdom and Understanding and lets pray for an open heart to hear what God has for us in these proverbs over these next couple of Months