Making Wise Choices

Introduction

Walking in Wisdom

An angel appears at a college faculty meeting and tells the dean that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord will reward him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom, or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.

"Done!" says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, "Say something."

The dean looks at them and says, "I should have taken the money."

Introduce slides for the year.

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS

The Meaning of a Proverb

** A proverb is simply a saying, specifically a wise saying.

** We use many sayings all the time: a penny saved is a penny earned, trust but verify, it is what it is.

“Proverbs are not mere slogans or motivational suggestions on how to get on in life – the book is part of the word of God” Keith Bassham

Collection of proverbs and wise sayings – purpose of imparting wisdom – brief and memorable, easily learned and applied.

Wilkinson: Proverbs is the most intensely practical book in the Old Testament because it teaches skillful living in the multiple aspects of everyday life. Its specific precepts include instruction on wisdom and folly, the righteous and the wicked, the tongue, pride and humility, justice and vengeance, the family, laziness and work, poverty and wealth, friends and neighbors, love and lust, anger and strife, masters and servants, life and death.

** While the law tells us what is sin – for instance adultery – proverbs gives us some wise way to even avoid sin – like not going near the house of a temptress.

** Proverbs deals with the everyday issues of life – this year we’ll cover our relationship with God, matters of life and death, what a true believer looks like, issues of the heart and mind, our emotions, our words and speech, what is godly character, the home and family, our career and work ethic, our possessions, and our continued growth in knowledge.

The Writer of Proverbs

** King Solomon – the wisest man ever. We will study him on Sunday nights.

** Look at the origin of his wisdom in II Chron. 1:7-10.

** I Kings 4:32 – he wrote over 3,000 proverbs.

The Study of Proverbs

** The main intent of proverbs is to make us wise – Proverbs 1:1-7 – verse 7 is the key verse.

First, what it is not - a proverb is not a promise or saying definitely guaranteeing the outcome that is being discussed

divine guidelines and wise observations, i.e., teaching underlying principles

** proverb = comparison or allegory

Two ways – godly or ungodly, wise or foolish, right or wrong. Prov. 10:1

Some areas are longer passages with a single theme. Others are strings of sayings and contrasts that can be difficult to study verse by verse.

Moses Stuart, “All the heathen moralists and proverbialists joined together cannot furnish us with one such book as that of the Proverbs.”

** Main idea – making wise choices

These are issues of life and death.

Deut 30:19

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

THE BENEFITS OF STUDYING PROVERBS

It Will Develop Godly Character

** No book in the Bible is more devoted to developing Godly Character than Proverbs.

Alexander Sozhenitsyn in 1978 said, “America is slowly destroying itself by its neglect of godly wisdom and Christian character.”

** Through this study we will endeavor to be students of character. Our goal is to take on the character of Christ. We need to discern the character of others – are they wise or foolish. Parent need help in training children. Children need to obey.

It Will Teach Us Wisdom

Proverbs 4:7

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

** Wisdom is personified as a woman crying out and offering to instruct anyone that will listen. 1:20. Knowledge is increasing, wisdom is decreasing.

** Wisdom is intellectual – a keenness of mind – assimilate information and evaluate it rightly. But one can be intelligent and foolish. Chapter 1 says to know, learn, and to understand.

** Wisdom is discerning – can tell truth from a lie, good from evil, best from good.

It Will Teach Us What is Right and Good

** What is the right things to do is also the good thing to do. We are to be godly and righteous in our conduct. Proverbs never promises that everyone who works hard will get rich or that being honest is more profitable than a life of crime.

** But if you seek holiness, you will find it. But the righteous may suffer for being righteous.

It Will Help Us Think Right

** Proverbs gives us many important truths and propositions. Proverbs doesn’t just give us a sequence of truths, it gives us the ability to discern and apply truth.

THE DESCRIPTION OF BIBLICAL WISDOM

James 3:17

Pure

** Cleansed, consecrated. Only a pure person can have wisdom. 9:10

Our motive for 4 seeking wisdom or for using wisdom must always be to glorify God and to build up the person to whom we are speaking.

Peaceable

** Reconciliation. Seeks solutions to conflicts.

Proverbs 3:17 – All her [wisdom’s] paths are peace.

Purity will speak against sin, but a peaceable spirit loves the sinner and seeks their reconciliation with God.

** If you are always stirring up controversy over petty issues, you are not acting with godly wisdom. While we should never compromise doctrinal purity on essential truth, neither should we fight over minor matters where godly, Bible-believing people differ.

** Peace is an outcome of pure wisdom. An attitude of peace stands in contrast to bitter envy and self-seeking. A believer with divine viewpoint is a peacemaker. If a man has peace with God, he has a much greater possibility of having peace with his fellow man.

Gentle

Reasonable – dealing fairly

Barclay - He goes on to say (pp. 95-96) that the man with this quality “knows how to forgive when strict justice gives him a perfect right to condemn. He knows how to make allowances, when not to stand upon his rights, [and] how to temper justice with mercy….”

** A person of grace deals with others from the place of strength. There is strength in God’s grace. This is the grace of divine viewpoint. All we have to do is remember how much the Lord forgives us to give us the right perspective on forgiving others.

Easy to be Intreated

** Following orders – military. Willing to yield – not stubborn.

Responding to a reasonable request - But it does not mean being gullible or credulous, but rather being willing to defer to others, as long as a core doctrine or moral principle is not at stake (Moo, p. 176). In other words, it is “quick to hear” (James 1:19), and knows when to yield for the sake of peace.

One with whom you can reason with.

Full of Mercy and Good Fruits

** It’s not just talked about, it’s done. James 3:13. Fruits – abundant for all.

Being merciful means not only having compassion for the person who is suffering apart from anything that he did, but also showing compassion to the one who is suffering because of his own fault (Barclay, p. 96)

Without Partiality

** This is a person without partiality does not distinguish between people; he does not decide before he knows the facts. He does not make judgments without facts.

** To judge fairly, even when a verdict goes against self-interest, is a mark of wisdom that comes from God. Bassham Wisdom does what is right, even if it would harm me. It is decisive and unhesitating. No wavering as in James 1:6.

Without Hypocrisy

** No double standards. Wisdom is not a matter of acquiring knowledge as much as it is an issue of morality.

Moo - “The person characterized by wisdom from heaven will be stable, trustworthy, transparent—the kind of person 7 consistently displaying the virtues of wisdom and on whom one can rely for advice and counsel.”

Key verse conclusion

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.