What’s Our Source of Direction, Guidance, and Instruction? – PROVERBS – Chapter 1b – 1:8-9 – [5]

April 29, 2014December 14, 2014buildafoundation 1 Comment

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. – Psalm 28:7

Proverbs 1:8-9

8)) My child, LISTEN when your father corrects you.
DON’T NEGLECT your mother’s instruction.

9)) WHAT YOU LEARN FROM THEM WILL crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck.

Verses 8-9 are pretty straight forward. They remind us that our main “earthly” source of direction, guidance, and instruction is from our parents. Following their “godly” teaching will develop godly character in us. God’s character will be reflected, and noticed by others around us.

I Can Have Wisdom, Knowledge, and Discernment!! – PROVERBS – Chapter 1a – 1:1-7 – [4]

April 28, 2014December 14, 2014buildafoundation 1 Comment

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours… – 1 Chronicles 29:11

From the first verse in the Book of Proverbs, Solomon is very clear with the reader. He states in verse 1 that he is the author, he is King of Israel, and why he wrote the Proverbs.

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
    to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
    to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
    knowledge and discernment to the young.

5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
BUT fools despise wisdom and discipline.

How Does a Principle Differ From a Fact? – PROVERBS – Introduction 3 – [3]

April 25, 2014January 27, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. – Isaiah 16:3

We may think that Proverbs are quick, clever, one-liners, and some of them are. Designed to help us remember important ideas, they have a cause and effect feel. Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom – Proverbs 11:1 or If you keep your mouth shut, you will stay out of trouble. – Proverbs 21:23

We will read these short sentences throughout much of the Book of Proverbs, except the first nine chapters which are in paragraph form. You will also notice that the proverbs don’t build to any particular thought. Sometimes you will see from one verse to the next different ideas, and other times you’ll see them relating loosely to the previous or post verse.

The idea behind Proverbs is to understand principles, vs a fact …God is love – 1 John 4:8. A principle is defined by Merriam Webster as, a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions, a law or fact of nature that explains how something works or why something happens.

The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults. – Proverbs 18:23
Poor can mean financially poor, or people who are confused, seeking, etc. People in these circumstances are often more likely to humble themselves because they don’t see themselves as self-sufficient. The rich, in wealth, education, freedoms, etc. see themselves as self-sufficient. They don’t “need” from others. Therefore, see no need to humble themselves.

Proverbs are not to be taken as literal translations. For example, Proverbs 14:1, A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. This does not mean that a woman is going to literally use her bare hands to pull the shingles off the roof and pull apart the framing of a house.

We will begin reading through the Book of Proverbs, seeking to understand the principles God has given, to help us effectively navigate through life.

Knowledge or Wisdom? – PROVERBS – Introduction 2 – [2]

April 24, 2014January 27, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. – Proverbs 1:7

Humans have something unique that no other creatures possess – the way our minds work. Humans have an ability to reason, to analyze, conceptualize, theorize, discuss and debate. Humans have a built-in desire to learn. This learning and understanding is fostered through schools, universities, and in the home/family. It is in these environments that people learn about themselves and the world around them.

In the paragraph above, we see human’s desire for knowledge.

But knowledge is different from wisdom. Knowledge is having the facts, where wisdom is the ability to apply the facts (knowledge) to our daily life. The word proverb comes from the Hebrew meaning, “to rule or govern”. Proverbs provide advice for directing and ordering our lives.

Solomon has left us with 3 books of wisdom, found in the Bible. Proverbs, Ecclesiastics, and Song of Songs.

In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon’s advice is given in the form of proverbs, hence the name. A proverb is a short, concise sentence that conveys moral truth (principles of right and wrong behavior).

Solomon has put together a collection of proverbs, giving the reader practical examples of how to live their lives according to godly wisdom. Their intention is to improve people’s relationship between each other and God.

As we look through the Book of Proverbs – Remember: Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. – James 1:22