Proverbs – Day 1
Scripture: Proverbs 1
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.
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot”—
my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.
How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
on top of the wall she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
“How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
“Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Devotional:
Proverbs begins with nine chapters in which we learn about the benefits of wisdom and the destruction that comes by following foolishness. Chapter 1 begins by listing the book’s purposes, ending the preamble with “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” The word fear in this context could best be thought of as “trembling awe resulting from realizing how great and majestic God is.” Think of fear here as an understanding of the power of God. Parents try to instill a similar fear of fire in their children, for instance, so they recognize that it has both a tremendous creative and destructive power; it can ruin a forest or home, but it can also cook food, provide heat, and melt metals into tools.
Only when we understand that God, the Creator and Redeemer, is the only true source of wisdom and knowledge will we begin to appreciate the knowledge we gain and be able to use it for God’s purposes. In a letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul described this by saying “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” and “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (1 Cor 1:25 and 3:19).
The chapter continues with two picture-stories of the practical outcomes of choosing or rejecting wisdom. In the first lesson, we are warned that joining friends or colleagues who plan to profit at the expense of others will backfire. Remember, Proverbs is about what will usually happen; while criminals are often brought to justice, sometimes crime does indeed pay. While joining evildoers seems like an obvious conclusion, often decisions to go down the “crooked path” start with what seems like a minor indiscretion. The short-term gains of doing wrong cloud our judgment of the long-term pitfalls and, over time, more grievous acts become easier to justify.
In the second story, we meet Wisdom personified as a woman, roaming the busy streets of a city and calling for people to follow her and abandon foolish ways. In clear language, she declares that those who ignore her will be left to their own, natural ruin. We’ll reunite with Wisdom again in chapter 9 along with her counterpart Folly.
Key Verse:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” ~ Proverbs 1:7
Question:
- When have you made a decision that you later regretted and felt the scorn of?
