Choose Wisely by Reading a Proverb A Day, Proverb 1

by Chuck Ness

The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs was to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. Through Solomon, God shared His Wisdom, and He made sure that no topic was left to question. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings. Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly. One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings. We the people are to blame, because we ignored God's guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of appointing God fearing men in positions of power, we chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us. It is incumbent upon us to chose leaders who have faith in Christ, then and only then can we be assured that they will make wise decisions. Paul tells us that Christ is the Wisdom of God, so if you do not have Christ in your heart, it is impossible to make wise decisions. Instead our leaders continue to make decisions based upon man's wisdom. Yet we know that God uses foolish things to bring man's wisdom to shame. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.1Corinthians 1:26-31 Now of the 31 Proverbs, only the first 24 were written by Solomon. King Hezekiah wrote 5, Proverbs 25 to 29, Agur wrote Proverb 30, and Lemuel's mother wrote Proverb 31. Many scholars believe Lemuel was in fact a nick name Solomon's Mother, Bathsheba, gave him. If so, then Proverb 31 would have been written by Bathsheba. Solomon wrote over 3000 Proverbs and composed 1000 songs, but the only Proverbs of Solomon that God decided to preserve for us are Proverbs 1-24. Like the New Testament epistle by James, it is impossible to get a chronological outline for a study since they all bounce from subject to subject, and no one can be sure of the dates. Other than to say that Solomon wrote most of the Proverbs in his younger years, and as he got older his many wives led him into idolatry. He did return in his late years, and that is when he wrote Ecclesiastes. Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. In the Months that have 30 days, or in the case of February, I just double up by reading more than one proverb so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.

Today is the 1st of the Month, so we begin with Proverb 1 (NKJV)

The Beginning of Knowledge

01 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

02 To know wisdom and instruction,
00To perceive the words of understanding,
03 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
00 Justice, judgment, and equity;
04 To give prudence to the simple,
00 To the young man knowledge and discretion--
05 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
00 And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
06 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
00 The words of the wise and their riddles.

07 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
00 But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Shun Evil Counsel

08 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
00 And do not forsake the law of your mother;
09 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
00 And chains about your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,
00 Do not consent.
11 If they say, "Come with us,
00 Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
00 Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
00 And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
00 We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Cast in your lot among us,
00 Let us all have one purse"--
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them,
00 Keep your foot from their path;
16 For their feet run to evil,
00 And they make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely, in vain the net is spread
00 In the sight of any bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,
00 They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
00 It takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
00 She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses,
00 At the openings of the gates in the city
00 She speaks her words:
22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
00 For scorners delight in their scorning,
00 And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
00 Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
00 I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
00 I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
00 And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
00 I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
00 And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
00 When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
00 They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
00 And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 They would have none of my counsel
00 And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
00 And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
00 And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
00 And will be secure, without fear of evil."