Prov 1:1-19 — The Beginning of Knowledge
Prov 1:20-33 — The Call of Wisdom
Prov 2 — The Value of Wisdom
Prov 3 — Trust in the Lord with all Your Heart
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
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Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
It seems that many have a problem with, “fear of the Lord” in our culture. Fear is seen as weakness, I’m not afraid of anything! Really? How about the God that created the entire universe? We like to substitute “utmost respect” or “loving reverence” for fear, because it sounds like we are still in control. Until we get to the place that we have Isaiah’s perspective and cry out, “Woe to me!…I am ruined” (Isaiah 6:5), until we completely humble ourselves before the Lord, we cannot start to gain wisdom and understanding. I’m sure this sounds like the typical Southern Baptist preacher waving his finger and shouting, “heathens, you’re all heathens!” But I’m not stuck on this verse, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7), “if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (2:4-5).
Chapter 2 lists many benefits of wisdom, one of which I think is “for wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (2:10). This is what I hope for: wisdom to enter my heart. Luke records Jesus’ teaching on good and evil with a profound statement, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). I want my heart to be full of wisdom, God’s wisdom, not my own.
One of the pivotal points in my journey here at Shoreline was a Night of Worship when we sang, “Nothing I Hold Onto.” The verse is based on 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” It’s a matter of heart. The pharisees didn’t get it, their’s was all about the head, their knowledge. They missed it completely. I’m sure they could quote Proverbs 2:10, but I wonder if they ever really got it, actually, I’m pretty sure they didn’t.
I pray for wisdom. I pray that I will be humble enough to truly fear the Lord and search for wisdom in everything I do, in all things. And I pray wisdom will enter my heart, that my heart will change, so that WHEN trials come and the pressure is on, I will react with God’s wisdom and not my own. Amen.