Proverbs...
Tomorrow I will start our daily devotionals in the book of Proverbs. The word "proverb" means "to be like."
Most of the Proverbs are attributed to Solomon who asked God for
wisdom. These usually short simple statements give us pictures and
comparisons to identify with truth that we need to understand and
apply. Many of them are warnings of what we are not to be like.
The book of Proverbs divides into three sections. The first is general wisdom. The second are insights from the royal court. The third is wisdom given from parents to their children. This wisdom is from God to His children and put in a form to remember by the couplets that we will read. They were the first refrigerator magnets and Facebook memos that give you the thought of the day to ponder. Some are very straight forward and do not need much instruction or interpretation while others will take some digging to understand what is being said to us.
A general theme woven throughout the book is a comparison between the wise and the foolish. The wise are those who are the righteous who obey God and the foolish are those who disregard God's instruction to follow selfish desires, the opposite of loving God and others. How do the wise relate to God and to themselves and to others? The Proverbs will deal with topics of trust, sin, death, self-control, pride, laziness, truthfulness, gossip, and discipline to mention just a few.
I am sure that we will learn much from this book and that we will be calling on the Holy Spirit to guide us through to understand what we are reading. The goal is to take this wisdom and turn it into godly living to glorify the One who has given us these proverbs. To have wisdom is to apply what we understand and not to just be able to recite it to another as the right answer on the test. Let's pray like Solomon for wisdom as we go through the book of Proverbs.
The book of Proverbs divides into three sections. The first is general wisdom. The second are insights from the royal court. The third is wisdom given from parents to their children. This wisdom is from God to His children and put in a form to remember by the couplets that we will read. They were the first refrigerator magnets and Facebook memos that give you the thought of the day to ponder. Some are very straight forward and do not need much instruction or interpretation while others will take some digging to understand what is being said to us.
A general theme woven throughout the book is a comparison between the wise and the foolish. The wise are those who are the righteous who obey God and the foolish are those who disregard God's instruction to follow selfish desires, the opposite of loving God and others. How do the wise relate to God and to themselves and to others? The Proverbs will deal with topics of trust, sin, death, self-control, pride, laziness, truthfulness, gossip, and discipline to mention just a few.
I am sure that we will learn much from this book and that we will be calling on the Holy Spirit to guide us through to understand what we are reading. The goal is to take this wisdom and turn it into godly living to glorify the One who has given us these proverbs. To have wisdom is to apply what we understand and not to just be able to recite it to another as the right answer on the test. Let's pray like Solomon for wisdom as we go through the book of Proverbs.
"Lord, this will be quite a change for us. Another time, another testament, another author, and another form that is so different than what we have been reading and applying in the life of Paul to the life of Solomon. We do ask for the Holy Spirit to help to understand to apply the truths that are everlasting wisdom given by You to Your children. Thank You in advance for pointing out somethings that we need to face honestly about how we are living our lives. Point out the foolishness so we can 'to be like' You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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