Christian Devotional – September 2, 2019
31 Days of Wisdom.
I’ve spent the last several months diving deep into verses and focusing on only 1-2 verses each day. Over the next month, we’re going to pull up a bit and look at an entire chapter each day as we go through the book of Proverbs. Today, we’re going to focus on Proverbs 1.
The Purposeful Appeal for Wisdom – Proverbs 1:1-7
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:1-7 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.1.1-7.NASB
People all the time say that they want to be wise, but why? What is the purpose of striving for wisdom and seeking it out? Solomon gives several reasons for why wisdom is needed, but realizing that to start this journey, we must begin with our relationship with God. Do we seeking Him first?
The Perceived Glamor of Sin – Proverbs 1:8-19
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.
Proverbs 1:8-19 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.1.8-19.NASB
A lot of the time, the world dresses up sin and makes it look pretty and fun and easy, with no consequences whatsoever. That’s just simply not true. Part of wisdom is recognizing the lies of sin. If we are starting with God first, then we will as easily fall for the lies that sin tries to trap us with.
The Perilous Warning of Wisdom – Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: “How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord . “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Proverbs 1:20-33 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.1.20-33.NASB
God tries to warn us. He knows that sin will try to make everything look pretty and beautiful and exciting, but God sees the pain, hurt and separation that sin causes. God knows the death that it leads to and he seeks to warn us of that. Are we listening? Will we make a choice to follow Him and gain wisdom?
Wisdom starts with God and only through Him will we experience wisdom. However, we have an enemy that is seeking our destruction and is constantly trying to get us to following after sin instead. Will we heed the voice of wisdom instead and choose to follow God today?