Greetings! First off the answer is no, you didn’t miss anything, I missed last week altogether.
This week rather than being behind everyone, I’m going to combine an intro to Proverbs and a highlight from our reading so far.
That’s it, let’s get to it!
from Genesis to Proverbs
For those who are now reading along through the book of Proverbs, you will have noticed a dramatic shift in the style and content of the writing. If you haven’t started yet, this is will be a little prep for you. Coming from the exciting historical book of Genesis; a fascinating story rich with characters, plots, adversity, triumph, heroes, villains, and so on, Proverbs is a very different terrain.
So let’s talk about Proverbs for a moment to lay some groundwork and maybe make the transition a little smoother for all of us.
All but the last two chapters are written by Solomon. He is the 3rd King of Israel, but the first to inherit the position from his father, David.
What is unique about Solomon and is relevant to this book is his request of the Lord made in 1 Kings 3:7-15. He asked for the wisdom needed to lead the people. God was pleased with his request and granted abundant wisdom along with wealth and honor. Solomon would become a king to remember!
According to 1 Kings 4:32, Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs but only about 800 are collected in this book. Now, you can understand why Proverbs does not have a setting, a plot, characters that you can follow, and so on. Think of it as the “best of the best” collection of wise statements made by Solomon and friends inspired by God and useful to all of humanity.
Incredibly, 3,000 years later this wisdom is relevant to us. Of course, why wouldn’t it be? Truth is truth. People are people. And God’s love and provision for His children are constant throughout.
Proverbs 1-3
Last week we read chapters 1-3 and this is where my eyes and my heart landed from that reading.
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” In the NLT “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge…” In other words, the awe, respect, wonder, and worship of the Lord are the foundation from which to gain and build upon wisdom. Why? Because God is God. He does not change. He does not lie. He is eternally true. Whereas our thoughts, ideas, feelings, and notions can be as fleeting as the wind. This, in part, is why our constant connection to Him is so vital.
Friends, this is as counter-cultural as it is imperative for a Christ follower to embrace. If we want to be difference-makers, we have to build our thoughts, feelings, and ideas from a different foundation.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand. (I think Solomon would find this phrase to be worthy of repeating!)
Proverbs 4-5
This week our reading includes chapters 4 and 5 of Proverbs. There were 3 portions of these sayings that really jumped out to me.
First was Proverbs 4:7 “…though it will cost you all you have…”
Choosing to follow God rather than man is not free from trouble or conflict or sometimes pain. You may have experienced this already. It might “cost” you a job or a friend. You might need to lay down a dream or desire temporarily or permanently. However, as you continue to read in verse 7 the sacrifices you make in the process do not return void. A life lived for and with God is priceless.
Secondly Proverbs 4:18-19.
The picture these verses paint is precious to me. “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of light.” I don’t know about you but when I have spent very long nights recovering from illness or pain, up with a child, or caring for someone who is in need; in all of these cases that first light of day was a beacon of hope to me. The light reminded me that God faithfully saw me through the hardship overnight and if we made it through the night what else can God conquer for us??? It just screams hope to me.
The lack of light is just the opposite. I’ve surely had days, even seasons when I was stumbling around because I was ignoring God or thought I could “handle it” on my own. Especially all the “little stuff”. Have you noticed how all of the “little stuff” piles up and pulls you toward the darkness of the world?
Whenever you feel that weight of hopelessness, RUN to God. Confess and accept His correction and love and that first gleam of light will rise and shine.
Finally, Proverbs 5:9.
The warning here is literally against an adulterous woman to a son, but I read it as the temptation to any kind of sin. It would be nice to block off whole sections of the bible and claim that they don’t apply to you because you’re not a son worried about the temptations of an evil woman, but I think we can all take a lesson from this proverb. ALL scripture is God-breathed and is useful in correcting us in righteousness, is it not? So each word and in this case, each Proverb is useful to live out and model to others.
Now that we’ve established that, the words that rang out to me were “…lest you give your best strength to others…”
How many times have to found yourself regretting the wasted time and energy you’ve spent on something that did not matter? I have. Whether that is choosing to hang out in a place of temptation, with people who are not a good influence or choosing to flirt with sin in some other way, it will most likely lead to regret.
Instead, I think there was a reason that God started out teaching His people to bring their FIRST fruits as an offering to Him. The principle is that the best portion is set aside for God and the remainder is yours to manage. I use the word manage intentionally because it all came from God and all belongs to God. You are managing all that He has given you for His glory.
In this case, you want to focus on giving your best “strength” (effort or even resource) to God. Take the first 5 minutes to thank God for the day. Give the first portion of your paycheck as an offering. Set aside a prime time in your day to read and talk to God, when you are rested and alert. Make time to serve when it won’t be easy for you to back out.
You get the idea. Spending your best strength on godly, eternal things will bring godly eternal dividends.
Have a great week and I’ll see you back here next week with a few more Proverbs to think about.