The book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom, and the author reminds us that “fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.”
As the ESV Study Bible puts it, “Proverbs states its theme right at the book’s beginning (1:1-7): its goal is to describe and instill “wisdom” in God’s people, a wisdom that is founded in the “fear of the Lord” and that works out covenant life in the practical details of everyday situations and relationships.”
All of the proverbs we read are practical. They give us advice that is useful in the real world.
As Christians who are seeking to live a life that is honoring to God, there is much wisdom to be gleaned from the book of Proverbs.
So here are 7 lessons that I learned while reading through the book of Proverbs.
1. Fear of the Lord is beginning of all wisdom.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” – Proverbs 1:7.
The world would tell us to run to so many different places for wisdom. Proverbs over and over again reminds us that wisdom is found in fearing the Lord. When we rightly view God, we also rightly view the world around us. As A.W. Tozer put it, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” We must grow in our understanding of God to grow in wisdom.
2.Discipline leads us to something better.
“The one who will not use the rod hates his son, but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently.” – Proverbs 13:24
God loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He wants us to become holy like he is holy. God’s discipline is His love on display pointing us to something better. This is very much against our culture where we want everyone to do their own thing and never talk about repercussions. But a loving father disciplines his son or daughter to correct behavior and make them become a better version of themselves. Our heavenly father’s correction is for our good, our holiness, our peace, and our righteousness.
3. Humility is the way of the Godly.
“Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12
The only human being who had the right to walk around with pride was Jesus, but he set the example for humility. The way of the Christian life is humility. C.S. Lewis reminded us that, “Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” Christians must fight against prideful thoughts and seek to live a life of humility. And the greatest way to do grow in humility is to spend meaningful time with our Father. When we compare ourselves to God, the Creator of the universe, our arrogance will be replaced by humility.
4. The wise listen to criticism.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
All throughout Scripture we are reminded that we cannot trust ourselves. We need others in our lives to help us see our blind spots and areas of weakness. As Christians, instead of looking down on those who criticize us, we should welcome constructive criticism and helpful correction. This is part of keeping one another accountable. This is the beauty of the church and Christian community. We are better together and should hold one another to a standard of holiness.
5. The wise walk in love, not hatred.
“Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.”- Proverbs 10:12
If we have truly experienced the love of God, there is no room for hatred in our lives. The Scriptures describe God’s love as deeper than the ocean. And it describes us as clay pots. Think about if you poured an entire ocean into a clay pot. What would happen? The water would start spewing out. There’s no way for the clay pot to not overflow. In the same way, when we truly experience God’s love, it starts spewing out of our life. You know the love of God has gone in you when the love of God starts spilling out of you. Forgiveness and love should replace hatred and grudges in the life of a Christian.
6. Our heart is the source of life. Guard it.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” – Proverbs 4:23
Our heart is influenced by what absorbs our interest and what we give attention to most. And our actions are then an overflow of our heart. So we must be careful and watch what is affecting our hearts. Where we spend our time, will shape our lives. What we watch, will change the way we see our life. The music we listen to; will change the way we speak. Who we hang out with, will change the way we act. We must guard our hearts by what we give our attention to.
7. Our plans are determined by the Lord, not ourselves.
“A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
As we all have learned in 2020, our plans are always subject to change. No matter how well we plan for our futures, even tomorrow, we do not know what it holds. The Lord is the only one who determines our plans, and even when His plans are not what we expected, Scripture reminds us they are always for our good.
Thanks Chandler,
Your morning word sure got me started on the right note this Sunday morning.
Beautiful weekend here in Ohio on Lake Erie. Nothing better than hearing God’s word. Thanks. Happy Sunday Mammy💙