Wisdom. 

I fell into a habit of leaning on my ears and eyes to discern God’s instructions on/in my life. But God doesn’t give like humans give, like the world gives. God gives in Godly Ways – and more immense in majesty. We need NOT to rely on our own senses but RELY ON OUR FAITH. We need to make prayers for discernment and apply the wisdom within. God opens the eyes and the ears OF THE HEART and THE HEAD to savoring His WISDOM.

It’s fitting after the Psalms to have the book of Proverbs. It’s instruction in PRAISE and PRAYER in Psalms, then more of praise and prayer plus BASIC LIVING INSTRUCTIONS in Proverbs.

Praise, then put praise and patience into practice.

We are to be looking to God first, living wisely thereafter.  

Father David in many Psalms then Son Solomon in many Proverbs: Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

Looking to God’s wisdom, not the world, still while living in the world, Proverbs give instruction for Faith over Folly, Wisdom over Worldliness, and Fear of God over Forgetting God. 

Solomon asked for the most important thing he could really use, WISDOM, not riches or long life. God gave generously all these to Solomon.  Was Solomon perfect, not at all. Not at all. And after Solomon came the fractured kingdom of Israel, yet God continued to secure a remnant of the family line through hard years. Prophets made notes of God’s Word until THE WORD in Jesus came. All told, the world still needs wisdom now.

Our wisdom should tell us that God has instilled instructions inside of us, a Holy Spirit center in us pointing to Jesus growing, if we simply follow Him over the human heartaches of this world. 

Down Down Down are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.  … “but whoever listens to me [God’s Wisdom] will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Keep walking my friends, God’s got this. Keep listening to God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. God is working in us to REUNITE our Heart (guarded in love) and Head ( filled with knowledge of the Word). Let us know God’s assembly of these is for us to glorify Him.

Amen and please read 

Proverbs 1

Purpose and Theme

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple [gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil], knowledge and discretion to the young – let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance – for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools [morally deficient] despise wisdom and instruction.

Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot” – my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood. How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.

Wisdom’s Rebuke

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you – when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”