by Simon Davies

Created on: March 14, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

Proverbs How to Live.

Wisdom takes effort, discipline and a concern to please God.

Built on the foundation of the need for the spiritual in Ecclesiastes, Proverbs guides us into wisdom, discipline and knowledge.

Why have I made such a mess of my life? What did I do wrong? How can I make sensible decisions? Where do I look for the right sort of advice? These are questions that may be bothering you, or a friend or family member. So we read books and search the web for a "quick fix" solution for all our troubles, usually some way to "get-rich-quick". Won't getting more money sort my problems out?

We need God
The Bible would answer to the negative. In Ecclesiastes, we see how a man tries everything, including riches, but finds it is all meaningless when God is not in the equation. Another question then arises: How do I live with God in the picture? I believe in God, I want to have the spiritual in my life, but what do I do?

We need wisdom
It is so easy to look around and see people who claim to believe in God making a total mess of their lives. They have some idea of the spiritual; they have "faith", but they live their lives according to misguided principles which often contradict what they say they believe. To these people I would say: "Read the book of Proverbs and try to put it into practice."

Theme
The theme of the book is found in the first seven verses. The key words in these verses are wisdom, discipline and knowledge. These are words which are not popular in our day, but are important nonetheless. Wisdom could be defined as skill for living. It is more than having a set of rules to use to make decisions; life is more complicated than that. To be wise is to have the skill to respond correctly in any set of circumstances.

Discipline
To get wisdom you need discipline. Discipline is the voluntary effort we need to make in order to acquire the skill for living. Wisdom comes by experience, but it also comes as a result of effort. It most certainly does not come by some quick internet download!

Knowledge
Knowledge is an integral part in the attainment of wisdom. It is good to study, it is good to read and it is good to listen to our superiors. This is the way to attain knowledge which, combined with discipline will bear the fruit of wisdom.

God
One more thing is integral to the attainment of wisdom: the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). What does this mean? This doesn't sound like the message of love and peace of Christianity. The word fear is an unfortunate one today, but there is no better replacement. It really means a healthy respect and awe for a superior being, combined with the love and respect of a child for his father. This relationship with God is vital for a life of wisdom, but it must be combined with discipline and study if it is to be the fountain of wisdom.

Pithy Sayings
The rest of the book of Proverbs contains many exhortations to attain wisdom and then numerous pithy sayings to guide us. These sayings are not the unbreakable rules that many regard them as; they are simply guidelines to help us grow in wisdom.
The Proverbs deal with topics such as family life (18:22; 22:6; 23:22-25), the use of speech (12:18; 18:21), diligence in work (6:6-11) and the sin of pride (11:2; 18:12).

Companion in Life
This wisdom book should be a constant companion in life. Each reading brings new insights and rebukes. The scarcity of true wisdom in today's world suggests that we return to this book again and again.

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