Proverbs 8 – 9
We started the discussion this week by answering a few questions.
What are specific areas where wisdom is needed?
Finance, Friends, marriage, education, Parenting, time management
How is wisdom more valuable than wealth?
Wealth can be taken from you wisdom cannot. Wealth can only bring momentary happiness and peace. Wisdom brings eternal Joy and peace through God.
How do we cheapen the worth of wisdom in our lives?
We do not use it. It’s just that simple. God has given us the knowledge and wisdom but we refuse to use it. I remember a pastor preached a sermon once, after the service a woman came to shake the Pastor’s hand and said, “That was an awesome sermon, but I’m not ready to give my life.” This woman may sound crazy to us but how many of us deny God, his wisdom, his love everyday through our actions?
Things that stuck out to us in rest of study-
Chapter 8 Verses 22-36
Wisdom is looked upon as a person that has been there from the beginning.
Wisdom takes on the personal attributes of God. Wisdom has been part of Gods creation and his divine plan. When we find wisdom we have an assurance of God’s favor, and when we neglect wisdom we are assured ruin.
Chapter 9 1-7 Invitation to Dine with wisdom
Wisdom has so many great things prepared for us. A feast is prepared. The invite is to those that are simple and foolish (which we all can relate to) just as the women of Folly in verses 13-18.
Verses 7-12
“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself”
Hard to help people who are stuck in stupidity, they will despise you. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. When individuals refuse to look at things through spiritual eyes they cannot discern the ways of God. You cannot reach out to people who do not want to be reached out to. You should recognize that about others and be willing to walk away.
As Jesus said it’s best to dust off your feet and leave in peace.
Let us also not forget to take an inner look at ourselves and make sure we are not scoffers. We must be wise and just, a person that’s teachable and receives instruction.
Chapter 9 Verses 13- 18 “The women of Folly”
Have we been side-tracked on the way to dinner, to the Banquet?
You see things and know that their wrong, but we become simple-minded. People who are on the way to wisdoms dinner turn after seeing one thing (the women at door of her house), whether it be a person or relationship and fall off track. Trying to follow this thing
The Central Theme of this week would have to be verse 10 in Chapter 9.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the Knowledge of the Holy one is understanding.”
How fitting it is that wisdom is looked as a person in these 2 chapters. Wisdom publicly invites men, offers the best principles of life, and the most valuable benefits resulting from receiving her counsels. We must establish a relationship with wisdom. How? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
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Our study of Proverbs continued this week with Chapters 6 and 7. Almost all of our discussion centered on chapter 6.
We found that chapter 6 laid out a number of things for us to consider
Vs. 1-5 Indebtedness
We all sometimes make deals with people that we know we should not be making.
We must always be able to take a step back and refocus when we are making deals and vows to anyone whether friend, stranger, or financial institution. When we step back and refocus it gives us the opportunity to put things perspective. The real once in a lifetime deal is Salvation.
Vs. 6-11 Laziness
Laziness and being comfortable doing nothing are staples in the lives of many people today. The text in verse 6 though admonishes us to consider the ways of the ant. Ants are diligent and industrious creatures. They understand their job in their community and they ensure that work is completed by working diligently. Therefore when winter and storms comes they have already stored up food in preparation for this. We should work diligently as the ants do, so that we do not end up in the situation in verse 6. “poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” NIV
Vs. 12-15 Deceivers /Liars
Lying not only hurts you but it hurts others. Having Liars and deceivers in your lives can become a hindrance to your relationship with God and your ministry. This can be especially hurtful in Christian community where we say one thing with our mouths but do another in our actions. During our discussion we noted the importance of communicating and being honest and loving with each other. Being deceitful and lying can lead to sudden disaster.
Vs. 16-19 Seven sins of abomination
The first thing that stood out to the group was the verse 16, “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him” It was confusing that stated 6, then said 7, then they listed 7. We found that this is a poetic device often used in Old Testament scripture and is called “The climatic use of numbers”. It functions to climax or intensify the sense. The numbers may or may not have mathematical values. From the context of this text we see that 7 sins were listed so the numbers have numerical value. If you have any thoughts on this or any further explanation please free to comment.
We discussed that it seems that lying and deceiving are mentioned twice within the 7, but they are differences within them. We have the Liars, then a false witness who pours out lies. A man may tell a lie but a witness is someone who has been called to a responsibility whether it is to the Law or God. We as witnesses for God have a responsibility to tell the truth. A false witness can be a greater evil to others. Let us be Faithful witnesses as we have a responsibility to God.
We did not get to discuss the end of chapter 6 and 7 in depth because of time constraints. We summarized that they both (end of chapter and 7) focus on adultery, lust, and seduction. The key thing is that we are admonished to Keep God words and store up his commandments within us (Verse 1).
Psa 119:11: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
As youth we must “Store up” the commandments and words of God. We fall into temptations and lust because we do not cherish and remember the words of God.
What else can we do? Pay attention (Vs. 24 – 27) Guard our hearts, Guard our Bodies and Guard our future.
We will be continuing next week with Chapter 8 and 9 of Proverbs. See you there.
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Rather interesting article that was found on ABCNews.com. It is pretty lengthy, but a very good read. Click on the link below and sound off in the comments. How do you think this is effecting us and how we go about our faith in these final days?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7827150
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A barber was servicing a customer and their conversation got to God. The barber says God doesn't exist and all anyone had to do was look at the suffering in the world to prove it. "No loving God would allow all this evil." The customer remained silent so as not to start an argument, paid and left. Outside, he saw a man with dirty long hair and an unkempt beard. He went back to the barber and exclaimed, "Barbers don't exist!". The barber laughed and said, "How can you say that when you see me here and I just worked on you?" The customer insisted that barbers don't exist and said, "If they did, nobody would look like that man outside with dirty hair and an unkempt beard." The barber replied, "That's not my fault. People look like that because they don't come to me." The customer smiled and said, "Exactly. The world looks and acts the way it does because no one will come to God and ask for help to clean themselves up."
Every single one of us is valuable to God. Why do you think He sent His own Son to die for us? Why do you think the Enemy is working overtime? Our souls are valuable. Start realizing that you're valuable and this life is not all there is. It's not about religion. It's not about a to-do list. It's about knowing your Creator for yourself and having a relationship with Him. Are you gonna stumble? Yea. Are you gonna mess up? Yea. Is God going to keep working with you til He comes back? Holy yea! Evil flourishes in the world because the good keep silent and accept it. No one's perfect, including me. The whole point is to try and believe in God anyway. Works alone can't get you into Heaven. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him.
Seriously, why do we talk that nonsense about God "putting" people in Hell? God doesn't put anyone anywhere. WE DO. Every choice we make determines our eternity. God will love you all the way to Hell because YOU chose to be there. Every time we say no to God's way and don't repent, we're asking to be apart from God. I don't say this to scare people or act like I know it all (I need to hear it myself!). I say it because I care about YOUR SOUL. However, no one's chasing you to believe. I respect the choices of others whether I agree with them or not. God will not force people to believe in Him. The choice is up to you: life or death?
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