Last night we encouraged students to being spending time in God’s word and to Grow Up(theme of this series). For the next 31 days I will be posting my Qt from Proverbs with the questions we encouraged students to answer as they went through scripture. I would love for you to join us in doing the same thing and leaving comments about your time with the Lord.
Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young-
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance-
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools [a] despise wisdom and discipline.
Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom
Warning Against Enticement
8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9 They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not give in to them.
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for someone’s blood,
let’s waylay some harmless soul;
12let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, [b]
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot with us,
and we will share a common purse”-
15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into sin,
they are swift to shed blood.
17 How useless to spread a net
in full view of all the birds!
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they waylay only themselves!
19 Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the lives of those who get it.
Warning Against Rejecting Wisdom
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public squares;
21 at the head of the noisy streets [c] she cries out,
in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
22 “How long will you simple ones [d] love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.
24 But since you rejected me when I called
and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignored all my advice
and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
1. What is the author’s point? -As I read this proverbs I think I see the author setting himself up for what is to come throughout the rest of the book of Proverbs: Wisdom is supreme. In the first six verses of this chapter the author, Solomon, gives a scope of what the whole book of Proverbs will be about. Secondly in verses 7-9 Solomon gives us a picture of the seriousness in which we should take wisdom even going as far as saying we are fools if we do not long for wisdom. Thirdly in verses 10-19, Solomon warns us to use wisdom in the company we keep, saying that we should use caution in keeping bad company. Finally in verses twenty through thirty three Solomon shows us what it is like when we do not follow wise council.
How can you relate to what the Author is talking about. I never thought I would look back at my life and say I see the importance of wisdom from my parents. However, since being married Dawn and I rarely make a major decision in our life without first talking to my dad. Looking back at all the times my could of been like the girl in the streets in verses 20-33, and could of mocked me for not taking his wisdom he has shown God’s love and grace by continuing now to nurture me through decisions Dawn and I make.
How are you encouraged? I am most encouraged to see how far I feel I have come in taking wise advise from other people.
How are you challenged to make a change? I think recently I have become to dependent on other people’s advise and wisdom instead of first seeking God’s word for that advise. I hope through this process of me studying through the book of Proverb’s I will become more dependant on God’s word and man’s advise second.
I hope that you are as challenged in this process. What did God teach you as you read in your QT today?
Sorry Chase I didn’t get mine up before you got it to me. Here is what Chase learned today.
Hey Chris. You didn’t post a blog this morning. Or I don’t think you did. But I wanted to leave the answers to my “questions” on here. I am doing Psalms.
1. I think the author’s point is to say that God will take in the righteous, or his followers, and the non-followers will perish.
2. The author is talking about how you should be strong in God and follow Him with everything you do, and if you do follow Him, you will be blessed. I can relate to this by knowing that if I am planted firmly in Him, I will be blessed.
3. This encourages me by wanting to Follow him more “faithfully.”
4. It says that if you are following Him strongly, you will prosper and be blessed. This challenges me to make a change on how I follow Him.
Thanks for giving us this Chris. I think it will help a lot.
-Chase M.
haha you didnt have to put mine up there. but thats cool. see you sunday.
Chase McBryar
May 18th, 2007