A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold. 2 The rich and the poor meet together the Lord is the Maker of them all. 3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. 4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. 6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. 7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. 8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. 9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. 10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. 11 He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. 12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor. 13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” 14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it. 15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. 16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. Words of the Wise17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, 18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. 19 That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you. 20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, 21 to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you? 22 Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, 23 for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them. 24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, 25 lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. 26 Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts. 27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you? 28 Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. 29 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. Meditation Rejecting wisdom welcomes ruin. To walk in wisdom is to reap rewards from godly living. The infamous Christmas story for our marriage is about the basketball goal I sought to assemble without reading instructions. What began in excitement on Christmas Eve in our garage ended in near devastation of a car, telephone pole, and Christmas morning. The long story ends with a short basketball goal that never went above eight feet (and years of shameful reminders). Rejecting wisdom’s instruction leads to ruin. To welcome wisdom is to reap abundant life. A good name can be chosen (1) by choosing to embrace the skill of the art of godly living. The reward of humbling ourselves before God and His ways is “honor of life” (4). This is why we train our children, shaping hearts with the authority of wisdom (6). To sow seeds of injustice will reap calamity (8) but the one who bountifully shares will be blessed (9). Wisdom’s welcome of purity of heart and gracious speech is a path leading to royalty and prosperity (11) but the rejection of wisdom leads to tragedy. Wisdom’s welcome is for us to incline the ears of our hearts (17) so that it will be pleasant in our lives (18). Our trust in the Lord will dig up the treasure of knowing God and walking in His ways (19-29). The cause and effect of accepting or rejecting wisdom is a reality we utilize to focus our faith in God and His word while refusing the folly found when we forgo God’s instruction. Richly Dwelling -What jumps out to you about the cause-and-effect relationship to rejecting God’s instructions or choosing to embrace God and His ways? -Where do you struggle welcoming wisdom in your ways? Be specific. -Jesus makes a way for us to return to God’s ways. Take a moment to ask Jesus to help you walk in His ways. Key Verse 4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life… 8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. Comments are closed.
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AuthorPastor Mitchell celebrates twenty-five years of marriage with Lisa & together they have four adventurous children. |