Friendly Wisdom

Do you listen when God speaks to you? You may say, ...but God doesn't speak to me." God speaks to those who are willing to hear His voice. Last week we read in Proverbs 2:1-2 about listening to the voice of wisdom, seeking it as a treasure. Proverbs 2:10 carries on this message about seeking wisdom. It says you will find wisdom, and knowledge will be pleasant to you. This parallels Matthew 7:7 as well as Luke 11:9, where they both say "seek and you will find".

The next verse, Proverbs 2:11, gives the basic result of this wisdom and knowledge. With wisdom comes discretion; with knowledge comes understanding. Could a man without wisdom know when to be discreet, or a man without knowledge understand even the most simple of things?

Next, we are given two sets of examples of this discretion and understanding. We're only going to look at the first one this week, and come back to the second one next Friday. Proverbs 2:12-15 talks about wicked men that wisdom will save us from. Proverbs 2:16-19 tells us about wicked women that wisdom will save us from.

If we're claim to be saved from wicked men by the wisdom and knowledge that comes from seeking God, how can we defend having close friends fitting the description of wicked men in Proverbs 2:12-15? Likewise, if we're close friends with other men fitting that description, how likely are we to spend time earnestly praying and seeking God? We often say things like "don't judge me by the people I hang out with", but truly, the people we hang out with shows a lot about our own character.

Let us learn and strive to seek out other Godly men as our closest friends. We don't need wicked friends drawing us into things we wouldn't otherwise be involved in. The wisdom of God makes all the difference in discerning who are truly friends worthy of our friendship, and friends that are not.

Introduction To Proverbs

The Daily Man will be doing a Friday series on Proverbs. Every Friday, we will examine a portion of the book, and see what wisdom we can glean from it.

Proverbs 1:1 starts the book off with the signature of the author, Solomon. Solomon was the wisest king to have ever lived. 1 Kings 3:5-14 give us a brief overview of where the wisdom of Solomon came from. His wisdom came from seeking the face of God. 1 Kings 10:24 says that people came from all around to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Proverbs 1:2-6 gives us an overview of all of the things we can gain from studying this single important book of the Bible. We can gain: wisdom, discipline, prudence, knowledge, discretion, guidance. It will help us: understand words of insight, do what is right, just, and fair, understand proverbs, parables, and the sayings and riddles of the wise. Can a greater and broader insight into so many things have ever been written?

The very beginning of this book tempts us with such learning that it's difficult not to continue reading, and if you want to you are certainly welcome to read ahead. We're going to be going step-by-step through the entire book, however long that may take, and there's no harm in being prepared for the next Friday's topic. It will be an exciting journey through some of the most revealing and relevant writings man has ever known.