Proverbs ends with a poem of praise for the ideal wife. God’s beautiful design for marriage creates a foundation for raising children, “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The relationships between parents and children requires much wisdom and Proverbs provides abundantly.
Proverbs focuses on your heart because from it flows good and evil, actions and decisions. Nothing reveals our heart better than how we act toward money. Just as Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). It’s no wonder why money is one of the top subjects addressed by Proverbs. But God’s wisdom is not simply how we spend, it’s also how we get money, save money, and the source of true wealth.
God our Father is not only interested in how we believe and live, but also how we feel. God loves you and cares for you – all of you. Positive emotions radiate from you as a blessing to others (15:30). Likewise, negative emotions have the power to destroy you and others. The words of wisdom from Proverbs are more than simply telling us to, “Think happy thoughts.” Our wise Father is warning us about Anger, Envy, and Jealousy because if left unchecked, they can grow into a root and tree of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15).
Biblical wisdom is more than a list of life-hacks. Wisdom is the foundation for reality. Wisdom is how everything started and how everything still works. In chapter 8, Jesus Christ who is the incarnate wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), speaks to us about His perfect creation.
Wouldn’t life be simpler if evil were always ugly and all of life’s poisons came with a warning label? But in this world disaster can be attractive. “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). He seems so successful, but does he know how to live? The truth is, he is a fool, and he wants to make us his fools as we step on his well-concealed land mines. Thankfully, our Father points out all of the hidden traps and leads us to His passionate heart.
Do you sometimes learn things the hard way? Me too! In Proverbs 6:1-19, the Lord uses negative examples to teach us positive wisdom. God speaks into three areas of our lives – how we handle money (1-5), how we discipline ourselves (6-11), and how we build community (12-19). God our Father is calling us to take new steps of faith and repentance into responsibility, opportunity, and unity, for the sake of Christ and our neighbor.
Every day we are being told that, if we want to live, we need to be young, thin, attractive, rich, smart, and so on. This is our cultural ideal, the wisdom of our age. Just one question – Is it working? Every day you wake up, you have a choice to make – will you follow the proven way of Christ or the defunct way of man? Will you follow the way of man which never gives rest, or the way of Christ which crowns you with grace?
In all the noise of our culture, what are you listening to? Is it working for you or is it a mirage, leading you on with false promises? Be honest, we’re all chasing after something. The question is, does it lead you to peace? Trusting in the Lord’s teaching and commandments, listening to Him, and chasing after Him is the path toward true peace.
In Proverbs 2, our Heavenly Father has written us a letter to share His wisdom. He says, “If you will seek newness of life in Christ (1-4), you will go deep with Him (5-8), and you will have the mind of Christ (9-11). Then you’ll be prepared for life in the real world (12-22).” Your Father shares His wisdom not for you to become His child but because you already are His child.
Wisdom pays attention to the realities built into us by God our Creator. A wise person notices, picks up on the clues, cuts with the grain, tears along the perforated line. Unwise people can be gifted, but they are trying to be healthy on junk food, or run high RPMs on low octane gas, or swim against the stream of the universe. Ultimately, sin is an attempt to reengineer creation to fit our own way. But the book of Proverbs is where the Lord guides us into the only real success there is.