Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
Back to Basics
This passage once more takes us back to the basics of Proverbs. We are to teach children to look for wisdom, but not for material gain, but because God has designed the world to operate in certain ways. We are to find wisdom, because in being wise we truly develop a relationship with God. the converse is also true. If we find God, we will find what it means to live a life that is truly wise. God is Lord of all of life. A Lord has absolute authority but we are naturally rebellious and create the illusion that our lives are actually our own.
Questions
- What themes are emphasized in this saying that were emphasized in chapters 1-9?
- Why gain wisdom?
- How do people today have a kind of godless wisdom that is worth nothing?
- What would you do in the summer vacations to emphasize wisdom with your children?
- What did your parents do to cultivate godly wisdom in you?
Plymothian 