Wisdom That Spans Generations

"Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding; for I give you good doctrine; do not forsake my law. When I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and life. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth." -Proverbs 4:1-5

Solomon was the wisest man that ever walked the earth. You remember the story don't you? One night, God came to Solomon and told him to ask for whatever he wanted and God would give it to him. Solomon asked for wisdom that night. God was pleased with Solomon's request, so He gave Solomon wisdom and everything else that Solomon could have asked for.

Reading Proverbs this morning, for the first time I realized that Solomon's request for wisdom is not something that originated in Solomon's mind. He had been taught by his father, David. Look at Proverbs 4:3-5 again. Here are words spoken by King David and recorded by Solomon. David instructed Solomon to get wisdom and to get understanding. Solomon listened to his father and he knew the truth of his words. Interestingly enough, Solomon is here teaching his own children these same words that David had taught to him.

We must teach our children the wisdom and good doctrine of Scripture. Follow the example of David and Solomon. Solomon asked for wisdom because he had been taught by his father. Solomon sought to teach his children good doctrine because he had been taught by his father. David's teaching lasted at least two generations beyond him because what he taught was good doctrine. Our children can be faithful and godly because of what we teach them. What a great privilege and responsibility!

Take Care of Yourself

"He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will find good." -Proverbs 19:8


God desires that we take care of ourselves. He doesn't want us to destroy our bodies or our souls. Solomon gives us some instruction here as to how to do that. Solomon says that the one who gets wisdom loves his own soul. He cares about himself. He is the man who takes care of his own soul.

Often we think of a man that loves himself or loves his own soul as a man who is selfish and prideful. While this is the natural tendency of one who loves himself, it is not always the case. I think that most of us love ourselves too much. We end up caring about ourselves much more than we ought to. We love ourselves at the expense of God and others.

But loving your own soul is not a bad thing. God wants you to care for your soul. Living a wise life is essential to caring for your own soul. So get wisdom and keep understanding and you will take good care of your soul. While you are at it, care for the souls of others as well.

Speak the Truth

"A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape." -Proverbs 19:5


I've been meaning to write this post a few days. I've finally found a few minutes to get it done.

Often the temptation for us to lie is strong. Let's face it, sometimes it is easy to just expand the facts of a story just a bit, or to cover up a mistake that we've made, or to take the credit for something we have not done. It is easy to lie. It is natural to us to speak falsehoods. Psalms 58 tells us that men go forth from the womb speaking lies. Since we have so many years of practice doing it, many times we don't even notice that we have lied.

I want to challenge you and I to stop lying. Put it away. Crucify the flesh and its passions daily. This little verse in Proverbs serves as a warning to us if we do not put away lying. Yes, lying may bring you temporary benefits, but God Almighty is listening. His Word says that he who speaks lies will escape. Put away lying. Avoid the sure punishment that will come.

How do we avoid the punishment? Speak the truth. Ephesians 4:25 says, "Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another." It would be a difficult thing to just drop lying. It is much easier to replace a sinful habit with a righteous one. So stop lying and speak the truth. Build your neighbor up with your words.