When Solomon talks... the Wise listen!

Even though Solomon is billed as the wisest man on Earth, he failed often. When someone as wealthy as Solomon fails there are lessons learned if only the reader will take advantage of the experiences of others. We are blessed beyond measure to have the words and thoughts of Solomon written in such an easy to follow medium as the Book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 1:1-7 (NASB) Pr 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

After leading us on a path that surely includes whatever station of life any reader may occupy, young person, naïve, wise man, and a man of understanding we are given in Chapter 1, Verse 7; the key, the utter link to any pursuit and acquisition of wisdom; “fear of the Lord.” This is followed precipitously by the rebuke of fools who identify themselves by despising wisdom and instruction.

God directed Solomon to include these chapters from a collection of his 3,000 proverbs leading me to believe these are the most salient and relevant, not only for the audience of Solomon’s time, but also for my generation. We are not relegated to live in this complex world without direction for the simplest or most complex issues we may face. God gave us Proverbs in which we receive amazing tidbits of instruction from Solomon’s vast experience.

How do we live a wise life in light of the snare’s present in this broken world? We read Proverbs, presumed to be the book of Solomon’s middle years with the knowledge that Solomon has already experienced a litany of challenges that frankly, I will not likely face.