The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/1.htm

It’s no wonder our intelligence is declining. I lookup up the definition of a “proverb”, and the definition was “to speak proverbally” or to “offer a proverb”. Well, that was a big help! Thankfully, they offered synonyms, one of which fit, in my opinion.

Maxim, Noun, (synonym of proverb): a general truth, fundamental principle, or a rule of conduct.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

So the Book of Proverbs contains, truth, principles, and conduct instruction. And while there are many non-believers out there, I’ve bet they quoted a proverb at some time or another in their life, not even knowing that it came from the Bible. And being that Solomon was the wisest king, because that is what he asked God to give him, you can rest assured that it is very wise to follow these proverbs.

Verses 1-4: These verses are kind of an introduction to the book, so you may be tempted to simply read them without much reflection. But this introduction in itself is full of wisdom.

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel…they were written by the wisest king.
2 for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight, 3 and for receiving instruction in wise living and in righteousness, justice, and equity…the wisest king is sharing his wisdom with others so they can also be wise. And, they are good for self-discipline. Without wisdom, you can make bad decisions, decisions that can lead to being sued, or financial ruin, or worse, land you in the pokie. Wisdom and self-discipline can lead you to be more righteous, avoiding sin and following the commands of God. And wisdom can also ensure justice and equity. I recently had a friend that served on a jury trial for murder, and it resulted in a mistrial and hung jury, 8 to 4, and she was one of the four that refused to vote “guilty” (and what’s more, I knew was one when I read the newspaper accounts, she is a very good Christian and wanted justice to prevail. But there were 8 jurors that decided, based on their own opinion rather than the facts of the case, that the defendant was guilty. And it turned out that the only witness was a drug addict who didn’t even immediately report the crime. Now, if for some reason you find yourself on trial for muder, especially if you’re innocent, would you not want jurors who are making their decision based on wise justice and equity?
4 To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young…you used to could say that the young didn’t have wisdom the make good decisions, but today, I’m not so sure that many adults fall into that category. The original intent, I believe, was to use these proverbs as a teaching tool to our youth so they grow up to be responsible adults.

Verse 5 and 6: let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel, 6 by understanding the proverbs and parables the sayings and riddles of the wise: it is wise to get wisdom, I know that sounds off, but if you don’t attempt to gain wisdom, you are not wise. That is why Solomon was one of the better kings; he could have asked for women, or riches, or more power, but instead he asked for wisdom, which within itself, was wise.

And finally, what I feel is the most important verse of these scriptures. Verse 7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline: do you “fear” the Lord? You shouldn’t. There is no good reason to “fear the Lord”, unless of course you define “fear” as “awe”. Yes, we should be in “awe of the Lord” (as I’ve said before), but we should be afraid of Him. If we are going to be afraid of something, be afraid of Satan, for he has no feelings for us at all, he simply wants us to fall away from God and join his side. I’ve been on that side before, and I was completely foolish and without wisdom. I follow the Facebook page of the tourist site, “The Ark Encounter”, the manmade replica of Noah’s Ark which is in Kentucky. They periodically issue FB posts giving facts about the ark, and there are always those who use the “laugh” emoji as they scoff at the idea of someone having the ability to build a “boat big enough to hold all of the animals”. To me, they are not wise, and I pray they find the truth before Christ comes, They would be wise to do so.