May 20, 2014 (Tuesday)
The book of Proverbs is a collection of “old sayings” like my grandmother used to share almost daily. Most of the book was written by Solomon, but some of the final chapters by Lemuel and Agur. The book teaches wisdom: to young people (chapters 1-9), to average people (chapters 10-24), and to leaders (chapters 25-31). The proverbs have made their way into the main stream of life in every generation. Recently, a TV program I was watching inserted Proverbs 27:17 into its plot, with one of the characters saying, “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
Proverbs – Devotional thoughts
Here are some examples in Proverbs of practical wisdom for us today:
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.
Proverbs 11:12 A beautiful person who exercises no wisdom is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
Proverbs 11:4 Wealth is useless on the day of wrath, but virtue saves from death.
Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
These references and many others remind us that the Word of God lights our pathways in life. Don’t race through the Proverbs; read them a few at a time. Slowly. They will do you much good.