Proverbs 9:1-12
Proverbs 9:1-12
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Way of Wisdom
1 Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has slaughtered her meat,
She has mixed her wine,
She has also furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
4“ Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5“ Come, eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.
7“ He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10“ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
My Thoughts:
- So let’s start with (vv. 2-3) we read “She has slaughtered her meat, she has mixed her wine, she has also furnished her table. She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city,
- Wisdom is represented as having a great feast. In warmer climates they had to slaughter their animals just before the feast so the meat would not decay and go bad.
- Because wisdom is a female so should her servants,
- In (v. 10) we read “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”
- The understanding of God is the foundation of true knowledge and the law of God is a reflection of His character. God has reviled himself though His word and we are to study so we may understand his desire for us.
- And we will finish today with (v.12) “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you scoff, you will bear it alone”
- In the end we all must make the choice to increase our knowledge so we can understand God’s will or we will choose to scoff at those who understand. Then we will live with the choices we make.
- We must choose enteral life with our maker or choose enteral death with the other fools. (Eze. 18:4 Matt. 12:36)
Thought of the Day
“The person who refuses to hear criticism has no chance to learn from it.”
Cancer researcher Dr. Robert Good was a hard-driving individual with an enormous faculty for new ideas. According to an article I read about him, he had the ability to make use of any information he came across.
I was most impressed, however, with a statement that credited him with a willingness to recognize any error in his theories and abandon them faster than anyone else in medical research. An associate said, “Dr. Good never gets married to his hypotheses, so he doesn’t go through the pangs of divorce when one is proven wrong.”
Proverbs 9 puts a high premium on such a willingness to see one’s error and admit it. It describes a wise man as one who wants to learn from his mistakes. When challenged, he resists the urge to get his back up like a threatened tomcat. Instead, correction becomes a faithful friend and a necessary means to improvement (v.9). On the other hand, when a “scoffer” is rebuked, he responds with anger and hate (v.8). Because of his overinflated ego, he won’t listen when told he has erred.
We need to follow the path of wisdom by giving heed to words of reproof. To be truly wise, we must remember that at times we too have played the fool. —Mart De Haan Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
When criticism comes your way,
Consider its intent;
It may be that some truth from God
To you is being sent. —D. De Haan
Personal Reflection and Discussion
- What do you think (v. 11) are saying?
- What other things do you see in the text?
Prayer Activities
- Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
- Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
- Pray with them and ask for the following;
- For God to give us His understanding and wisdom.
- For God to help us know an enteral life with Him.
- For the individuals on your pray list.
- Let’s use (Ps. 2:8) for today’s prayer verse.
About bobh6
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To follow wisdom is to follow God. In the first few verses, wisdom has her house built. I tis interesting that she has seven pillars. we know that seven represents completeness. I think here it means not so much that she has actually seven pillars but more that her house, a house of wisdom, has been solidly built and is substantial in character. Verse 11 just says that living in wisdom (God) will bring you longer life. After all how much longer can we have than all of eternity with our Lord.
Our choice… but at the end it benefits us, or harms us; no pressure. she makes the choice clear; the invitation is free; there is much to gain…but wonder how many actually enter in and how many just pass her by, too busy or leery. She really isn’t expecting the scoffers to answer her call, she’s calling the humble and hungry…those who hunger after wisdom, understanding (knowledge) and life. The sincere will come. You know, I’ve seen studies offered, meals prepared, and invitations personally given and none show. Very few will come and even fewer are faithful to continue in it. Praise God we recongize ourselves as simple, foolish, and lacking understanding. It’s like AAA, the first step is admitting we have a problem and need the solution. We are dumb and blind and need God to guide us.