Posted on 02/01/2020 5:53:17 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7 KJV).
There is a comparison . . . a contrast. A proverb sets something down alongside of something—to place side-by-side—that you might be discreet, that you might be discriminatory, you know, tell white from black, tell right from wrong, tell smart from stupid.
Two words that you want to notice quite a bit, and it’ll be like this all the way through Proverbs and also in the Bible, are the words “as” and “like.” When God wants to teach us a thing, He’ll say it is “as something,” or “like something.” When God wants to show you something you can’t understand or see from the physical senses—He will liken it to something in the physical realm.
He said about His word: “as the snow from heaven,” as the “rain from heaven,” “so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth” (Isa55:10, 11).
So, again, you want to watch for those two words, “as” and “like.”
Okay, briefly, the Book of Proverbs has a simple outline, it has five basic sections.
1. Chapters 1 through 9 you have wisdom and folly contrasted. 2. Chapters 10 to 24 you get into the real proverbs. A lot of the proverbs have a conjunction in the middle of it, again, for contrast and comparison.
It is strange how colors don’t look the same when they are put alongside other colors. It’s amazing how different colors of blue will wind up a little bit differently when you compare them with other colors. Some blues almost look like black, until you lay them alongside black. Some of those navy blues look so dark that under some light they will look black—and you’ll swear that they are black. You’ll put on a black suit and grab some socks that you think are black and later on you find out you have blue socks on.
3. Chapters 25 to 29 are more of Solomon’s proverbs, but they are collections made by Hezekiah’s men. 4. Chapter 30 contains the words of Agur. 5. Chapter 31 are the words of Lemuel.
Every young person ought to study Proverbs. It’s really just how to live, and how to avoid a lot of trouble. You want to learn the awfulness of sin? As mentioned, there are two ways. By experience, or by listening up. Most young people will not listen—do not listen. The majority of them are bound and determined to experience it all for themselves, and to see if they can’t beat the system. That’s what Proverbs teaches you, you cannot beat the system.
There are physical laws in the universe, and God has established those laws, and those laws cannot be broken ‘permanently,’ (they can be overcome ‘temporarily’), but not permanently. Eventually, everything that goes up will come down. There are only the ‘exceptions’ to the rule. And in spiritual matters, you “reap what you sow,” “be sure your sins will find you out.” Those are spiritual laws, and you cannot break them. You can temporarily overcome them, but eventually that law will catch up.
Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.
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