Posted on 03/24/2020 5:57:06 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man” (Proverbs 24:30-34).
Now, an observation.
“I went by the field of the slothful [a lazy man], and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding [an ignorant man, he is up in verse 27 building a house rather than taking care of the vineyard].”
And what was the result? “it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.”
There is two things there. The guy that is void of understanding does not understand the law of reaping and sowing, nor does he understand the idea of getting his priorities straight. And notice that he is ruined within. “The nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down,” there is no protection from without.
“Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man” (Proverbs 24:32-34).
“Then I saw, and considered it well,” this is what he learned from it. He got instruction from his observation.
You can learn wisdom by others’ mistakes. Observation and analysis are great teachers, and Solomon was a master at both: "And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith” (Ecclesiastes 1:13).
"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness” (Ecclesiastes 2:11-13).
It is your duty to learn from the mistakes of others and to teach your children to do so as well.
Of course, you can also learn wisdom by observing the good choices and actions of wise men. It is a helpful habit to watch and identify the character or conduct that makes a man either foolish or wise. It reinforces the rules of wisdom.
Verses 32-34 match Proverbs 6:6-11.
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“You can learn wisdom by others’ mistakes.”
One of our pastor’s stresses this.
“I know lots of times we learn from our own mistakes. I was lucky as a kid - and learned from my cousins’ mistakes!”
I am astonished at how easy it is to become dulled and lose the “edge” . Gods word is the stone in which to stay sharp . Thank you so much Pilgrim for posting proverbs everyday ! It really does keep me “sharp” in keeping tabs on myself so as to constantly seek the paths God lays out before us as opposed to counting on just our own inherently selfish and foolish ways.
It is your duty to learn from the mistakes of others and to teach your children to do so as well.
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/116468-there-are-three-kinds-of-men-the-ones-that-learn
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