The Holy Bible is a special, unique and fascinating book It has been said that man (by himself) could not have written it if he would have wanted to and he would not have written it if he could have. There is much that could be said about the entire book (the bible), but right now I am sharing about just one of the 66 books of the bible … Proverbs. Starting in chapter one verse one we read: “¹ The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: ² for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; ³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; ⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,[1]knowledge and discretion to the young- ⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance- ⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.”

Do you remember the bible story about the two women claiming to be the mother of a certain child? The case was brought before King Solomon to figure it out and award the real true mother custody of the child. Solomon was a very wise man and he knew how to discover the true mom. He told them that he would have the child divided into two and they each could have half. The real mother stepped forward saying no, that the other woman could have the child. Solomon knew then that she was the real mother as she loved the child so much that she would give up the child in order that the child would live. The dilemma was solved.

That is just an example of the wisdom of Solomon. The book of Proverbs was included in the bible to provide us with wisdom in our lives so that we would not do foolish things … so that we would avoid costly errors in decision making, etc.

Chapter 1 verse 7 is a significant verse: “⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools[3] despise wisdom and instruction.” The thing we need to remember about the Holy Scriptures is that it is God’s communication with man … His love letter to us. Of course, it is much more than that. It is God’s promise … His contract … His assurance to us of His part … what He will do … for He is faithful and true even when we are not. It is important for us to understand Who God is.

One of the interesting things about the book of Proverbs is that it has 31 chapters … meaning that there is one chapter for each day of the month. In one month we can read the entire book of Proverbs by reading a chapter each day. In doing so , we can gain great wisdom for life. Just getting old doesn’t make us wise. It is what we have learned that make us wise. Along with learning we must apply it. Learning without applying gains nothing. It is of no personal benefit. There is a big difference between being smart and intelligent and being wise.

That reminds me of a joke … only I am not going to use any names in telling it.

There was an airplane with passengers aboard inflight when it developed engine trouble. It was in serious trouble and would soon fall out of the sky. In order to save their lives they were going to have to bail out using parachutes they had aboard. There was just one problem … they were short one parachute. Passengers started grabbing parachutes while telling why it was important that they live and contribute to society. One by one they grabbed a parachute and bailed out of the plane. Finally they were down to 3 people and 2 parachutes. One man grabbed a parachute saying that he was the smartest man in the world and, of course, it was important that he survived. He bailed out of the plane. One of those left was a little girl. The remaining passenger was a hippie. The little girl started crying. The hippie asked her why she was crying and she said ” There is only one parachute left and I am just a little girl while you are much older. I know you will take it”. He said, “don’t cry little girl, we both have parachutes. The smartest man in the world just jumped out of the plane with my backpack”.

He might have been smart, but he certainly was not very wise. Of course, it is just a joke. BTW, if you like good humor have a laugh on me … you could spend many hours HERE . God has said … laughter is a good medicine. I have always appreciated good humor … especially the ice cream.

Later in the first chapter of Proverbs we read: “23 If you turn at my reproof,^a
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
31therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

God will have the last laugh over His enemies. He loves us, but hates our sin which is rebellion against Him. Now is the time … the day of salvation. Do not harden your heart. It drives you further away from God and closes the door that may never be opened again. If you ever needed God, you need Him now. Psalm 53:1 says “the fool has said in his heart that there is no god”. Don’t be a fool. Don’t despise wisdom which comes from God.