Date: Sunday, July 06, 2014
Today's Chapters: Proverbs 1-3
Message Title: To Understand A Proverb

The Book of Proverbs is the twentieth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains thirty-one chapters, most of the book is penned down by King Solomon, the timeline is about 990 to 995 BC. The book was first written to the Israelite's, but these truths for practical living are addressed to all believers. The purpose of the book was to teach wisdom, instruction, and correction to all God's people, what we are to learn from it is that it is God's Word that teaches us wisdom, instruction, and correction so that we can live a prosperous life lead by God Himself. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:5,6.

A proverb is a short sentence to explain an important truth, it is recorded in I Kings that Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs under the inspiration of God. What was the purpose of so many proverbs? To give us an important truth through a simple quote. It's like taking down notes so you do not forget something important. To understand a proverb we need to think about it until we get the picture, then it begins to make sense to us. Honestly, it takes the Holy Spirit in us to understand a proverb inspired by God to be in here in the first place.

“ A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;” - Proverbs 1:5-7,22-26.

To fear God, it means to honor Him, respect Him, show Him love, and we learn to do that by obeying His Word. We all have some stubbornness in us, but some people are beyond stubborn, they draw their own conclusions and do not want or believe the truth, even if it was thrown in their face. Rebellion has no place for God, in fact, the fear they get from living such a rebellious life will not come from God, but within themselves, and sadly, it will be too late because God will not be there. “When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.” - Proverbs 1:27-30.

I often think of Proverbs as graphic images, they are just a picture with a couple of words that carry a powerful meaning. Graphic images are the key to selling everything and anything, but to get the message we must first see the picture. When I first began reading the Bible through I did not always see the picture, but the more I read the clearer the picture becomes. I always say that the difference between us and those of the Old Testament is technology, that's why the Bible never goes out of date and we should be reading it cover to cover continuously. The most important thing we need to learn is that fearing God is the only way to get the picture and understand what God is trying to tell us. “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” - Proverbs 2:1-6.

It is only when we take the time to know God that we grow in His knowledge and learn to fear Him. The more we learn from God, the wiser we become, the more profitable we become as well, if we do not fear God we will never understand His ways nor get help from Him either. Oh, we can prosper for a time without God, but sooner or later all who trust in their own understanding will lose. The first and foremost step in fearing God is receiving Jesus Christ as Your Savior, without Jesus you cannot no ever will get God's attention. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” - 1 John 5:13-15.

When I first decided to work for myself I still had a big part of the world in me and let me tell you, it was prosperous. I made more money in one week than I did in a month, and since I was going to church and giving tithes I thought the blessings were coming from God. However, two years later I found out that my success was no blessing from God. Why? I made up my own rules, rules that I knew God really did not approve of. I got myself into a situation that I could not get out of and fell harder than I thought I ever would. However, God picked me up out of that huge mess and I am a testimony of how important it is to know God's Word, to follow it, and keep it with you not matter what you do in life. “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” - Proverbs 3:1-6,11,12.

No truer words have been spoken than these, we really do find God's favor and peace when we obey His law. Laws are not given for those who do right, they are given for lawbreakers, do you realize how many laws would not have to be made if people were doing the right things in the first place. We are all guilty of making our own rules, and or doing things just out of spite sometimes, and that's why we all come short of the glory of God. “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” - Romans 3:11,12,23-26.

Today's Prayer: God, There is truly nothing that You will not do for us, You sent Your Son to die for us, You certainly will grant us the desires of our heart as long as we fear You. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power to seek wisdom and understanding through Your Word, help me to focus, pay attention, and see the picture of what You are trying to show me. Give me patience to wait for you to show me what I need to do and to stay on the path that You are directing me on. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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