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"No Longer Stuck on Stupid" Proverbs 1:1-7

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

for attaining wisdom and discipline;

for understanding words of insight;

for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,

doing what is right and just and fair;

for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youngâ€â€

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

Sometimes we enjoy our ignorance and immaturity - yet if we hold on to them - both we and all those around us suffer.

Solomon is inviting us to grow up!

This first section introduces several key words and themes, but I am preaching not teaching - so do you want to be smarter and make better decisions? - or do you just hope that God will not make you pay too much for choosing to be stupid.

This is not about your IQ, but concerns wisdom - and all of us can learn to be wise even if that wisdom is simply to say - "I do not know enough to decide."

It is up to us whether we make good decisions. I cannot make myself tall or give myself hair, but I may wait for a beautiful wife who thinks a beard more than makes up for a bald head and (at a little over 5'1") thinks that 5'7" is tall.

Solomon invites us to learn the skills of decision-making that we may please both God and bless those around us. I invite you to respond to these words - ask a question - make an application - simply engage your mind to the subject and say a-men - whatever the Lord guides, but I invite you to consider God's wisdom with me.

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

People often quote this verse from the passage John:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

But we fail to see that important word... "beginning"!
Knowledge is not the end in itself ... but what it leads to, rightly used: "wisdom and discipline". We especially do not like the second one. I think that is where your statement that "we enjoy our ignorance and immaturity" becomes awfully true.

It seems to me knowledge can indeed puff us up with pride if we do not add to it love and compassion, and that is when it becomes wisdom. The wise will learn discipline because the wise will understand who God is and what he requires of them as God himself is the one who teaches us and takes what we learn to turn it into wisdom so that we can better love and serve him.

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Avid Reader

“Lord, in my zeal for love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.” - Thomas Aquinas
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but it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom ....

we can accumulate all the knowledge and experience in the world ... but unless this is governed by a growing love, knowledge and fear of God ... then it will only lead to that knowledge that puffs up as Avid (and Paul) said ...

Through these scriptures, Solomon offers us an opportunity and with that opportunity there is responsibility. Many reject the opportunity because we don't want the responsibility of being held accountable. What is failed to be seen is that each and everyone of us will be held accountable on that great day of judgement.

This story came about from listening to the radio the other day concerning this proverb,
A man was driving down the road when suddenly he got a flat tire. He pulled over to the side of the road in front of an insane asylum that was fenced off from the outside world.
A man from the asylum came down to the fence with curiosity to see what the man was doing; he said nothing just watching the man changing the flat tire, and the man changing the tire didn't know the condition of this man so he man started to change the tire, putting the nuts in the hub cap.
While switching the tire, he accidentally kicked the hub cap with the nuts in it, down in to a storm water drain inlet.
The man pondered what I'm I going to do!
Well the man on the other side of the fence suggested to the man with the flat tire, why don't you take a lug off each of the remaining tires and put them on the tire missing the nuts. Then you can get down to filling station and get other nuts to fix your wheel.
The man with the flat tire looked at the other man with amazement, why didn't I think of that! You're in the institution and I'm out.
The man from the institution said, I might be crazy but I'm not stupid.


That is what the book of Proverbs is attempting to do, get us out of acting stupid in life.
I thought this was a good analogy of doing it my way and not heeding free advice, so freely given, especially the book of Proverbs, full of the right choices to make.
It's sad so few young people heed, indeed any generation listen with open ears to the voice of wisdom, (God).

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Kola,

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Yes and it is especially sad that Christians sometimes consider "common sense" to be less than "spiritual." the book of Proverbs informs us that God want us to get the 2 + 2 = 4 stuff right as well.

John

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"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Gal 5:6b

Pastor John C. Blackburn

exactly so... Your observation is absolutely right pastorjohn....