Proverbs: Our Teaching Tool

I am going to skip ahead of the many other things I wanted to write about to share what I read in Proverbs 22. This chapter became a pinnacle piece of Proverbs because it contains what I believe is an overarching goal of this book: To give us certainty in the truth we are believing and to respond wisely to those that come our way with questions about our truth.

Proverbs 22:17-21 says:
17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
19 That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

Thank God for the wisdom he gave Solomon. The world is benefiting from the truths and wisdom in Proverbs, even our modern day "gurus" who claim to have new ways of thinking. Below are some of the truths I have highlighted in chapter 22.

• Equity: (Proverbs 22:9, 22:16, 22:22-23) God really cares about the treatment of the poor and expects us to be the ones to lighten their burden. He also will punish those that add to their burden. He will bless you for feeding the poor and take away the financial peace and security of those that oppress them. (See also: Proverbs 19:17, 21:13)
• Discipline: (Proverbs 22:6, 22:15) It is necessary for your children's soul and future well-being to provide them with discipline and training. Last week my husband and I were wondering what in the world to do once we no longer had the crib to hold our son "captive" for time-outs. So far, that's been the most effective way to help him reflect on his behavior and be sorry for acting naughty. I joked that it would help if we had something like the bars of a crib to put in a corner for time-out, but it would feel too awkward, like we're imprisoning our son. My husband joked that we need the bars to keep him out of bars! Every once in a while my husband makes a good joke that's actually funny. Despite our teasing we could see that discipline is necessary, and this is clearly stated in Proverbs. While your children are young and influential, this is the best time to instill good character, obedience, and discipline into them. The hope is that when they are older, they will already be ingrained with self-discipline in order to make good decisions. (See also: Proverbs 19:18)
• Friendships: (Proverbs 22:10, 22:24-25) The types of friendships we have are a reflection of who we are and they can cause a change in our personalities. Keeping negative people as close friends will cause frustration and make you ill-tempered as well. Solomon shows us repeatedly that having friends is very important and he warns us to cultivate positive friendships so they can be a blessing to your life.

Thank you God for the wisdom you freely gave Solomon and now have benefited the world through. Help us to treat the poor graciously, teach our children discipline, and retain friendships with positive people. Lord help us learn to apply your wisdom to our everyday conversations so we continue to show the world that you are the source of wisdom and truth. Amen.

♬Amen♮