welcome to our first week of bible study. every week (on sunday or monday), this blog will get updated with thoughts and questions to guide your reading. we will be doing roughly two chapters a week. the idea is that you will read these chapters and respond to these questions as you wish on your own time (in your own journal, in your head, on here, whatever you please!). we would then like you to post your thoughts on this blog. your thoughts can be as long or as short as you wish! it can be as simple as "i really liked the following verse" or as deep as your philosophical existentialism takes you. it would be great is everyone could post at least ONE thought each week, just so that we know people are actually using this bible study. let's make this blog feel loved.
that being said, week one: proverbs chapters one & two.
CONTEXT OF PROVERBS
(most of this is taken from my study bible)
what was its purpose? to teach people how to attain wisdom, how to live wise and disciplined lives, how to pursue what is right and just and moral, how to live godly lives. my bible says that "this is a book of wise sayings, a textbook for teaching people how to live godly lives through the repetition of wise thoughts."
who originally read it? the people of israel
who wrote it? solomon wrote most of proverbs during the earlier years of his reign.
what is a proverb? a short concise sentence that conveys moral truth. the book of proverbs is a collection of these wise statements. the main theme of proverbs is the nature of true wisdom. the word "proverb" comes from a hebrew word that means "to rule or to govern." these sayings therefore provide profound wisdom to govern our lives. although these proverbs are not necessarily meant to teach doctrine, the person who follows their advice will walk closely with god.
how does this book apply to our lives? knowledge is good, but a vast difference stands between knowledge (having the facts) and wisdom (applying those facts to your life). we may amass knowledge, but without wisdom our knowledge is useless. we must learn how to LIVE OUT what we know. let's begin!
CHAPTERS 1&2
several things stand out to me in these two chapters. throughout these proverbs, solomon contrasts two ways of living: the wise and the foolish. these two ways of living can also be summarized as righteous/godly pursuits versus selfish/sin-seeking gains. you can contrast examples of wisdom in 1:8-10 with examples of sin in 1:11-19. similarly, 1:20-23 with 1:24-33. similarly, 2:1-11 with 2:12-22. it is as if solomon is saying "this is how you should live as the people of god" and "this is how the godless live." the people of israel were the vessel with which god chose to show his saving love to the world. they were called to be the light of the world. we have been grafted into this history. we are living in a new covenant where anyone who knows christ is part of god's family. therefore, we are also called to this: to represent god to the world. therefore solomon says "do not go along with... [those whose] feet rush into sin" (1:15-16) but instead pursue wisdom, justice, righteousness; pursue GOD. choose god and choose wisdom over all these things. store up his commands and live them out in love.
he also tells us that "the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom." i love this verse. it reminds me that god is the source of all. having that perspective helps me seek wisdom in the right places. fear is an interesting term but i think a well chosen one. it reminds me to be in awe of the god i'm serving and therefore run to his word so that i can be sure that i know how to represent him to the best of my ability in this world.
QUESTIONS
1. how do you have to actively make this decision to pursue wisdom and righteousness in your own life?
a) where do you see yourself "not going along with those whose feet rush into sin?"
b) where do you see yourself rushing into sin?
2. what do you think it means that "the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom?"
3. verses 2:4-6 tell us that "if you look for [wisdom] as for silver and search for it as for treasure, then you will understand the fear of the lord and find the knowledge of god. for the lord gives wisdom and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding." what does this tell us about how passionately we should pursue god?
4. a) what does it tell you about god that wisdom is made so accessible to all who seek it?
b) even though wisdom is yelling in the streets, why does the foolishness of the world often seem louder and more enticing and maybe even more pleasing?
c) how can we tune our ears to hear wisdom clearer? why should we choose her voice over the world's?
looking forward to reading your thoughts,
love blythe.
I've never really read that much into proverbs before so it was interesting to read it, and also have a bit of context.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how the beginning was plain in saying that the proverbs would direct your life toward wisdom and such.
I definitely did not feel very wise reading it though, i felt like i might get a lot out of this study.
What is he referring to when he talks about simplicity? i feel like i have a false definition of it, or rather no good definition. Is it referring to idiocy or ignorance or what?
I love how these chapters talk about the pursuit of wisdom and its guidance away from i gues immorality. I never really though too much about wisdom, i guess i was more interested in Love, which i dont think is too bad a thing.
In short, I feel like one of the people that solomon is reprimanding about not listening to him. I guess wisdom may need to hold a little more importance in my life.
June 1st!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I'm doing this properly. How do I make a new post and not just comment? I'm internet-capped.
Some intial thoughts on Proverbs 1:
ReplyDeleteIt's parent's giving advice to their kid. Can't you imagine your mother saying this stuff? Read it in the message - you can totally get that sense: "don't hang out with the bad crowd!"
It's hard for me to pinpoint when exactly I rush into sin. I feel like I'm always sinning in a sense and struggle with the guilt of that state of being. My guilt complex commands an unburdening at the cross pretty often.
I feel convicted of my apathy many a time, and how I view the people around me. ESPECIALLY people I don't particulary care for or have use of (ie. my co-workers).
These chapters remind me of my need to ask older and wiser people to advise and guide me.
Also to have some God book around to challange me so I don't become complacent in my knowledge of God (Ch 1 Vs.28-39). Right now it's a commentary on Proverbs (for us) and N.T. Wright "Christians and the Cross'
Appreciating beauty also helps calm down and gain perspective. Beauty helps me be wise becuse I think it points to God.
Lady Wisdom is a fantastic character. Pay attention to her! I can see her shouting at some people in my life (and at me) about the houses of cards we construct for meaning and worth in our lives. MONEY STATUS POWER is a continual theme in my office. I struggle not to join in and evaulate myself based on these standards (what education I have, what is my socio-economic background, what vacations I can afford, where I live, etc). When our cards collapse and we forced to emerge from our facade, we are all from embarassingly human beginings and backgrounds. We have nothing to stand on (1:25-28).
Pay attention to 'the land' and also to the 'seductress'. These themes are laced throughout.
What are some synomyns and definitions for 'wisdom'. It's going to get a lot of use in this book.
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ReplyDelete"the next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are"
ReplyDelete-C.S. Lewis
Recently I have been praying for Wisdom, in dealing with life and relationships. These chapters were a kick in the butt, that wisdom is all around me. I must listen and must pursue. I must not be apathetic to it by hoping it comes to me.
ReplyDeleteWisdom comes from fear, this brings to mind C.S. Lewis and the idea of pride as discussed in "Mere Christianity". I cannot follow God if I am full of pride, I see myself as the reason for everything good or bad in my life. When truly nothing comes from me. When I realize how powerful God is, I fear. Not cower and hide, but a fear with respect. This fear always brings me back to God, to want to learn about him.
Yet, even when I hunt for wisdom, I still get lost. I think proverbs is going to be a great study!
I am so excited about this!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the verses 2:1-5 because I think I often ask God to help me in tough situations or with big decisions, but I don't do anything myself. I ask him to help me know his will, but I don't listen to find out what it is. Both the chapters, but especially these verses, reminded me that wisdom isn't something we can pray for just when we have a decision to make, but that we should search for it all the time as part of the way we live our faith. The author makes it clear that we have to want wisdom in all parts of our lives, and to search for it as for the most precious thing.
Also, 2:5, "...then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God," I found was a good reminder. Fear of God is a concept that has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It might be because my relationship with God has developed in a Christian culture that puts lots of emphasis on "Jesus loves me" and God is a loving father, but I forget that a fear of the Lord is also important for how we respect him. I find it hard to imagine what a healthy fear is.
I am excited for reading this book and sharing with and reading what ya'll have to say! Lots of what it says is about not getting lazy and putting God on the back burner, which is something that I am focussing on recently. Obviously I know that the more time I spend in prayer and with the scriptures, the closer I will be with God, but it's encouraging to read it. It's also kind of scary because it makes me worry that I'm not close enough, and I don't want to be one of the fools! Maybe this is part of a fear of the Lord?
i love hearing your thoughts, friends! excited for this little study.
ReplyDeleteSo, here are my lunch-break notes. There's more investigation that I'm planning on doing lickitysplit, but here's where I'm at so far with 4 days of pondering in me. (Please excuse the free-flowing thoughts and lack of organization...)
ReplyDeleteInitially, I wanted to know the hebrew word and its meanings and connotations and associations for both "wise" and "foolish."
My gut recation for the word foolish is: stupid, not thinking, dumb, dunce, etc. Its not a word that we often use today. I feel like I need to realign my understanding of the word in its Hewbrew context (I picked up 2 commentaries at the library. They're super heavy, so they didn't come with me to work..that's the home-looking-into that I'll be doing shortly).
My gut reaction for wise is smart, thoughtful, calm and discerning. I don't necessarily associate Christianity or faith with the word...but maybe I should.
Liz and I talked a bit about this a couple days ago, and she read from her commentary that wisdom is discernment and character. Interesting...
More on that later.
I'm not sure on the direct correlation between wise:jew/christian and foolish: nonchristian/gentile. Thoughts?
Then I got into trying to break down key phrases and words connected with words...
Wise/wisdom in 1:2-6...
- understanding words of insight
- receiving instruction (the ability to do so)
- do what is right, just, fair
- giving prudence to simple people
- knowledge/discretion to the young
- ability to listen and add to learning
So, in single words, wise people:
- understand
- receive (instruction)
- do (right, just, fair)
- give
- listen
These are all verbs. Perhaps its safe to say that wise people are not the stereotypical old person/long beard who just sits and read all the time. These verbs and verses also remind me of 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Those are similar verbs to what I found in that first bit of Proverbs. Perhaps a safe assumption is that wise people use scripture as their basis for everything. Hmm...
Then I did the same thing with what was written about foolish people...
- sinful people
- trick
- wait to ambush/bring innocents down
- value things
- rush into evil
- swift to shed blood
Bleck. Very unappealing. But, as Blythe pointed out in the question, its super important to acknowledge when we rush into sin/evil. I think I get wrapped up in it at work. Its so easy to go along with what everyone is saying about everyone else. To not participate sometimes is to simply be a mute..which is really awkward.
Any thoughts on 1:17? I'd love to hear what you all think about this little nugget. I don't think I understand it well.
Then when I got to the section on Wisdom calling, she continued to talk about more qualities of fools:
- simple
- mocking
- hate knowledge
- refuse to listen
- disregard advice
- deny rebuke
- don't choose the fear of the Lord
This also made me think about what it looks like when Wisdom is calling...conversations? Interactions? Books/Bible reading?
I also was thinking about what in these two chapters stood out to me..what was really speaking to me as I read it? I'd have to say 2:11 "Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you." I feel as though where I'm at in life (work, home, everything), its important to think about these things. Discretion is either the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence/revealing private information OR the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation/the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgement. Understanding is, as an adjective, being sympathetically aware of others' feelings/tolerant/forgiving and, as a noun, the ability to understand something. All of these qualities/traits seem wise. I feel as though the come from a deeper calm, a deeper discernment, a grasp of the bigger picture. Especially at work am I finding the necessity of both understanding and discretion..so that's what's spoke to me.
ReplyDeleteLastly, as an aside, I tried googling the hebrew of wisdom, and apparently it is hokmah. It is related to the root meaning "skill" or "care" and it can imply "skill in living."
Interesting.
erin, i love how you pointed out that wisdom is active. it is talked about being manifested in our lives with active words. therefore being wise requires action. yep. thanks!
ReplyDeleteAwesome thoughts. I agree with blythe, wisdom+action!
ReplyDeleteI read these chapter in the amplified bible, where it describes the proverbs as truths obscurely expressed, maxims + parables. From. The first couple verses, I gathered that in order to attain this wisdom, all we need to do is be submissive learners, which is why fearing the lord is the root and starting point.
Amp:
1:17 For in vain is the net spread in sight of any bird
Nasb: 1:17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any bird;
Message: 1:17
Nobody robs a bank
with everyone watching,
Yeah, there is something going on there. Not sure.
Onwards,
Being simple is being open to evil. Fools will miss out.
Wisdom takes mere listening ears.
Rushing into sin makes me think of situations where I succumb to group think. The challenge is being firm in our integrity it seems.
That's all for now.
Who is kaitlin? DO we know her?
ReplyDelete