1-10: Five Admonitions to give up the self-centered fantasy and subscribe to a God-dominated reality. Contrary to the wonderful Movie Invictus or the poem that is quoted in it by N. Mandela himself, we are NOT 'the masters of our fate, we are not the captains of our ship'. We do NOT control our own destiny and we are not our own gods.
11-20: Blessings of Wisdom (sort of a hymn or interlude)
21-35: Five Prohibitions
Question: Vs 5: Famous Verse! How have you heard this verse used?
Thoughts: I have heard it used to describe choices that seem to go against the better judgement: "I just felt the Lord leading me, etc" This verse must be read in context - The whole point of Chapter 3 is to NOT lean on our own understanding, to give up the temptation of self-determination and self-sufficiency, and instead lean on the wisdom of God, make use of the wisdom he gives us, not to trust ourselves or the world, but Him and his word. This suggests that being self-sufficient or trusting our 'feelings' may not be the way to go.
Question: Yahweh is referenced a decent amount in this chapter... What does this chapter tell us about God?
Thoughts: A temptation of Proverbs to take it as morality training and forget the theological implications of the text. However, we always need to mindful of what Proverbs is teaching us about Yahweh and how he intended life to be like. In Chapter 3 Yahweh disciplines, creates, is to be trusted, feared and honored... what else does it say about Yahweh?
Question: Vs. 9-10 talks about giving God the 'first fruits'. How is this applicable to us? What does this say about consumerism? Is it just our money that we give to God? Or...
Thoughts: This harkens back to Ex. 23:19, Num 28:26-31, Duet 26:1-11 of the giving of first fruits to God. "If there is any area in which people in every age are tempted to be wise in their own eyes, it is in the fantasy that wealth is a product of their own competence and nothing more"
Question: Proverbs and Ch.3 Vs. 4, 8, 10 give us some pretty sweet benefits to living wisely... do these benefits always happen?
Thoughts: remember that the promises in Proverbs are results of a life lived by God's intended code, not guaranteed rewards.
Question: Vs. 11-12 talks about God discipling us. Does God really punish us for bad behavior? What about grace? Can you see areas of your life where God is discipline you?
Thoughts: Discipline is always linked to teaching and correction, not punishment.
Question: Define Wisdom. We're going to get sick of the word in this book, so we might as well know what it means!
Thoughts: Wisdom = character and virtue.
Hey! Before I put my thoughts up for chapter 3 here, I wondered what it might be like for the people leading the group to separate their "thoughts" from their "questions"? That might make it easier for some of us to respond so that we can focus in on the questions, come up with our own thoughts, post them, and then think about others' thoughts. I found that I related to what Katie wrote in her comments about chapter 4. That way, regardless if we're repeating, we're at least sharing. Is that reasonable?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, here are a few of my thoughts on chapter 3.
This chapter tells us about God. It says he
- is trustworthy
- will make paths straight
- is Creator
- is wise
- has understanding
- has knowledge
- is at my side
- protects us from snaring
- detests the peverse
- takes upright into confidence
- blesses the righteous
- curses the wicked
- mocks the proud mockers
- gives favor to the humble and oppressed.
My favorite part of this chapter is verse 3 (with or without the follow-up benefit.
Verses 5 and 7 make me think that God is MUCH bigger than me.
Taken directly out of the chapter, the wise
- do not forget
- keep commands in their hearts
- keelp love & faithfullness
- trust
- lean not on their own understanding
- submit
- fear the Lord
- shun evil
- honor the Lord with their wealth
- don't despise discipline
- don't resent rebuke
- preserve sound judgement/discretion
- have no fear of disaster
- don't withold good
- don't plot harm
- don't accuse without reason
- don't envy the violent
- inherit honor
Thoughts :
ReplyDeleteTrust in the Lord, people often say this when situations are out of their hands. Strikes me that the phrase can almost cause apathy on spiritual affairs ( I don't need to think about it since god has it covered) but can also cause peace and unity ( I don't need to argue or worry because it is in God's just hands)
The benefits: if we have true integrity in god I think it's obvious we would have a good reputation. I find it hard though, to connect our physical well being with our spiritual life. It takes a bit more faith to trust that god will heal our bones. I think it is harder to trust the latter because it is not a logical outcome. Good deeds= good reputation. The benefits perhaps come when we truly trust in god, not our understanding.
Wisdom: doing the right thing. It's all about making good decisions the right way. Value God's virtues before any choice.
When I graduated my church gave me a bible and they wrote Proverbs 3:5-6 in it. This verse tells us to look to God when deciding things, especially important life decisions and trusting God, not ourselves to know what is best for us.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter says that God disciplines because he loves us and that he blesses those who listen to his teachings. God is wise, understanding, and knowledgeable.
We should devote our wealth to the work of God first, and use it in ways he wants us to. If we do, we will be blessed. It is not just money we should give to God but our time and spiritual gifts.
These benefits don't always happen, but God will always take care of any problems if we lean on him in all areas of our lives. We may not necessarily find wealth on Earth but we will find wealth in God.
God disciplines those he loves because he knows what is best for us. I can remember times when I didn't listen to what God was telling me and did what I wanted instead. Things didn't turn out so well in that situation. Because of his grace, God doesn't give up on us when we do wrong. He keeps loving us and leading us in the right direction.
wisdom = knowing and doing what is right