Day 30: The beginning of knowledge – Proverbs 1 vs 1-7.

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 2-3 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

4 -6 These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.  Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge - but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:1-7 (New Living Translation)

While King David wrote many Psalms, it was his son, Solomon, who wrote a large portion of the book called Proverbs. And because 'Psalms' has been moved to a Sunday slot on the devotions page (see the section titled 'Reflections on the Psalms' ) I thought Proverbs would be a good book to fill the gap.

You've no doubt heard the phrase 'pearls of wisdom'. That's very much what these proverbs are. They're like verbal 'memes' - short statements that pack a punch of meaning. According to verses 2-3, what does Solomon say he hoped the various proverbs and words of the wise would accomplish in the lives of those who think them through?

If you thought honestly about yourself, how much (or how little) does that describe the life you've lived and where you are today? (Don't rush here, take a moment to weigh your answer.)

As you read Proverbs you’ll see that many of them are written in the form of a parent lovingly and earnestly teaching a child. But who else does Solomon say will benefit from taking them to heart? (vs 4-6)

So they are for mature people as well. No-one should ever think they can't learn anything more.

We see in verse 7 that, right at the outset, Solomon tells us the 'secret' of a meaningful life. What we need, he says, is knowledge. But not the sort of knowledge that wins quiz shows, but knowledge that grows from a genuine reverence for God when we've realised how awesome He is! He or she is already a wise person who realises that their life is in God's hands, and that they must give account to Him at journey's end. A foolish person thinks they've nothing to fear from God, so they don't want Him meddling in their life!

There’s an old hymn by Charles Wesley that says: “I want a godly fear, a quick discerning eye, that looks to God when sin is near, and see’s the tempter fly .“ Let verse 7 guide your prayers today.