Introduction to Proverbs

Introduction to Proverbs

I offered to do a month of Freedom Fighters from the book of Proverbs, and Bill Welte accepted the offer. He has faithfully done this email seven days a week for a long time, and I thought he might need a break.

Many years ago a pastor challenged me to read a chapter of Proverbs a day, getting through the book in a month. Then he challenged me to keep doing that every month of every year. I accepted his challenge, and I've been reading Proverbs for the better part of fifteen years.

The introduction to this book in my Bible (a New King James Version published by Broadman and Holman) explains why reading Proverbs is so important and so beneficial. Allow me to share it with you: The key word in Proverbs is wisdom, "the ability to live life skillfully." A godly life in an ungodly world, however, is no simple assignment. Proverbs provides God's detailed instructions for His people to deal successfully with the practical affairs of everyday life: how to relate to God, parents, children, neighbors and government. Solomon, the principal author, uses a combination of poetry, parables, pithy questions, short stories, and wise maxims to give in strikingly memorable form the common sense and divine perspective necessary to handle life's issues.

I pray you'll find this thirty-one-day journey through Proverbs helpful, challenging and instructive. One month isn't enough, though. I hope you'll "catch" Proverbs fever in a way that will bring you back to this insightful book every day for the rest of your life. After reading it monthly for almost fifteen years, I can promise you that you'll never exhaust its wisdom!

My plan is simple: I'm reading the book in May, and I'm going to rely on God's Spirit to make one thought stand out each day as I read the chapter for that day. I invite you to read a chapter a day with me in June, and I'll share one thought with you from that day's chapter. The purpose of Proverbs, as with all God's Word, is not information. He's looking for transformation that will make us more like Jesus. Spending time in Proverbs will help you experience that transformation from the inside out.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Think with me today about "the fear of the Lord." The phrase occurs fourteen times in Proverbs, and Solomon says it "the beginning of knowledge." (1:7) This concept put to work in our lives is the foundation upon which everything else rests. If we are to know true freedom in Christ, we must grasp the power behind "the fear of the Lord."

I've discovered through the years that the idea isn't so easy to define. God doesn't want us to be afraid of Him. He does want us to give Him reverence and respect. He wants us to stand in awe of Him as we recognize His greatness and our lack of greatness. This fear of the Lord is a combination, I think, of three things: reverence, humility and a willing obedience to His instructions.

Freedom Fighters original intent was clear-to help men avoid and overcome habitual sin in our lives. Solomon says that freedom begins with "the fear of the Lord." How often have you and I walked into some kind of sin without ever thinking about how our conduct or thinking would affect God? When "the fear of the Lord," that reverent, humble, obedient attitude of which Solomon speaks is at work in our lives, we think before we act. Something-someone-has become more important than our own desires and passions.

If you and I will know freedom in our lives, this is where it begins. You may be thinking Ok, how does this work? How do I begin to fear the Lord? Those are worthwhile questions. Solomon gives us answers in chapters 1 & 2. We'll look at one part of the answer today. We'll discover more of the answer tomorrow.

Much of life is about choices. We already know that. We may not know that living out "the fear of the Lord" is a choice, too. Look at vs. 29 in chapter 1: Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. God tells us that some will call on Him (vs. 28), but He will not answer. Their choosing not to choose "the fear of the Lord" prompts Him not to answer when they call.

What kind of choices have you made recently? Do they reflect reverence, humility and obedience toward God? Or, do they reveal a level of self-centeredness that pushes us to choose behaviors that can only lead us away from this great God who loves us?

Don't forget: The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge!

Today's Freedom Fighter was written by Pastor John Strain -- First Baptist of Toms River. Good word for today.