Allan Moseley - Living Well: Gods Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

LIVING WELL

Gods Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

ALLAN MOSELEY

Living Well: Gods Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

Copyright 2017 N. Allan Moseley

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the ESVBible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) ( ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ( NIV ) are from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ( YLT ) are from Robert Youngs Literal Translation. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked ( TLB ) are taken from The Living Bible copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN 9781683590101

Digital ISBN 9781683590118

Lexham Editorial: Jennifer Edwards, Rebecca Florence Miller, Abigail Stocker, Lisa Eary, Elizabeth Vince

Cover Design: Christine Christophersen

Back Cover Design: Brittany Schrock

CONTENTS

I n 2003, A. J. Jacobs published a book entitled The Know-It-All . That book was based on his experience of reading through the Encyclopaedia Britannica in one year. He read all forty-four million words on thirty-three thousand pages. Mr. Jacobs, a journalist by trade, now knows all sorts of minutiae. He knows that the British tried to tax clocks in 1797 , that absentee voting is very popular in Ireland, and that there is a heated controversy over who invented the accordion.

Mr. Jacobs personifies the information age. We have access to more information than any former generation. However, access to information is not the same as the development of wisdom. Just ask Mr. Jacobs . His vast reservoir of knowledge hardly made him wiser, and he admits that it did not make him smarter. Mainly, it made him annoying to his family. His wife started fining him for every fact he mentioned that wasnt relevant to their conversation.

In contrast with that, God has given us the biblical book of Proverbs to teach us knowledge about life. The information in Proverbs is not for the purpose of filling our heads with facts, but to help us live successful lives. The contents of the book of Proverbs are not up-to-the-minute factoids; they are lessons about living that have endured for three thousand years. Furthermore, they express not merely the opinion or wisdom of people, but Gods revelation. At times Gods wisdom runs against the wisdom common to human beings. Sometimes it confronts it head on. When it does, it seems radical to us.

What is the worth of Gods wisdom? begins, She is more precious than jewels. Thats an amazing statement. Gods wisdom is worth more than silver, gold, and jewels. Solomon, who wrote most of the Proverbs, had plenty of silver, gold, and jewels. He was a rich man. But he wrote here that wisdom is more valuable than all of that.

A second word that expresses the value of wisdom is incomparable. The second part of verse says, Nothing you desire can compare with her. Think of the thing you desire most. Whatever it is, its worth doesnt compare with the worth of Gods wisdom.

Third, wisdom is beneficial. Verse says, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. The word for peace is shalom . That word, usually translated peace, was used to refer to more than the absence of conflict. It also referred to wholeness and well-being. When we walk in the way of wisdom, we are in a position to receive many benefits that would not be available to us if we lived foolishly. The benefits include a longer life, more wealth, peace with others, and peace within ourselves.

says, The L ORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens. Using his wisdom, God created the universe. When we go to God to receive his wisdom, were accessing something that is powerful. If God used his wisdom to create the vast and intricate universe, certainly his wisdom will make a great difference in our lives. Never doubt the worth of Gods wisdom.

So, we begin our encounter with the book of Proverbs by emphasizing how valuable the wisdom contained in this book is. Years ago I told God that I wanted to seek his wisdom in the book of Proverbs. I asked him to give me wisdom from his word. So I read through the book of Proverbs slowly, and I categorized every verse according to its subject. I isolated over forty subjects addressed in the book of Proverbs, like interpersonal relationships, handling finances, marriage and parenting, anger, and the use of speech. Through the years, I have returned to that list of verses many times for guidance in my life. Over and over I have read what Gods book of wisdom has to say, and it has been an immeasurable help to me.

I wrote this book because my friend Elaine Funderburk suggested that I do so. One of G. K. Chestertons friends made such a suggestion to him once too. In the resulting book, Orthodoxy , he commented, It was perhaps an incautious suggestion to make to a person only too ready to write books upon the feeblest provocation.Seminary, where I teach, and the people of Christ Baptist Church, so many of whom live the words of this book.

The themes herein were chosen because of their prominence in Proverbs and their relevance to living in todays world. In the introduction, I attempt to prepare readers to benefit from the book of Proverbs by providing some necessary background information. The balance of the book is divided into three sections. Part I address the wisdom in Proverbs related to those subjects.

I hope that reading this book will result in a continuing journey to seek wisdom as if we were seeking silver or gold. Such a journey will make us a success in the best sense of that word. At times the journey will take us in a radically different direction from those around us. But if we follow the path of Gods wisdom we will live well, because we will look at everything in our lives through eyes that have been enlightened by divine wisdom.

W hen I was in high school, the youth group in my home church went on a mission trip. On the way home, the bus stopped at a mall, and I bought a little book entitled Poor Richards Quotations . The book consisted of quotes from Poor Richards Almanac, edited by Benjamin Franklin . That almanac featured proverbs. When I bought the book, I had no idea how much I would enjoy reading those proverbs, rereading them, and thinking about them through the years. Its been many years since I first read that book (how many years will remain a safely guarded secret), but I often think of those proverbs.

The reason I remember proverbs I read so long ago is that they are so closely related to everyday life. For example, when Im visiting in someones home and I face a variety of foods that do not look especially appealing, I remember, Hunger never saw bad bread. The meaning of the proverb is clearwhen were really hungry, anything will taste good. Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor has prodded me to remember to be grateful and satisfied with what I have. If