Proverbs Essay A Man of Wisdom The book of Proverbs describes what a wise man is and what his behavior grants him. A man of wisdom has many characteristic aspects that make him ‘wise’, these are made very clear in the book of Proverbs. King Solomon, being granted the wisest man, was the author to most of the proverbs that offer the descriptions of both a wise and unwise man. Some of the aspects to a wise man are hard to honor, but that is what makes a man wise, and gives him the benefits and good fortune in his life. The beginning of Proverbs gives general advice and guidance for children.
These are known as Solomon’s Wise Lessons. In this section of the book the verses are aimed at children being taught a lesson by his or her elders. The few stories consist of rejecting wisdom, benefits of wisdom, and warnings against adultery/adulteresses and folly. If you reject wisdom, then you chose not to fear the Lord as well, and will be filled with your own ways. “Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. (NIV, Proverbs 1:29-31) The other main point in the beginning of the book was the warnings against adultery. A wise man is to keep just to his wife, and only his wife, even though the adulteress is very persuasive and crafty. “Say to wisdom “you are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman; they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words. ” (NIV, Proverbs 7:4-5) The men that did subdue to the adulteress were throwing their lives away. The second section of the book of Proverbs is all proverbs from King Solomon. In these proverbs he describes a wise man and an unwise man.
A lot of the time he refers to them as simple and righteous. He demonstrates how a righteous man would act compared to a simple or unrighteous man in lots of different situations. These situations include ones like “The wise in heart accept commands, but the chattering fool comes to ruin. ” (NIV, Proverbs 10:8) “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. ” (NIV, Proverbs 11:13) “A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but the knowledge comes easy to the discerning. ” (NIV, Proverbs 14:6) These are just a few of them; I could keep going and going.
Proverbs 10:8 means that the wise people will listen and be obedient to the Lord. This obedience will be shown through God, and will bring them good fortune. If you refuse God’s commands then that shows your true character. Those that choose not to obey, and instead rebel, while thinking that they are standing up for their proud heart, will be going against their best interests. Proverbs 11:13 is saying that we should not trust people who gossip or spread stories about other people. And, if we do trust these gossiping people then we can be considered to be fools because we could not trust them with the secrets that we tell them.
Basically, choose your friendships carefully, and make sure they have the same values as you do. Proverbs 14:6 means that those seeking for wisdom without the right reason, lets say for pride or only when they need it instead of for the glory of God don’t receive wisdom. God doesn’t want to reveal the wisdom to anyone unless they are there to serve him and are humble. Someone who has an attitude that is bashful against the spiritual truth and that only picks which truth he wants to hear in order to profit himself is the scorner, and will not be granted his wishes.
According to Providence Baptist Ministries, “The right attitude makes learning easy. ” That is very understandable to me. As children, most people would say that their parents taught them the ‘golden rule’. The golden rule being, ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’. I think that this rule applies a lot to the book Proverbs in the Bible. If you act well and not in sin then you get good fortune and a good afterlife, but if you don’t act in such a way, then you will get bad fortune and a bad afterlife.
The book of Proverbs is known as a book of wisdom and is taught as in a classroom setting, as if you are learning valuable life lessons while reading these books. It’s this setting and perspective that allows this book to be so effective in teaching what the characteristics are and how to become a ‘wise man’. If you just follow these simple tasks that are outlined for you then you can live a happy life in prosperity and health. Works Cited "Bible Study Courses. " Proverbs Chapter 10. Providence Baptist Ministries, 2004. Web. 16 June 2012. <http://www. pbministries. org/Landmark_Baptist/Seminary/Bible_Study_Cou ses/Proverbs/DH_proverbs_chap10. htm>. "Bible Study Courses. " Proverbs Chapter 14. Providence Baptist Ministries, 2004. Web. 18 June 2012. <http://www. pbministries. org/Landmark_Baptist/Seminary/Bible_Study_Courses/Proverbs/DH_proverbs_chap14. htm>. Linda. "Proverbs-A Bible Study. " : Proverbs 11: 13 Gossip vs. A Faithful Spirit. N. p. , 17 Sept. 2009. Web. 16 June 2012. <http://proverbs-abiblestudy-ocmist. blogspot. com/2009/09/proverbs-11-13-gossip-vs-faithful. html>. “New International Version of The Holy Bible. ” The Book of Proverbs. Published in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1984. Print. June 16-18, 2012.
