As most of you already know, Pastor Matt has embarked on a teaching series on each Wednesday evening titled PRIZING PROVERBS. If you hadn’t known that, then please pass the Word around (pun intended)!
The first two weeks have been an introduction, formulated with the use of a "Proverb" acrostic:
P – Purpose of the book: How to live wisely
R – Rules for interpretation to keep in mind
O – Origin of the book (author, date, recipients, etc.)
V – Various topics in Proverbs (e.g. the Lord, the family, the fool, diligence & laziness, friendship, finances, life & death
E – Explanation & Examples of Parallelism: Synonymous, antithetical, emblematic and synthetic parallelism; i.e. those that say the same thing, those that are opposite, those that are symbols and some that continue the thought or complete a statement
R – Relating Wisdom to Christ, namely the wisdom of man vs. the wisdom of God
B – Beginning of wisdom, namely, the fear of the Lord.
As you can see, this was an exhaustive introduction and a marvelous overview/explanation of what we could expect to learn. As I looked around the sanctuary (our meeting place), I said to myself, "Where is everybody?”
This teaching series has been and will be vital to our daily walk, especially since it exalts Christ, imparts His wisdom and will instruct us about virtually everything. Also, it will clear up misconceptions, misunderstandings and/or misinterpretations. Let me cite an example:
Proverbs 22:6 - “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Jay E. Adams in Competent to Counsel writes,
This has been taken by some interpreters to mean that if parents train children properly in youth they will not depart from that training when they grow older. However, this is probably not what the verse means. Literally, the passage reads, ‘train a child after the manner of his way,’ that is, after the standard or manner in which he wants to be trained. The verse stands not as a promise but as a warning to parents that if they allow a child to train himself after his own wishes (permissively) they should not expect him to want to change these patterns when he matures. Children are born sinners and when allowed to follow their own wishes will naturally develop sinful habit responses. The basic thought is that such habit patterns become deep-seated when they have been ingrained in the child from the earliest days. The corollary to this passage is found in Proverbs 19:18 where the writer exhorts the reader, ‘ Discipline your son while there is hope; do not set your heart on his destruction.’
Wow, this is great stuff!
This is the kind of teaching and preaching that we receive each and every week at FBC Weymouth. We’re given the opportunity to ask questions, dialogue about life issues and get remedy, most importantly, Godly advice, counsel, instruction and help. Oh, how we need all of this.
So, why isn’t everyone here?
I believe that we need to make this a weekly priority for ourselves and family and friends and even those people we know who are not believers in Christ. Each week, we’ll “Get Wisdom”, and as we do, we are led by The Holy Spirit in our life’s decisions for us and for our relationships. At the same time, non- believers will be drawn to “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Corinthians 1:24b-25.