After having warned us against the particular evils that threaten three domains of life — our family, our social contacts, and our work — Proverbs give us a portrayal of the wicked. It is a satire full of irony and sharp psychological observation. The two poems (Prov. 6:12–15, Prov 6:16–19) are parallel and, with the … Continue reading –>
Read Proverbs 6:6–8. What can we learn from the ant? Not only do ants work hard (even harder than humans, if one compares the burden they are able to carry to the burden humans can carry in proportion to their respective weights), but ants work independently and do not need to be supervised. The main … Continue reading –>
Someone once said: Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies. The book of Proverbs is concerned with the vulnerability of friendship; it counsels us on how to keep our friends and also, if necessary, how to protect ourselves from them. The Hebrew word forfriend also means neighbor, the one … Continue reading –>
Once we determine to walk in the way of wisdom, we still need great caution because we will meet obstacles along that way (see 1 Pet. 5:8). One of the greatest dangers we face deals with our families, the most precious, sensitive, and intimate domain of life. Read Proverbs 5. What dangers must we guard … Continue reading –>
Read Proverbs 4. What practical truth is found here, and how can we apply this to our own lives as we seek to live in faithfulness to God? The act of hearing marks the first step in education. In Hebrew thought, the seat of wisdom or of intelligence is located not in the brain, but … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Proverbs 4, 1 Kings 3:9, Matt. 13:44, Proverbs 5, 1 Cor. 10:13, Prov. 6:1–19. Memory Text: Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil (Proverbs 4:26-27, NKJV). Science has demonstrated that hearing impacts how … Continue reading –>
Life was hard in the western Washington town of Humptulips during the 1930s. Located on the Humptulips river on the Olympic peninsula, the town had seen better days for the commercial fishermen trying to earn a living. One family, the Moodys, found life so difficult in Humptulips that they decided to follow Mrs. Moody’s brother … Continue reading –>
Further Study: Read Ellen G. White, Hidden Treasure, p. 111–114, in Christ’s Object Lessons; A Blessing in the Home, p. 334, in Messages to Young People; Study of Physiology, p. 197, 198, in Education; Ellen G. White Comments, p. 1156, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3. The youth need to understand the deep truth … Continue reading –>
Read Proverbs 3:7. What is the trap of being wise in one’s own eyes? To be wise in one’s own eyes will lead to the illusion that one does not need God to be wise. This is a hopeless situation. There is more hope for a fool than for them (Prov. 26:12, NIV). Again, wisdom … Continue reading –>
Read Proverbs 2:1–5. What are the conditions for understanding the fear of the LORD? What choices do we have to make in this matter? Three times the discourse is introduced with the conjunction if, marking three stages in the progression of education. The first if introduces the passive stage of listening; that is, simply being … Continue reading –>
