THE VALUE OF WISDOM

Proverbs 2:1-22 / Keywords 2:6

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2:1 My son, if you accept my words

    and store up my commands within you,

2 turning your ear to wisdom

    and applying your heart to understanding—

3 indeed, if you call out for insight

    and cry aloud for understanding,

4 and if you look for it as for silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;

    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He holds success in store for the upright,

    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8 for he guards the course of the just

    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9 Then you will understand what is right and just

    and fair—every good path.

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,

    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 Discretion will protect you,

    and understanding will guard you.

12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,

    from men whose words are perverse,

13 who have left the straight paths

    to walk in dark ways,

14 who delight in doing wrong

    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

15 whose paths are crooked

    and who are devious in their ways.

16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,

    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

17 who has left the partner of her youth

    and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a]

18 Surely her house leads down to death

    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

19 None who go to her return

    or attain the paths of life.

20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good

    and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21 For the upright will live in the land,

    and the blameless will remain in it;

22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Footnotes

a. Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God

1. The Bible is a perennial steady seller. But only people who seek and search for it as a hidden treasure (4) find wisdom. Whoever finds wisdom, wisdom protects them and guards their course (8). Wisdom will save them from the ways of wicked men who have left the straight paths, who delight in doing wrong, whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways (12~15).

 

2. If we accept wisdom, then we will understand what is right, just, and fair -- every good path. For wisdom will enter our heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to our soul (10) like the true vine and the branches (John 15:5).

 

3. If we seek wisdom, we will walk in the ways of the good and live in the land (20, 21). But the wicked will be cut off from the land (22).

 

Prayer Father, thank you for giving me wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Help me to store them up in my heart and repent my wickedness.

One Word Value and seek God’s wisdom

LISTEN TO GOD AND LIVE

Proverbs 1:8-33 / Keywords 1:33

but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.

 

 Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction

    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

9 They are a garland to grace your head

    and a chain to adorn your neck.

10 My son, if sinful men entice you,

    do not give in to them.

11 If they say, “Come along with us;

    let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,

    let’s ambush some harmless soul;

12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,

    and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13 we will get all sorts of valuable things

    and fill our houses with plunder;

14 cast lots with us;

    we will all share the loot”—

15 my son, do not go along with them,

    do not set foot on their paths;

16 for their feet rush into evil,

    they are swift to shed blood.

17 How useless to spread a net

    where every bird can see it!

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;

    they ambush only themselves!

19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;

    it takes away the life of those who get it.

Wisdom’s Rebuke

20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,

    she raises her voice in the public square;

21 on top of the wall[d] she cries out,

    at the city gate she makes her speech:

22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?

    How long will mockers delight in mockery

    and fools hate knowledge?

23 Repent at my rebuke!

    Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,

    I will make known to you my teachings.

24 But since you refuse to listen when I call

    and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,

25 since you disregard all my advice

    and do not accept my rebuke,

26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;

    I will mock when calamity overtakes you—

27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,

    when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,

    when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;

    they will look for me but will not find me,

29 since they hated knowledge

    and did not choose to fear the Lord.

30 Since they would not accept my advice

    and spurned my rebuke,

31 they will eat the fruit of their ways

    and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

    and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety

    and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Footnotes

d. Proverbs 1:21 Septuagint; Hebrew / at noisy street corners

1. Solomon advises his son (and us) against acquiring immoral earnings (v. 15). Not all of us may be engaging in ambushing and looting as in this passage, but we should all examine our hearts to see if “precious substance” (v. 13) is a stumbling block as we follow Christ, as Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:26). Love of material gain will eventually cost us our lives (v. 19), piercing us with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10). We should not justify our crafty ways.

 

2. Solomon fiercely rebukes us to repent our stubbornness and foolishness. He points out that we are pushing away God’s wisdom while childishly indulging ourselves with our pride. He warns us that this behavior brings calamities like a storm, one after another. Our lives without the fear of God will be conquered by constant stress and anxiety.

 

3. We must desire God’s knowledge and learn to reject our selfish thoughts. We must open our ears to listen to God’s voice and calling. Then God will bless us with his eternal safety and comfort.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for giving us your wisdom. When I am tempted by dishonest gain, help me to listen to you and live a blessed life.

One Word Listen to God and live

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Proverbs 1:1-7 / Keywords 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

 

Purpose and Theme

1:1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;

    for understanding words of insight;

3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,

    doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,[a]

    knowledge and discretion to the young—

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,

    and let the discerning get guidance—

6 for understanding proverbs and parables,

    the sayings and riddles of the wise.[b]

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

    but fools[c] despise wisdom and instruction.

Footnotes

a. Proverbs 1:4 The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.

b. Proverbs 1:6 Or understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles

c. Proverbs 1:7 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.

1. This passage introduces the theme of Proverbs. It was written by King Solomon, David’s successor, who asked God for wisdom to shepherd his people. God blessed him with wisdom, and he was known as the wisest man on earth. Solomon shares his godly wisdom in Proverbs.

 

2. Godly wisdom helps us to live prudent and righteous lives. We need godly wisdom to be able to rise above our sinful nature and worldly trends and ideologies. The simple tend to be young people who are wide open in their minds and hearts. Without wisdom, they can fall into a pit or trap. The simple need prudence to channel their lives and to behave in a right and just way. Godly wisdom protects people to live discreetly.

 

3. If you don’t know what to do, study Proverbs to gain wisdom. Those who are wise can add to their wisdom. Those who are discerning can have keener insight. We all – young and old – need wisdom. The secret to and beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. Then, when we fear God and honor God as God in our lives, we can have his Spirit to guide us with wisdom. The mark of a fool is that he despises godly wisdom and instruction. The fool follows his own faulty understanding and thinks he knows what is best.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for giving us wisdom when we fear you and seek from you what is right.

One Word Fear God and receive wisdom

THE PARABLE OF THE TENANTS

Luke 20:1-18 / Keywords 20:17

Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'?

 

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

20:1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants

9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

“‘The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone’[a]?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Footnotes

a. Luke 20:17 Psalm 118:22

1. The high officials of the Sanhedrin were offended by Jesus’ authority to cleanse the temple. They came to Jesus to discredit his divine authority with a malicious question. In reply Jesus asked them about John the Baptist. Was his baptism from heaven or of human origin? It was to help them to think about how God was doing his work of salvation through John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah. They knew the answer but deceived themselves and avoided facing the truth. Despite clear evidence of Jesus’ divine authority, they refused to answer. They became God’s enemies.

 

2. The parable of the tenants shows the tragedy when God’s people forget their position as stewards of God’s vineyard entrusted to them. The result is losing the privilege to work in his vineyard, enjoying his blessings. This parable also shows God’s patient love and hope for his rebellious people. God sent his Son, but his people rejected and killed him and claimed ownership of the vineyard. In this way they rejected God’s love and his ownership. They could not escape God’s judgment. God’s plan seemed thwarted due to his people’s failure. But God raised Jesus, the rejected stone, from the dead and made him the cornerstone, the sure foundation of salvation for all mankind.

 

Prayer Lord, thank you for the privilege to work in your vineyard. Help me be a good tenant of your vineyard and a good steward of your blessings.

One Word I am a steward of God’s vineyard

JESUS WEPT OVER JERUSALEM

Luke 19:41-48 / Keywords 19:41

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

 

19:41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jesus at the Temple

45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’[c]; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”

47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

Footnotes

c. Luke 19:46 Isaiah 56:7

d. Luke 19:46 Jer. 7:11

1. Jesus wept over Jerusalem as he made his entry into it. He came to bring peace to his people, but his people did not recognize the long-awaited Messiah and rejected him when he came to his own, and thus missed their opportunity for peace (Jn 1:11). If they had welcomed him, the king of peace, Jesus would have given them real peace. Jesus’ heart was broken, and he wept for them, for he foresaw the impending judgment of God falling on them in the near future because they would reject God’s love to the end (43-44).

 

2. When Jesus entered the temple courts, he saw the money changers and those selling animals. Out of spiritual anger, he drove them out and rebuked the religious leaders who did not pray, but used the temple as a marketplace, “My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” Then he taught the word of God every day at the temple to restore the temple as a place of true worship, place of prayer for all nations, and Bible teaching. The religious leaders did not repent, but tried to kill him, thinking that Jesus was a threat to their authority.

 

Prayer Lord, make my heart a place where you are always welcome. Give me a repentant heart and eyes to recognize you when you come to me.

One Word Jesus weeps over the lost

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM AS KING

Luke 19:28-40 / Keywords 19:38

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

 

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

19:28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Footnotes

b. Luke 19:38 Psalm 118:26

 

1. Jesus wanted to reveal himself as the promised King by riding on a colt as was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. But he had no colt. So, he sent his two disciples to bring it with a simple claim: “The Lord needs it.” When they obeyed, they experienced the Lordship of Jesus and brought the colt. Jesus is the Lord, the Owner and Maker of everything. When Jesus says, “The Lord needs it,” it should be available for his use. To be used by and for Jesus is a great blessing and honor for us.

 

2. As Jesus went down the Mount of Olives riding on a colt, the whole crowd welcomed their king in a loud voices, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Jesus is God’s anointed King, but he is so humble and gentle that anyone can come to him without being threatened. Jesus is the King of peace. We want peace, but we cannot have it by worldly power or better conditions or material possessions. True peace comes when we receive forgiveness of our sins. Peace comes from our true King Jesus, who died on the cross to set us free from the power of sin and death and to make peace between God and us. Jesus our King entered Jerusalem to die and bring us peace with God and with others.

 

Prayer Lord Jesus, my King, come and rule my heart and life with your peace. Let me and all that I have be available to you for your use.

One Word The Lord needs it; he is the King!