Welcome to the first day of Proverbs, a chapter a day here at Refocused Bible Study! We’ve already started laying the foundation last week for the study of this super practical book of the bible by studying King Solomon, who wrote many chapters in this book. If you missed those posts, you can find them here.

Today we start this book as women who want God’s wisdom. But we don’t want it just for the purpose of knowing it. We want wisdom for the purpose of knowing HIM. I pray that as we approach this book, we will allow the Holy Spirit to be our teacher and show us things in his word that only he ( the One who dreamed us up, uniquely wired our personalities and pursued us in love) can whisper to us. If you are new to studying God’s word or want a refresher,  you can read more about how He teaches us through it here.

In the first seven verses of chapter one, Solomon lays out the purpose of his writing, and lays the foundation for this book:

These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Verse seven stands at the bottom of these first seven verses, ironically the foundation of the entire book of Proverbs. Everything else in the book of wisdom stands upon this verse. Let’s study it more in depth.

According to the Strong’s Lexicon, the Hebrew Word for “fear” in this verse is

‘yir’ah” – fear, terror, fearing
fear, terror
awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear)
fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety
revered

Are you fearing the Lord these days in this way? This kind of fear or reverence brings us to a place of honest humility. It brings us to our knees, knowing we are and will always be in need of the God who is so much bigger than our minds could understand.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

As I meditated on what it meant to fear the Lord, I heard the preschool director’s voice echo in my memory,  “bow your heads and close your eyes, be very reverent to God while we pray.” It may sound legalistic to say that, but she was totally correct in teaching our children the outward expression of an inward fear of the Lord. She was planting reverence in the hearts of our children, and I am so thankful she did.

Reverence for the Lord should start on the inside. If we need a good dose of reverence for the Lord, we can get one by reading one of the replies God gave Job: 

4“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
5Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
6What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
7as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
8“Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
as it burst from the womb,
9and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?
10For I locked it behind barred gates,
limiting its shores.
11I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
Here your proud waves must stop!’

Job 38:4-11NLT

When he formed the boundaries of the seas, he knew our names, how many days we would live on this earth and which oceans our toes would touch before he decided which day to bring us home to heaven, but where were we?

The mere thought of the vast oceans fixes my need to fear him every single time. He’s so much bigger than we make him out to be.

In My Life

Grow in your respectful admiration of the Lord. Continuing to realize he is bigger and better than we can imagine will naturally lead us into more wholehearted reverence and fear of Him.

As we read the book of Proverbs, I pray we will respond to Lady Wisdom calling to us and listen. No matter how many times we have read these words, I pray they will fall fresh on us and that God will give us specific direction about things we have questions about in our lives right now. I know he will be faithful to do just that, and I look forward to hearing how he leads you through it!

What was your verse today? How is God speaking to you?

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Praying for you,

Amy

Proverbs, a chapter a day starts right here at Refocused Bible Study on Monday! I have an exciting announcement! There is a study guide/journal now available to help you organize your quiet times during the month of May!

The Proverbs Study guide includes weekly memory verse cards,  quiet time patterned journal pages, and an introductory devotion to prepare your heart for studying the book of Proverbs. Your purchase helps support the continuation of this ministry.

Printable Proverbs Study Guide $5.00

Here are some sneak peaks of what you will find inside:

Front cover

Weekly memory verses (5)

Journaling Pages

If you are not able to purchase the study guide, no worries! We still want you to be a part of studying this very helpful and practical book of God’s Word.

We are using another acronym to study this month based on the word “Wise.” See the image below. 

The mission of Refocused Bible Study is to equip and encourage women to engage in God’s Word in a personal way and to know Jesus more intimately. We would love to have you join us for the book of Proverbs Monday as we grow together. You can join our Facebook group here. If you aren’t on Facebook, you can receive posts during the book of Proverbs study on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday by email here. We hope you’ll join us!

Amy

 “Here’s what I want:

Give me a God-listening heart

so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” 1 Kings 3:9 MSG

On Monday here at Refocused Bible Study, we will start studying the book of Proverbs together for the month of May. I hope you will join us!

Today we will be diving deeper into the conversation the author of many of the Proverbs, King Solomon, had with the Lord when he asked for wisdom. How do we relate to King Solomon? Why do we need wisdom as much as he needed it?

I pray that after reading this post, we will all have “a God-listening heart”like King Solomon had in the above verse as we approach the book of Proverbs!

Let’s dive into the conversation.

God has just asked Solomon to request anything he wants, and promises to give it to him.

“Solomon replied to God, “You showed great and faithful love to David, my father…

2 Chronicles 1:8a

Solomon acknowledges God’s faithfulness in the past — and how it’s affected his present. 

Do you? Take a moment and thank God for the way he’s been faithful and kind to draw you into a relationship with Him. It’s been generations in the making. Just as Solomon saw how God had been kind to his father, we can be sure that the Lord has had plans in motion to call us children that predate our existence.. He loves you that much! I spent a few moments thanking him for my faithful grandparents whom I know offered many prayers for me and also for my mother who always faithfully took me to church where I fell in love with Jesus. Be assured, sister, God has been pursuing you for generations. Isn’t he amazing?

…and now YOU have made me king in his place.”

2 Chronicles  1:8b

Next, Solomon acknowledges that it is God who has made him King of Israel. You may be asking, how does this apply to me?

You may not be king of Israel, but God has placed you in a significant role today. 

Now, YOU (God) have made me ___________________________ in this place. 

You fill in the blank. God has placed you in significant roles that will affect future generations. My blank reads  “wife, mother, bible teacher.” Yours may say something different, but whatever roles God has you in during this season are significant for building the kingdom of God and affecting future generations! This is a big responsibility. Solomon felt it, and so should we.

‘ Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” 

1 Kings 3:9

For who, by herself, can _________________________________?

Fill in the blank with whatever role God’s placed you in today. We cannot fulfill the call of God on our life on our own. We cannot build his kingdom here without his help, everyday, every hour. We must stay fully aware of our need for Him, every second.

“Neediness” is often viewed as a weakness in today’s world. Independence is something that is praised and cultivated in our daughters from a young age. But God’s Word shows us to never outgrow our dependence on God.

May this be our prayer as we approach the book of Proverbs next week.

Lord, help us:

acknowledge your past faithfulness

realize and take ownership of the roles you’ve placed us in today,

and stay in total dependence of you, our Savior and Source of Wisdom.

Give us a God-listening heart through the Proverbs, Lord, that comes alive in every area of our lives, Lord, Amen.

 

What if God visited you in a dream and told you to ask for anything you wanted?

Would it be hard for you to pick just one need? Or do you have a huge miracle you are pleading with him to perform?

King Solomon found himself in this very position, as recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter one, and also in 1Kings chapter four.

7That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

8Solomon replied to God, “You showed faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place. 9O LORD God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth!

10Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly,  for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”

11God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— 12I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”

2 Chronicles 1:7-12 NLT

Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge, and God is faithful to grant him his request.

“God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.”

1 Kings 4:29 NLT

Not only did God give him this wisdom, but he made sure that Solomon recorded much of it in his Word. King Solomon wrote Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and many of the Proverbs.

Why does this matter for women in today’s world? 

Women today need WISDOM 

We don’t need  trends of the times dictating how we live our lives. As believers in our Risen Lord, we need real, ancient truth to show us the way. The word of God is old, but it is alive and active and sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).  When we approach it as such, with our questions about priorities, disappointments, and flailing disobedience, God calms us and refocuses us on what’s really important.

Priorities in Perspective

With the gift of liberation of women as equal partners with men, we have been given the opportunity of many pursuits. With this gift, we must seek Jesus about how to properly put Him first, and keep all our other relationships and responsibilities in order. This is so hard in 2017! The truths recorded in the book of Proverbs help us to hear His voice and re-prioritize. We all get the same 24 hours in a day. We just need to abide in Him to put first things first. We do that through seeking Him in His word daily.

That is why I hope you will join us here at RefocusedBibleStudy as we read the book of Proverbs together in the month of May! I will be posting Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays here on the blog, and Monday-Friday on social media. I am excited to be partnering with some other Christian bloggers who will be guest posting here on Wednesdays! I love to see women who are wild about the Word of God come together and encourage each other in Him.

So I hope you will join us as we read Proverbs, a chapter a day that coincides with the date. There are 31 days in May and 31 chapters in Proverbs! We will start on May 1st, so grab some friends and join us!

Join our Facebook group >>> here

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