Bible: 5 Poetic Books

Lesson 1: Backgrounder

The Book of Proverbs: Backgrounder

"GET SMART!"

When I was growing up, that was the name of a TV show with a secret agent, Maxwell Smart, who was anything BUT! He would always make mistakes, cause problems, PREVENT the criminals from being brought to justice, but somehow, in some way, he would muddle his way through and catch the bad guys in time for the end of the show. (Funny how that works--crimes on TV are always solved in half an hour to an hour!)

In reality, it doesn't always work that way. Bad decisions can cost us...dearly. There's a saying that only the wisest and the most foolish never change their minds. The wise man doesn't change because he is confident that he has the background knowledge necessary to make a good decision. The fool is wrong most of the time, but doesn't listen to the wise counsel of others, because he is a fool.

But we've also heard of people who KNOW what's right to do, who tell others what to do, but who don't follow their own advice. Preachers involved in sex scandals. Politicians who are leading the people by example—who are caught with their pants down, nabbed with their hands in the cookie jar. They don't "practice what they preach". What’s even worse is that in our world of twisted values, they then go on to write a book and sell a million copies, then do the talk show circuit and make even more money for the sins they have committed.

Solomon, the author of the majority of Proverbs, is like this. He is a wise, wise man, but sometimes, when you're at the top, PRIDE and arrogance take hold, and there's only one direction you can go...

When life is clicking, and we are experiencing success, the natural instinct is to allow ourselves to think that WE are the cause of it. We are so brilliant. We work so hard. We deserve the thanks and praise for how incredibly gifted we are, for the excellent decisions we’ve made. And we forget who gave us those gifts. We forget the One who allowed us to have free will and make decisions. And we forget to pray when making new ones, leading to …?

Tragedy, usually. We take a fall, and then, at our weakest, we remember who is most powerful, and we cry out to God. We seek His advice when we are broken, instead of using His guidebook for life—the Bible (including Proverbs)—on a daily basis.

There are two ways to learn how to live your life:

1. Find a wise teacher, and listen. Take in every morsel you can, and apply it to your life. Knowledge does nothing to help us if we do not act.

2. Do nothing. You will still learn, because then, EXPERIENCE will be your teacher. And, as we all know, life can be a cruel and brutal instructor.

For a look at some very sage advice, and to see why it's important for us to keep an open mind to wise counsel (and an open ear to God's guidance), go to lesson five.

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