Bible: 5 Poetic Books

Lesson 5: The Book of Proverbs: Teach Me, Grasshopper!

Wisdom concerning DISCIPLINE

Cross Examinations:

DISCIPLINE. The word strikes fear in the hearts of some and motivates others. World-class athletes understand discipline. Anyone who has graduated with a degree from a university, tech school, or college understands discipline. Those who build cars from scratch, complete five thousand piece puzzles, or raise children understand discipline. Many of us aren't big fans of it, but we understand the need for it. Without discipline, nothing gets done.

Early on in Proverbs, we are told to respect it:

1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

If we respect God, we respect and learn from His word. If we have no respect for someone, you know what happens--what we hear goes "in one ear and out the other". In this way, a healthy fear of God makes us respect Him, take in His words and apply them to life. At the same time, our lives should not be lived in fear. We do not need to fear other things, for God is always stronger. We can find our strength in Him, even (and especially) when we ourselves are weak.

In some ways, this is the guiding principle for all that is to follow in this unit:

FAMILY--If you've ever seen a dysfunctional family, you will have noticed that family roles are not clear, discipline is not consistent, and no one seems to know what is expected of their behavior (perhaps Mom and Dad have different views of what is and is not okay. And that's a reason to get guidance from the Bible--its message never changes.

GOSSIP--In the New Testament, James writes at length about the power of the tongue and taming the tongue. He understands the damage that gossip can have, and he wants no part of it. Here, in Proverbs, we get some guidelines involving gossip.

THE HEART--Ever see someone in love? They go temporarily insane. Their brains go on vacation. They get mixed up, emotional--almost forget their own name when their "significant other" is nearby. If your mind is muddled when you're in love, solid guidance from the Bible won't steer you wrong.

JUDGMENT AND DIRECTION

Decision-making is a part of life. Do I take this job or that job? How do I choose my life partner? Where should I go to get a better education? Will my spouse and I have children or not? As we saw in the section on stress in the Psalms section, stress can put us in a frenzy, and in that kind of state, decisions we make may not always be in our own best interest. Thank God that HE's put a guidebook here in the Bible for us!

By having the discipline to seek out good teaching, examine what it means, learn it, and apply it to our lives, our own judgment improves, and we become models of discipline to others. Inspired?

Let's continue with the next lesson!

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