Life is a journey, and the end of it all is not just a place but also a condition. Proverbs is about the wisdom we need for the journey, but the place where it begins may seem strange. THE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH FEAR. How is wisdom to be found if it begins with The fear of the LORD?

That means the book of Proverbs is good news for bad people. It is about grace for sinners. It is about hope for failures. It is about wisdom for idiots. Jesus Christ is the wisdom from God and the wisdom of God. He is wisdom, which means he knows what is best for all times and all cultures. He freely offers us his heavenly wisdom. Remember how he concluded his Sermon on the Mount? It was a call to wisdom.

Wisdom blends insights from the past, envisions the future’s potential, and embraces the guidance of the Spirit in the present. It serves as a life classroom, fostering communal growth towards fulfilling our destined roles in the world, both as a collective humanity and as individuals. Our journey leads us towards wisdom or folly, with each moment edging us closer to that destination.

Outline

• Wisdom is not

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  —you are not born with it.

• Knowledge starts within

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  , and then it moves toward us in His Word, in Jesus. He must reveal it by
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  , and we must receive it in
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  .

• Wisdom is not simply intellectual or academic; it is primarily

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  .

• Wisdom is:

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    (knowing and understanding) v.2
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    (wise dealing, righteousness, justice, equity) v.3
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    (prudence, knowledge, discretion) v.4

• Wisdom is cultivated through growth in Christian

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  , immersion in the
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  , and reliance on the Spirit’s
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  .

• Wisdom is

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  knowledge, the ability to apply what we know here to that problem over there.

• This wonderful

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  of the Lord is where we begin our journey into wisdom.

• Our true crisis is not informational but

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  .

• The fools

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  that relationship; ultimately, it is the Lord himself they despise.

• Wisdom is not a goal to attain; it’s a

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  that you spend your whole life on.

Application

Have you started the journey to wisdom?

Are you pursuing wisdom?

Questions

1. What voices offering wisdom do you hear around you today? What kinds of wisdom are they offering?
2. If someone asked you how Proverbs fits into the Bible, what would you say?
3. As you read the prologue (v 1–7), what words or phrases stand out, and why? How do you initially respond to the call it contains?
4. “People choosing the path of folly don’t need just an argument; they need to meet a person.” How does Proverbs show that truth, and how have you witnessed it yourself?
5. Read 1 Corinthians 1:20-31, and comment on what you see about wisdom in relation to Jesus Christ.