TLIC PROVERBS. JANUARY 1: PROVERBS.

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

This is how the book of Proverbs begins.

Israel’s third king, Solomon, was blessed by God with almost supernatural wisdom. At the beginning of his reign Solomon asked God for wisdom to rule the people of God. Thankfully Solomon did not keep this divine wisdom to himself. That’s what this book is – Solomon sharing God’s wisdom with his sons, with the nation of Israel, and with us, the church.

Before launching into a year-long proverbs devotional there’s a couple things we need to know.

1. Obviously each proverb is short, so they don’t tell us everything we need to know about their topic. These are not discourses, they’re memorable bits that you can take with you wherever you go.  

2. Proverbs aren’t promises. They tell us how life usually works, but not always. Why not? Because we live in a world full of sin, and that sin often makes things go a different way than God intended.

3. Proverbs point to Jesus. All of God’s wisdom is embodied by Jesus, by his cross. Jesus is not only the wisest person ever, he IS wisdom. No person can achieve the wisdom of this book without first receiving it in the person and work of Christ. 

In Christ: Being in Christ places us into God’s wisdom. How is this different from simply gaining more wisdom through knowledge?

Christ in you: What is the difference between saying Jesus is wise, and saying Jesus is wisdom?

Pray: Father, your wisdom can’t be contained in pithy sayings. It can only be contained in the eternal Christ. Thank you for these proverbs that can help me embrace the wisdom of Christ in me. Amen.