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, the son of David, 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 even with us, the church.
Before launching into a year-long proverbs devotional there’s a couple things we need to know.
First, obviously each proverb is short, therefore, we should not expect them to tell us everything we need to know about their topic. These are not discourses, they’re memorable, poetic bits that you can take with you wherever you go.
Second, Proverbs aren’t promises. Yes, they tell us how life usually works, but not how life always works. We must never forget that we live in a world that is full of sin, and that sin often makes things go a different way than God intended. Proverbs is just one piece of God’s wisdom pie. Books like Job and Ecclesiastes remind us that in order to be wise we must also understand sin and suffering, and the apparent randomness of life. The Proverbs are principles for how to live the good life, but they are often thwarted by the evil that exists in the world side by side with the good.
Most importantly, Proverbs point to Jesus.
If this is a new thought for you, then welcome to TLIC, where we believe that everything in scripture points us to Christ and our union with him.
In 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul says that Jesus IS the wisdom of God. Jesus didn’t just teach the wisdom of God, or follow the wisdom of God, he literally is the wisdom of God in the flesh. All of God’s wisdom is embodied by Jesus, by his cross. Jesus is not only the wisest person ever, he IS wisdom. What does this mean? It means that no person can achieve the wisdom of this book without first receiving it in the person and work of Christ.
If you are a Christian, then you have received Christ. And if you have received Christ, if your life is united to his, then you have received wisdom into your own life and soul, mind and heart. The Spirit of Wisdom lives in you, Christian.
Ephesians 1:17. [I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.
One of the biggest blunders we could make this year is to try and apply the principles of wisdom from this book without trusting in the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Christ, in our hearts. May the grace of God keep us from this mistake, and instead open our hearts to hear his wisdom through the lens of our union with Christ.
You: Have you received the person and work of Christ as your salvation?
You in Christ: Why can we only be truly wise if we have union with Christ?
Christ in you: In what way does being wise require trusting Jesus?
Pray: Father, your wisdom can’t be contained in mere principles. 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.
To Live is Christ 