“Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise, apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you.” Proverbs 22:17-19
These are the words of the wise, as the heading in my Bible reads. Perhaps they are of Solomon too, but we are not sure. However, they are wise sayings, and we must heed such wise words. Thinking again of Wisdom and Folly, I read many of the chapters of Proverbs looking for such words of wisdom. Proverbs is full of them. I thought I would write down here several that deal with wisdom and folly. As we read last week, Wisdom and Folly are both vying for our attention, both are calling out, “Come here!” As we saw last week, it is always better to bypass Folly’s house and go straight to Wisdom’s. So, let’s hear what Wisdom has to say!
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Prov. 13:20).
“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” (Prov. 14:8)
“A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.” (Prov. 15:5)
“The lips of the wise spread knowledge, not so the hearts of fools.” (Prov. 15:7)
“The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of the fool feeds on folly.” (Prov. 15:14)
“Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.” (Prov. 15:21)
“The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.” (Prov. 15:24)
“He who listens to life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.” (Prov. 15:31).
“A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” (Prov. 17:24).
“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.” (Prov. 18:2)
“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge. The ears of the wise seek it out.” (Prov. 18:15)
“A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” (Prov. 19:3).
“He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.” (Prov. 19:8).
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.” (Prov. 14:12).
“A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead.” (Prov. 21:16).
“Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning, and even among fools she lets herself be known.” (Prov. 14:33).
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” (Prov. 19:20).
Let’s really listen with open ears to the voice of Wisdom!
“For whoever finds me [wisdom] finds life and receives favor from the Lord.” (Prov. 8:35).
Which way will we go?
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