Proverbs #1 – Study Questions
The Call & Wealth of Wisdom
Proverbs 1:1-33 (CGS#1)
INTRODUCTION: As we begin our next teaching series, we also get ready to begin a new year. While there is nothing actually magical about the date change, it still moves us to have a fresh start. So, let’s begin our year by taking a dive into the book of Proverbs and the wisdom it contains. I love the way that Tremper Longman expresses the importance of reading proverbs, he writes.
“Life isn’t easy. We may enjoy temporary rest from the battle, but no one is completely immune to the complexities of circumstances and relationships. These problems range from minor annoyances, such as getting called to jury duty at an inconvenient moment, to major disasters such as a serious illness or a significant rupture in an intimate relationship. Sometimes we wake up in the morning and see the day as a series of obstacles to be avoided. We would love to be able to navigate life in a way that minimized the problems.
The Bible never suggests that the life of a follower of God will be devoid of problems. If anything, it says exactly the opposite. Life has its joys, but, according to 2 Corinthians 1:5 (“You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ”), even the joys are in the context of suffering. Unalloyed joy will come only in heaven. On this earth, we will have problems.
How do we handle life’s problems? How do we deal with difficult people or uncomfortable situations? What do we say and how do we act? How do we express our emotions? The Bible has a word to describe the person who navigates life well; that word is “wise.” A wise person lives life with boldness in spite of the inevitable difficulties.
But where do we find wisdom? We begin to answer this question by looking at the prologue to the book of Proverbs.”[1]
Proverbs meets us in the thick of life. It speaks to the real things that we all experience. It calls us to live with wisdom. Wisdom is not merely intelligence, pure and simple. It does not necessarily exclude intelligence, but that is not the focus. Wisdom is, instead, rightly or correctly applied knowledge. We all know the difference between knowing and doing. It is entirely possible to know what the right thing is and fail or neglect to do it. Then, there are the accidental moments in our lives where we did the right thing but had no idea of what we were doing. Those tend to be few and far between. Wisdom, though, is not accidental. It is knowing what is right and doing what is right. This is why Proverbs will begin by telling us of the value of wisdom and what it saves us from. This kind of wisdom only finds its source in one place, God. So, we must lean into the Lord, or as Jesus says in John 15, abide in him. That is, stay close to him, see him rightly, and be willing to follow him in his commands and instructions. When we do this, it isn’t that we’ll be transported out of this world, but that we’ll be transformed to live differently and distinctively. Wisdom isn’t just good for our personal lives, but it is also good to demonstrate that God is loving, kind, and has our best in mind. Let’s lean into Proverbs and see how God will change us along the way. And let us ask God how he wants to work through us.
GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. Who is the person in your life (past or present) who exemplifies wisdom?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.
- What did you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the passage this week? How does it encourage you? How does it sharpen you?
- How would you define wisdom? What balance of understanding and action needs to be in your definition?
- Is there any imagery In Proverbs 1 that stands out to you? What about it is particularly striking or insightful?
- Reflect on your teachability. What was a time in your life when you weren’t very teachable, and what was a time when you were? What did you learn from both of those situations?
- What is one intentional step to take for spiritual growth in the new year? It could be along the lines of learning, serving, or connecting.
[1] Tremper Longman III, How to Read Proverbs (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2002), 13–14.