Fear God and Live Wisely!

Proverbs 1

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, October 3. Please join me in wishing a happy birthday to Josh Richardson.

Solomon used the BLUF method of communication in the book of Proverbs. I was taught this style in the military; it stands for: Bottom Line Up Front, meaning you provide the most important information first. The aim is to make communication precise and powerful. Solomon succeeded in doing so with the opening paragraph of Proverbs, concluding the introduction of the book with the most important statement in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Solomon desired for people to walk in the counsel of the Lord; his father, David, had also taught from the beginning of his book of wisdom, stating the bottom line up front in Psalm 1:1-2, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

The heart of Proverbs can be summed up, “Fear God and Live Wisely!” Solomon concluded the opening chapter, in verses 32-33, with a double-edged promise, “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.” [emphasis added] Solomon is speaking through the voice of wisdom personified, warning those who foolishly despise her will eat the fruit of their own folly; in contrast, those who wisely listen to her, and heed her voice, shall reap blessings.

Seize the moment and apply the wisdom of Proverbs 1: fear God and live wisely! Paul emphasized this principle of wisdom to us in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”