Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Today is 2-for-1 Friday!
Check out Wisdom: The Best Adornment!
The Questions
1) What do the author’s many word pictures tell us?
2) What is the anchor of these teachings?
3) How does discipline tie into these teachings?
Proverbs 3:1-12
My son, don’t forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commands;
2 for they will bring you
many days, a full life, and well-being.
3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you.
Tie them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will find favor and high regard
with God and people.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways know him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 This will be healing for your body
and strengthening for your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions
and with the first produce of your entire harvest;
10 then your barns will be completely filled,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son,
and do not loathe his discipline;
12 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.
Original Intent
1) What do the author’s many word pictures tell us?
King Solomon was the wisest man outside of Christ who has ever walked the earth. (1 Kings 4:29-30) His understanding went far beyond his time, having insights into sciences that had yet to even be discovered (1 Kings 4:33-34), but his understanding about God and His design for how to live was incredible. 1 Kings records that he wrote over 3,000 proverbs and composed over 1,000 songs all focused on wisdom and the insights God had given him as a gift. Solomon’s ability to speak and write were unmatched in his time, and he used many poetic devices to portray the truths God had given to him. In Proverbs alone we find many of these, not the least of which are word pictures. The wise king employed word pictures to arrest the attention of his audience, helping them put “skin” on his often abstract concepts. Loyalty and faithfulness are difficult to explain, especially to a youth who is just beginning to move from concrete to abstract thinking. By using word pictures, Solomon was helping ensure that God’s wisdom would be understood by his audience, particularly his own son. We can do the same! Next time you think about strong bones or a beautiful necklace, remember God’s wisdom and the deep, unshakeable beauty it brings!
2) What is the anchor of these teachings?
Often, in Hebrew literature, a commonly used devise was to anchor important truths on a central truth, which acted like a hinge on a door, allowing it to open and close. We see this tool evidenced in Proverbs 3. Verses 1-4 lay out the importance of listening, following, and full-heartedly embracing God’s wisdom. Verses 8-12 make plain the outcome of what it looks like in real life to follow God’s wisdom. Sandwiched in between, we have our anchoring “hinge” truth, by which the other two portions of the passage “hang”. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” By using this poetic device, King Solomon hangs every emphasis on the reality that unless we trust God and His heart over our own human, self-focused, prideful ways, we will neither be willing to embrace wisdom, nor have the benefit of its affects in our lives. Trusting God is at the core of wisdom and all wise teachings.
3) How does discipline tie into these teachings?
verse 11-12
Everyday Application
1) What do the author’s many word pictures tell us?
There is only so much we can do to change the outside of our appearance. Eyeliner, concealer, and blush are common go-to’s for everyday wear for many women, but the old saying still holds true, “Beauty is only skin deep.” A few swipes of makeup remover and we are left with a clean face. Solomon, the wise father speaking these proverbs, points his son to a deeper beauty, one of the heart. This kind of adornment is permanent because it comes from the inside and flows outward, affecting everyday life. This beauty is characterized by loyalty and faithfulness adorning our lives like a gentleman’s necktie or a woman’s classy string of pearls. This beauty brings healing and strength to who we are as people. Want to make an impression on the kids around you about hard-to-understand truths? Try Solomon’s word pictures to express God’s wise character!
2) What is the anchor of these teachings?
God’s ways over our ways. Choosing to trust God’s heart over choosing to trust our own pride. This is the crux of wisdom being embraced and the cornerstone by which it overflows into real, everyday life. Without trusting God over self, wisdom will not be made evident in our lives, adorning us and strengthening us. Without trusting God over self, we will not see the benefit in our everyday lives.
3) How does discipline tie into these teachings?
What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study today?
Catch up with Wisdom: The Best Adornment!
Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
Memorize It!
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