Week 11 A Lament of Wisdom
Judgment, condemnation, and learning a better way where does it come from?
“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.”
Mother Teresa
Passage
30“They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.
31“So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices.
32“For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33“But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Proverbs 1:30–33 (NASB95)
"Raining clouds 2" by Marlis B is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Background
Quote- Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (pronounced [bɔjaˈdʒiu]; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born in Skopje—at the time, part of the Ottoman Empire. After eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived most of her life. Saint Teresa of Calcutta was canonised on 4 September 2016. The anniversary of her death is her feast day.
After Mother Teresa founded her religious congregation, it grew to have over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries as of 2012. The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis. The congregation also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counselling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools. Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience and also profess a fourth vow: to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor."
Passage- The genre of Proverbs is mainly “Proverbs” as the name describes, there are also some Parables and Poetry. This book was written mainly by Solomon, the wisest king ever to rule. It was written during Solomon’s reign 970-930 B.C. He asked God for wisdom to rule God’s nation and He granted the request.
The main purpose of this book is to teach wisdom to God’s people. These are things which are typically true however, not always. They deal with life, principles, good judgment, and perception. They often draw distinctions between a wise man and a foolish man with parable type examples.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
Mother Teresa did a lot for others. Sometimes doing something for other people means working on ourselves first.
Ask: What do we want for other people?
Point: It’s sort of a difficult question to answer without context.
30“They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.
31“So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices.
Proverbs 1:30–31 (NASB95)
Ask: From last week we know this is Wisdom speaking. Verse thirty-one suggests it is okay to let them suffer the consequences of their own actions. Is it?
Point: Remember, the initial question is what do we want for other people.
Ask: Let’s change the initial question a little. When we’ve been asked for advice or given advice and it has been ignored, is it okay to let people fail and be happy about it?
Point: We absolutely can allow others to deal with the consequences of their actions but we should not be happy about it.
17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18Or the Lord will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.
Proverbs 24:17–18 (NASB95)
Ask: Well, it cannot be good when people who don’t follow Christ have good things happen to them can it? We should want them to fail, right?
Point: Please read the following:
19Do not fret because of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked;
20For there will be no future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
Proverbs 24:19–20 (NASB95)
Ask: What does that mean, “…the lamp of the wicked will be put out?”
Point: Please read the following:
6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
John 14:6–7 (NASB95)
Ask: What does the John passage mean concerning defining who is wicked with their lamp being put out?
Point: Those who do not know Jesus are the wicked.
Ask: Why does Proverbs tell us people who don’t know Jesus are “wicked?”
Point: Please read the following:
30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
Matthew 12:30–31 (NASB95)
Ask: What does that mean, “blasphemy against the Spirit?”
Point: Please see the Definitions page.
Ask: “Evil speaking” and “vilification, especially against God.” How do we avoid being among the wicked?
Point: Please Re-read verse thirty-two of Today’s Passage:
32“For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
Proverbs 1:32 (NASB95)
Ask: What does the scripture mean by the “waywardness” and the “complacency of fools?”
Point: Let’s look at the King James Version and see if it sheds light on this question.
32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, And the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
Proverbs 1:32 (KJV 1900)
Ask: “Turning away” and “prosperity of fools.” Turning away is easy, moving away from God but what is “the prosperity of fools?”
Point: Please read the following:
15The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
Proverbs 12:15 (NASB95)
Ask: How do we then make sure we don’t “turn away” or that we aren’t living in “the prosperity of fools?”
Point: Please re-read verse thirty-three from Today’s Passage:
33“But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Proverbs 1:33 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
12rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, Romans 12:12 (NASB95). That’s as good a place to start as any to avoid turning away from Wisdom and ensuring we aren’t wallowing in the prosperity of fools. There is a lot more in Romans Chapter twelve. In fact, it’s in the questions for the week. The point of today’s lesson is simple. God sends us wisdom, His wisdom in many ways. We should learn to find it, internalize it, and live by it wherever we find it.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Look up the word “lament” in the dictionary.
Question 2 Read all of Romans 12 keeping the title of today’s lesson in mind, A Lament of Wisdom.
Question 3 Re-read all of Proverbs Chapter 1 with the understanding of what a Lament is and what Paul said in Romans 12. Keep in mind Paul was intimately aware of what Proverbs chapter 1 says.
Question 4 Write as much or as little as you are lead to write in your journal concerning Wisdom’s lament in Proverbs Chapter 1 and where you may be turning from her good advice.
Question 5 Enter into prayer about those things you have identified as needing work, and for God to help you make sure you aren’t overlooking something He wants you to work on as well.
blasphemy
blas-fuh-mee
noun, plural blas·phe·mies.
impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.
Judaism.
an act of cursing or reviling God.
pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) in the original, now forbidden manner instead of using a substitute pronunciation such as Adonai.
Theology
the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.
irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless, etc.:
He uttered blasphemies against life itself.
Greek Strong’s Number: 988
Greek Word: βλασφημία
Transliteration: blasphēmia
Phonetic Pronunciation: blas-fay-me’-ah
Root: from <G989>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 1:621,107
Part of Speech: n f
Vine’s Words: Blaspheme, Blasphemy, Blasphemer, Blasphemous, Evil speaking, Rail, Railer, Railing
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
blasphemy 16
railing 2
evil speaking 1
[Total Count: 19]
from <G989> (blasphemos); vilification (especially against God):- blasphemy, evil speaking, railing.