Proverbs 1 & 2

Happy Tuesday afternoon and welcome as we journey through Proverbs... the book of wisdom. Hopefully when we are done, we will all be a little smarter. ***Proverbs 1*** v.18 "These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves." I think it's safe to say that we have all encountered bad people. People who are motivated only by their own personal gain and will do anything, run anyone over to get what they want. Nowadays we aren't really scared of people hiding behind bushes, but people that wear ties and promise us the moon... Someone like Bernie Madoff. Often times it doesn't feel like these people are ambusing themselves, but they are ambushing us. They have enjoyed all the benefits that come from being super-wealthy, while so many are left to pick up the pieces after their nest-eggs were hit by a wrecking ball. So how is it that they ambush themselves? I believe that the most important thing on this world is relationships. If one has a relationship with God and with one's family and neighbors, then anything can happen, and it will be ok. The wicked do not have real relationships. The people that surround them only do so out of fear or they are in it for their own benefit. But what happens when it all comes crashing down? v. 26 "I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you." They ambush themselves and destroy all of their relationships, they end up alone. But are we so innocent? Have we never hurt someone else? Of course we have, we have each done and said wicked things. I am reminded of the famous scene of The Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood, when the kid says "Well I guess he had it coming" and Clint says, "We all have it coming kid." We do... death is coming for all of us, disaster will strike us all. But we won't end up alone... That's the good news. ***Proverbs 2*** We know the author of Proverbs is Solomon, but could it be that this book was written to his children? v1 "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you..." I could probably look up the Hebrew and figure it out, but I don't really want to. Besides, this is more a devotional thing than a theological essay. I'm just going to think that it is written from a father to a child. With that lens, we read this as wisdom which is being passed down from generation to generation. What a great gift to leave to your children, a book that has all the wisdom that one has learned in a life. Something a child can hold on to and read often as they grow and mature. It makes sense. It's what pilots do. If a pilot is flying from LA to New York and experiences turbulence, he will share that information with the pilots coming behind him. Problems in life are a lot easier to deal with when we can see them coming. I remember so many lessons from my parents and grandparents growing up, things that have made me the person I am today. I remember my grandma used to say "never make fun of anyone, because God made them, so if you make fun of them you make fun of God." That has stuck with me for a long time. I wonder if we are getting away from teaching our children. They are so busy with everything they have going on that when they get home everyone is tired and ready to relax, do homework, and go to bed. The most important thing we can leave children is knowledge. Maybe we can write our own books... or maybe we can read them this book.