January 4, 2014 – Proverbs 1 – Steering Clear of Sinful Men

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

What Does this Passage Say?

• On Saturday’s and Sunday’s we will pause from our reading of the New Testament and read through the books of Psalms and Proverbs. Some Saturday’s we will read through Proverbs and all other weekend days we will read through Psalms.
• The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon the third true King of Israel, the son of David, born to Bathsheba. Solomon ruled over Israel during an amazing amount of peace and was able to lead the nation into great wealth and prosperity. Solomon was also privileged to construct the Temple of God.
• Proverbs are often short statements sometimes standing alone giving wisdom and guidance. Proverbs begins by sharing its purpose. It then moves on into advice concerning wisdom.
• Our thirty-one day (that’s how many chapters are in Proverbs) may not follow the new structure of the Bible reading plan. That will be due to the random nature of Proverbs. However, there will be one thought that I will typically pull from that days reading.

 What is this passage teaching?

• The first couple chapters of Proverbs will concern wisdom. Wisdom is an import part of life. Seeking sound wisdom is important. In our reading today Solomon warns us to be wise against the invitation of Sinful Men. This invitation is often the destruction of many. What a brilliant place for Solomon to begin.

 How can I apply this passage to my life?

• How often do you fall into sin simply on your own? It may happen on occasion, but often the sins we struggle with, the sins we stumble upon have been introduced to us by others. Solomon warns it is wise to not let sinful men entice you, to not give in to them. What wise advice. Steer clear of situations where you may be tempted. Steer clear of friends that may drag you away from serving and following God with all you are. There is profound wisdom in the words of Solomon.