An angel appears to a professor and offers a choice: great wisdom or great wealth. He picks wisdom, and the first thing he says afterwards is: “I should have taken the money.” This anecdote opens a new series on Hebrew wisdom literature and a first bird’s-eye look at the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 1), which teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and that wisdom is not academic titles but the art of living well day by day. Listen and consider what foundation your everyday choices rest on.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The book of Proverbs opens by saying that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. According to the sermon, what did the fear of God mean to the Jews, and how does that change your understanding of this verse?
- In the opening chapters, Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly both invite passersby into their homes. What does this picture say about who can access wisdom and where each path leads?
- The sermon describes wisdom as the practical skill of living well, seen in how you work, spend money, argue and make up. In which of these areas do you most need God's wisdom right now?
- The sermon compared life without objective truth to a game of chess with no rules. Where do you see the effects of the belief that everyone has their own truth, and what difference does it make to know the world rests on God's principles?
- Proverbs are not commands or guarantees, and two neighboring proverbs say both not to answer a fool and to answer a fool. How do you discern which approach is wise in a particular conversation, for example online?
- A gentle answer turns away wrath. In which difficult conversation this week do you want to deliberately respond gently, and how can you prepare for it?
