As we embark on this Epic battle between choosing wisely and foolishly, God is here to help us! As a Good Father, He desires to teach us and give us wise counsel so we can live a happier, more peaceful, and more secure life. As you follow along on the page with Proverbs 1:8-19, feel empowered to use inclusive language. God uses the personal pronoun in these passages, one of intimacy. Please add your touch to His loving, fatherly advice, such as My daughter or My child—or a given name to personalize it. Because you can almost hear God’s voice saying, “I got you!”
Jim Rubart reading BibleGateway’s King James Version:
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head and chains about thy neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
In “My Last Duchess,” the Victorian poet Robert Browning is lingering beneath a painting and studying his deceased Duchess. His anger and jealousy are ignited—believing his wife flirted with other men and was too quickly pleased. So, her smiles had to stop.
God, in contrast, does not want us silenced. He wants to engage us in everyday battles and help us learn how to become wiser and listen to His voice. He is a Good Father and will help us along the way. Plus, he will warn us of upcoming dangers along our path, such as evil people waiting to derail us off course and away from our Godly checklist.
One technique that helps me is taking a pocketbook-size Bible, a New Testament including Psalms and Proverbs. This lightweight item in my purse, car, or hiking backpack was purchased from Christianbook.com for less than a cup of coffee. When I carry the Word of God into the world, I am more prepared to select Godly friends and run away from evil. Friendship is an important topic we will discuss in more depth throughout this series.
If you grew up in a home where you didn’t have a father or a godly mother, you can learn! God loves it when we ask for good gifts, like wisdom. Without a moral compass, navigating life’s obstacles and struggles takes more work—but worth it! It helps to meditate on the Word of God because He wants the best for our lives and desires that we thrive and learn Bible life skills and how to live happier, more peaceful, and more secure lives under His tender care because He has us in the palm of his hand.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these words of encouragement, and I look forward to you returning in a couple of weeks for our next God Is A Good Father Series.
