Got Wisdom?
Wisdom
and the Three Paths
Isaiah 5:8-9
8 Woe to those who join house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place where they may
dwell alone in the midst of the land!
9 In my hearing the LORD of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without
inhabitant.
Isaiah 5:20-21
20 Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil;
Who put darkness for light,
and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own
eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Isaiah 5:12b
But they do not regard the work of the
LORD, nor consider the operation of His hands.
Spiritually, we live in a foolish,
superficial, wicked,
confused world,
desperate for true WISDOM!
Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)
15 So be careful how you live.
Don’t live like fools, but like those who
are wise. 16 Make the most of every
opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t
act thoughtlessly, but understand what
the Lord wants you to do.
What we need today as God’s people,
because we live in a foolish,
superficial, wicked, confused world is
WISDOM from GOD!
From Proverbs:
Wisdom
and the Three Paths
Wisdom and the Three Paths:
1. The Path of Wisdom
2. The Path of Wickedness
3. The Path of Foolishness
James 1:5-6
5 If
any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask
of God, who gives to all liberally and without
reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let
him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who
doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and
tossed by the wind.
We will be looking at TEN topics
from the Book of Proverbs
relating to these three paths,
with the primary goal of our study being
to help us walk
the path of wisdom!
First Topic: The Fear of the Lord
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning
of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom
and instruction.
First Topic: The Fear of the Lord
Proverbs 2:1-7
Second Topic: Faith & Trust
Proverbs 3:5-8
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and
lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8 It will be
health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.
Third Topic for the Path of Wisdom:
GUARD YOUR HEART!
Proverbs 4:23
23 Keep
your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
(NLT) 23Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
Fourth Topic
Sexual Sin: Relating to the Paths of
Wickedness & Foolishness
Proverbs Chapters 5 through 7
Proverbs 6:23-29; 32
23For the commandment is a lamp, and the
law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of
life, 24 To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a
crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his
precious life.
Proverbs 6:23-29; 32
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his
clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
32 Whoever
commits adultery with a woman
lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his
own soul.
Matthew 5:27-29
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of
old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to
you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her
has already committed adultery with her in his
heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it
out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for
you that one of your members perish, than for your
whole body to be cast into hell.
Proverbs 7:21-23; 27
21 With her enticing speech she caused him to
yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to
the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the
stocks, 23 till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird
hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost
his life….
27 Her house is the way to hell, descending to
the chambers of death.
Fifth Topic:
The Economic Reward
of the Path of Wisdom
Proverbs 10:21-22
21 The
lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of wisdom.
22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.
The Economic Reward
of the Path of Wisdom
Proverbs 11:24-25
24 There
is one who scatters, yet increases
more; And there is one who withholds more than is
right, but it leads to poverty.
25 The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself.
Fifth Topic: The Economic Reward of the
Path of Wisdom
Proverbs 13:4
4 The
soul of a lazy man desires, and has
nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made
rich.
Sixth Topic for the Path of Wisdom:
Choosing our Friends Wisely!
Proverbs 12:26
26 The righteous should choose his
friends carefully, for the way of the wicked
leads them astray.
Seventh Topic for the Path of Wisdom:
The Power of the Tongue
Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of
the tongue, and those who love it will eat
its fruit.
21
Eighth Topic
Relating to the Paths of Wickedness &
Foolishness: Alcohol & Drugs
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a
brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is
not wise.
1
Ninth Topic for the Path of Wisdom:
The Importance of Vision
Proverbs 29:18a
18 Where there is no revelation,
the people cast off restraint;
(KJV) Without a vision, the people perish!
Tenth Topic:
Proverbs 31: The Virtuous,
“Proverbs 31” Woman
Spiritually, we live in a foolish,
superficial, wicked,
confused world,
desperate for true WISDOM!
This has incredible relevance
for us as individuals,
and it has incredible relevance
for our country
and for our world!
Here is what the result of the
foolish path and the wicked path
ultimately looks like
for an individual,
for a nation,
for a world!
Proverbs 4:3-9
3When I was my father’s son, tender and the
only one in the sight of my mother,
4 He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your
heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and
live.
5 Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my
mouth.
Proverbs 4:3-9
6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve
you; Love her, and she will keep you.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get
wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head an ornament of
grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
Isaiah 58:11-12
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen
your bones; You shall be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you shall build the old
waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of
many generations; And you shall be called the
Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to
Dwell In.
Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t
live like fools, but like those who are
wise. 16 Make the most of every
opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t
act thoughtlessly, but understand what
the Lord wants you to do.