A Deep Well to Draw From

“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite – wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom” (1 Kings 4:29-34).

Arthur Pierson defines a proverb as “a wise saying in which a few words are chosen instead of many, with a design to condense wisdom into a brief form both to aid memory and stimulate study.” He describes them as parables in which wisdom is to be drawn into like a deep well, or like a rich mine to be dug after. All in all, they are full of wisdom to aid our lives. The Book of Proverbs is full of wisdom that was given to Solomon from the Lord. Later in Solomon’s life, he should have heeded his own words because he allowed some of his wives to lead him astray and serve other gods. To learn more on that, read 1 Kings 11:1-13.

Have you ever had a pattern of reading a chapter in the Book of Proverbs each day? I would recommend you take the month of June and read a proverb a day. It will be easy to remember the one you are on because it will correspond to the day of the month. I believe you will be enriched and you may learn that there are pitfalls you have fallen into that could have been avoided.

Reverend Billy Sunday adopted a similar style of teaching. He was a professional baseball player who was converted and is what some refer to as a revivalist in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Look at some of the examples:

• “We have not had a revival because the Church is indifferent, dignified, and worldly. You can’t scald a hog in ice water.”
• “Our forefathers wrote ‘In God We Trust’ on the American dollar. Our children trusted in the dollar, and that explains our trouble.”
• “Who said being sorry was repentance? If that’s true, the best repenters are in the penitentiary.”
• “A sheep and a hog are not at home with each other; their natures are different. So it’s possible for a bootlegger to enjoy himself in a prayer meeting.”

God is still into pouring wisdom into those who seek Him. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to saturate in the Word of God every day. Solomon says it best in Proverbs 2:1-5. Go ahead, turn to Proverbs and begin seeking the wisdom of God.

What a moving day on Sunday as we remembered five individuals from our church who went home to be with Jesus. I sat and looked at their pictures and had a flood of memories come across my mind of each one of them. They were special people who loved the church so much. They will be missed but the spirit in which they served the Lord is evident in all of God’s people because it is the Spirit of God. Praise the Lord that we can recognize His mighty hand at work when we serve others out of the love only He provides.

Sunday is going to be a great day!

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike
www.findlayfirstnaz.org