Prescription: Proverbs

By Brittany Sammartino • Graphics & Communications Director

Some of us have probably said this lately: “I can’t adult today”. Google defines 'Adulting' as "the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks." If there’s ever been a year where it's hard to adult, it’s surely been 2020 for an array of reasons. Go ahead and insert yours here:

But what if I told you we’ve had a road map all along telling us how to Adult correctly? We DO have that— in the Book of Proverbs (along with the rest of the Bible, but one step at a time here!). At first thought, we may think of Proverbs as a collection of witty quotes about how to live life in a conscious and knowledgeable way. But how many of us actually take a serious look at each Proverb and apply it to our lives? The Book of Proverbs was given to us as a guidebook to live by— instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God and how to be more peaceful with all of mankind. I mean, who couldn’t use some of that these days?

Fun fact: Did you know that the Book of Proverbs was mostly written by one person?

I don’t know about you, but it seems so incredible that one person had so much wisdom on how to live a God-pleasing life that they could author an entire book of the Bible about so many different parts of life. Heck— it’s a struggle to match our socks with each other some days. Proverbs covers topics ranging from managing money, biting our tongues, family relationships, hard work, happiness, fearing the Lord, sexual purity, morality, honesty— to name a few. That kind of deep wisdom surely has to be a gift from God (along with matching your socks everyday…).

In 2 Chronicles 1:8, King Solomon, the author of the majority of Proverbs, asked God for knowledge so that “he may lead these people” (meaning the Israelites). God had told Solomon he could ask for anything— He was so pleased that Solomon didn’t selfishly ask for wealth or fame that in return He granted him an abundance of wisdom along with wealth. In ancient times, wisdom wasn’t just ideas and theories people had, it was regarded as valuable and practical expertise for living life. Solomon’s gift of wisdom is on full display in the Book of Proverbs. This serves as a wonderful example of how God’s gifts can impact generations if we recognize and apply them in a way pleasing to Him. Solomon intended the Proverbs writings for his people— the tribes of Israel. Not only the youngest of their of society, but also those who were wise in their years (Proverbs 1:2-6), showing that Solomon’s knowledge rings true across many generations.

I’d like to stop here for a second to point out that at the time Solomon wrote these nuggets of wisdom, he probably wasn’t thinking that thousands of years later his words would still be read across the world by people of all nationalities. This is such a great example of God’s divine sovereignty! God has a plan for each of us and the gifts that he’s given to us. He knows us before we even know ourselves and already has a purpose in place for our lives.

We see in 1 Kings 4:34 that “all the kings of the world” heard these wise words of Solomon. His writings were so good that they traveled around the world in a time that didn’t have social media, iPads, phones, radio, telegraphs, or carrier pigeons for that matter. Back when all they had was word of mouth (and maybe some parchment laying around if they were lucky). This is clear evidence that Solomon’s knowledge and words were truly meant for anyone who seeks to live wisely and pleasing to God, not just the Israelites of his day.

Who doesn’t want to live wisely? If there were a guide on how to live a knowledgeable and just life it would be crazy to not crack that baby open and study it religiously each day! This is exactly what God calls us to do. Pastor Randy mentioned in a recent teaching that the Book of Proverbs includes 31 chapters, and coincidentally, December has 31 days. We’d like to challenge you to “A Proverb A Day” for the month of December. Who needs apples when we have the Word of God? Okay, okay… apples are good, but I’m talking about getting fed spiritually!

Each morning, night, or whenever works best for you, read 1 chapter of Proverbs— with your morning coffee, after the kids go to bed, on your lunch break. Best case scenario: come January 1, you’ve gained invaluable knowledge and insight on how to approach almost any situation life throws at you in a way that pleases God and offers peace to those around you. Worst case scenario: you will have read an entire book of the Bible from start to finish (but I'm willing to bet you will have gotten a whole lot more than that!).

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, why not end it on a high note by reading a verse of God-given wisdom each day and applying it to your life?

Here’s a head start! Save this image to your phone as your background, lock screen, where ever you need it to remind you to read a Proverb a day:

Brittany Sammartino is the Graphics & Communications Director at Grace Chapel. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, is wife to an Air Force reservist, loves traveling, spending time with family & friends, interior decorating, and completing DIY projects with her husband.