Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 636 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

God’s Wisdom, Your Wisdom – Proverbs 15

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 636 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore Proverbs 15 from The Voice Translation, which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It is another busy week of work and investing additional time with our grandson Kiprono. He continually absorbs everything that he hears, sees, and experiences. It would do us all well, as adults, to foster this passion for learning in each of us.

Our granddaughter Hazel has been feeling fairly well the past couple of weeks, but her blood counts remain a bit on the low side, so it is a holding period for us and a planning time for the oncology team before they determine her next extensive regimen of treatments. For those of us that like to take action and solve problems, these periods of waiting are extra difficult. We know that God is in control of Hazel’s situation, so we must be patient and wait.

During these days when our wisdom falters, all we can do is call on the Eternal and allow Him to work His will and way, knowing His wisdom prevails. This is the topic for today as we explore Chapter 15 of Proverbs and our focus will be…

God’s Wisdom, Your Wisdom

This chapter is marked by the frequent use of God’s personal covenant name “Yahweh” (translated as “Lord” in most English translations and the Eternal in the Voice translation). It is repeated 9 times in this chapter, which is almost as many as the preceding 5 Chapters altogether!

There’s something significant about that. In Chapters 10-14 we heard a lot about morality and good behavior, but now it’s all being connected to our personal relationship with the God of the Bible. The book of Proverbs isn’t simply about being a decent person, but a person who is being changed by a relationship with Yahweh.

The major themes in this chapter include:

• The power of a well-chosen response (verses 1-4)
• The critical need for instruction (verses 5-12)
• The blessing of a cheerful disposition (verses 13-18)
• The secret of a successful path (verses 19-24)
• The favor that comes to the humble heart (verses 25-33)

While these are great principles, they are meaningless and empty if a relationship with God is not the motivation behind them.

As I read through these various themes, pay attention to how the author weaves devotion to Yahweh, the Eternal, into these principles of life. What do these proverbs reveal about the Eternal’s character? What strikes you most personally?

Listen intently as I read Proverbs 15:

¹ A tender answer turns away rage,
but a prickly reply spikes anger.
² The words of the wise extend knowledge,
but foolish people utter nonsense.
³ The Eternal can see all things;
His gaze is fixed on both the evil and the good.
⁴ A word of encouragement heals the one who receives it,
but a deceitful word breaks the spirit.
⁵ Fools refuse their parents’ guidance,
but sensible children accept correction.
⁶ Great treasure may be found where the right-living make their home,
but trouble awaits the wicked at every turn.
⁷ When the wise speak, knowledge spreads far and wide,
but fools care nothing about such matters.
⁸ When the wicked offer sacrifices, they disgust the Eternal,
but the prayers of those who do right are a pleasure to Him.
⁹ The lifestyle of the wicked is repulsive to Him,
while those who do right delight Him.
¹⁰ Harsh punishment is waiting for those who reject the path of life,
and those who hate correction will die.
¹¹ The grave and destruction are fully exposed before the Eternal;
how much more does He know the thoughts of Adam’s children!
¹² Those who mock others don’t like being corrected,
so they keep their distance from the wise.
¹³ A warm, smiling face reveals a joy-filled heart,
but heartache crushes the spirit and darkens the appearance.
¹⁴ Those who have understanding hearts hunger after knowledge,
but those with no understanding feast on foolishness.
¹⁵ The poor and oppressed suffer hardship day after day,
but those with kind hearts continually feast.
¹⁶ It is better to live with less and honor the Eternal
than to have riches and carry the burdens that come with them.
¹⁷ Better to eat only vegetables served lovingly
than a fattened ox served hatefully.
¹⁸ A hot-headed person stirs up trouble,
but one with patience settles a fight.
¹⁹ Lazy people walk a path overgrown with thornbushes,
but those with integrity travel a wide, level road.
²⁰ A wise child makes his father happy,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
²¹ Foolishness brings sheer joy to those who have no sense,
but people with insight steer a straight course through life.
²² Plans fall apart without proper advice;
but with the right guidance, they come together nicely.
²³ There is great joy in having the right answer,
and how sweet is the right word at the right time!
²⁴ For the wise the road of life climbs up steep grades
in order to avoid the slide down to the grave.
²⁵ The Eternal splinters the house of the haughty,
but He secures the property of widows.

²⁶ The thoughts of the wrongdoers repulse the Eternal,
but kind words are pure pleasure for Him.
²⁷ Those who take illegal gains injure their families,
but those who refuse a bribe will live in peace.
²⁸ The right-living think before they speak,
but wrongdoers simply spew evil.
²⁹ The Eternal stays far from the wrongdoers,
but He listens to the prayer of the right-living.
³⁰ Bright eyes and a cheerful expression bring joy to the heart,
and good news revives the spirit and renews health.
³¹ Those who learn from the lessons of life
will join the others who are wise.
³² Those who disregard discipline sabotage themselves,
but those who are open to correction gain understanding.
³³ Reverence for the Eternal is the first lesson of wisdom,
and humility always precedes honor.

That will conclude our exploration of Proverbs 15. The questions for today are, “Will you choose to live by the Eternal’s Wisdom or your wisdom?” The Eternal’s wisdom can become your wisdom if you allow His precepts to become the very fabric of your life. Each week we will explore a full chapter in Proverbs. I hope that you will join us next week for Chapter 16 so that you can gain wisdom, insight, and understanding for yourself.

The entire book of Proverbs provides us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, your life will be rich and satisfying. I encourage you to take them and plant the seeds of wisdom in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom throughout your life.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged where we will discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe at iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!