Foundational Text Proverbs 1:1-7 (NKJV) “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” I Kings 3:5-15 NKJV (Solomon’s Request for Wisdom) “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.” I Kings 11:1-14 NKJV (Solomon’s heart turns from God) “But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” Now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom.” Series Objectives Before we deep dive into the chapters and verses of Proverbs, we want to understand the writer, the times, and the historical context surrounding the book so that we have a solid foundation, preparing us to better understand and receive the wisdom within. Also, approaching the start of the series this way: * Teaches us to slow down and truly ingest the word when studying the bible instead of subconsciously just trying to check something off the bible reading to do list, reach a goal, or complete a challenge. * Teaches us how to study the bible & retain the lessons. * Opens up the door to receive new revelation, understanding, and closeness with God. * Creates the pathway for not just “knowing” the word of God but being able to apply it practically, daily. Our overarching goal as we journey through the book of Proverbs is transformation and renewing of the mind. I want to help you answer the questions — according to God— “What is Wisdom?” and “What is foolishness/folly?”. By the end of this journey, the word of God will begin to imprint on our hearts and minds. Lastly, I want everyone to know more concretely how God & The Holy Spirit speaks back to them and deepen their ability to discern the voice of God and distinguish it from others. Key Takeaways * Receiving/having wisdom is not enough — it has to be utilized and applied. Wisdom requires acceptance of the fact that you are being called higher to reflect Christ and must relinquish desires, thoughts, and ways that reflect the world. This is not always easy, but it is necessary to ensure you are not ensnared by the false light of folly. We can see from the life of King Solomon that having wisdom alone is not enough, one must also have the discipline and discernment to apply it — to trust in God and know that His plan is best regardless of what is happening around us. Only with the guidance of The Holy Spirit are we able to navigate life applying these principles. * Approach this study of wisdom with the correct heart posture — fear and reverence of God with the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We can only get to the Father (God) through the Son (Jesus) and His Spirit is our advocate and guide. Wisdom comes from God, Jesus embodies wisdom, and the Spirit helps us to discern, navigate, and apply the lessons. * Ask more probing questions. The depth and quality of your questions to God on this journey will determine the depth of your revelation and the level of transformation you experience. When you don’t know what to ask or what to say, ask God — literally — what questions you need to ask Him to receive the wisdom, answers, and understanding He wants to give you. He WILL respond. Your journal will be one of your best friends in this season — whether you choose to write, type, voice memo, video record, or all of the above — be sure to write down the revelation [Habakkuk 2:2]. Keep record of your questions, your prayers, your experiences, your dreams, your perceived answers from God, etc. They will serve as a blueprint and tool not only for the season that you’re in now, but for a time yet to come. God is going to give you everything that you need and you won’t realize the true depth of those words until years from now, but this is the beginning of something new and I’m grateful to be a part of this journey with you 🫶🏾. * As we go through these verses, remember to read with the context that wisdom and folly are personified as women. This will make more sense as we go along, and I will reiterate this point several times in the chapters to come. * Take every thought captive — “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we takive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” [2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV]. Don’t let any thoughts go unchecked in this season. God is love and love is God. Allow the love of your Father to wash over you in this season and shine through you as you learn to recalibrate your life and live with Him as the firm foundation on which you stand. Invite God into your heart, and allow Him to lead in every aspect of your life. This isn’t just about your spiritual journey and relationship with God, it’s about breaking down the walls that have compartmentalized and kept a part every other aspect of your life from His control. Welcome to the journey of living life more abundantly. I love you, I pray that you love you, & just know that God loves you right up to the moon and back ✨🤎 To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I do not put any of my writings or videos behind a paywall, so becoming a paid subscriber is simply a means of supporting my ministry that is always accessible to all. Your Next Watch/Read Get full access to The Village with B. DeShae at thevillagebdeshae.substack.com/subscribe
