Lesson 2 *January 3–9
From Ears to Feet
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Proverbs 4, 1 Kings 3:9, Matt. 13:44, Proverbs 5, 1 Cor. 10:13, Prov. 6:1–19.
Memory Text: "Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil" (Proverbs 4:26-27, NKJV).
Science has demonstrated that hearing impacts how we walk, and that even our balance is influenced by how well we hear. So, instruction, or education — that is, what we hear — is crucial to how we live. "Wisdom is the principal thing," says Proverbs 4:7.
Yet no matter how good the instruction is, the student must pay attention. Not without some irony an ancient Egyptian teacher noted that the "the ear of the boy is on his back; he listens when he is beaten." (In Egyptian art, the student was often represented with big ears on his back.)
It’s not enough just to know about right and wrong; we need to know how to choose right and not wrong. Training in wisdom consists in hearing proper instruction and in following and obeying what we have learned so that we don’t end up walking in the wrong direction.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 10.
Sunday January 4
Hear!
Read Proverbs 4. What practical truth is found here, and how can we apply this to our own lives as we seek to live in faithfulness to God?
The act of "hearing" marks the first step in education. In Hebrew thought, the seat of wisdom or of intelligence is located not in the brain, but in the ears. This implies that even before we seek to conceptualize or solve a problem, we first need to hear it. This means we need to listen. When Solomon asks for wisdom, he specifically asks for "a hearing heart" (1 Kings 3:9, literal translation).
The first act of wisdom, then, is "to listen," which suggests that wisdom comes from an external source (in this case, the parents). We cannot discover wisdom by ourselves. The self-made individual is an impossible concept in the domain of biblical wisdom. Wisdom is first of all something that we receive, not something we shape with our own skills or that we unearth through our own brilliance and reasoning. The capacity of "paying attention" (Hebrew, "to put one’s heart") implies the involvement of the heart. The search for wisdom, then, is not merely a cold, objective enterprise. The heart, which is the core of the individual and (in Hebrew thought) the seat of emotions, participates in the search for wisdom.
Read Matthew 13:44 and Jeremiah 29:13. What link can you find between these verses and the search for wisdom as it is expressed in Proverbs 4?
Emotions play a crucial role in our basic existence as humans, and thus cannot and should not be ignored in our relationship with God. How do we learn the proper place and value of emotions in regard to our spiritual life? How have your emotions steered you right (and wrong), and what have you learned from those experiences?
Monday January 5
Protect Your Family
Once we determine to walk in the way of wisdom, we still need great caution because we will meet obstacles along that way (see 1 Pet. 5:8 ). One of the greatest dangers we face deals with our families, the most precious, sensitive, and intimate domain of life.
Read Proverbs 5. What dangers must we guard against?
The first danger begins with ourselves; it lies in our own words. We should watch our tongues to make sure that what we say does not convey an inappropriate or a mixed message. Our lips should be in harmony with our knowledge and should reflect our spiritual views.
The second danger comes from the other woman or the other man (although the text refers to the danger coming from a "strange woman," the language should be understood in a generic sense; temptation could come from either a man or a woman) who interferes in the family. Either could seduce a spouse into violating the marriage vows, and who hasn’t seen, or experienced, just how destructive this sin is?
According to the text, the best way to resist these temptations, which often start with alluring words, is to listen to the words of wisdom. By heeding and obeying inspired instruction, we are more likely to stay focused on the essentials and so be protected from adultery or whatever other temptations come our way.
Of course, not only should we keep ourselves from adultery, we should also avoid going to the place where the "temptress" stays (Prov. 5:10); we certainly should not approach her door (Prov. 5:8 ).
Finally, perhaps the best protection of all against the temptation to love another woman or man is this: just love your own spouse, "the [wife or husband] of your youth" (Prov. 5:18, NKJV). The author of Ecclesiastes resonated with this counsel: "Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun" (Eccles. 9:9, NIV). Be thankful for what you have, and you won’t be looking elsewhere.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. With this promise before you, what definitive and practical steps might you need to take, right now, in order to protect yourself from the passions that might be brewing in you?