This week’s questions are taken from Kenton Beshore’s book, A Father’s Wisdom. This 5-week flow question based study on the book Proverbs is an excellent option for your group to use in the shortened summer session. A Father’s Wisdom includes a participant guide as well as leader notes and can be purchased in the Global Bookstore.
Lean In // 5 minutes
What is one piece of wise advice you’ve been given that paid off (or didn’t pan out)?
Sample answers may include…
- Marriage advice
- Job advice
- Parenting advice
Look Down // 10 minutes
Read Proverbs 1:5-33
What do you learn about the wise?
Sample answers may include…
- Listen to the proverbs and become wiser
- Those with understanding receive guidance
- Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge
- Listen to mother and father
- Will have honor
- Turn their backs on sinners
- Stay away from traps
- Will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm
What do you learn about the unwise?
Sample answers may include…
- Despise wisdom and discipline
- Insist on being simpleminded
- Are mocked
- Hate knowledge
- Would not come when God called
- Paid no attention when God reached out
- Rejected the correction God offered
- God will laugh at them when they are in trouble and mock when overtaken by disaster
- God will not answer when they cry for help
- Will search for God, but not find Him
- Hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord
- Rejected God’s advice
- Paid no attention when God corrected them
- Eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes
- Turn away from God to death, destroyed by their own complacency
Look Out // 15 minutes
Think of a person you know who seems wise and describe his/her life.
Leader Note: Allow 5-7 minutes for these questions. They will get your group to look at those around them that seem to take wise counsel, make wise choices and have lived lives that, although not necessarily charmed, have proven to be successful. Your group may think of parents, bosses, teachers or public figures. You may have group members who think of godly men or women who, although may not be successful as the world defines it, have led rich lives because of biblical wisdom.
Think of a person you know who seems foolish and describe his/her life.
Leader Note: Caution your group to not name names on this question. It is worthwhile to look at lives, whether from our personal life or in the public eye, who seem to have made unwise choices and are therefore paying the consequences.
You may want to lead your group as this may be a difficult question for members to answer. Possibly you know someone who has not been living within their means and paying the price in indebtedness or even bankruptcy, or possibly even someone who relishes in rage and has paid the price of broken relationships. Again, what we want to come out here is the difference between wide and unwise choices in our lives.
Look In // 20 minutes
What is a lesson from the passage that you will apply this week? What will that look like?
Leader Note: Take as much time as necessary to reflect on the passage that describes wise living and let each person choose a verse and explain how that verse will impact his or her choices this week. Some examples of answers could be from verse 5 that says “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.”
Live It Out // 5 minutes
Who could you impact by living out the truth of the passage?
Prayer: Spend the end of your time together in prayer. First thank God for the gift of wisdom and for the promise He will generously give it when you ask. Pray for one another to hear God’s voice when you need help with making choices.