Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

 Christ The Great Teacher

Proverbs 4: 1-19
Proverbs 4: 4 - 6: “ Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.  Get wisdom and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her and she will keep you ; love her, she will guard you .”

The Book of Proverbs is believed to have been written by  King Solomon who comes across as a man of outstanding wisdom and insight. Solomon was the third and final king of the unified nation of Israel, succeeding King Saul and King David. He was the son of David and Bathsheba, former wife of Uriah the Hittite whom David had killed to cover his infidelity with Bathsheba while her husband was on the battlefront. A well-known example of Solomon’s wisdom is his judgement in a  dispute over the identity of the actual mother of an infant child ( 1 Kings 3: 16-28). Solomon offered to split the living child in half , understanding that the true mother would prefer to lose her son to another woman than have him killed.  He was known all over the known world as the wisest king. The Queen of Sheba traveled 1200 miles to confirm the stories of his wisdom and dignity ( 1 Kings 10).

Solomon is believed to be the author of three books in the Bible: Song of Solomon, the book of Ecclesiastes and much of the book of Proverbs. The book of Proverbs is an example of Biblical wisdom literature raising questions of values, moral behavior, meaning of human life and right conduct. The theological foundation of the book is that “ the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom”.  Fear of God does not mean to be terrified by God; rather it is the submission to the will of God.  

The opening words taken from the beginning of Chapter 4 is Solomon’s address to his son, heeding him to adhere to his words   and commands  which are life-giving. When many of the disciples abandoned Jesus because following the precepts of the Lord was not as easy as they thought. This prompted Jesus to ask the remaining Jesus if they also would like to abandon him.   Peter, representing the remaining group of disciples said “ Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”  ( Jn 6: 68).  The meek and humble find source of life  and wisdom in the Word. While for the stubborn of  heart, it is foolishness  and a stumbling block. For those who are called, it is the power of God and wisdom of God  ( 1 Cor1: 23-24).

 
Prayer
Lord, send your Holy Spirit to illuminate our hearts so that we may realize that real wisdom comes in our submission to your will and you are the source of all wisdom. Amen

Thought of the day
Let us take a deep breath and see where are we seeking wisdom? What are our sources of knowledge, information and wisdom? Remember that the Lord is the true source of wisdom, knowledge, peace and joy.

 
Fr. Abraham Kannampala CMI
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services
Colorado Springs, CO


Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum