Proverbs 1:1-7
“To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give to the young man knowledge and discretion… and to learn to fear God is only the beginning of wisdom…”
As King Solomon pens the introduction to Proverbs, being divinely inspired by the Spirit of God, he first sets forth the eight foundational principles of wise living. It is significantly important to point out that eight is the number of New Beginnings and New Creation. There were only eight people that survived the flood to begin a New Generation upon the earth. The Jewish circumcision of a male child is done on the eighth day. The significance of this law is that is was written as a sign of spiritual New Birth. Listen to what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 2:29. “He is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision (a changed life) is … of the heart, in the spirit… not of the letter.” (The “letter” references to only a written record or certificate of some kind, and not an actual change in the spiritual character of one’s life.) How fitting that God should start off this book of wisdom upon these eight elements and the premise of a transformed life!
Matthew 7:24-25
“Every one that hears these words of mine, and does them, will be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock (Christ: the fundamentals): and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it did not fall: because it was built upon the rock.”
As you begin to read these lessons, you will see quickly that Solomon started off by addressing some fundamental truths. He did this because life is not built upon a “roof”. It is built upon a foundation, a fundamental. And as Jesus so eloquently indicated in the aforementioned verse, these foundational truths have sustained humanity through even the most vicious storms of life. Societies which have successfully implemented these principles have experienced vast prosperity and an established and lasting peace; those which have not, have suffered greatly as a result. Each individual principle is separately important to the whole. If one is removed, the quality of life is greatly diminished. Think of a society without justice, or a home without discretion.
The prosperous outcome of our lives heavily depends upon our individual ability, and the ability of our leaders to make wise decisions in both good times and bad, when all is well, and when all is not so well. When we take the fundamentals of this life for granted, we certainly put a lot of precious things at risk. However, when we properly apply truth, we can experience the abundance of life that God has always intended for us to live in.
Your assignment this week is to ask yourself the following questions: In which ways have fundamentals played a key role in the success of your life? Explain. Next: Can you identify some examples as to how our society has strayed away from living a fundamentally sound life? Finally. What is needed to regain a conscious understanding of those truths?