BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

What’s the difference between knowing what is wise and doing what is wise? We’ve read a lot of wise sayings in this book, many of which remind us that the human plight in our modern context is not altogether different from the ancient world. Notice how authors explore ideas like human thought and will. Even now, we’re compelled more by what we love or want than by what we think, so it’s easier to think wisely than to live wisely.

The book of Proverbs’ final two poems explore questions about how to live with wisdom in day-to-day life. The first poem describes Agur, a man who acknowledges his ignorance as well as his need for God’s wisdom. He discovers that the Scriptures can teach him what he wants to know. In Agur, we find a model reader of Proverbs: someone who’s always open to hearing God’s wisdom. The second poem of Proverbs tells the story of a “woman of noble character.” This woman actsaccording to the wisdom of Proverbs and livesaccording to God’s instruction in everyday life, according to her time and place.

Notice how the end of Proverbs corresponds to the opening. It opens with a father encouraging his son to listen to Lady Wisdom. We end with a mother showing her son how to live like Lady Wisdom. Watch the video to review what you’ve learned about living well in God’s good world.

Reflection Questions

• Compare Proverbs to Deuteronomy 30:11-16. What common phrases do you notice between these two passages? What do these hyperlinks reveal about the relationship between God’s instructions and God’s wisdom?
• The title “woman of noble character” appears in the Bible only once outside the book of Proverbs. It’s how Boaz describes Ruth when he observes her courageous loyalty to Naomi (Ruth 3:11). Take a moment to meditate on the story of Ruth. Where do you see God’s wisdom on display in Ruth’s life? What parallels do you notice between Ruth and the woman of noble character in Proverbs 31?