Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 671 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails, we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore Proverbs 22 from The Voice Translation which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Since Paula and I will be traveling for business for a little over two weeks, and I will need to record all those podcasts in advance, we will be substituting our regular podcast with short Wisdom Nugget episodes for three weeks, except for our Wisdom Wednesday episodes. After that, we will return to our regular format.
Today in Proverbs 22 we will learn…
This chapter can be broken into two parts. The beginning half of this chapter (verses 1-16) is the last of Solomon’s 375 proverbs. These final 16 in the collection talk about prosperity and challenge those with many resources to live by God’s view of wealth. God’s favorite currency is justice! This truth is evidenced by the centerpiece of this 16-verse set in verses 8-9, a literary pair focused on generosity to the poor.
Verses 17-21 are an introduction to a new section in the book of Proverbs called “The Words to the Wise” (from [22:17]-[24:22]). This collection will consist of thirty sayings. The first six are found right here in this chapter. These sayings are different from the two-line proverbs we are used to reading. The sayings are usually longer (4-6 lines) although some are one-liners (see [22:28]).
Before the sayings begin, I will first read an introduction (verses 17-21), which reminds us of the voice of the father. If you don’t remember, he is the one with all the speeches to his son in chapters 1-9. He implores the son to listen to wisdom and apply himself to knowledge, or as he says in verse 19, “That your trust may be in Yahweh.”
Trusting in the LORD is the purpose of this ancient book of wisdom. Listen to this episode multiple times, or reread verses 17-21, investing some time meditating on the purpose of the father’s heart for you.
Listen intently as I read Proverbs 22.
1 A good reputation is preferable to riches,
and the approval of others is better than precious silver or gold.
2...
