Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.   Proverbs 9:8-9  ESV

We have been reading through Proverbs at our house. I figure we can all use a bit more understanding of the concept of wisdom. We have been learning so much. Proverbs nine is a particularly visual chapter and lent itself well to more hands-on learning, so here’s some ideas for you.

Contrast wisdom and folly

The entire book of Proverbs gives a contrast between wisdom and folly. To help us understand, wisdom is described as a woman with certain characteristics. You can see this very clearly in chapter nine, where wisdom has built a house and invited people in. Folly is also described as a woman starting in verse 13. Have your children compare and contrast the two women. You can do this verbally or with a written list. A big difference is found in verses 8-9, which I quoted above. Definitely park here for a while, and talk about how a wise person is willing to listen to instruction. A fool thinks they already know everything and will bristle when they are corrected, or even presented with new information.

Draw a picture

At our house, drawing is a huge part of learning. If you haven’t used this tool much in your home, consider giving it a try. Whether you have an artist, or an expert with stick figures, they can benefit from drawing what they are learning. In Proverbs nine, we find two very descriptive accounts, one of the wise person, and one of the fool. Have your children use the passages to draw a picture of one or the other or both! They can be as creative or detailed as they desire. I have a son who likes to draw his pictures comic book style. The sky’s the limit!

Application

There is so much to learn about wisdom in the book of Proverbs. In chapter nine, I would suggest that you focus on the concept of how willing you are to learn. A wise person will listen to instruction and change his ways. A fool will get angry when corrected. Have your children take some time to honestly evaluate themselves. If they truly desire to be wise and pleasing to YHVH, they must learn to accept godly instruction. This doesn’t mean that they should listen to every bit of advice offered to them. It means that they will listen and consider and compare to Torah principles. Then they can change if they find that they are not lining up with Torah. Don’t forget that we, as adults, need to evaluate ourselves, too. Are we willing to listen to a new perspective and compare it to Scripture? Are we willing to admit that we need to change, or repent of a sin in our lives?

Scriptures for further study

• James 1:19-27
• Acts 17:10-12
• Psalm 119

Let’s become more wise as families and learn to listen to instruction!

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