Wisdom - What Is It and What Can It Do For Me? - Proverbs Youth Sunday School Lesson

Brief: Wisdom has its benefits.

(Printable Student Sheet)

 

Authorship of Proverbs: The Book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, most of which were originally written by King Solomon.  They were then supplemented with the later teachings of King Lemuel and an individual named Agur, both of whom are unknown to us except by their contributions to Proverbs.  King Hezekiah is accredited with compiling and editing the book.

 

Intro Question

What is wisdom? What does it mean to be wise?

Knowing what is right. Doing what is right. Understanding how things work.

 

Scripture: Proverbs 9:10; 8:1-21, 32-36; 3:13-26

 

Read Proverbs 9:10

What is the fear of the Lord?  Why does wisdom have to start with the fear of the Lord?

Fearing God is recognizing His awesome power and perfection.  We acknowledge that God exists, that He knows how life should be (He created it), and that He has the right to impose standards on us and punish those who do not obey His standards.

To avoid punishment, we obey Him. But in obeying God, we also come to realize what God already knows: that going against the way things were created to be leads to trouble. (Give examples of sin/bad choices and show how they illustrate wisdom. Smoking is unwise and leads to health problems because our bodies were not created to inhale smoke, nor drink alcohol to excess or do drugs. That’s why God says not to do it. Having sex outside of marriage leads to unwanted pregnancies, STDs, and broken hearts. Gossiping about someone leads to hurt feelings and broken relationships.)

The person who fears God and obeys Him avoids all these things. They are wise because they know and do what is right.

 

Read Proverbs 8:1-21, 32-36

What are the characteristics of wisdom?  What is it like?

Trustworthy, right (verse 6)

True (verse 7)

Just (verse 8)

Upright (verse 9)

Precious (verse 11)

Lives with prudence, possesses knowledge and discretion (verse 12)

Hates pride, arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech (verse 13)

Possesses counsel, sound judgment, insight, and power (verse 14)

Helps rulers govern (verses 15-16)

Loves those who love it and is found by those who seek it (verse 17)

Possesses riches and honor (verse 18)

Gives results better than gold or silver (verse 19)

Bestows a rich inheritance on those who love it (verse 21)

 

What does having wisdom do for you?

Gives riches and honor (verse 18)

Bestows a rich inheritance (verse 21)

Gives life and favor from the Lord (verse 35)

 

How does having wisdom give us wealth? 

Wisdom teaches us to be hard-working versus lazy and how to make good decisions about what to spend money on rather than being impulsive, wasteful, or frivolous.

 

What happens when we don’t listen to wisdom? 

We harm ourselves and find death (verse 36). Negative consequences happen because we are not acting in accordance with how God designed life to be.

 

Read Proverbs 3:13-26

What does this passage say are the benefits of having wisdom?

Long life, riches, and honor (verse 16)

Blessings (verse 18)

Safety (verse 23)

Not feeling afraid (verses 24-25)