December 2012 - August 2013
Proverbs is a one-of-a-kind book, there is no other like it in the Scriptures. There are books in the Old Testament that are of a similar nature, and scholars classify these as “wisdom literature.” There are some wisdom psalms. Proverbs is the ultimate wisdom book. Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon are also classified as wisdom literature.
The concept of wisdom is one that is often misunderstood. Wisdom in our Greco-Roman heritage has a different connotation. It is the idea that comes from the Greek philosophers and it has the idea of intellectual acumen, the ability to utilize logic and rhetoric in an intellectual manner. Whereas the wisdom of the Middle Eastern culture was quite different, the wisdom of the Scripture was quite different; it has to do with the practical values of taking the instruction of God’s Word and applying it in an artful, skillful and beautiful manner to one’s life so that you produce within the scope of your life something that has value. So wisdom in a biblical sense is extremely practical. It is probably the word that most accurately reflects the farthest or most extensive way of applying Scripture. Proverbs is a guide for skillful living.
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To view all video Bible studies in the Proverbs series, click here.
Sun, Dec 30, 2012
Passage: Proverbs 1:1
Duration: 54 mins 59 secs
Proverbs, written primarily by Solomon but with other contributors, is a book of instruction, wisdom and poetry. We will study the meaning of Proverbs from the mind of the author, in historical context, and not through the erroneous wanderings of our own imaginations. Gifted by God with wisdom, and by the Holy Spirit with the preservation of these words, in the end, Solomon failed miserably. What ingredient do we add to knowledge and wisdom to obtain obedience and eternal value? Is wisdom the immediate gratification we get when we study this book? What is wisdom? Do knowledge and wisdom guarantee smooth sailing in life?
Sun, Jan 06, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 1:1-7
Duration: 58 mins 41 secs
Wisdom’s source is God’s Truth. Wisdom resides in the mind before it can be the means for discernment and skillful living. Emotion can be a legitimate response to Truth, but emotion is not the criteria for legitimacy of the Word. Rather than being written in a time that makes Proverbs an imitation of previous writings, see how the correct presupposition of the opposite view is proven. Learn the structure of Proverbs’ poetry, how it is instructional, rhyming ideas, not words, and how it is embedded with challenges. See the foundational principle for all of Proverbs that fear of the Lord is the starting point for the knowledge which leads to skillful, wise living.
Sun, Jan 13, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 1:8-9
Duration: 49 mins
Proverbs recognizes the family as the first environment for learning. Proverbs exhorts children to listen attentively and learn. Knowing is to comprehend facts. Wisdom is that knowledge applied. Wisdom begins with recognition of God’s authority. The facts that are applied as wisdom are taken from the manual God has provided in His Word. Any other source of wisdom taught in the home is a path to destruction. The chain of command over the child resides in both parents, beginning with the priority role of the father. Learn about the metaphors and their ties to antiquity, which describe the rewards for the child who obeys these commands. Wisdom is application of God’s absolute Truth. Wisdom is the parents’ legacy to their children which will defend, guard, protect and become their basis for rewards.
Sun, Jan 20, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 1:10-19
Duration: 56 mins 40 secs
A person can study philosophy and the minutia of ideas and still come up with only two ways of thinking; God’s way or the world’s way. Proverbs contrasts these as the way of the foolish and the way of the wise. Facts, reason and experience may fill 95% of your brain, but the 5% containing God’s revelation is the means of interpreting the 95% which can, if practiced, produce skillful living through wise choices. God doesn’t entice us to sin. He does test us, in prosperity or adversity, to give us opportunities to make decisions that allow us to grow. See the lessons in our passage on wisdom, taught as a father teaches his son, emphasizing choices. If you feel you lack wisdom, ask God for it. He wants us to have it.
Sun, Jan 27, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 1:20-33
Duration: 53 mins 14 secs
It’s never too late to understand the importance of getting God’s wisdom into our souls NOW, but NOW has a way of fading into yesterday which makes it too late to apply the wisdom we lost yesterday to the crisis we’re having today. God doesn’t make it difficult for us by hiding His wisdom under a rock. Wisdom, personified here as a woman, screams at us from every avenue of perception. The difficult choice is to continue to disregard it. But some do disregard it and become fools. Understand the different categories in the downward spiral of foolishness as we repeatedly reject obvious Truth. God’s offer of wisdom is continuous, but if you continually reschedule NOW to tomorrow, the guarantee is that foolishness gains momentum in your future.
Sun, Feb 03, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 3:1-6
Duration: 55 mins 20 secs
The only knowledge that translates into wisdom is knowledge of the Truth. Enmeshment with Truth is an inseparable relationship. Enmeshment in today’s language implies a dysfunctional relationship where one allows another to define him. In the spiritual realm it is a positive term where we aspire to be defined by, and inseparable from, the Truth of God. Truth acts as our protection from absorbing cosmic thinking. Understand the expanded meanings of mercy and Truth and the imagery behind writing them and binding them. Know that trust is based on specific principles of scripture. Applied trust is certainty that fear has lost its power to intimidate and motivate in light of the Truth that is written on our hearts.
Sun, Feb 10, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 2
Duration: 47 mins 51 secs
Choices may fall into the category of wise and not so wise. The only way to discern this fine line requires a great deal of preparation through immersing oneself in the Word of God over time, because human viewpoint has a way of seeping through the most minute weak spot in our armor. Priority and passion for God’s instruction is a choice. It is the required foundation of the path to wisdom. Understand the essence of meaning behind the phrases, “Receive my words” and “Hide my commandments.” See how these concepts are themes which run throughout scripture. Understand the profound importance of memorizing scripture and the protection, strength and recovery exclusive to its availability in our minds.
Click on the notes link below to access the Scripture Memory Plan Dr. Dean mentioned during this class.
Sun, Feb 17, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 2:5-8
Duration: 49 mins 28 secs
The prior four verses are the “if you will” verses which highlight volition and challenge commitment. Then what? Are the next verses a formula for predicting deliverance from adversity and ending in wisdom? Deliverance doesn’t precede wisdom. Wisdom precedes God’s protection. Passion of focus on intimacy with God and His Truth is liable to incur intense arrows of distraction to tempt and challenge every decision one makes to follow wisdom. Is this obstacle course ours to negotiate? God is the defender of His Truth. When we are absorbed in His truth He becomes our personal shield. A shield doesn’t prevent arrows. It deflects arrows which seek to diminish God’s Truth with the lies which lead to death and obstruct our path to wisdom.
Click on the notes link below to access the Scripture Memory Plan Dr. Dean mentioned during this class.
Sun, Feb 24, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 2:12-22
Duration: 53 mins 17 secs
Proverbs chapter 2 focuses on God’s Word as our protection and shield. We see the importance of choosing the right path over the appeal of the world’s path in every decision we make. God’s wisdom here is protection against the promise of easy money and easy love relationships. The choice we make brings either joy in life or a death-like existence. The world entices us to abandon the path of righteousness and to walk in dark carnality. The only way to discern a beguiling lie from life-giving Truth is to know the nuances of difference through God’s Wisdom offered in the inspired scripture.
Sun, Mar 17, 2013
Passage: Proverbs 3:1-12
Duration: 1 hr 12 mins 33 secs
This passage is organized into a verse with a command followed by a verse with consequences, and ends in two verses regarding correction. There are a number of irresistible consequences for obedience to God’s commands. You would think no one could consider turning away from such a positive, rewarding course resulting in a life with wisdom, guidance from God, lack of fear, direction over our finances and protection leading to abundant living. The reality of disobedience is God’s experience with man, so in the end He encourages us even when correction becomes the exercise of His love for us. God’s correction assures us that abandonment of His own is not a part of God’s nature, and because of that, we are blessed even in His chastening.