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Lesson OneOld Testament Introduction4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoThe Old Testament Story4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeColor Books, Wisdom/Poetry Books, and Prophetic Books4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourThe Beginnings Era4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveThe Settlement Era4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixThe Kingdom Era4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenThe Exile and Reconstruction Era4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson EightOld Testament Poetry4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson NineThe Wisdom Literature4 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TenProphetic Books4 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 3
Discussion Questions
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Describe the tension that exists between the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
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Proverbs suggests we have some control. Ecclesiastes suggests we have no control.
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The book of Proverb and Ecclesiastes are two ends of a broad spectrum. One ends says we can live a life of success if we follow Gods instructions as to how we should live. Although, it does not promise us a successful life, but it increases the chances of a good and successful life. The other end gave a picture of life “full of twist, turns, and sometimes, dead ends” that we cannot fully comprehend.
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Proverbs tells us that we can understand life enough to live wisely. Ecclesiastes teaches that we neither understand or control life. The wise person says, “I need to live my life as God teachers because it will increase the probability that I will live a good life.” But the wise person also realizes that there are aspects of life we cannot understand or control.
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Prov tells us that we have a higher probability for a wise living if we follow God’s teachings; Ecc. tells us that we cannot understand life and have no control over it. Both are correct. Reverence of God is the foundation of our faith. We need to submit to God’s teachings both and His will for our lives. Because God is sovereign.
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Ecclesiastes says that we have no control over our life. Proverbs are wise observations that say we do have some control if we follow God’s law and live wisely. Both are correct…if we live our lives wisely, we can increase the probability that we will live a good life.
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The book of Proverbs contains wise observations of life. What results can we expect from following them?
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If we follow these wise observations, we can learn wisdom and instruction, discern the sayings of understanding, receive instruction, give prudence, and understand a proverb and figure, and the words of the wise and their riddles. This should increase our wisdom, even though there is no guarantee that our lives won’t have any struggles.
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If we follow these wise observations, we can increase the chance to have a wise living. But there are no promises that our lives will be smooth sailing because life is full or twists and turns that we have no control over. We can only hold on to God and His promises.
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A wise life requires a commitment to God’s law. We must see God for who He is and live as He intended for us to have any hope of living a wise and fulfilling life.
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We can expect generally good results from following the advice in Proverbs because God’s principles are based in truths.
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By following the wisdom of the proverbs, we can expect a closer walk with God. Although they are not promises of God they are wonderful principles with statistically higher outcomes and at least a better understanding.