Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 561 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Beginning of Wisdom – Proverbs, An Introduction

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 561 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 restart our exploration of Proverbs with a new introduction.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Last week was a busy, but productive week. For one client we are preparing information for their bi-annual audit, which requires assembling data from the past two years. Fortunately, most of this information is stored electronically and is organized. We are also still working on company and personal tax returns for clients, family members, and ourselves.

Since I am creating this podcast before the weekend, if all goes according to plan, we will be investing in a heavy-duty chain saw and will have begun cleaning up the four large trees that we had a tree service cut down for us. The weather is turning cold for this weekend, so we will see how much we are able to accomplish.

Another exciting announcement is that Paula has decided to begin her own podcast called A Quilter’s Life where she will be interviewing people who quilt and allowing them to share their lives as quilters with listeners. We have received very positive feedback from those that we have mentioned it to, so we feel that it will be well received.

We have been working together in preparation of that and hope that she will be able to release her initial interviews within the next 2-3 months. Since Wisdom-Trek is not an interview-based podcast, we have both been learning the additional aspects of what is required to setup and interview others. At this time Paula plans on having weekly episodes for A Quilter’s Life. I will let you know when it is released.

This podcast is a new beginning for her, and as we look at our topic for Wisdom Wednesday, I have decided to start back through the book of Proverbs with a little bit of a different twist.

Today we will look at a brief introduction of the book of Proverbs. Starting next Wednesday, I will read a short synopsis of each chapter and then read the chapter using a newer translation called The Voice, which is slightly more conversational in nature and will give us a different perspective on the book of Wisdom.

Each month as I personally restart reading the book of Proverbs, I look forward to it with a new anticipation. So today let’s begin with our introduction to Proverbs entitled…

The Beginning of Wisdom

The Book of Proverbs is part of the Bible’s wisdom literature. The Bible’s wisdom literature explores the question, “What does it mean to live well in God’s world?” You can think of it as “The Good Life for Dummies.”

Wisdom literature comes in all forms: songs, story, reflection and romance. This book is primarily one form of writing called a proverb. A proverb is a short, pithy statement that contains a powerhouse of wisdom. A proverb is a type of poetry. However, the structure of Hebrew poetry is different than English poems.

In most simple modern poetry, like what we find in greeting cards, two lines are made to rhyme with each other through their final words. Hebrew poetry, on the other hand, contains two lines that don’t rhyme words but rather rhyme ideas. The second line in a Hebrew poem will reinforce the same thought as the first line, but in different words. Most of this book is a collection of these short, poetic pieces of wisdom called proverbs.

The Book of Proverbs is interested in how to architect the best life possible on God’s earth. The proverbs themselves are compact in nature, but they are not trite! The proverbs cover important life lessons, and they do justice to the full complexity of life.

Solomon is the author of many of the proverbs—but not all. The book itself appears to be the work of a later hand who organized it into its final form, such as is mentioned in Chapter 25 verse 1. Solomon authored at least 3,000 proverbs in his day, but only a small percentage of those works made it into this final collection.

As we make our way through this ancient book of wisdom, we’ll look carefully at key terms and major themes that will “gently nudge” us to the prevailing message found in the work. We’ll find that themes like “The fear of the Lord” weave through the entire book.

As we begin, you’ll notice that the first nine chapters are not proverbs, but are instead a series of poems that warm you up as to why you should read the proverbs. These poems tell us about the nature of God’s wisdom and its critical role in our lives.

Next week we will begin with Chapter 1 and continue through the entire book of Proverbs each Wisdom Wednesday over the next 31 weeks. I hope that you will join us each week so that you can gain wisdom, insight, and knowledge yourself.

I have read through the Book of Proverbs between 400-500 times over the past 35 years, and each month I am reminded of the great wisdom truths that are contained in this book. This habit has been the single most impactful practice in obtaining wisdom in my life.

All of the proverbs provide us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, your life will be rich and satisfying. I encourage you to take them and plant the seeds of wisdom in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom throughout your life.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged as we discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Or you can subscribe at iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!