When I was a teenager my adopted grandmother requested that I read the whole book of proverbs. She first instructed that I read the biography of the author of Proverbs first. The author was King Solomon. Do you know his story?
1Ki 3:3 And Solomon loved Jehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father. Only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
1Ki 3:4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there. For that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
1Ki 3:5 In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, Ask what I shall give you!
1Ki 3:6 And Solomon said, You have shown to Your servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before You in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have kept this great kindness for him, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.
1Ki 3:7 And now, O Jehovah my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father. And I am a little child; I do not know to go out or come in!
1Ki 3:8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a numerous people who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
1Ki 3:9 And give to Your servant an understanding heart, to judge Your people, to discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this, Your great people?
1Ki 3:10 And the word was good in the eyes of Jehovah, that Solomon had asked this thing.
1Ki 3:11 And God said to him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, and have not asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to judge justly,
1Ki 3:12 behold, I have done according to your words. Lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you, and after you none shall arise like you.
1Ki 3:13 And I also have given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days.
1Ki 3:14 And if you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.
Solomon could have asked God for anything in the world but he chose wisdom instead. Solomon grew up seeing the turmoil of his father\’s kingdom and he was humbled to be made King. He wanted to originally rule with the wisdom of God. Solomon grew older to only make some mistakes in his life. Mistakes he would later regret and write about in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Reading Proverbs at a young age helped me not to make similar mistakes as those who were in the same age bracket. I didn\’t sleep around or do drugs. I never drank alcohol or go to drunken parties. The wisdom of God steered me away from those teenage nuances that so many get caught up in.
In America, we are seeing riots, looting, removal of landmarks, and all around defiance to government and public authority. We see the rise of anarchists. Realistically and statistically, the majority falling into this realm of public discourse are individuals under the age of 30. ( Look at the recent Pew Research poll on the matter) Young people, who don\’t appear to have wisdom or knowledge from History. Young people who have decided to not listen to the voice of their elders but follow their destructive path which leaves many wounded in its wake.
Pro 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments;
Pro 3:2 for they shall add the length of days, and long life, and peace to you.
Pro 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; tie them around your neck; write them upon the tablet of your heart;
Pro 3:4 and you shall find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Pro 3:5 Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Pro 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear Jehovah and depart from evil.
The Passage above holds much truth to why we are seeing so much evil displayed on our TV sets each night. What can everyone learn from this passage?
1. Children, young and old, should not forget the law and commandments of God. The commandments give us a sense of boundaries and order. Without order comes chaos and destruction. Evil seeks to never have boundaries order. It thrives off of anarchy.
2. Mercy and grace have appeared to be forgotten. Many appear to focus on revenge and hatred on anyone who disagrees with them. Mercy is a divine characteristic that God has placed inside all of us. Vengeful people are bitter and narcissistic.
3. Trusting in God or having a relationship with Him would change the current setting. Holy people don\’t commit evil acts. True followers of Christ don\’t leave a destructive path in their wake.
4. Not following your own limited understanding. Many are following a lie that is believed to be the truth. It is because many follow their own warped understanding of life instead of following God\’s truth. Many think they are wise but in the eyes of God, they are fools. Truly today we are seeing fools and not godly, wise people.
Only wisdom from God can help us during this time. His wisdom can lead us down a path of righteous which will restore order to the chaos.
Relevant Life 
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