THE CALL OF WISDOM
LESSON FOR JUNIORS
Study Scripture: Proverbs 1
Lesson 1 June 6, 2020
Key Verse
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
INTRODUCTION
You are visiting the Supermarket and you see all kinds of cereals and juices and all kinds of fruits. The cereals and juices are loaded with so much sugar that you know from what Mom and Dad and the School Nurse told you they are not good for you. You have been warned that if you keep on eating certain kinds of foods you will develop all kinds of dread diseases.
On top of that you are stuck at home since the Corona Virus has made the authorities shut down the schools to reduce the risk of people catching the Virus and then suffering. Since many of the Teachers are older persons they probably might even die.
But you are bored and you are tempted to sneak out of the house and go to the Park to meet your friend that you long to see. That meeting might involve a big, big risk for you, your friends, your family members, and the families of your friends. This is so because no one knows who has been infected and can pass on the Covid 19 virus to others.
So you face choices.
You know certain facts about the Covid 19 Virus for the TV is full of information about how deadly that can be. You have knowledge.
But everyone is telling you to avoid eating the things you love so much for sugar taste good. Everyone is telling you not to meet your friends and do the things you love.
You have knowledge but do you have wisdom? There is a big difference between those two words, “knowledge” and “wisdom”.
Knowing the difference between these words is most important for if you decide to make the wrong choices the Bible calls you a “fool” and a “scorner”. The Dictionary tells us that we can use another word for the word fool which has the same meaning words such as silly, jackass, nitwick, yo-yo, ding-a-ling, and dipstick. You know that these are not pleasant words.
When the Lesson says you are a scorner it means you laugh at and mock things that are of the greatest importance for your survival. But our Lesson tells you that if you ignore what you are being taught in the Lesson that is what you are. You might think you are good, and yiu are okay, but you are not.
It is therefore critical that young people and children learn how to make choices which make their life good, safe and worthwhile, and which keep them out of bad trouble.
Knowledge means knowing all kinds of facts, but wisdom is the skill of using the facts to make a successful life for yourself.
King Solomon, who wrote the book of Proverbs and about 300 proverbs, prayed to God to give him wisdom so that he could rule the nation of Israel properly. God was pleased that he had asked for the wisdom to look after the people of his country wisely instead of asking God to make him wealthy and powerful. So God gave him wisdom more than the wisdom anybody else had. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived.
Having wisdom means you have the ability to make correct judgments and follow the best course of action, based on your knowledge and understanding. It means you see things from the viewpoint of God and therefore you can make the best choices to benefit yourself.
To get wisdom you must seek it. You have to ask God for it. When He gives it to you, you will be able to do righteous things, be fair or just to others, and treat others well, just as God instructed.
Wisdom has to be taught and the first place to begin to learn it is from your parents. That teaching is the responsibility of parents. You should ask them to begin to teach you the ways of wisdom. Parents are there to make sure you are not simple, inexperienced, easily influenced by bad ideas, and attracted by things which will eventually harm you.
The call to Wisdom begins as the Memory Text told you. It said:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.
When you fear the LORD, who is the one who created you, and saved you, and will take you to live in a brand new Heaven and a brand New Earth after He changes up this old world with all its troubles and environmental disasters, you will be on the road to the best life possible.
If you do not fear the LORD, the God you are in a covenant relationship with, you will find you are rejecting and thinking lightly of wisdom and instruction. You will be rejecting what is best for you.
It is important to know what the fear of the LORD means. It is not a begging, lowdown feeling, a bad feeling. It simply means you reverence your Creator, have an attitude of worshipping Him, and showing your affection for Him by listening carefully to Him and doing what He asks.
Then He will give you the knowledge you need to make good decisions, and the skill to use your knowledge, your insights and your skill to better yourself and everyone around you.
The Bible calls the one who calls to you to get wisdom Lady Wisdom. This use of the feminine word means she is sensitive, loves you intensely like your mother does, and wants the best for you.
She goes everywhere and calls out to everyone. She calls out loudly for people to seek knowledge and wisdom and fear the LORD. She goes to the marketplaces, goes in the streets, and goes wherever she finds people.
She warns that if young people remain simple and treat life casually, as if they are not in any danger no matter what they do, they will suffer. Life is a serious business. There are many people who will drag you into trouble so you have to be careful who you trust. People will try to get them into gangs to steal and do acts of violence to get thrills. So Lady Wisdom is right there beside you and will help you steer through the troubled waters of life.
But calamity will come and they will have no one to help them if you ignore the call of Lady Wisdom. Those that love simplicity, love to scorn the call of wisdom, and reject instruction are fools and nitwits.
So Lady Wisdom begs all young people to seek knowledge from God so that they live successful lives. It will take some time to learn the ways of Wisdom. A person will learn more and more as they get older. But it will be well worth it.
So start with the fear of the LORD. Love and reverence and honour your God who saved you and sustains you. Wisdom is taught all through the Bible. So read it often and thing about what it says.
Learn how to choose the right things. Do not just grab the sweet cereals and juices and do other things that look attractive. They will kick you and hurt you. The best way to live is to learn f