Scriptural Highlights

Themes from these books:

• Wisdom
• Trust in the Lord
• The words we speak
• Pride
• Friendship
• Raising children
• Happiness and humor

A study of this lesson should inspire us to be more Christlike as we apply the wise counsel found in these books.

Introduction To The Books Of Proverbs & Ecclesiastes

1. These two books are sometimes referred to as the "wisdom literature".
2. The Book of Proverbs.
• WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF PROVERBS?
• Proverbs is not a revelation.
• The primary author was Solomon.
• Proverbs 1:1: "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel".
• According to 1 Kings 4:32 Solomon spoke or compiled 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.
• Whether he was both the author and compiler is not known.
• Proverbs also contains a collection of sayings from other wise men of ancient Israel and the Near East.
• One Bible commentary states: "...the proverbs in this book are not so much popular sayings as the distillation of the wisdom of teachers who knew the law of God and were applying its principles to the whole of life."
3. The Book of Ecclesiastes.
• Solomon is also considered the author of this book.
• Ecclesiastes 1:1: "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem."

Wisdom

1. One of the main themes of these books: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7) and "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).
• WHAT DID SOLOMON MEAN BY THIS?
• One Bible Dictionary states: "The 'fear of the Lord' is frequently spoken of as part of man's duty (e.g., Ps. 111:10; Eccl. 12:13; Isa. 11:2-3; Luke 1:50); it is also described as 'godly fear' (Heb. 12:28). In such passages fear is equivalent to reverence, awe, worship, and is therefore an essential part of the attitude of mind in which we ought to stand toward the All-holy God."
• As we attain this attitude of reverence and respect towards God, we are then opening ourselves up to learn from His words and His prophets.
• HOW HAVE YOUR EXPERIENCES SHOWN SOLOMON TO BE RIGHT?
• The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: "Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject" (TPJS, p324). As we learn to "fear" the Lord, we are opening ourselves up to an increase in our wisdom and knowledge of the things of heaven, which can best be learned through revelation and inspiration.
2. READ PROVERBS 2:2-6. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding comes from the Lord.
• Proverbs emphasizes that wisdom is a gift of God and is obtained only by our diligent effort.
• WHY DO YOU THINK IT REQUIRES DILIGENCE TO OBTAIN THIS KNOWLEDGE?
• I think knowledge and wisdom is like any other thing in our lives. We appreciate it more and are more likely to utilize it if there has been effort and diligence applied in obtaining it. It is easy to read from the scriptures and say to ourselves that the principles contained therein make sense. But until we read, ponder, pray, and attempt to apply these principles, we cannot begin to understand what the Lord is telling us.
3. READ PROVERBS 3:5-7. Trust in the Lord, not in our own understanding.
• Again we find emphasis on the source of truth.
• WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE YOU HAD THAT REINFORCE THE WISDOM OF THIS COUNSEL?
• In my life, I find myself falling on my face when I "lean" unto my own understanding and attempting to be "wise" in my own eyes. Several years ago I served as a counselor in a bishopric. I had some disagreement with the bishop over the direction of the youth programs in the ward. I insisted that I was right in my opinions and refused to concede to the bishop's counsel. I allowed this insistence and pride to cause me to resign the position. Oh, what folly for not trusting in the Lord and his appointed servants. My resignation did not help the youth programs, but did lead to several years of spiritual anguish on my part. We must trust in the Lord. When we do so, he will direct our paths. If we do not trust the Lord, the paths we take often lead to places we did not intend to go.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD?
• D&C 59:21: "And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments."
• D&C 78:19: "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."
• WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE TAUGHT YOU THE IMPORTANCE OF ACKNOWLEDGING GOD AND BEING THANKFUL TO HIM?
• Have there been experiences where you had no other source for help other than the Lord? Such experiences remind me that we ought to be grateful at all times.

Other Teachings From Proverbs

1. READ PROVERBS 6:16-19.
• OF THESE THINGS WHICH THE LORD HATES, THREE OF THEM ARE LYING, BEARING FALSE WITNESS, AND SOWING DISCORD. WHY DO YOU THINK THE LORD IS SO CONCERNED WITH THE WORDS WE SPEAK?
• Matthew 12:36-37: "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
• Proverbs 18:21: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue".
• We have the power to build up and tear down by the words we speak. Several years ago I read the story of a great educator who was attempting to teach the power of language. The instructor assigned several individuals to go up to a selected person, who appeared to be in good health, and ask that person if he was feeling well and indicate that he didn't look well. The individuals followed through on their assignment. In this situation, the man in fact became ill and nearly died. Obviously, the instructor suspended this particular experiment in future seminars, but he was left with an incredible example of the power of our words..
• Proverbs 12:25: "Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."
• Additional verses on the importance of the words we speak:
• Proverbs 21:23: "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles."
• Proverbs 18:6-8: "A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
       "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
       "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."
• Proverbs 16:24: "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
• Ecclesiates 5:6: "Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin".
• 2 Timothy 2:16-17: "But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker".
• Is not this ancient wisdom as true today as it was 3000 years ago?
2. Proverbs 13:10: "Only by pride cometh contention".
• Proverbs 28:25: "He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife".
• These verses indicate that pride is the root of contention.
• HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THIS TO BE TRUE?
• HOW CAN UNDERSTANDING THIS HELP US AVOID OR RESOLVE CONTENTION?
• President Ezra Taft Benson: "The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means 'hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.' It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
       "Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God's. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of 'my will and not thine be done.' As Paul said, they 'seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.' (Philip. 2:21)
       "Our will in competition to God's will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne.12:30.)
       "The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel.12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God's great knowledge, their abilities versus God's priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.
       "Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren't interested in changing their opinions to agree with God's....
       "Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression (see Alma 12:10-11). The proud are not easily taught (see 1 Nephi 15:3, 7-11). They won't change their minds to accept truths, because to do so implies they have been wrong." (Ensign, May 1989, pp4&6)
3. Proverbs 13:20: "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."
• WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE CHOOSE GOOD FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES?
• It has been said that what we will be in five years is dependent upon what we read and who we associate with.
• Andrew Carnegie (founder of US Steel) said: "One's major purpose must be backed up and followed through by continuous effort, the most important part which consists in the sort of relationship one maintains with others....
       "Every man has a tendency to take on the mannerisms, beliefs, mental attitude, political and economic viewpoint, as well as the other traits of the more outspoken of the men with whom he assoicates in his daily work." (Master Key to Riches, Napoleon Hill)
• In their study of influences on youth within the Church, Brent L. Top and Bruce A. Chadwick concluded: "Our statistical analysis of the youth's responses showed a strong relationship between peer pressure and delinquency. Peer example also makes a statistically significant contribution."
       One student in their study stated: "Public schools expose you to very awful, vulgar language and gestures. I'm forced to see and hear the bad things they do and say. A year ago I had some bad friends who pressured me to do bad things. At first it wasn't such obviously bad things. But when I'd lower my standards to their level, they'd lower theirs more. Finally, with the help of my parents, I went to my bishop and repented."
       On a more positive note, another student reported: "My friends have been the strongest pressures to live the standards of the Church. I know I've been blessed with good friends who are members of the Church and who have helped me be a better person. I can see the effects bad friends have on people, and I'm thankful for the ones I have." (BYU Magazine, Summer 1998, pp44-45)
• HOW HAVE THE PEOPLE YOU ASSOCIATED WITH AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?
• HOW CAN WE HELP CHILDREN CHOOSE GOOD FRIENDS?
• Brother Top and Brother Chadwick made the following suggestions (see BYU Magazine, Summer 1998, p45):
1. Encourage teens to participate in good groups, organizations, and activities.
2. Make the home available as a place to hang out.
3. Make teenagers' friends feel welcome in the home.
4. Choose a neighborhood with reputable schools and low rates of delinquency.
5. Develop friendships with families whose children would be good friends for your own.
6. Teach friendship skills.
7. Set family rules and boundries.
4. READ PROVERBS 13:24 & 22:6.
• WHAT DO THESE VERSES SUGGEST ABOUT TEACHING AND DISCIPLINING CHILDREN?
• Parents must take an active role in teaching correct principles to their children and "Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost" (D&C 121:43).
5. Proverbs 15:1: "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."
• WHAT BENEFITS HAVE COME IN YOUR LIFE FROM SPEAKING SOFTLY WHEN YOU DISAGREED WITH SOMEONE OR WERE ANGRY?
• My experiences in working at the public counter at the Passport Office.
• President Gordon B. Hinckley: "We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention." (Ensign, June 1971, p.72)
6. READ PROVERBS 15:31-32.
• WHAT DOES THIS VERSE SUGGEST ABOUT BEING WISE AND ACCEPTING REPROOF?
7. ARE THERE OTHER PROVERBS WHICH HAVE MEANING TO YOU?
• We could go chapter by chapter and find a wealth of wisdom. Following are a few additional proverbs:
• 2:11: "Discretion shall preserve thee".
• Do we often say to much about things we should keep to ourselves.
• 4:19: "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."
• 8:11: "For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
• 10:4: "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich."
• 16:22: "Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly."
• 17:22: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
• 20:13: "Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread."
• 21:19: "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman."
• 23:7: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he".
• 25:14: "Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain."
• 26:21: "As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife."
• 27:17: "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
• 28:15: "As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people."
• 29:15: "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."
• 29:18: "Where there is no vision, the people perish".

Ecclesiastes

1. Theme of the Book of Ecclesiastes: "...the vanity of all human pursuits when made the chief end, and the consequent wisdom of making the fear of God and His commandments our main aim."
2. READ ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8. To everything there is a season.
• HOW CAN THESE VERSES BE USEFUL TO US?
• President Spencer W. Kimball: "One can have all the blessings if he is in control and takes the experiences in proper turn: first some limited social get-aquainted contacts, then his mission, then his courting, then his temple marriage and his schooling and his family, then his life's work. In any other sequence he could run into difficulty." (Ensign, Feb. 1975, p.4)
3. READ ECCLESIASTES 9:11. The race is not to the swift.
• IF THE SWIFT DO NOT WIN THE RACE AND THE STRONG DO NOT WIN THE BATTLE, WHO DOES WIN?
• 3 Nephi 15:9: "Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."
• Brigham Young: "The race is not to the swift, nor riches to men of wisdom. Do not fret, nor be so anxious about property, nor think that when you have gathered treasures, they alone will produce joy and comfort; for it is not so.
       "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor riches to men of wisdom. The Lord gives the increase: he mades rich whom he pleases. You may inquire, 'Why not make us rich?' Perhaps, because we would not know what to do with riches." (JD 7:241)
4. The Law of the Harvest - 11:1: "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days" (11:1).
• "A person reaps what he sows; he casts his bread on the waters and gets a just return. Every good deed will have its reward, and every unworthy thought will register in some recess of the mind." (Old Testament Student Manual 2:20)

Summary

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). What more can be said? These two books contain a sayings written thousands of years ago, but still remain gems of wisdom we can use to guide out lives today.

Next Week

Lesson 32: Job 1-2; 13; 19; 27; 42

Additional Reading: Other chapters in Job; D&C 121-1-10.