Proverbs. Wisdom and Knowledge from God

Proverbs, book of
Proverb in Hebrew is a parable or poem that "exposes true wisdom".

The first section, Prov. 1–9, is the most poetic and contains an exposition of true wisdom. Prov. 10–24 contain a collection of proverbs and sentences about the right and wrong ways of living. Prov. 25–29 contain the proverbs of Solomon that the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out. Prov. 30–31 contain the “burden” of Agur and Lemuel, the latter including a picture of the ideal wife, arranged in acrostic form. The book is frequently quoted in the New Testament, the use of Prov. 3 being specially noteworthy.(pg. 754) 

(b) Some people feel that, 

(1)Proverbs 1:7 ¶The ^afear of the Lord is the beginning of ^bknowledge: but fools despise ^cwisdom and ^dinstruction. 

(2) 9:10 The ^afear of the Lord is the beginning of ^bwisdom: and the^cknowledge of the ^dholy is ^eunderstanding. , describes one of the themes of the book of Proverbs. 

Note: The word fear, as used in these verses, means reverence or deep respect for God.  

(3) Doctrine and Covenants 88:118And as all have not ^afaith, seek ye diligently and ^bteach one another words of ^cwisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best ^dbookswords of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.

(4) 130:18–19 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

 19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

(5) 2 Nephi 9:28–29; O that cunning ^aplan of the evil one! O the ^bvainness, and the frailties, and the ^cfoolishness of men! When they are ^dlearnedthey think they are ^ewise, and they ^fhearken not unto the ^gcounselof God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their ^hwisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

 29 But to be ^alearned is good if they ^bhearken unto the ^ccounselsof God.

(6) Jacob 4:8. Behold, great and marvelous are the ^aworks of the Lord. How^bunsearchable are the depths of the ^cmysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man^dknoweth of his ^eways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the ^frevelations of God.

The principles that lead a person to learning and knowledge in the Lord’s way.

1. Respect for God will open the gates to knowledge 
2. If we seek Knowledge of the holy first we can have full understanding
3. Teach one another diligently. Seek learning 
4. If we seek knowledge in this life we will have an "advantage in the world to come."
5. If we remain humble before God our wisdom that we already have will profit us more.
6. We will be able to know more of the mysteries of God when we ask Him to reveal them to us. 

(c) Ammon is someone I have read about in the scriptures that is an example of Proverbs 3:5–6.¶^aTrust in the Lord with all thine ^bheart; and lean not unto thine ^cown ^dunderstanding.

 6 In all thy ways ^aacknowledge him, and he shall ^bdirect thy^cpaths.

Ammon trusted in the Lord for all his needs and guidance when teaching and serving among the Laminites. He continually prayed asking God for help. When that help was given and miracles ensued. Ammon never took the credit. Ammon always explained that God was the sole doing of the great works. 

(d) Read Proverbs 6:16–19. ¶These six things doth the Lord ^ahate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

 17 A ^aproud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

 18 An ^aheart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

 19 A ^afalse witness that speaketh ^blies, and he that soweth^cdiscord among brethren.

List of the behaviors the Lord hates:

1. proud look
2. lying tongues
3. hands that shed blood
4. hearts with wicked imaginations
5. feet that run towards mischief
6. people who fight with their fellow men. 

The opposite behavior to emulate is:

1. humble look
2. honest tongues
3. hands that heal
4. hearts with holy imaginations
5. feet that run away from mischief
6. spread peace

(e) Read and make a scripture chain from the following scriptures by writing the reference of number 2 in the margins of your scriptures next to the verses of number 1, number 3 next to number 2, and so on:

• Proverbs 10:18–19He that hideth ^ahatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a^bslander, is a fool.
   19 In the multitude of ^awords there wanteth not sin: but he that^brefraineth his lips is wise.
• Proverbs 11:13 A ^atalebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
• Proverbs 13:3He that keepeth his ^amouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his ^blips shall have destruction.
• Proverbs 15:1 A ^asoft ^banswer turneth away ^cwrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
• Proverbs 17:9 He that ^acovereth a transgression ^bseeketh ^clove; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
• Proverbs 18:13 He that ^aanswereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
• Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth his ^amouth and his ^btongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
• Proverbs 29:11 A fool ^auttereth all his ^bmind: but a ^cwise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

These verses when we are wise with what we say we are better able to have success in our lives. Success can be measured in many ways. To me success in ones' relationships is most important. Communication is very very important in having relationship success. It's hard to do. I value honesty, but sometimes honesty isn't the best policy. I could do better at keeping my opinions about others behavior in check. I have a lot more learning to do with phrasing and timing in how I am honest. 

(f) Proverbs 16:32 and the institute student manual commentary for Proverbs 16:32, “Becoming Master of Oneself” (pg. 17).

President David O. McKay often spoke to the youth of the Church about self-control and self-mastery:

“So the whole lesson is one of subduing, not just physical matter, that you might realize the ideal,
but subduing your own passions and appetites, and conquering them. Some of you say we hear too much about keeping the Word of Wisdom. Why, it is one of the best lessons for the young in all this world, and for the old! You reach out to indulge in certain things. Resist, avoid creating an appetite for that which creates an appetite for itself. But beyond that, you develop the power to say, ‘No, thank you.’ And the strength that comes to the character more than compensates for any immediate pleasure. . . .
“I commend to you, young man and young woman, the virtue of self-mastery, if you would fulfill the true measure of your life in subduing, in order to realize the ideal, the spiritual development of your soul.”
(In Deseret News, 6 Sept. 1952, p. 15.) 

I could use lots more self mastery in my life. One of the largest things I could use more mastery over is my consumption  I like to not only consume to much food but also things. It feels like I'm not buying to much because I'm not a hoarder by any means. I just need to learn to budget my food consumption and my items (garage sale, toys, decor, . . .) consumption. 

(g) Read Proverbs 23:7 and the institute student manual commentary for Proverbs 23:7, “One’s Actions Follow One’s Thoughts” (pg. 18). President Marion G. Romney emphasized this proverb in his sesquicentennial conference address:

“The great overall struggle in the world today is, as it has always been, for the souls of men. Every soul is personally engaged in the struggle, and he makes his fight with what is in his mind. In the final analysis the battleground is, for each individual, within himself. Inevitably he gravitates toward the subjects of his thoughts. Ages ago the wise man thus succinctly stated this great truth: ‘As he thinketh in his heart, so is he’ (Prov. 23:7).
“If we would escape the lusts of the flesh and build for ourselves and our children great and noble characters, we must keep in our minds and in their minds true and righteous principles for our thoughts and their thoughts to dwell upon.
“We must not permit our minds to become surfeited with the interests, things, and practices of the world about us. To do so is tantamount to adopting and going along with them. . . .

“If we would avoid adopting the evils of the world, we must pursue a course which will daily feed our minds with and call them back to the things of the Spirit.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1980, p. 88; or Ensign, May 1980, p. 66.)

One of the practices I have used successfully to control my thoughts is to distract or alter what I'm thinking immediately  If its as simple as a memory of a bad scene in a show or fight I can distract myself with good things away form it. If it's a thought such as a curse word I quickly replace it with a filler word. I could control my thoughts even more consistently if I didn't allow anger to control them. When we allow the emotions our bodies are feeling to take over our minds then we lose that consistency. 

(h) Proverbs 31:10–31 11 The heart of her husband doth safely ^atrust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her^ahands.

15 She ^ariseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

 17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the ^apoor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

 25 Strength and honour are her ^aclothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of ^akindness.

 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of ^aidleness.
gives a description of a godly woman.  

Five qualities you believe to be important and why.

1. She wakes up early to make sure her household is taken care of. I think it's important to do this, and want to start myself, because if we get things done early that weigh us down then that weight does not get put on the children's shoulders. 
2. She works willingly with her hands. Having a positive heart while working affects that work. It affects the speed, the energy/vibe within the rest of the home. 
3. Strength and honor are her clothing. When we gird ourselves with strength to withstand the pain and hardships of each day we are better equipped to handle them. 
4. When she opens her mouth wisdom and kindness comes out. If that's all that came out of our mouths all day life would be merry. Not only would life be merry for us but also for all those around us as well. 
5. Idleness does not happen with her. Being idle made me crazy after returning to my semester of school as a mom. I filled my time idleness but worked as much as I could to fight being idle. School rocks at taking idleness away.