Dear Azy, Rumi, and Ari,
Today, we’re going to jump forward in our bible stories from King David to his son, King Solomon. When Solomon became king, he prayed to God. When God came, he asked him, what do you want? Ask and I shall give it to you. He said I don’t want riches but wisdom. I want to have the knowledge to know how to live a Godly life so I can know how to best serve your people, the Israelites. God responded because you did not think about yourself but others, not only will I give you wisdom so you know how to live a Godly life, but I’ll also give you riches. In fact, you will be the richest king to have ever lived and they will talk about you for centuries to come.
So Solomon, with God’s grace, became one of the wisest man to have ever walked the earth. He wrote 3 books of the bible: proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and song of songs. Proverbs are general truths which mean they’re not promises it’s going to happen if you follow them, but generally, the results happen for most that decide to make this a part of their daily living.
Here are some of my favorite verses of wisdom from his book of proverbs categorized based on subject as well as others from other sections of the bible. I put the exact verse on the ones I knew in the bible where I had read them so you can look it up in the bible yourself:
Kids about Parents
– Father’s instruction – My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck. When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you. For their command is the lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life (6:20)
– Parent’s discipline – Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.
– Foolish child – A foolish child is a calamity to a father. (19:13)
– Misbehaved child – Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.
– Behavior of child – Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure and whether it is right (20:11)
– Insulting child – If you insult your father or mother, your life will be snuffed out in total darkness (20:20)
Marriage
– Husbands – Drink water from your own well – share love only with your wife. (5:15)
– Worthy wife – A worthy wife is a crown to her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones. (12:4)
– Kid’s discipline – Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them. (13:4)
– Quarrelsome wife – It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home. (21:9)
– Justice – Justice is a joy to the Godly, but it terrifies evildoers. (21:15)
– Virtuous and Capable wife – Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (31:10)
– Great wife – her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her. There are many virtuous and capable women in the world. (31)
– Great wife – Charm is deceptive, and beauty doesn’t last; But a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward for all she had done. Let her deeds publicly her praise. (31)
Money
– Borrowing – The rich rule over the poor, the borrower is servant to the leader. (22:7)
– Borrowing – Own nothing to anyone, except for your obligation to love one another. Romans (13:8)
– Debt – It is the will of God for me to be debt-free.
– Self-control – World says be happy now. God says practice not having immediate gratification.
– Self-Control and spending – I will not spend if I don’t have it.
– First fruits – Give the first 10% of what you make.
– Security for a friend – Don’t put security for a friend’s loan.
– Giving – Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. (11:24)
– True riches – Riches won’t help the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death. (before Jesus 11:4)
– Get rich quick schemes – Wealth from get rich quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time. (13:11)
– Godliness – Better to have little, with Godliness, than to be rich and dishonest. (16:8)
– Poverty and friends – Wealth makes many friends. Poverty drives them all away (19:4)
– Inheritance – An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end.
– Wealth – Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.
– Pleasure – Those who love pleasure become poor.
– Wealth – Do not wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye, it disappears for it will sprout wings and fly like an eagle (23:4)
– Monitor your wealth – Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for the herds, for riches won’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
– Greed – Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty. (28:22)
Wisdom
– The foundation of wisdom is fearing the Lord.
– Hard work – take a lesson from the ants, you lazy bones. Learn their ways and become wise. Though they have no prince or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. (6:6)
– Pride – When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (11:2)
– Righteousness – Whoever proves righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. (21:21)
– Honesty – The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before they act. (21:29)
– Human vs. God – No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord (21:30)
– Humility – True humility and fear of the Lord leads to riches, honor, and long life (22:4)
– Reputation – Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. (22:1)
– Lying by omission – Don’t excuse yourself saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you know. He will repay all people as actions deserve. (24:12)
– Enemies – Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall, don’t be happy when they stumble. For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. (24:24)
– Preparation – Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. (25:27)
– Confidence in wrong people – Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking with a lame foot. (25:19)
– Enemies – If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will reap burning coals of shame over their heads, and the Lord will reward you. (25:22)
– Candor – An open rebuke is better than hidden love. (27:5)
– Friendship – As iron sharpens iron, so a friend shapes a friend. (27:17)
– Heart – As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. (27:19)
– Desire – Just as death and destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied. (27:20)
– Obeying the law – God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law. (28:9)
– Repent – People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (28:13)
– Candor – In the end, wise people appreciate criticism far more than flattery. (28:23)
– Fear the lord – Blesses are those who fear the Lord or don’t do wrong, but the stubborn are heard for serious trouble. (28:14)
– Criticism – Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery (29:1)
– Pride – Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor (30:23)
– God’s words – Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Do not add his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. (30:5)
– Peace – When the people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. (16:7)
– Fairness – The Lord demands accurate scales and balances, he sets the standards for fairness. (16:11)
– Words – Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. (16:24)
– Self-control – Better to be patient than powerful, better to have self-control than to conquer a city. (17:32)
– Brotherhood – A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. (17:17)
– Listening – Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. (18:13)
– Spirit – The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit. (18:14)
– Angry at Lord – People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.
– Purpose – You can make plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. (20:21)
– Gossip – A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around chatterers. (20:19)
– Revenge – Don’t say – I will get even for this wrong. Wait for the Lord to handle the matter. (20:22)
– Plan – The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way. (20:24)
– Vows – Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost. (20:25)
– Righteousness – The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifice. (21:3)
– Advisors – Without wise leadership, a nation falls, there is safety in having many advisors. (11:14)
– Discipline – To learn, you must have discipline. It’s stupid to hate correction. (12:1)
– Listening – Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. (12:15)
– Temper – A fool is quick tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. (12:16)
– Honesty – Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed. (12:19)
– Encouragement – Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (12:25)
– Gentleness – Gentle answer turns away wrath. (15:1)
– Guilt – Fools make fun of guilt but the Godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation. (14:9)
– Laughter – Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. (14:13)
– Recklessness – The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence. (14:16)
– Help the poor – It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor. (14:21)
– Jealousy – A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer to the bones. (14:30)
– Gentleness – A gentle response deflects anger, but harsh words makes tempers flare.
– Temper – A hot tempered person starts fights; a cool tempered person stops them.
– Intention – People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord’s examines their heart. (16:2)
– Plans – Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans with succeed. (16:3)
– Usefulness – Instead of waking up and saying how can I make myself happy today, wake up and say how can I be useful today? And then happiness will come as the byproduct. RFK Jr.
– Pretentious – A pretentious showy life is an empty life. A plain and simple life is a full life.
– Focus – I am focusing my energy on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. Paul
– Eternity – You weren’t put on this earth to be remembered. You were put her to prepare for eternity.
– Temper/Anger – Sensible people control their temper; They earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
– Wise – To become wise, get to know God better and better. And ask him for Wisdom. He won’t rebuke you. Just make sure your faith is in God alone. (James 1:5)
– Wisdom – Wisdom appeals to our mind (good woman). Wickedness appeals to our senses (prositute).
– Gossip – A gossip goes around and tells secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep confidence.
And one of my favorites:
– Today you have to decide whether you will serve God or Idols. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Joshua (24:16)
Hope you enjoyed these. Pick a few each week to memorize and incorporate them into your daily life and see how God will bless you for following them.
And remember Daddy loves you! 🙂
Love,
Daddy
5/26/25
