Jesus said: It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God". Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.John chapter 6 verse 45



Lead me in your truth and teach me for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.Psalm 25 verse 5



Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will He instruct in the way that he should choose. Psalm 25 verse 12



I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32 verse 8



Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Psalm 51 verse 6



Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86 verse 11



Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law. Psalm 94 verse 12



Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143 verse 10



All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. Isaiah chapter 54 verse 13



Jesus said: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew chapter 11 verse 29



O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. Psalm 71 verse 17




Proverbs

By Matt Hilton, 20/06/2025
An old lady, with wise eyes, teaching a young girl, who seems eager to learn

A proverb, according to Chambers English Dictionary, is:

"A short, familiar, sentence expressing a truth or moral lesson."

Proverbs have been used by wise men in many cultures throughout human history. There's even a book of the Bible that has 31 chapters full of proverbs. Can you guess what the book is called?

Of course, it's called 'Proverbs'!

I would say that the essence of a proverb is:

  • It's succinct
  • It's easy to remember
  • It encapsulates a truth in a few words
  • It makes you think

A proverb is couched in simple language that is accessible to anyone. There are no big words, no technical terms, no obscure ideas that only 'those in the know' would understand.

Sometimes, however, the proverb's simple language expresses a profound idea which, although intuitively grasped, might challenge even the most articulate of people to provide a logical explanation of it.

For example, I heard this proverb many years ago:

  • Without salt, no sugar.

It seems to me that the force of this saying is immediately apparent, but I confess that I would be at a loss to explain its meaning in a way that might be suitable for an encyclopaedia.

The apostle Paul makes a similar statement in his letter to the Colossians:

  • Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6, NKJV)

The Book of Proverbs itself contains sayings which similarly might require a full sermon to unpack the depth of meaning within their few words. Here is an example:

  • Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (NIVuk, 1984)

While I have no grandiose ideas about being 'a wise man', I have found that from time to time over the years a few proverbs have come to me and I have jotted them down. I will allow you, dear reader, to judge how wise or otherwise they may be.

For convenience, I have divided them into the following groups:

Need for God

Man's greatest folly is the notion
that he can be wise without God.
You can't bottle sunlight,
and you can't bottle God!
Men sneer and mock at God,
but the last laugh will be His.
The least among men can be the greatest of saints,
for God knows the proud from afar,
but dwells with the humble.
The righteous rejoice in the blessings of God
freely lavished upon them.
The wicked rejoice in a share of the spoils,
but one day the spoiler will come for his payback.
He who looks at the universe and does not see the hand of God
is like one who looks in the mirror
but only sees a sheet of glass.
A good man who does not know God
is like a work of art hanging in a darkened room.
That which has a beginning must also sometime finish,
but with God there is no 'beginning'.
The man in whose thoughts God is always first
will always be first in the thoughts of God.
Whenever a man begins to think that he is God,
the ones who suffer most are
those who know that he is mistaken.
The two great enemies of TRUTH are RELIGION and IRRELIGION.
The battle is won or lost in the prayer room.

Success and Failure

Success is its own reward;
The reward of failure is understanding.
Failure is the father of humility,
Humility is the father of wisdom,
And wisdom is the father of success.
The intelligent learn from their mistakes;
the wise, from the mistakes of others.
Building a life is like building a house -
if you don't have the proper authorisation
it can turn out to be very costly.
If you take what belongs to another to make it your own,
in the end God the Judge will strip you
and leave you with nothing.
God is not impressed by how much I achieve for Him,
but by how much I desire for Him to achieve in me.
When the eyes no longer look for pleasure,
true beauty becomes visible.
When the last penny is spent,
true riches may be earned.
A VISION that is not married to a PLAN
is but a DREAM,
and the DREAM will not come true
until it gives birth to a PROJECT.

Wisdom and Folly

When a man looks at the stars, wonder rises in his heart;
When he looks into his heart, he wonders where the stars have gone.
The man who asks no questions will never have an answer,
but the man who finds an answer also finds another question.
There is knowledge that generates mountains of writing,
and knowledge that no human language can tell.
He who does not know that he is a fool
will never be wise.
The first hint of wisdom is
the recognition that wisdom is lacking.
He who walks in the darkness and recognises the darkness
is ready to search for the light.
When the last penny is gone,
true wealth can be found.
A wilderness without water is no place to live,
and neither is a house without love.
He who looks at the window from without
sees only the curtain's lining,
but he who looks from within
is able to see the whole pattern.
The fool proudly stumbles towards hell.
The wise humbly charts his course to heaven.

Righteousness and Wickedness

The conscience of the righteous man rewards him constantly;
The wicked man must constantly find more wickedness
to enable him to stifle his conscience.
An evil man looks into his heart and smiles;
A good man looks into his heart and weeps.
When we can see that the only way to produce good
is to walk in the steadfast love of the Lord,
why should we ever choose the way of evil,
which produces nothing but death, destruction, and pain?

Peace and War

Beyond every storm cloud is blue sky and sunshine.
Beyond every trial is blessing for those who endure.
Tranquility of soul cannot be bought or earned.
Turmoil of soul cannot be sold or given away.
A man cannot be at peace with his neighbour
while he is at war with himself;
And a man cannot be at peace with himself
while he is at war with God.
A man who has not found peace in his heart
will always be at war with someone.
A man who has not found peace in God
will always be at war with himself.
A man who has not found peace in the Cross
will always be at war with God.
The storm may rage without,
but serenity reigns within.

Pride and Humility

Wisdom is to pride
as water is to a duck's back.
The proud man thinks he knows it all.
The humble man knows he has it all to learn.
The proud cannot be taught.
The humble cannot but learn.
The meek are not inclined to take offence,
nor those of humble heart to harbour grudges.
The proud are swift to accuse;
The humble are slow to find fault.
The proud man cherishes his rights;
The meek is grateful for his blessings.
The proud man will not bow among the righteous.
The meek man will not boast among the wicked.
Meekness shows the entry into light.
Pride hides the exit out of darkness.

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