The Ways of Wisdom and Folly

BY She Reads Truth

The book of Proverbs is a guide for pursuing godly wisdom in our daily lives. In this four-week study, we will read a selection of topical proverbs covering different aspects of wisdom, from how to interact with our friends, families, and neighbors, to fearing God and keeping His commands. No matter the subject, these proverbs urge us to wrestle with and reflect on our own response to them. To help you better engage with the proverbs in this reading plan, we have provided you with a short introduction and reflection questions for each day.

The foundational truth in Proverbs is this: to deny God is to walk in the way of a fool, and to follow His ways is wisdom. Wisdom is not just the accumulation of knowledge. It is a way we walk through life, seeking to know and live out God’s truth. Folly, in the biblical sense of the word, is to hold the pursuit of truth in contempt by choosing to make our own path. A life of wisdom or folly comes from more than the individual decisions we make; it comes from how we approach the journey of life as a whole. 

Reflection Questions:

What do today’s verses suggest are the goals of growing in wisdom?

Read Proverbs 9 again, paying close attention to the personification of wisdom in verses 1–12 and the personification of folly in verses 13–18. What stands out to you? How are the two different?

What fruit do you hope a month of studying God’s wisdom will produce in you?