One of the ways a parent helps their children learn something is by repeating it over and over. In our house our kids heard their dad say, “think, there’s so little competition” when they were about to make a bad choice.

My own dad liked to remind us to “measure twice, cut once” when we were working on a project. And my grandma, who was an excellent seamstress, actually liked to say, “a stitch in time saves nine.” That helped me remember that it’s cheaper to mend something early than to let it get worse and have to replace it.

Can you imagine how many sayings King Solomon had for his family? We see lots of his ideas repeated frequently here in Proverbs because, after all, repetition is the mother of learning.

Timeless Wisdom

So many of Solomon’s observations and pieces of advice are just as applicable today as they were three thousand years ago. It makes Proverbs a great book to read over and over.

When I read in Proverbs 20:14, “‘It’s no good, it’s no good’ says the buyer – then goes off and boasts about the purchase,” I think, that could have been written today! People still love to drive a hard bargain and boast about it later.

No matter where you read in Proverbs, you will find something that applies to your life today.

Making Good Choices

Life is made up of short and long term choices. It’s good to have a book like Proverbs that spells out probable outcomes to the choices we make. For instance, a young person starting a new job could use this good advice:

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

“A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and deadly snare.” Proverbs 21:6

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” Proverbs 21:21

There is a lot of great advice regarding the character of people in Proverbs, too, so it’s a good place to gain discernment for relationships.

Never Too Much of a Good Thing

I read about a man who has read Proverbs all the way through every month for the last forty years. He gives it the credit for a lot of his success in life. He said that for a while it felt predictable and a little boring, but then he began to notice that he habitually made better decisions because of what he learned from Proverbs. He escaped from temptations and avoided sin because he had an inner compass of wisdom guiding him. He was able to choose good friends and be a better family man and member of his community thanks to the practical advice Proverbs gave him.

A person who reads Proverbs regularly has a store of wisdom to draw upon when life takes an unexpected turn. He or she knows how to live a good life and have good relationships when there are no crises. Proverbs is a steadying influence.

We will finish reading the first twenty-four chapters of Proverbs tomorrow. These are the ones that Solomon recorded in his lifetime. After we read Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes, we will read the final seven chapters of Proverbs, collected by King Hezekiah.

After we move on from Proverbs, think about incorporating it back into your daily reading. Proverbs is one of the good things in life that you can never have too much of.