Copyright ©2010 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org 1 Family Worship Guide – Week 22 READ o Proverbs 1:1‐7 o This passage sets the tempo for the entire book of Proverbs, the goal of which is to instill within believers the ability to live in light of their purpose. Solomon stated elsewhere that the whole duty of man is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecc. 12:13). The same sentiment is expressed here in verse 7, which contains the theme for the entire book: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” o One may compare the book of Proverbs to a tool‐kit. Reading, studying, and meditating on its words may not explicitly answer every question or solve every problem one has, but it will equip a person with the necessary perspective on how they might glorify God in specific situations. o In many ways, the book of Proverbs captures the essence of Christian discipleship. A disciple is a life‐long learner. Proverbs affirms this in demanding that all who read the book assume a posture of teachability. This is true for the inexperienced (v. 4) and for the experienced (v. 5). The pursuit of wisdom is a life‐long pursuit in which to be engaged by all, regardless of life stage. It should be started as soon as possible, which is why there is so much emphasis on children and youth being taught and instructed in the ways of God (i.e. 4:1‐9). Also, the pursuit of wisdom is to be sustained for a lifetime. How else will a father be able to instruct his son if he himself is not learning to be wise? Or, a mother her daughter? Or, an elder a youth? The wise person realizes there is always more to learn. The Bottom Line: A wise person learns to live in light of their purpose, namely, to glorify God in day‐to‐day decision‐making and problem solving. Questions: What does it mean to be wise? What does it mean to be foolish? What does it mean to fear God? How does the book of Proverbs inform Christian discipleship? As parents, how might you more intentionally train your children to live in light of their purpose? As children, how might you more intentionally learn from your parents to live in light of your purpose? PRAY o Read Window on the World, pg. 84‐85 India o Use Prayer Card SING o Use lyric sheet and mp3 download of “Immortal Invisible” o Our family worship song this week is “Immortal, Invisible”. The original hymn is based on 1 Timothy 1:17, “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.” This week as we read through Proverbs, we learn that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7) and that all wisdom comes from God, who is all knowing and infinitely wise. The depth of God’s mind goes deeper than the ocean and the measure of His knowledge goes farther than the heavens. The lyrics for “Immortal, Invisible” are rich in poetic language. After thinking about the text of the hymn, we added an additional chorus in an effort to bring home the prevailing theme that nothing is greater than God. MEMORIZE o Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.