Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 536 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Just King - Proverbs 29:1-14

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 536 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 1st half of Chapter 29.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On the day this trek is released, we will be heading to Florida to visit Paula’s Aunt in Ft. Myers and then heading out on a 5-day podcaster cruise on Saturday. A couple of days after returning from the cruise, I will be heading back to Arizona for my monthly on-site work for our construction project there. This means that I have to prepare enough daily treks ahead of time to cover the entire month of February. This will be a challenge, and some of the daily treks may be a bit shorter than usual. We are thankful for a stable client workload, and that we are able to work independent of our location. This stability reminds me of verse 4 on our trek today tells us…

A Just King Gives Stability to His Nation

Let’s start our trek as we explore verses 1-14.

These are more Proverbs of Solomon recorded by King Hezekiah.

1 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism

will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.

One of the traits of a wise and mature person is that they are willing to accept constructive criticism to improve themselves. None of us have all knowledge and wisdom, and we all have much room for improvement. A person who is unwilling to accept beneficial criticism from others will destroy themselves due to their foolishness.

2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.

But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

It is so encouraging and pleasant when you are under the authority of a person with integrity and whose actions are right, just and fair. When we are forced to be under a person who is wicked, it is a heavy burden and groaning is a natural outcome.

3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,

but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.

As a father of five grown children, whom all love and are growing in wisdom, is a joy. It is quite different when your grown children hang around those who are morally bankrupt. The training invested in that type of child does not have a good return. Many time wayward children are also a financial drain on the parents.

4 A just king gives stability to his nation,

but one who demands bribes destroys it.

Whether it is a king, president, governor, or anyone else in a position of authority, a leader who is just and fair will bring stability to their organization. If these same leaders are crooked and demand that which is not rightfully theirs, then the nation or organization will be destroyed from within.

5 To flatter friends

is to lay a trap for their feet.

We should be honest with all people at all times. When we flatter our friends and others, it is usually for some nefarious reason to get something in return. This is trapping them with deception.

6 Evil people are trapped by sin,

but the righteous escape, shouting for joy.

Individuals who practice deception will be trapped by the very deception that they are promoting. When you don’t lie or deceive others, then you never have to worry about what you said, thereby escaping this trap. It is a joyous time.

7 The godly care about the rights of the poor;

the wicked don’t care at all.

A person who is compassionate will be concerned for a...