How can Proverbs 22:17 guide our approach to learning and teaching others? “Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge.” Incline Your Ear: A Posture of Humble Learning • “Incline your ear” pictures a deliberate, forward-leaning posture—an eagerness to receive truth. • True learning begins with a conscious decision to listen rather than speak (James 1:19). • Because Scripture is wholly reliable (2 Timothy 3:16), leaning in to its wisdom is never wasted effort. Listen to the Words of the Wise: Choosing Trusted Voices • The verse assumes there are “words of the wise” worth hearing; wisdom is not isolated but shared. • Seek teachers who themselves submit to God’s Word (Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 4:6). • Filter every human insight through the unchanging standard of Scripture (Psalm 119:105). Apply Your Mind: Moving from Information to Transformation • Knowledge becomes wisdom only when the heart engages (“apply your mind”). • Internalizing truth guards against mere intellectualism (Psalm 119:11). • Jesus links hearing and doing (Matthew 7:24). Disciples learn in order to obey. Guidelines for Personal Learning – Schedule unhurried time in the Word; lingering builds attentiveness. – Take notes during sermons or studies; writing helps incline the ear. – Memorize key verses; repetition lodges truth in the heart (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). – Invite accountability; share what you are learning so others can spur you on (Hebrews 10:24-25). Guidelines for Teaching Others – Teach from an overflow: instruct only after personally “applying your mind.” – Emphasize Scripture over opinion; let the text speak first (1 Peter 4:11). – Model humility; remain a learner while you teach (Proverbs 9:9). – Aim for life change, not information transfer; craft applications that call for obedience (John 13:17). – Entrust truth to reliable people who will teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Living Proverbs 22:17 Today • Learning: lean in, listen well, and let the Word reshape your thinking. • Teaching: pass on what you have first digested, always pointing back to Scripture. • Result: a multiplying community of humble listeners who become wise teachers, all rooted in the unerring Word of God. |
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