King Solomon was the wisest person on earth and guess what? He wrote the book of Proverbs and left us ALL his wisdom for us to use it too. All the business concepts we need to run a successful business are right there. Are you married and a parent too? No problem. All the advice on how to parent your children is found in these proverbs as well as advice on marriage for both men and women.

The first chapter tells us why King Solomon wrote this book: “The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, and to help them understand wise sayings. Through these proverbs, people will receive instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will make the simple-minded clever. They will give knowledge and purpose to young people” (Proverbs 1: 2-4).

Let’s start by learning what the Bible says about how valuable wisdom is:

Come here and listen to me! I’ll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise (1:23).
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure (2:2-4).
Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying (3: 15-17).
Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly (3:18).
Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! (4:7).
If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won’t limp or stumble as you run (4:12).
I (wisdom) love all who love me. Those who search for me will surely find me (8:17).

Now let’s explore what the book of Proverbs says about business and leadership advice:

My child, don’t lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect (3:21-22).
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them (3:27).
Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do (4:23).
Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them (18:15).
People who accept correction are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore it will lead others astray (10:17).
Lazy people are a pain to their employers (10:26).
Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom (11:2).
People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall (10:9).
Hard work means prosperity; only fools idle away their time (12:11).
Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success (15:22).
Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed (16:3).
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (16:9).
The Lord demands fairness in every business deal; he sets the standard (16:11).
From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive (16:23).

Lastly, let’s learn from proverbs that relate to marriage and children:

To men: Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth (5:18).
To women: A worthy wife is her husband’s joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength (12:4).
If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don’t love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them (13:24).
It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool who has no heart for wisdom (17:6).
Discipline your children while there is hope. If you don’t you will ruin their lives (19:18).

I would like to end today’s blog by sharing two proverbs that are starting to apply to my own life as I get older: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life” (16:31) and my favorite: “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged: parents are the pride of their children” (17:6). I for sure am experiencing being a grandma as a “crowning glory” and I only hope my children will see me as their “pride.”

Because there are so many proverbs we can learn from, I might write a sequel to this blog. Thank you for reading. I hope these proverbs help you in your life and encourage you to seek wisdom above all other things that you could want from God!