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18 Proverbs for Life
Advice for my son from King Solomon
My son just turned eighteen. It is amazing how time flies. In thinking through the life advice that I wanted to share with him as he now entered adulthood, my mind turned to one of my favorite books in the Bible: the book of Proverbs.
It is fitting since the very theme of Proverbs is wisdom. The book is all about the question of how to live. In fact, the beginning of Proverbs is framed as advice from King Solomon to his son.
My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.(Proverbs 1:8–10, NKJV)
We can assume Solomon had quite a few children since he had…ahem…“seven hundred wives” and “three hundred concubines” (I Kings 11:3). Nevertheless, when it comes to the wisdom sayings he wrote out, he seems to have one “son” (singular) in mind — presumably Rehoboam, the son who would become king.
Therefore, in honor of my son’s eighteenth birthday, I’ve selected eighteen (18) Bible proverbs that (I believe) serve as a wonderfully practical guide for life on this earth.
The proverbs below do not reflect my list of the “best” or even necessarily my “favorite”…