Proverbs 21: Planning the Future
NO DOUBT YOU'VE glanced once or twice at an astrologer's predictions in the newspaper. Even if you felt guilty or silly for doing it, you'd hardly fault yourself for wanting every possible advantage in planning your future. Planning for the future, after all, is a major industry. Hundreds of billions of dollars ride on the forecasts of economists, investment counselors, analysts of every sort, and even astrologers! Legions of advisors will sell you opinions on what will happen in the near term and long term; whether or not you take their advice, someone else will. And that person's actions may in turn affect your prosperity, health and happiness. For all their focus on the here and now, the proverbs keep a canny eye on the future. Many proverbs, in fact, offer wisdom on how to make plans, why to make them, and what we can expect of the best plans we make. With these proverbs you'll begin training for planning your future.
Warming Up to God
How often do you think about and plan for the future?
Read Proverbs 21. »
Discovering the Word
- The proverbs insist that character affects the success or failure of the plans a person makes. What character qualities mentioned in Proverbs 21 hinder our efforts to plan for the future (vv. 1-8, 16-17, 20-21, 23-26, 29-31)?
- We usually evaluate a plan according to its merits, not on the basis of the character of the planner. Why does a planner's character make a difference?
- Verse 2 points to a trap that we often fall into. Describe it.
- Verse 5 says that a good plan by itself is not enough to yield success. Suppose you plan a picnic for a large number of people. Suppose further that you are diligent. How would your actions differ from those of a person who was not diligent?
- Why do you think verse 21 points to just two qualities—righteousness and love—as the source of life, prosperity and honor?
- An atheist could profitably apply much of the wisdom we've seen in these studies. Yet how do verses 30-31 also point to a divine dimension in the plans we make (and, indeed, in all wisdom)?
Applying the Word
- When has one of your plans failed for one of the reasons mentioned in these proverbs?
- What truths from this passage can help you with your current planning?
Responding in Prayer
"Victory rests with the LORD" (v. 31). Allow that hope and promise to shape your prayers.
For Further Study
Character Witness by Christine Wood