Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12: Lesson 109

Introduction to Proverbs

“The Lord Giveth Wisdom”

How has wise counsel from trusted loved ones blessed your life? Studying the book of Proverbs can be like seeking wisdom from a caring friend, family member, and the Lord. Applying His wisdom in our lives can keep us on the strait and narrow covenant path. This lesson can help students identify truths that can help them follow the Lord’s path.

Student preparation: Invite students to select a piece of valuable advice or helpful words of counsel they have received from parents, leaders, and trusted friends. Invite students to prepare to share the advice and how it has blessed their lives.

Possible Learning Activities

Trusted advice

Consider beginning class by providing small pieces of paper for students. Ask them to write down a valuable piece of advice or counsel they have been given. After collecting the papers, you could read a few of the responses. Invite the student who wrote the response to share how that advice has helped them. Students could pass the remaining papers around the room, the reading the advice of other classmates. Then invite students to discuss the following questions.

• What makes someone’s advice meaningful to you?

• How do you determine whose advice you can trust?

  After students have shared their responses, you might invite them to prayerfully ponder the next questions.

• How frequently do you follow the wise counsel of others?

• How frequently do you seek and follow the counsel of the Lord?

The wisdom of Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is a collection of poetic wisdom written to the Israelites. Some passages in Proverbs are attributed to King Solomon (see Proverbs 1:1; 10:1; 25:1; see also 1 Kings 4:32), while other authors are unknown. As you study Proverbs, pay attention to how the Holy Ghost testifies of truth as you identify direction the Lord would like you to apply to your life.

You could remind students that Proverbs (like Job and Ecclesiastes) uses elements of Hebrew poetry that can be challenging to readers. If needed, share that although many Proverbs are deeply spiritual, some are simply worldly advice.

Read Proverbs 1:1–7, looking for some of the purposes of the proverbs.

Invite students to share what they found. If useful, you could ask why wisdom is important to learn today.

Consider explaining that “the fear of the Lord” (verse 7) refers to feeling and showing reverence and respect toward Him. Students might want to write this explanation in their scriptures.

• Why do you think reverencing or respecting the Lord might be “the beginning of knowledge”? (verse 7).

Read Proverbs 2:6–9, looking for the source of true wisdom. (Note: a buckler is a portable shield.) Consider linking or cross-referencing these verses with Mosiah 4:9.

• How would you summarize what you learned as a statement of truth?

  Help students identify a truth such as the Lord gives us wisdom to help us follow His path. You could invite students to write this truth in their notes, scriptures, or study journals while you write it on the board. Students could share examples of times when the Lord’s wisdom helped them. They could discuss how His wisdom might be different from the wisdom of the world. Students might mention things like paying tithing leads to the Lord’s blessings (Malachi 3:10) or following the Savior’s law of health brings us physical and spiritual blessings (Doctrine and Covenants 89:18–21).

• How has following the Lord’s wise counsel helped you stay on His path?

• What are some examples of when the Savior sought wisdom from His Father rather than from other sources?

If students need additional help thinking of moments when the Savior followed His Father’s wisdom, you could share examples like Matthew 14:23; 26:36–39. Students can have an edifying learning experience as they think about how Jesus Christ was an example of the truths they identify. (For additional training on helping students see that the Savior is an example of a principle , see “Emphasize the Example of Jesus Christ” in Teacher Development Skills.)

The Lord’s wisdom can help us follow His example

Help students identify truths that invite them to follow the Savior and be more like Him. To do so, you could provide some or all of the following references from Proverbs. You might write the references you select on strips of paper. You could give one paper to each student. Invite them to read the reference and do the two steps below. Then students could pass their papers to another student and repeat the two steps. Repeat the rotation until students have studied several passages.

Note: Lesson 110: “Proverbs 3” will focus on the truths found in that chapter.

Study one or more of the following passages from Proverbs, and do the following:

1. Write what you learn as a statement of truth.

2. Write a brief description of how this wisdom could help someone follow the example of Jesus Christ or become more like Him.

Proverbs 1:8

Proverbs 4:14–15

Proverbs 4:26

Proverbs 6:23

Proverbs 11:17

Proverbs 15:1

Proverbs 16:16

Proverbs 16:18–19

Proverbs 17:22

Proverbs 23:17

Proverbs 28:13

Proverbs 29:18

Proverbs 30:5

The following activity can help students explain what they learned from their study of Proverbs. Students could do this activity individually, or you could organize them into groups. You could provide paper and art supplies to create a poster, or students could create something on their phones. To assist students, display the following instructions.

Imagine you were asked to create a visual that uses one of the Proverb passages to help teenagers become more like the Savior. Select a Proverb and create a poster like one you might find in the For the Strength of Youth magazine. Your visual could contain the following:

1. A simple illustration—something creative and that could grab a teenager’s attention

2. The Proverbs reference and the truth it teaches

3. An explanation of how the verse from Proverbs could help a teenager follow the Savior’s example or become more like Him

Share the wisdom of Proverbs

Provide students an opportunity to share or display their visual. If students did this activity as groups, they could select someone to present their visual to the class. You could display the posters around the room, and students could review their classmates’ work. To conclude class, you might invite students to discuss the following questions or respond in their study journals.

Pause and reflect on impressions you might have had throughout the lesson today. Then answer the following questions in your study journal:

• How have the truths you studied today affected your desire to follow the Lord?

• What have you felt impressed to do to become more like the Savior?

Additional Resources

Where can I find wisdom?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

As you seek inspiration to gain the wisdom you need in your lives, I invite you to look unto the Savior. One excellent way to come unto Christ is to read the Book of Mormon—from beginning to end—and identify the attributes and characteristics of Jesus Christ found therein. As you do this with real intent and sincerity of heart, you can come to hear His voice. You can come to know Him in a very remarkable way. (“Receiving Revelation—Recent Messages from Prophets, Apostles, and Other Church Leaders” [digital-only article], Liahona, June 2023, Gospel Library)

Why is it dangerous to rely on human wisdom?

President Russell M. Nelson explained:

The voices and pressures of the world are engaging and numerous. But too many voices are deceptive, seductive, and can pull us off the covenant path. To avoid the inevitable heartbreak that follows, I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life—each and every day.

If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished. If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true. (“Make Time for the Lord,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 120)

What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

President David O. McKay (1873–1970) explained:

Gaining knowledge is one thing, and applying it [is] quite another. Wisdom is the right application of knowledge. (in Conference Report, Apr. 1968, 93)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Proverbs 4:14–15. Avoid “the path of the wicked”

Through the Apostle Paul, the Lord taught that for every temptation, He has provided a way of escape (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). In Proverbs, we learn that the Lord’s way to escape temptation is to first avoid it. Invite students to read Proverbs 4:14–15. Ask them to create a scenario this passage could address. Students could create the scenario in small groups. They could then exchange scenarios with another group and discuss how avoiding the temptation would be better than trying to resist it. Students could also suggest a few strategies to avoid situations where we might be tempted to sin.

To deepen the students’ understanding, you could also show the video “Avoid It” from time code 0:00 to 2:59. Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy uses a metaphor of resisting chocolate chip cookies to demonstrate the wisdom of Proverbs 4:14–15.

Proverbs to bless the life of a teenager

You might want to help students see how the wisdom of Proverbs could help a teenager. One way is to create a bracket. Select 16 Proverbs references and write them in the outer lines. Organize students in 8 groups. Each group reads a set of two Proverbs references and answers the following questions:

• Which proverb do you think would be the most meaningful in your life right now?

• How could this proverb help you follow the Savior’s example or become more like Him?

After the discussion, partners could select one verse that best answers these two questions. Their selected verse moves to the next round. Combine students into four new groups, and have them repeat the activity, reading the verses and discussing which proverb they would move to the next round. Continue until there is one passage from Proverbs left. After the final proverb is selected, students could share how they have seen this truth help them or someone they know follow the Savior.

Teachings about wisdom

Students might benefit from reviewing scriptures that help us understand wisdom. If so, you could invite students to create a mind map. You could model this activity by writing the word Wisdom in the center of the board. Invite students to use their scripture study tools to find scriptures that could help someone better understand the Lord’s teachings about wisdom. If students need additional guidance, you might list verses like Luke 2:52; James 1:5; Mosiah 4:9; Alma 37:35; Doctrine and Covenants 10:43. You could invite students to come to the board and add to the mind map things they learn about wisdom from the scriptures.