The Importance of Foresight

This morning in Sunday school, I had the opportunity to teach from the book of Proverbs. Last Sunday, the teacher did a great job of discussing the dangers of adultery from Proverbs 5-7 in a poignant and appropriate way. In the middle of this extended section is a much smaller section that deals with the importance of foresight.

The Proverbs are always challenging to teach because we tend to think of them as ironclad promises: if you do x, then y will happen to you. However, this is not how we use proverbial sayings even in our language. For this reason, proverbs are almost always a difficulty when learning a second language.

"A stitch in time saves nine." This is not quantitatively exact; the general principle is that care given to avoid a problem is worth the trouble to fix the problem. We even have proverbs that seem to contradict each other: "He who hesitates is lost" and "Look before you leap." We understand that these two proverbs are dealing with different situations and one must exercise wisdom to determine which principle to apply.

Another challenge is that the book of Proverbs does not simply deal with the wisdom of life or "street smarts." The word wisdom found throughout the book also has an intensely spiritual aspect. A fool is one who rejects God (Ps 53:1) and his commands (Prov 10:23; 12:15). A fool is basically an unregenerate person, not an imbecile.

With these things in mind, we turn to Proverbs 6:1-15. In these verses, a "father" is giving advice to his "son." All three of these admonitions involve an encouragement to exercise foresight, to look ahead and plan accordingly.

• Think ahead when contracting obligations: use good judgment (vv. 1-5).
• Prepare for the future by working hard: exercise self-discipline (vv. 6-11).
• Avoid destruction by righteous living: live a godly life (vv. 12-15).

In conclusion, foresight is a great virtue because it will help a person (1) avoid great difficulty and sorrow in the future, (2) live wisely in the present, and (3) live a godly life in light of his accountability to God.

You can download my handout from the Sunday school lesson.