Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Remember that studying the gospel prayerfully and with a desire to learn will help you to be taught and edified by the Holy Ghost.
Begin your study with prayer.
Think about a time in your life when something happened differently than you wanted it to or anticipated it would. How did you react?
Listen to Sister Elaine S. Dalton, who served as Young Women General President, describe an event from her youth that caused her to ask questions and pray for answers. You can read the text for this video here: “Believe!” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 111–12.
A proverb is a short saying that is intended to teach a lesson about life. The book of Proverbs is a collection of many wise sayings collected by the Israelites. Some of these proverbs are attributed to King Solomon.
From Proverbs 1:1–5 we learn that the purpose of the proverbs is to provide wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
Read Proverbs 1:7, looking for one of the key parts of gaining knowledge. As used in this verse, fear means reverence, or “profound respect mingled with love. … Reverence embraces regard, deference [respect], honor, and esteem” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay [2003], 30).
We can identify the following principle from Proverbs 1:7: If we have reverence for the Lord, then we will begin to gain the kind of knowledge He wants us to have.
How do you think showing reverence for the Lord and His teachings can help us receive knowledge and wisdom?
Choose and read two of the following scripture passages, looking for what happens when we seek wisdom: Proverbs 2:10–15; Proverbs 3:13–18, 35; Proverbs 4:5–9. (It may be helpful to know that the word froward as used in Proverbs 2:12, 14, 15 is a translation of several Hebrew words that mean deceitfulness, rebelliousness, and foolishness.)
From what you read, how would you complete the following principle?
Read Proverbs 4:14–15, looking for another action we must take to be blessed with happiness and peace.
1. Answer the following questions:
When have you or somebody you know recognized that by gaining wisdom, living righteously, and rejecting wickedness you were blessed with happiness and peace?
What will you do to gain wisdom, live righteously, and reject wickedness?
A Latter-day Saint young man named Ricardo wants to date a young woman who does not believe in the Lord’s standards concerning modesty or the law of chastity. Ricardo’s parents have reminded him about the standards the Lord has set about dating and have asked him not to date her, according to the counsel in For the Strength of Youth. They have also explained that in their prayers and discussions together they have had uneasy feelings about his relationship with her. Ricardo becomes upset with his parents because he really likes this girl and feels his parents are overreacting.
What would you tell Ricardo and others who must choose between what they want right now and what the Lord wants for them?
Read Proverbs 3:5–7, looking for the blessing that is promised to those who put complete trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5–6 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them more easily.
How would you state a principle from Proverbs 3:5–6 using the words if and then?
Our Trust in the Lord
One way to form a principle from Proverbs 3:5–6 using the words if and then is this: If we trust in the Lord with all our heart, then He will direct our paths.
Read the following statement by Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for a way we can show the Lord we trust in Him with all our heart.
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Richard G. Scott
“Our Father in Heaven has invited you to express your needs, hopes, and desires unto Him. That should not be done in a spirit of negotiation, but rather as a willingness to obey His will no matter what direction that takes. His invitation, ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’ (3 Ne. 27:29) does not assure that you will get what you want. It does guarantee that, if worthy, you will get what you need, as judged by a Father that loves you perfectly, who wants your eternal happiness even more than do you” (Richard G. Scott, “Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).
Think of a time when you trusted in the Lord and felt that He directed your path. If you cannot think of a personal experience, reflect on an experience that someone you know has had or an account in the scriptures.
2. Answer the following questions:
As you trusted in the Lord, how did you know that He was directing your path? (If you thought of an experience that someone else has had, consider how that person might answer this question.)
How has this experience helped you to have greater trust in the Lord?
How might this experience influence the way you respond in the future when you must decide between trusting in the Lord and depending on your own reasoning?
Read Proverbs 16:16, looking for the word that fills in the blank.
Principles in Proverbs
How would you summarize what it means to be wise?
Consider the following statement by President David O. McKay (1873–1970):
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David O. McKay
“Gaining knowledge is one thing, and applying it, quite another. Wisdom is the right application of knowledge, and true education … is the application of knowledge to the development of a noble and Godlike character” (David O. McKay, in Conference Report, Apr. 1968, 93–94).
The following activity will give you the opportunity to read selected passages from Proverbs 10–30. Study at least six of the following proverbs:
