Session 2: The Simple
Read Proverbs 7
A famous saying of P.T. Barnum, the circus magnate, was “a sucker is born every minute.” His aim was to separate the sucker from his money. Solomon had a different point of view, he felt that all of us are born “simple”, that is gullible and naïve. While Barnum saw gullibility as an opportunity for profit, Solomon saw it as a character weakness that could be corrected. Proverbs teaches much about how a person should be prudent.
Solomon says that in order to correct our condition of being naïve we must first admit to it and the way he uses is to make the proverbs a mirror that lets us see ourselves.
1. How do verses 1-5 and 24-27 provide a frame for this study?
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2. How would you describe the scene set in verses 6-13?
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3. If you were the young man described here, what factors make this a tempting situation?
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4. What does the seductress say that is probably true in 14-19?
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5. What does the seductress say that is probably false?
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6. Men and women “without judgment” can be persuaded to do foolish things other than those described in this passage. Following the logic of the seductress what are some other foolish things we might be tempted to do?
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7. The warning sounded in 24-27 seems overly dramatic. What do you think?
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8. Proverbs 14:15 says, “A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his step.” Proverbs 27:12 says, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” How do these proverbs relate to the young man portrayed in our study passage?
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9. Many areas of life present challenges to believe what we are told and we feel we have little choice but to believe them. What are some of these challenges we face?
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How can we gain more “wisdom” in these areas? ____________________________________
10. It is one thing to realize that we are naïve in some areas and quite another thing to develop the strength of character called prudence. What can we do to strengthen our prudence?
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How can verses 1-2 help us to develop strength of character?