WHICH COMES FIRST

READING: PROVERBS 18:13-20

Verse 13: “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.”

It is good to know the order of things as God has arranged them. We benefit from being aware of what comes first and from understanding where to start. For example, some serious difficulties are unavoidable for someone who wants to build the second floor of a building without providing a foundation and a first floor to support that second floor. What about someone who wants to do post graduate studies without having mastered elementary academics? This verse tells us an equivalent level of difficulty results when someone attempts to answer a question or give advice before knowing what is being asked. Being in such a position will likely produce embarrassment, but it can be more serious. It can amount to behavior that is excessively costly or unprofitable, or even tragically or criminally foolish. That is folly and as this verse describes, it results in shame. It is best to get it right. Success comes from following the order prescribed by the Lord. That’s a thought - about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What consequences have you seen from something done out of order?

2. Where do you see people trying to answer questions before they are asked?