Download “In the World” for June 28, 2020 here.
A TREEHOUSE BUILT ON FAULTY ADVICE
A dad in South Carolina built a free-standing treehouse for his son this month but was unsure whether it was safe. He sent a note and video to Washington Post DIY columnist Tim Carter. The video is “filled with love and concern,” Carter said, “but it’s also filled with serious building errors.” Upon watching the video, he immediately e-mailed the dad and urged him to stop working on the treehouse and to await a video from Carter that would show how to make the structure safe for his son and friends to play on. This dad “either got very bad advice or, if he found great advice, he failed to follow it,” Carter said. “The Internet is overflowing with conflicting building advice, and if you don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong, it’s easy for you to go down the wrong path.”
A LIFE BUILT ON FAULTY ADVICE
Folly and Wisdom both set up shop in today’s passage from Proverbs. They both position themselves in the marketplace and call out to passersby. They urge people to heed their guidance and to eat the fruit of their very different messages. Advice of any kind is designed to lead the hearer toward a destination. Whereas Wisdom will guide you to life and understanding, death lies at the end of the road for anyone following Folly.
- What bad advice have you gotten, and what did it lead to?
- When have you ever given advice to someone that you later wished you could take back?
- Why do people sometimes ignore good advice and heed bad advice instead?
Additional Resources
- Music Video, Traditional: “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing”
- Music Video, Multicultural: “Grace Wouldn’t Leave Me Alone” by Casey J
- Music Video, Contemporary: “Whisper” by Stillman
- Gill’s Exposition of Proverbs 9
- Pulpit Commentary on Proverbs 9
- Coffman’s Commentary on Proverbs 9
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