What have we learned from Proverbs?  The first thing that we can say is that true knowledge and understanding come only from God.  No matter how intelligent or educated we may be, if we deny God and His laws we are but a fool, which we know God defines as anyone who denies Him.  We will never find wisdom through gaining the material things of this world, and gaining them will not prove that we are wise.  Solomon, one of the richest and wisest men in the eyes of the world at that time attempted to find the meaning of life through every pleasure imaginable and declared them to all be vanities, or nothing.  He concluded that only knowledge of and obedience to God mattered, and so must we if we are to become God's children.  Though this may be stated more clearly in the book of Ecclesiastes, it is still expressed in Proverbs.  We next learned that God expects us to help the poor.  This is repeated so many times that we cannot see it as an optional thing.  Just as God has mercy on the poor, so must we.  I don't believe that God ever expects His people to live in luxury and ignore the poor.  If we acknowledge that everything we have belongs to God, then we have to acknowledge that the way we use what we have should be directed by God.  We cannot just look down on the poor with disdain, but must look at them with compassion guided by God's love.  Also, we learn that we are not to hate anyone, even those that may hate or wish to harm us.  Just as God loved us even when we hated or attempted to deny Him, we are to share with everyone the love of God.  If we hate them, we will be unwilling to do this.  We also learn that God expects those who are His followers to be productive and not to just sit idly by while someone else provides for their needs.  We should know that God always has a purpose for those who follow Him, no matter how rich or poor we may be and we should be busy accomplishing that purpose.