What the book of Psalms is to prayer and devotional life, the book of Proverbs is to everyday life. Proverbs gives practical suggestions for effective living. This book is not just a collection of interesting tidbits; it contains deep spiritual insights drawn from experience. A proverb is a short, wise, easy-to-remember saying that calls a person to action. The book of Proverbs focuses on God—his character, works, and blessings—and it tells how we can live in close relationship to him.
Prov. 1:1 Solomon, the third king of Israel, son of the great king David, reigned during Israel’s golden age. When God said he would give him whatever he wanted, he asked for an understanding mind (1 Kings 3:5–14). God was pleased with this request. He not only made Solomon wise but also gave him great riches and power and an era of peace. Solomon built the glorious Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6) and wrote most of the book of Proverbs.
Wisdom is from God
1:7 In this age of information, knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce. Wisdom means far more than simply knowing a lot. It is a basic attitude that affects every aspect of life. The foundation of knowledge is to fear the Lord—to honor and respect God, to live in awe of his power, and to obey his Word. Faith in God should be the controlling principle for your understanding of the world, your attitudes, and your actions. Trust in God—he will make you truly wise. Remember, only God knows it all.
Our Memory Verse: 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV)
Wisdom’s call to salvation (Prov. 1:8–33)
This paragraph records three voices that the person reading Proverbs needs to identify.
The voice of instruction (vv. 8–10, 15–19). This is the voice of a godly father, urging his son to listen to Wisdom and obey what he hears. Note that both the father and the mother have been involved in teaching the boy,1 and they both warn him not to abandon what he’s been told. These parents have obeyed the instructions of Moses (Deut. 6:6–9) and have faithfully taught their family the Word of God. But what will their children do with all this teaching?
The parents’ desire is that the children obey what they have learned, so that God’s truth will become a lovely ornament to beautify their lives, like a crown on a king or a necklace on a queen. Paul told Christian servants to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Titus 2:10), which simply means to make the Bible beautiful to others by living a godly life. Peter exhorted Christian wives to win their lost husbands by focusing on the imperishable beauty of Christian character rather than the artificial beauty of man-made glamour (1 Peter 3:3–4).
In Proverbs 1:15–19, the father tells his son how to avoid yielding to temptation. First, he says, check carefully the path you’re on and don’t walk with the wrong crowd. (This sounds very much like Ps. 1:1 and 2 Cor. 6:14–18.) If you’re walking with the wrong crowd, you’ll end up doing the wrong things. Second, don’t play with temptation, because temptation always leads to a trap (Prov. 1:17). Birds don’t take bait when they can plainly see the trap, and people ought to be smarter than birds.2
Third, when you disobey God by harming others, you only harm yourself (vv. 18–19). You’re free to take what you want from life, but eventually you’ll have to pay for it, and the price you pay is higher than the value you gain. You end up sacrificing the permanent for the immediate, and that’s a bad investment.
The voice of temptation (vv. 11–14). Anybody who makes it easy for us to disobey God certainly isn’t a friend. The offer they made sounded exciting, but it only led to disaster. How tragic that a group of people would actually find enjoyment in doing evil, and how foolish of them to think their loot would satisfy their desires. They rejected the eternal treasures of wisdom (3:14–16; 16:16) for the cheap trinkets of this world, and they lost their souls in the bargain.
The voice of salvation (vv. 20–33). How does Wisdom speak? In a loud ringing voice that everybody can hear! Through both creation (Rom. 10:18; Ps. 19:1–4) and conscience (Rom. 2:14–16), “what may be known of God is manifest in them [the lost world], for God has shown it to them” (Rom. 1:19, NKJV). The church’s task is to proclaim the Gospel message so everybody can hear, believe, and be saved. Like Wisdom, we must herald the Word in an uncompromising way.
Where does Wisdom speak? In the crowded streets and public places where busy people gather to take care of the business of life. The message of God’s truth is made for the marketplace, not the ivory tower; we must share it “at the head of the noisy streets” (Prov. 1:21, NIV). Wisdom even went to the city gate where the leaders were transacting official business. No matter where people are, they need to hear Wisdom’s call.
To whom does Wisdom speak? To three classes of sinners: the simple ones, the scorners (scoffers, mockers, NIV), and the fools3 (v. 22). The simple are naive people who believe anything (14:15) but examine nothing. They’re gullible and easily led astray. Scorners think they know everything (21:24) and laugh at the things that are really important. While the simple one has a blank look on his face, the scorner wears a sneer. Fools are people who are ignorant of truth because they’re dull and stubborn. Their problem isn’t a low IQ or poor education; their problem is a lack of spiritual desire to seek and find God’s wisdom. Fools enjoy their foolishness but don’t know how foolish they are! The outlook of fools is purely materialistic and humanistic. They hate knowledge and have no interest in things eternal.
What does wisdom say to them? First, she brings an indictment against them (1:22) and asks how long they plan to remain in their dangerous spiritual condition. Wisdom has spoken to them time and time again, but they have refused to listen, and this will make their judgment even more severe. Then Wisdom issues an invitation that they turn from their evil ways and receive her gifts (v. 23). This is a call to repentance and faith. She promises to change their hearts and teach them the wisdom of God from the Word of God.
How do the simple, the scorners, and the fools respond to Wisdom? They refuse to obey her voice; they won’t take hold of her outstretched hand; they laugh at her warnings; and they mock her words. Note the word “also” in verse 26. Because they laughed at Wisdom, one day Wisdom will also laugh at them. Because they mocked her, she will mock them. Wisdom sees a storm of judgment coming that will bring distress and anguish to all who reject God’s invitation.
When that judgment arrives, sinners will call upon the Lord but it will be too late. “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isa. 55:6, NKJV). Sinners will reap what they have sown. “Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies” (Prov. 1:31, NKJV). They turned away their ears from hearing the truth (v. 32; see 2 Tim. 4:4) and were complacently comfortable with believing lies. In contrast to the judgment promised to unbelievers, wisdom promises security and peace to those who will listen to her and believe (Prov. 1:33).[1]
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Notes/Sources:
1 The father’s statement, “my son,” is found forty-one times in Proverbs, but the influence of the mother isn’t ignored. See 1:8; 4:3; 6:20; 10:1; 15:20; 19:26; 20:20; 23:22; 23:25; 28:24; 30:11, 17; 31:1ff.
2 James 1:14 uses the images of hunting and fishing to get the same point across. The verbs “drawn away” and “enticed” carry the idea of “luring with bait,” whether baiting a trap or a fishing hook. Temptation is the bait, and Satan wants us to think we can grab the bait and avoid the consequences (Gen. 3:5). Alas, it never works that way.
3 In Proverbs, three Hebrew words are translated “fool”: kesyl, the dull, stupid fool; ewiyl, the corrupt fool who is morally perverted; nabal, the stubborn, brutish fool whose mind is made up and won’t be convinced. For a vivid example of this third variety of fool, see 1 Samuel 25.
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Skillful, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 22–27.
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