Proverbs 1

Proverbs 1:1

I. INTRODUCTION (1:1-7) 1:1 Solomon the son of David was the wisest, richest, and most honored of the kings of Israel (1Ki_3:12-13; 1Ki_4:30-31). He spoke three thousand proverbs, but only some of them are preserved in this book. These extend from 1:1 to 29:27. 1:2, 3 Verses 2-6 tell us why he wrote these proverbs. In brief, they provide practical wisdom for the living and management of life. Here people may learn shrewdness and receive the kind of instruction that provides know-how. Here they may learn to perceive the words of understanding, to discern between what is good and evil, profitable and worthless, helpful and harmful. Here men are schooled in what is wise, righteous, proper, and honorable. 1:4 By listening to these proverbs the simple develop prudence or “savvy,” and young people gain insight and sanctified common sense. 1:5 Wise men will grow wiser by heeding these proverbs, and a man of understanding will learn how to guide himself and to advise others as well. Is it not significant that a book addressed primarily to youth should announce at the very outset, “A wise man will hear”? That is what is meant by a wise person in the book of Proverbs. It is one who is teachable. He is willing to listen and not do all the talking. He is not an insufferable know-it-all. 1:6 The book is designed to enable a person to understand a proverb and an enigma, i.e., the lesson which often lies beneath the surface. It helps him to grasp the meaning of wise sayings and the hidden truths contained in them. 1:7 Now we come to the key verse of the book (see also Pro_9:10). The fear of the LORD is the beginning or chief part of knowledge. If a man wants to be wise, the place to begin is in reverencing God and in trusting and obeying Him. What is more reasonable than that the creature should trust his Creator? On the other hand, what is more illogical than for a man to reject God’s Word and to live by his own hunches? The wise thing to do is to repent of one’s sins, trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and then live for Him wholeheartedly and devotedly. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Just as a wise man in this book is one who is willing and anxious to learn, a fool is one who cannot be told anything. He is intractable and conceited, and only learns lessons the hard way, if at all.

Proverbs 1:8

II. PROVERBS OF SOLOMON ON WISDOM AND FOLLY (1:89:18) A. Wisdm’s Admonition (1:8-33) 1:8 The first seven chapters are largely addressed to “My son”; the expression occurs about 15 times. In these chapters, we hear the heartbeat of a parent who wants the best in life for his child. By heeding this parental advice, a young person will avoid life’s booby traps and develop expertise in practical, everyday affairs. How much we owe to the influence of godly parents, and especially godly mothers! Henry Bosch reminds us: Many great men of the past have been richly blessed by what they learned at their mother’s knee. Consider Moses, Samuel, and Timothy. The maternal care and godly influence experienced by these spiritual leaders bore rich fruit in their lives. Think too of Augustine, John Newton, and the zealous Wesley brothers. Their names would probably never have lighted the pages of history if it hadn’t been for the godly women who raised them in homes where the law of love and Christian witness was their daily guide and inspiration. 1:9 When parental advice is followed, it becomes a graceful wreath on the head and ornamental chains about the neck, which is a poetic way of saying that obedience brings honor and moral beauty to the life of a wise son. 1:10 Often when a young man ruins his life, the explanation is given that he “got in with the wrong crowd.” The process is described in verses 10-19 in living color. First, however, the warning flag is flown. Life is full of enticements to evil. We must have the courage and backbone to say “No” a thousand times a week. 1:11 Here the street-corner gang invites our young friend to participate in an armed robbery. If necessary they will “bump off” the victim. Our friend may be flattered that these toughs would accept him as one of the gang. “Come with us,” they say. And he may be lured by the excitement of anything so daring. 1:12-14 Perhaps he is bored by a sheltered life, and wants to do something “for kicks.” Well, here it is! The perfect crime! Sudden and violent death, then a quick disposal of any tell-tale evidence. And the great incentive, of course, is that they will all be rich overnight. There will be enough loot to fill the houses of all the accomplices. So the word is, “Get with it, and you’ll make a bundle. Everyone shares equally. You can’t lose.” 1:15, 16 But a wiser voice says, “My son, don’t do it. Stay as far away from them as possible. Have nothing to do with their plans for instant wealth. You can’t win.” “What you must realize is that these guys constantly pursue lives of crime, and are quick on the trigger. They commit one murder after another in rapid succession.” 1:17, 18 A bird has enough sense to avoid any net or snare that can be clearly seen. But these men make a trap for their own lives, then walk straight into it. 1:19 There is a moral to the story. Those who try to get rich quick pay for their greed with their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners.This particular passage deals with the attempt to get rich through violence. But the application is wider. Any get-rich-quick scheme is included, whether it be gambling, sweepstakes, or stock market speculation. Next we hear two voices calling out to men as they pass by. One is the voice of Wisdom, the other the voice of the strange woman. Wisdom, though presented here as a woman, actually symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ. The strange woman is a type of sinful temptation and of the ungodly world. In verses 20-33 Wisdom pleads with those who foolishly think they can get along without her. 1:20 Notice that Wisdom stands and calls aloud in strategic places so that everyone may hear her message. She raises her voice in the city squares. 1:21 Now she is at the noisy intersections, and now at the entrances of the gates of the city. And so it is that our Lord calls to the race of men wherever they pass by: Where cross the crowded ways of life, Where sound the cries of race and clan, Above the noise of selfish strife, We hear Thy voice, O Son of Man! Frank Mason North1:22 Wisdom cries to the simple, the scorners, and fools. The simple are naive, impressionable people who are open to all kinds of influences, both good and bad; here their instability seems to be leading them in the wrong direction. Scorners are those who treat wise counsel with contempt; nothing is sacred or serious to them. Fools are those who senselessly refuse instruction; they are conceited and opinionated in their ignorance. 1:23 This verse may be understood in two ways. First, it may mean, Since you won’t listen to my invitation, now turn and listen to my rebuke. I will pour out my spirit in words of judgment, and will tell you what lies ahead for you. According to this interpretation, verses 24-27 are the words which describe their fate. The second possible meaning is this: Turn and repent when I reprove you. If you do, then I will pour out my spirit on you in blessing, and make my words of wisdom known to you. The word “spirit” here probably means “thoughts” or “mind.” While it is true that Christ pours out the Holy Spirit on those who answer His call, this truth was not as clearly stated in the OT as it is in the NT. 1:24 One of the greatest tragedies of life is the crass rejection of Wisdom’s gracious entreaties. It called forth the lament of lost opportunity from the summit of Olivet, “I would . . . but you would not.” 1:25 Wisdom sorrows over men who brush aside all her counsel and who will have nothing to do with her constructive criticism. What makes man’s stubborn refusal so irrational is that God’s commandments and warnings are for man’s good, not for God’s. This is illustrated in a story which D. G. Barnhouse told. A small child squeezed past the metal railing that kept spectators six feet from the lions’ cage at the Washington Zoo. When her grandfather ordered her to come out, she backed away teasingly. A waiting lion grabbed her, dragged her into the cage, and mangled her to death. According to Barnhouse the lesson is this: God has given us commandments and principles that are for our good; God never gives us a commandment because He is arbitrary or because He doesn’t want us to have fun. God says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” not because He is jealous of His own position and prerogatives, but because He knows that if we put anything, anything before Him, it will hurt us. If we understand the principle behind this fact, we can also understand why God chastens us. “Whom the Lord loves, He chastens” (Heb_12:6). He doesn’t want us to back into a lion, for there is a lion, the devil, seeking whom he may devour. 1:26 If man persists in his refusal to listen, that rejection will inevitably bring disaster and ruin. Then it will be Wisdom’s turn to laugh. “I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes.“Does this mean that the Lord will actually laugh when disaster falls on the ungodly, as suggested here and in Psa_2:4? If we think of the laughter as containing any trace of cruelty, malice, or vindictiveness, then the answer is clearly “No.” Rather we should think of this laughter in a figurative way. In idiomatic language, it expresses how ludicrous and ridiculous it is for a mere man to defy the Omnipotent Sovereign, as if a gnat should defy a blast furnace. And there may also be this thought: A man may laugh at Wisdom’s commandments or treat them as if they didn’t exist; but when that man is reaping the harvest of his folly, the commandments still stand unmoved, and to the scorner, at least, they seem to be having the last laughthe laugh of poetic justice. 1:27 Payday will surely come. The judgment men feared will descend on them like a storm. Calamity will roar down like a tornado. Distress, anguish, shock, and despair will seize them. 1:28 Then men will call on Wisdom in vain. They will be desperate to find her, but won’t be able to. They will realize too late that light rejected is light denied. They would not see; now they cannot see. God’s Spirit will not always strive with man (Gen_6:3). This is what gives urgency to the Gospel appeal: Be in time! Be in time! While the voice of Jesus calls you, Be in time! If in sin you longer wait, You may find no open gate, And your cry be just too late. Be in time! Author unknown, 19th Century1:29 The condemnation of these scorners is that they hated Wisdom’s instructions, and stubbornly refused to reverence Jehovah. Perhaps they sneered that the gospel was all right for women and children, but not for them. “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom_1:22). The hatred of wisdom is also treated in Joh_3:19-21. 1:30 They had no place in their lives for the good counsel contained in the Word of God, and laughed when the Scriptures condemned their ungodly words and works. They weren’t afraid of God or of His rebuke. 1:31 Now they must pay the staggering price of their willfulness, and be glutted with the bad fruit of their own schemes. It is their own fault, not Wisdom’s. They simply would not listen. 1:32 “For heedless folk fall by their own self-will, the senseless are destroyed by their indifference” (Moffatt). Every man is free to make his own choices in life, but he is not free to choose the consequences of his choices. God has established certain moral principles in the world. These principles dictate the consequences for every choice. There is no way to put asunder what God has thus joined together. 1:33 On the plus side, the one who heeds Wisdom will live in safety and in freedom from fear. Those who are Wisdom’s disciples enjoy the good life, escaping the sufferings, sorrows, and shame that dog the footsteps of the willful and the wicked.