Proverbs 1:1-7 The Beginning of Knowledge (Proverbs 9:1-12)
“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and discipline, to comprehend words of insight, to receive instruction in wise living, in righteousness, justice, and equity, to impart prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel—to understand the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
The Enticement of Sin
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit. We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder. Throw in your lot with us; let us all share one purse”—my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path. For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood. How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it. But they lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives. Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.
Wisdom Calls Aloud
Wisdom calls out in the street, she lifts her voice in the square; in the main concoursec she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech: “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge? If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.
Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand, because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction, in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you, when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety, secure from the fear of evil.”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” While King Solomon was allegedly one of the wisest men who ever lived, his personal life was a mess. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and wound up involving himself in all kinds of idolatry as a result. If this is the case, why have these sayings been preserved and why are they in the Bible? One of the fascinating things about the Bible is that God uses faulty people to speak His Word. Proverbs contains divine wisdom, no matter the conduit. While King David was a magnificent leader in many respects, he wasn’t the greatest father; however, David realized that Solomon was to succeed him and evidently made strenuous efforts to teach Solomon.
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.” One of the smartest pieces of advice ever given came from David to Solomon thousands of years ago. Bad associations create bad character. We cannot play with dirty things without becoming dirty ourselves. Whether we are accessing online pornography or betting sites or viewing filthy or violent videos or listening to music that degrades people, or playing violent video games, the results will always be the same. God has created us for purity, righteousness, and holiness, not for filth.
“For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will dwell in safety, secure from the fear of evil.” Nothing has changed in thousands of years: pursue righteousness and live or pursue sin and die miserably. We set ourselves up to live or die, depending on our actions.
APPLICATION: In a recent video, Jeff Foxworthy describes a Bible study he runs for homeless men in Atlanta. One of the common experiences these men share is that someone broke their hearts and then someone else enticed them into bad company. One man told a thrilling story. When this man was little, his mother gave him a Bible containing a love letter she had written to him. But after that man’s mother died, he inherited some money, plunged into bad company, and eventually lost the Bible during one of his many moves. The loss of the Bible broke this man’s heart because it was the only thing he had kept from his mother. Someone renovating a place 100 miles away employed this man and his friend to help clear out debris from the place before the renovations began. The clearance was nearly complete when this man picked up the last load of rubbish; underneath was a Bible-the same Bible his mother had given to him as a boy! That Bible became the man’s most precious possession.
Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Even though that man’s mother had been dead for many years, the early training she had given remained in his heart and mind. The miraculous recovery of that Bible and the manner in which God restored it to that man completely changed that man’s life. Now he was attending a Bible study and making efforts to get his life back on track, all thanks to his mother’s teaching and her gift of a Bible with a love letter.
One of our friends is fond of saying that “It’s all about choices.” We can choose to do well or to pursue paths that lead to self-destruction. As we go through Proverbs, you will find that different verses will speak to you while others leave you unmoved. No problem. That’s why I read Proverbs through each month. Frequently a verse that has meant nothing to me suddenly leaps off the page and into my heart. I highly recommend this habit to you, for I am certain that you will have a similar experience.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, speak to our hearts and help us to listen so that we may absorb Your wisdom and apply it. Thank You for Your passion for us to have fruitful and productive lives as we follow Your will. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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