The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth -
Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I have chosen as one of my projects for the summer to sink myself deeply into the book of Proverbs. I do not think I am wise, but I want to be. My heart has a vision of a life steered rightly by God's insight into the way things really work. The earlier I get a book like Proverbs into my bones, the better for the outcome of my life. My life will be more eternally useful for having so invested it.
Additionally, I want to benefit readers of this blog. I know that I am given to writing lengthy posts, so one of my goals is to cut down the length and increase the frequency. I plan on taking chunks of 4-8 verses at a time and giving thoughts. This should take me through the summer and maybe into the Fall. Please join me in pursuing wisdom.
Above in bold I have written Proverbs 1:1-7. These seven verses serve as an introduction to the book. They give clues as to the genre and how the book should be read. Solomon is the primary author; Solomon preferred wisdom to riches, and God abundantly rewarded him with both. Therefore, in addition to the fact that this is the Word of God, we know we are listening to the voice of a man that God had made truly wise as well.
What are the purposes of this book? What does it mean to accomplish? The hearer is meant to grow in wisdom, which may be defined as skill in the art of godly living. This wisdom goes hand-in-hand with and grows from increasing knowledge, which might be defined as seeing God's world increasingly from God's perspective. This wisdom and knowledge is meant to be intensely practical (instruction in wise dealing), but also intellectual (increase in learning, understand proverbs, sayings, riddles). The results in a person's life should be the formation of a lived-out character and virtue (righteousness, justice, equity, prudence); therefore, growth in these things will be good for the individual, but those around the individual will also be blessed through him as he grows in wisdom.
Who should hear and read these words of Solomon? A variety of types of people are explicitly named here, but we might also reach beyond those explicitly named to conclude its universal usefulness for everyone if they come willing to really listen. First, we have the simple; these are people who are not particularly wise or intelligent, but they are not yet identified with the wicked or foolish. These are people who simply need guidance. Second, we have the youth. We may view the book of Proverbs as the sayings of an older man to a younger man. I see myself here, still young, hoping to set my course along a sure path of God's wisdom. Third, we see the wise and understanding. Those who have wisdom are in the good position of realizing there is still more to learn. Indeed, as we will see over and over again, teachability is one of the primary virtues given by this book, even for those who already have some measure of wisdom.
The first verse having given the author and title, the next five verses giving the purpose and audience, we turn now to verse 7, which may be taken as the theme and overriding principle of the entire book.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Knowledge apart from fear of the LORD is but a shell and a shadow of the real thing. This sets the tone and the attitude for reading Scripture and seeking wisdom in the book of Proverbs. We do not seek a knowledge of good and evil and wisdom apart from God, but we see everything in light of the God who is big enough and holy enough to warrant our fear. Knowledge does not rest independently in us. We are not our final authority. Fear of the LORD frees us to seek truth in humility, and it is fear of the LORD that guarantees the application and not mere assimilation of knowledge; for the proper end of wisdom and knowledge is godly application, or else it is useless and a means of pride and intellectual self-justification. There is no such thing as neutral knowledge.
We also see the fool introduced here as the one who despises wisdom, and he is set up against the one who fears the LORD. It is the fool who has no fear before God. My prayer for myself and for you is that we would be brought back by God's Spirit to a holy and proper fear of him for the sake of his glory and for our good in the seeking and application of wisdom.
