September 6th
Proverbs, 1
A.
Wisdom and Folly contrasted
(The
boy at home starting out in life)
The
value of Proverbs
1: The proverbs of Solomon the son of
David, king of Israel;
2: To know wisdom and
instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3: To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment,
and equity; 4: To give subtilty
to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5: A wise man will hear, and will
increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6: To understand a proverb, and the
interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Advice
to young men
7: The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8: My son, hear the instruction of
thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and
chains about thy neck. 10: My
son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11: If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us
lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as
those that go down into the pit: 13:
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14: Cast in thy lot among us; let us
all have one purse: 15: My son,
walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16: For their feet run to evil, and
make haste to shed blood. 17:
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18: And they lay wait for their own
blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19: So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which
taketh away the life of the owners thereof. 20: Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the
streets: 21: She crieth in the
chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she
uttereth her words, saying, 22:
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in
their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23: Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit
unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24: Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out
my hand, and no man regarded; 25:
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26: I also will laugh at your
calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27: When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction
cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28: Then shall they call upon me, but
I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29: For that they hated knowledge,
and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30:
They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31: Therefore shall they eat of the
fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32: For the turning away of the
simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33: But whoso hearkeneth unto me
shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Proverbs, 2
(The
boy goes beyond his home)
The
rewards of wisdom
1: My son, if thou wilt receive my
words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2: So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine
heart to understanding; 3: Yea,
if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4: If thou seekest her as silver, and
searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5:
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6: For the LORD giveth wisdom:
out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7: He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler
to them that walk uprightly. 8:
He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9: Then shalt thou understand
righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 10: When wisdom entereth into thine
heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11: Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep
thee: 12: To deliver thee from
the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13: Who leave the paths of
uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14: Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of
the wicked; 15: Whose ways are
crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16: To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the
stranger which flattereth with her words; 17: Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the
covenant of her God. 18: For
her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 19: None that go unto her return
again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20: That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the
paths of the righteous. 21: For
the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22: But the wicked shall be cut off
from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Proverbs, 3
(The
boy listens - Law at the Temple)
More
advice to young men
1: My son, forget not my law; but let
thine heart keep my commandments: 2:
For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3: Let not mercy and truth forsake
thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4: So shalt thou find favour and good
understanding in the sight of God and man. 5: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. 6: In
all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7: Be not wise in thine own eyes:
fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8:
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 9: Honour the LORD with thy
substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10: So shall thy barns be filled with
plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 11: My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be
weary of his correction: 12:
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth. 13: Happy is the
man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14: For the merchandise of it is
better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15: She is more precious than rubies:
and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16: Length of days is in her right
hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 17: Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are
peace. 18: She is a tree of
life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
19: The LORD by wisdom hath
founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20: By his knowledge the depths are
broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21: My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound
wisdom and discretion: 22: So
shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. 23: Then shalt thou walk in thy way
safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. 24:
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and
thy sleep shall be sweet. 25:
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it
cometh. 26: For the LORD shall
be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. 27: Withhold not good from them to
whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28: Say not unto thy neighbour, Go,
and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. 29: Devise not evil against thy
neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30: Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no
harm. 31: Envy thou not the
oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 32:
For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the
righteous. 33: The curse of the
LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
34: Surely he scorneth the
scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35: The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the
promotion of fools.
Today we are beginning our Daily Devotional Bible readings
in the Book of Proverbs. This book is generally described as belonging to a
section of the Hebrew scriptures called wisdom, meaning human philosophy. This
is only partly true and we will find that the book itself is a collection of
sayings from a number of authors. It is written not to all sorts of men but
gives specific instruction to varies people at different times in their lives
and according to different responsibilities in life. The ‘proverbs’ are often
presented in a ‘distich’ which is a verse of two sentences in the form of
complementary ideas. As the authors are very diverse so the motive and intent
of the proverbs is hard to discern. Most people assume that these proverbs are
intended for all and sundry, but the section ‘words for the wise’ are intended
as advice for a king or the king – Solomon. They are words of advice for
matters of state and policy, but the chief issue is how can the king remain
holy before the Lord? They deal with the inevitable dangers and temptations of
a man at the high of national responsibility. So in the first part of the book
we differentiate between those proverbs FOR Solomon and those BY Solomon. Those
FOR Solomon are the best advice of the kings advisors for a young prince. But
those BY Solomon represent the wisdom that was generally taught Solomon by the
LORD. There is therefore a great difference between the two types of proverbs.
It goes without saying that all these proverbs were uttered under law and
therefore they reflect OT Theology or the theology of the Old Covenant and
therefore they will not have a direct application to the Christian who lives
under Grace.
A.
Proverbs FOR Solomon. The words of the wise 1v1-9v18 (Second person)
B. Proverbs BY Solomon for all 10v1-19v19
(Third person)
A.
Proverbs FOR Solomon. 19v20-24v34 (Second person)
B. Proverbs BY Solomon for all – copied by
the men of Hezekiah 25v1-26v28 (Third person)
A.
Proverbs FOR Solomon. 27v1-29v27 (Second person)
A.
Proverbs FOR Solomon. The words of the Agur & Lemuel 30v1-31v31 EWB
The
Proverbs then are not a collection of Solomon’s saying put together in random,
nor are they just human wisdom or philosophy, rather they are a collection of
sayings from the Lord conveyed through wise men who were the teachers of Israel to enable the readers to rule and
administer the nation of Israel.
The first section of this book is a collection of Proverbs FOR Solomon. They
are the words of the wise (or his teachers) and it takes us from chapter 1 to
chapter 9. All of this section is written in the second person. Now this
section is a series of five couplets. Let me outline them
A.
Wisdoms call 1v6-2v15
B. The Foreign women 2v16-22
A.
Wisdoms call 3v1-4v27
B. The Foreign women 5v1- 23
A.
Wisdoms call 6v1-23
B. The Foreign women 6v24-35
A.
Wisdoms call 7v1-4
B. The Foreign women 7v5-27
A.
Wisdoms call 8v1-9v12
B. The Foreign (Foolish) women 9v13-18
So right from the beginning we see
that Solomon is called by his religious mentors to seek after wisdom and be
wary of foreign women. Under law there was no provision to resist temptation
like this, but there was the Spirit of God that came upon a man who was
anointed of the Lord. Prophets, Priests and kings were anointed as with others,
to give them the divine enablement to perform an ordination that was completely
beyond the ability of any man under law, in the flesh. The anointing with oil
was a sign of the Spirits enabling. Verses 1-6 is the title and an outline of
the whole book. It is to be a means of understanding life and living it to the
very best under the law. In particular it will be for Solomon a means of acting
in wisdom in affairs of state, of exercising justice on the cases brought
before him and judgment on the wicked and all in perfect equity. It is to be a
manual for school to enable young princes to learn statehood. Those who listen
and take note will increase in learning and those of understanding with attain
wise decisions in council. It is dedicated to the purpose of understanding of
proverbs, interpretations, the advice of the teachers and their difficult
thinking. Then the First section begins with the famous proverb, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom. Under law the main instrument of the Lord to command obedience was
his mighty acts which brought about a fear of the LORD and thus brought
restraint to sin because of fear of judgment. This pretty much sums up OT
theology. Israel
as a nation were not saved as christians are. They were not saved by Grace
through Faith and indwelt by the Holy Spirit and members of the body of Christ.
They were in covenant, in the flesh. They were under law and the fear of the
LORD in ending their mortal life was the key factor in bringing righteousness
to Israel.
And righteousness meant keeping the Mosaic law. And when they broke it they
came to the priest who made a sin offering to cover the sin. Then the writer
contrasts the wise with the foolish saying, fools
despise wisdom and instruction. And so this section begins with the plea of
the father and mother of Solomon to hear instruction and not to forsake the law
that he has learnt from his mother. Because if he keeps the law then his law
keeping will be like a decoration of Gods kindness on his head and a chain of
gold around his neck. We see from the start that righteousness before the law
was the first criteria for statehood. Then his parents give him a warning not
to allow himself to be enticed by sinners. If they entice you to rob and murder
the innocent, don’t follow after them, they say, and then they go on to
describe their evil ways. Then the writer speaks of Wisdom crying in the
streets. He calls for repentance and promises the blessing of the Spirit poured
out, but he also warns of swift judgment and then they will learn to fear the
LORD. They will call then but the LORD will not answer because judgment has
come. Then the writers encourage Solomon to seek after knowledge and understanding
more than silver and gold. It’s no wonder that Solomon asked for wisdom from
the Lord. They explain that wisdom will furnish him with everything that he
needs for high office. Then in verse 16 of chapter two the writer hones in on
the one thing that could bring him down – the love of foreign women. Wisdom
will deliver him from strange women. (Gentile women) She might come with
flattery but her heart is not right with God. She is wayward and has forsaken
the LORD. He house is heading for judgment. She is like a black hole - those
who enter her house never return. Those who follow her forsake the path of life
(The life of law-keeping) and are destroyed with her. In Chapter 3 the appeal
of wisdom goes out again to Solomon. And the appeal is to never forget the Law
of Moses. Because the promise of the law was long life and protection from
enemies invading the land. The father
appeals that he would put his trust in the LORD Jehovah of Israel, with all his mind and not
to trust in his own understanding but that in all his living he would
acknowledge the LORD and the LORD will direct his ways. He says don’t be clever
in your own eyes. But fear the LORD and stop sinning. Because if you do they
you will be healthy, from the centre of your body, even in centre of your
bones. You will find that the LORD will increase your wealth and your barns
will be full and you will have plenty of new wine.[1]
All these things will come on you if you keep the Law of Moses. Of course this
does no apply in any way to Christians. The blessings and curses of the Mosaic
Law have no relation to the Christian, he is not under law he is under grace.
He goes on to say when the LORD corrects you don’t despise it because the LORD
corrects those he loves. This also is not a part of the christians experience.
Then he says you will be truly blessed. Wisdom is worth more than anything in
this world - better than fine gold or rubies. Wisdom promises a long life and
wisdom is the tree of life to those who take hold of her. Then he goes on to
explain the blessings of God that come to those who are righteous and the
curses of the law to those who are wicked.
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