Proverbs 1-2

 

Proverbs 1:1-7 The purpose and theme of Proverbs: moral and spiritual formation. The purpose of discipleship is for good living. (1:2-3)  Prudence is the opposite of naïveté. (1:4) Learning and growth is the essence of life; settling for current knowledge and status quo is a downhill path, as documented in the second law of thermodynamics. (1:5)

Proverbs 1:7 Reverential awe of the Lord’s nature and character is the starting point for wisdom. It is hard to distinguish this from worship of who He is, for what He is, and for what He does. Are fools ignorant of Him or deliberately rejecting Him? What would human wisdom look like apart from God? With God’s wisdom, we can deal with the highs and lows of life with confidence that comes from understanding the underlying eternal spiritual reality.

Proverbs 1:8-19 Warning against the invitation of violent men and thieves. Our parents were our first teachers, before we knew anything. As we grow up, we should only reject their teaching when they are in opposition to the wisdom of God.  Solomon goes at length to warn against the temptation to boys and young men to join gangs and engage in violent theft, because this simply will ruin the life of anyone who joins in. Some things haven’t changed.

Proverbs 1:20-33 The rebuke and invitation of wisdom. The rebuke by wisdom seems almost synonymous with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, who among gifts, gives wisdom. (1:22-23)  (1 Corinthians 12:8, Ephesians 1:17) Is the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 1:7) built into nature so strongly that it doesn’t need divine intervention to enforce it? (1:31) 

The laws of nature are evident on several levels. Solomon does not speak of the basic laws of physics such as the laws of motion, gravitation, electromagnetism, and so on. But he does elaborate on the two levels of the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with our relationship with God (Exodus 20:3-11), and the remaining six deal with how we live in human society, with interpersonal relationships (Exodus 20:12-17). Solomon does not dive into Spiritual warfare in the same way as Daniel (for example), not explicitly mentioning Satan or demons, but the hint is there in spiritual causation. If we open the door to temptations such as covetousness leading to theft and violence (1:10-19) or illicit sexuality (5:1-23, 6:20-7:27), there is an implicit spiritual force that leads to destruction. Most of the rest of the book deal with wisdom for living in human society, but the underlying eternal principles are from and empowered by God.

Proverbs 2

Proverbs 2:1-11 God’s wisdom will guard your life if you seek and apply it. There are (at least) three words used here: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Unfortunately the Hebrew lexicon does not clearly delineate which are which, but that doesn’t matter because Solomon clearly intended to include the all of them in the scope of this writing.

• Wisdom - good judgment to make sound decisions
• Understanding - comprehension to grasp and interpret the meaning of something
• Knowledge - facts, information, skills  
• Skillfulness - proficiency at doing something

Unbelievers can gather knowledge and become skillful. Understanding the meaning of something will be limited apart from the spiritual dimension. Having good judgment to make wise decisions is extremely dependent on seeing the long-term impact of morality in making decisions, to weigh competing claims against the absolute scale of eternal values. The Lord gives wisdom and knowledge as a gift. (2:6)(1 Corinthians 12:8)

Making right decisions and taking right actions results in being better able to discern what is right, true, and wise progressively. We need to do what Jesus has already told us to, so we can progress in discernment.

Proverbs 2:12-15 Wisdom will save you from wicked men (1:10-19) This theme is repeated several times in Proverbs, as a pedagogical technique perhaps. It is boys and young men this is addressed to, and it is well known that multiple exposures to an idea are critical to its being remembered and taken into account. The fundamental precept is that it is impossible to hang out with lawbreakers, violent men and thieves, without digesting their lifestyle as ok or normal. The decision to abstain must be made first. That is wisdom.

Proverbs 2:16-19 Wisdom will save you from the adulterous woman (5; 6:20-7:27) Boys and young men also need the same warning as regards women who tempt natural male sexual desires. The judgment is severe:  None who go to her return again, nor do they reach the paths of life. (2:19) 

Proverbs 2:20-22 The righteous will live and the wicked will die. Cut and dried. Apart from salvation in Jesus, there is no hope. And we need Jesus both to pay the price for our sins (atonement), and to empower us to live according to God’s ways.