Proverbs Study

1:5 “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance--” Verse five is very important, first because it helps us avoid a potential error. In verse four we saw that the book of Proverbs helps the “simple”, (the inexperienced yet teachable) person gain “incisiveness, knowledge, and discretion”. But that’s not the only person who can benefit from the study of Proverbs.

Verse five, tells us that Proverbs can also benefit he “wise”. That is one who has already attained knowledge and a measure of wisdom. Notice it says they will “listen and add to their learning”. Again Proverbs is for everybody. Never get to the place where you think you’ve arrived – where you think that you have all the answers – if you do remember, that doesn’t make you “wise”, it makes you a “fool”.

I’ve met pastors like that. I have had people in churches I’ve pastured like that. I have had several who believed it – only a couple who has actually said it. I had one woman that told me, “There’s nothing you can teach me”. Well then I guess there’s nothing that God can teach her either, because what I teach I teach from God’s Word. We can all learn from God’s Word no matter how old, or mature, or wise we are. And that’s what we’re talking about here.

The word “learning” used here refers to knowledge that has been handed down and probably means this book of wisdom. In other words, Solomon says, “You who are wise, add the teachings of this book to the experience that you already have and you will be wiser still.

Now the second part of this verse says, “and let the discerning get guidance”. Instead of “discerning” the KJV says, “understanding” and is similar to the “understanding” found in verse 2. There you remember it spoke of the ability to make right choices, to read between the lines, and specifically to discern God’s will or God’s plan.

Back in verse two we didn’t spend a lot of time dealing with “understanding” because it was placed along another similar word, and was used primarily for emphasis. But here it stands alone so I want to take some time and deal with a little more.

“Understanding” means generally, to be intelligent, and yet in the biblical context, it is not intelligence as the world sees it.

What does the scripture say about understanding?

Well first, only a believer can possess genuine understanding of life and the world because of the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit.

Daniel 12:10 “Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.”

The natural man does not possess “understanding”. It can’t be learned by unbelievers because of its spiritual nature. A text that we have looked at many times before about this very thing is I Cor. 2:14. “The man without the Spirit, (KJV “the natural man”), does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

This is the reason why an unbeliever can’t understand the Bible. To him its foolishness and it would seem equally foolish to an unsaved man that the world situation... is part of a divine plan.

So if “understanding” is not secular knowledge and is acquired through worldly instruction where does it come from? Job 32:8 “But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding”

Since God is the author of the plan, He is also the author of understanding. What better instructor for a new invention than the engineer who invented it? Luke 24:45 “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

Ok if God possess understanding, how do I get it? In Daniel 9, Daniel who along with the rest of the nation of Judah, wanted to know if there would be an end to their captivity. But how could he know the will of God, the mind of God, the plan of God in the matter?

Daniel 9:2“in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.”

Now notice what Daniel read. Jeremiah 25:11 “This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” Daniel understood from scripture that their captivity would last for 70 years.

Here’s the point. “Understanding” comes from the scripture. My pastor used to say, “Put a child of God in a dungeon with a Bible and a candle and he’ll know more about what’s going on in the world than a lost man who reads the news paper every day.”

Psalm 119:104 “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” What was it we said “understanding” is? The ability to make right choices, to avoid wrong life decisions… Where did the psalmist say he learned to do that? “from your precepts” that is, from the Bible, the Word of God.

Now what are some other reasons for seeking to gain understanding? How else can it help me? Look at Proverbs 14:29 “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.”

The book of James, which as been called the Proverbs of the New Testament says, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20.

One of the characteristics of God is that He is “slow to anger”. That phrase is used of God nine times in scripture. James tells us that it is a character, which we as believers are to emulate. And Proverbs tells us that understanding helps us avoid being quick tempered. Now we’ll talk more about that when we get to chapter 14.

But not only does understanding help us be patient and slow to anger – look at Proverbs 16:22. (KJV) “Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.”

Do you want to have joy and fulfillment in your life? Then gain understanding.

Now why is that true? Because a Christian with “understanding” sees the world from a different perspective. I remember when I was lost, before I became a Christian. I used to be frustrated with so many unanswered questions. (It’s the proverbial [pardon the pun] question – “What is the meaning of life”?) The world wants to know, but they are looking in all the wrong places and even when we try to tell most of them they reject it.

But I know the answer. Now I see the world from a different perspective. Now I “understand”:
Where I came from, where I’m going and why I’m here.
Where the evil in the world came from.
Why there’s no peace in the Middle East.
Why the earth has so much beauty when all the other planets are barren.
Why men and women don’t have peace.
And I could go on but you get the point, I hope and besides, we’re going to see this again in the next verse.

Proverbs 1:6 closes this section on the purpose for the book of Proverbs with a summary of what we’ve learned. There’s a wide range of popular translations of this verse so let me give you three of them.

(NIV) “for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.”
(KJV) “To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.”
(NASB) “To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.”

Again, Solomon, inspired by the Holy Spirit believed that the student of his writing would developed the ability to see life from a different point of view. (Really an eternal perspective.) That he/she would be able to grasp its significance. That they/we would have the ability to understand life’s enigmas – riddles - difficult problems and issues. All of those things we’ve already identified. This practical, everyday issues of life.

Now – That doesn’t mean God is going to speak to you audibly and tell you how much to put in the Annie Armstrong offering. But God’s word teaches us principles of stewardship that help us figure that out.

Or how much time to spend with our kids or grand kids, or for what offense we should spank them (And it does teach us to spank them.) and for what we should put them in time out. But it teaches us principles of family responsibility and child discipline.

Or where I should go and apply for a job today, or how many hours a day I should work, or how I should address my employer/employees, but it does teach us a work ethic and responsibility to work and it teaches us principles of employee/employer relationships.

Here’s a principle that I want you to remember. But don’t worry, because you’ll here it again because it is very important to understanding how to study and interpret scripture and how to apply it to our lives. The Bible is not a book of minute rules and regulations. The Bible is a book of Principles. That’s important.

First because rules and regulations are bound by time and culture and circumstances. If the Bible said for instance, “It’s God’s will for you to vote”. The people in the first century would not understand that because there was no such thing as a democracy in which the people had a voice. Now I believe for us in this place and at this time, it is God’s will for us to vote. How do I know that? Because of the principles of God’s Word that teach us how we are to relate to our government. Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s” The Vote is something that belongs to “Caesar”, which is a reference to civil government.

Romans 13:1 “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

I Pet. 2:13 “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”

Another reason it’s important to understand that the Bible is not just a book of minute rules and laws, but of principles is because you can always find a loophole in a law. That’s why there are lawyers.

If the Bible said, “You must fast 3 days a week”. Some people would fast during the day and eat at night. See what I’m saying. There are no loopholes in principles. It’s the difference between what we call the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. And we’ll talk more about that another time.

But the Bible is a book of eternal principles upon which we are to build our lives, and Solomon tells that if we read God’s Word, and learn these principles, we will be able to find the answers to the enigmas of life.