The Foundations of Wisdom

Chapter 1:1-7 is the introduction to the book of Proverbs. The first major section of Proverbs covers the next nine chapters. Proverbs 1:8 – 9:18 is one long teaching proverb. After chapter nine the remainder of the book comes to us as short, to the point, sayings that are full of wisdom and instruction.

This long section is divided into shorter segments that comprise various practicalities of wisdom. The first of these subsections is Proverbs 1:8-19 and it deals with wisdom in choosing companions/ friends. (This is not dealing with choosing a mate. That will come later.)

The Bible has a lot to say about the kind of people with whom we choose to affiliate and Proverbs makes it a priority of the highest degree. Why is that? Well II Cor. 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character.” Few people have more influence in our lives than our peers. So the friends we choose may contribute greatly to the kind of life we live.

Proverbs 1:8 “Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.” First of all notice that this is not just information that Solomon is throwing out there to whoever will listen. It is very important to the King that this instruction be accurate because this is Solomon speaking to his son.

Notice the authoritative nature of the verse. Solomon speaks in imperatives. “Listen, my son…” “do not forsake…” Solomon intends to influence his son. So we need to take note as well. We MUST make it a priority to influence our children.

Also notice the inclusion of both parents. Both are responsible for providing instruction, not just one or the other. Parents are responsible for learning wisdom themselves and then for passing it on to their children. Parents, we are wise when we seize teaching moments and make the application of biblical truth or even life experience into the lives of our children.

Some of the highlights of my life are when my children acknowledge contributions that we have made to their spiritual lives and growth and wisdom. When I hear them say, something like, “I’m so glad I was raised in a home where my mom and dad taught us God’s Word…”

I echo the words of the apostle John who said in III John :4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” It’s the number one goal that we’ve spent the last 30 years of our lives trying to achieve.

The primary place for children to be educated in the Word is the home, and the first – best teachers are the parents. Often parents blame the church if their children are not following the Lord. And a good children’s ministry and youth ministry can add a lot to the spiritual development of a child or youth but it is not first the responsibility of the church to make godly children and youth. It is the foremost responsibility of parents to rear their children in the Lord and to instruct them in the Word.

1:9 “They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” Remember that the fool despises instruction, but we are reminded here that these instructions are not a burden but a blessing.

They are not a weight around your neck to force you into submission; instead they are like beautiful jewelry that make you a more attractive person. (These days I think they call it “bling”.)

Solomon uses a comparison here and says, like “bling” will make you beautiful or “eye catching”, which is the real motivation, this teaching will enhance your character and make you a more likeable person. Who wouldn’t like that? Who doesn’t want that?

Millions of dollars have been made on self help books that help people “Win friends and influence people”. They are supposed to help you improve your self-esteem and to become more popular. Proverbs will do exactly that by teaching you wisdom.

Ok, now Solomon offers a contrast. Remember these verses provide instructions about choosing your friends, and particularly the kinds of people to avoid.

1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.”
“if sinners entice you” is a vivid way of describing how innocent people fall into bad company. “entice” means to temp.

Now there is an important distinction here that I want you to be aware of. Solomon says, “Son, you’re going to be tempted”, then notice what he says is to be our response. “do not give in to them.” You have a choice.

Did you ever hear someone say something like, “I was tempted so
since I had already sinned, I just went ahead and did it?” Listen to me! That’s wrong theology. There is a difference between temptation and sin. It’s not sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted but he didn’t sin.

People don’t fall into sin or fall in with the wrong crowd because they are tempted. They fall in because they yield to temptation. And here’s the lesson that we need to learn. The devil may tempt us but we don’t have to yield to the temptation. We have a choice and we can choose not to fall.

Verses :11-12 describe the crimes of these “sinners” who “entice”.

“If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul; let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;”

Notice the low regard for human life and property. Isn’t it amazing how current and relevant the Bible is? This could have been written in the morning paper. It was written 3000 years ago in Israel, but it sounds like modern America – or any other place and time in the history of the world, because sin always manifests itself in the same way. Satan always uses the same methods. And we can see that in the following verses.

In verses :13-14 we see the bait. What did the devil use to temp people in 1000 BC? The same things he uses today. “we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse”.

It’s also amazing to me that some people what to say that the Bible is unsophisticated and out of date. Not so. If the sin is still the same then the solutions are still the same. So what were the temptations used to allure people into sinful associations three thousand years ago?

Look at the text.

:13 - Money, prosperity, easy wealth.

:14 - “throw in your lot with us” – What is that? Peer pressure. “we will share a common purse” – a communal social structure. (That’s just another name for a gang.)

Sound familiar. Evidently not much has changed in 3000 years. So if the temptation and the sin is the same, then the solutions and the council that Solomon gave to his son then, should be the same for us today also.

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Verse seven is somewhat of an independent verse and serves as the motto of the entire book of Proverbs. That is that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”.

The word fear is sometimes used to mean simply “reverence and awe”. And that can be right. For the Christian there is a certain familiarity with God that comes via the fact that we are born into God’s family. We are the children of God and the Bible tells us that we can address Him with the intimate title “Abba Father”, meaning “Daddy”.

And yet as I have mentioned before, we must never allow intimacy become irreverence. The old saying, “Familiarity breads contempt” is fitting here. It is possible for Christians to become so comfortable with our relationship to God that we become disrespectful. I have had on occasion to remind Christians, that it is probably not appropriate to use God as a character in a joke.

And that’s not to say that God is some kind of cosmic killjoy. You don’t have to read very far in the Bible to see that God has a sense of humor. God created humor. He gave us a sense of humor. And the Bible even tells us that God expresses that humor. Psalm 2:4 says, “He who sits in the heavens laughs”.

So it’s possible that because of that knowledge, it might be possible for believers to forget that God is indeed to be feared in the genuine sense of the word. And the word translated “fear” in this verse carries that meaning. To be afraid. Matt. 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

That’s not as some might think, a reference to the devil, but to God. Satan doesn’t have that authority, as scripture tells us in Rev. 20:1 that God will one day cast the devil himself into the lake of fire.

II Cor. 5:11 speaks of the “terror of the Lord” and it uses the Greek word “phobos” which is where we get our English word, “phobia”.

The verse which precedes this one, (verse 10), speaks of the Judgment seat of Christ, which is the judgment before which believers will stand to give account of the lives we have lived as Christians.

That’s right. It’s not only unbelievers who will face judgment for their sins. But we will stand in judgment for our salvation. It’s not a judgment to determine whether or not we will go to heaven. That’s already determined.

If you are born again, you’re going to heaven, but the question is, will you be embarrassed before the Lord by how you lived as a Christian? Now that adds a whole new dimension to the phrase “the fear of the Lord” doesn’t it?

You see, there are some Christians who are going to be embarrassed at the coming of Christ. Because they have not lived their Christian lives in wisdom. So the "fear of the Lord" is strong motivation for us to obey the Lord and to serve him with a pure heart.

OK we could go on about this phrase but we need to move on.

“Beginning” This is the starting point. It’s the same word as used in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. This is the Genesis of knowledge. The point from which true knowledge is created. Now here’s the point, the principle. No one can understand truth unless they fear God. (We saw that last week.)

Verse seven also introduces a contrast that is seen throughout the book. Not only are we encouraged – challenged to attain wisdom through the fear of God, but we are confronted with the sad reality that many will reject wisdom. The verse concludes with these words, “but fools despise wisdom and discipline”. Unfortunately as we seek God and His wisdom we will always be surrounded by those who are going the opposite direction.

Of course part of our responsibility is to turn some of them around. Some of them are going the wrong way because they are fools who will immediately reject any attempt to instruct them. But some are going the wrong way because they are simple and just need to be taught wisdom. Of course they are all going the wrong way because of sin and so the place to start is by sharing the gospel.

You see, you don’t scold a blind man for walking the wrong way. Instead you show him the way, or restore his sight and then he can see the right way. The Bible says “The (g)od of this age has blinded the minds of those who believe not.” Unbelievers don’t see the truth because they are spiritually blind. So we must pray that God will give them spiritual vision. Then we can instruct them in wisdom.

However as we mentioned some people have self imposed blindness. The fool has better things to do than listen to wisdom and instruction.

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.

Proverbs Study

The next purposes of the book of Proverbs we find in verse :4 “for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young”

Now the first one listed here is “for giving prudence to the simple” The King James says “subtlety to the simple,” but “prudence” is better and is reflected in most newer translations.

There is an interesting contrast here. In verse :3 we saw the “wisdom” there means decisiveness. This word refers to “incisiveness”. That’s from the word “incision” which means to make a cut, and that is appropriate because this is a person we might refer to as being “sharp”.

You see someone who encounters an emergency situation for instance and they know exactly what to do, and you say, “That guy is sharp”. That’s what we see here, except with a slightly different twist. It is used of being prudent toward evil.

In scripture we are told different ways to handle sin and temptation depending on the situation. In Matt. 4 we are taught to confront it with scripture. In James 4:7 we are told to resist it. In I Tim. 6:11 we are told to flee from it. Here is a man who knows how to handle evil. These proverbs “will help us avoid crafty and devious people”.

Now we are told that this is to be given to the “simple”. This is an important person in Proverbs. Or rather it’s important for you to understand who this is talking about. It comes from the word “pethi” which means, “open minded”. Now we’ve all heard people talk about how we need to be open minded. And that’s true. But you have to be careful because it’s possible to be so open minded that your brains fall out. That’s the picture here.

The NASB translates this word “naïve”. Now let me show you an important difference between two people who may at first look alike. This “simple” man/woman is a person who is inexperienced, yet teachable. Now there is another kind of person that we will meet in this Proverbs who is inexperienced but who is not teachable. This kind of person is called a “fool”. 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The person we meet here in verse :4 is inexperienced and unlearned, but he/she is open to being influenced. The problem is that they are open to being influenced by both good and evil.

Now this is the reason why it is important to disciple new believers, to teach them the truth. Someone has said, “Not to teach good is to expose those who are inexperienced to the world of evil.” And that’s true – evil, bad theology, moral corruption… When a person gets saved, the devil loses a soul, but he will do everything he can to draw them away from truth and into error. But through instruction, the “inexperienced” can become the “incisive”.

The next phrase we see in verse :4 and the next purpose of the book, is to give “knowledge and discretion to the young”.

Now “knowledge” we’ve seen. It refers to accumulated facts, which are important, but knowledge alone, knowledge with nothing to balance it is dangerous. I Cor. 8:1 tells us that unbalanced knowledge causes arrogance. And it does. You know that. You’ve seen it.

Now there’s nothing wrong with being intelligent. There’s nothing wrong with being educated. I tell young people all the time, “You should get all the education you can”. But knowledge alone is not enough and if that’s all you have, you will end up being a fool, because you think you know it all and will become unteachable.

So knowledge must be balanced, but by what? :4 “discretion”.
Ok what is “discretion”? “Discretion” is “good judgment”, “discernment”, “the power of discrimination” – That is the ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. But as a Christian it goes to an even finer distinction than that. – Sometimes as Christians, the choices we make are not between good and evil, it’s between good and best. Should I do this good thing, or would it be better to do that good thing.

So “discretion” is the ability to chart your own course by making careful distinctions. Actually the word used here is a naval term that means to know where the shoals or shallow places lie and plotting a course to avoid them.

This is where we too often make a mistake and I’m glad God placed this here in the introduction to the book, because we need to know this up front. Yes the book of Proverbs teaches us Wisdom and other principles that enable us to solve life’s problems and to correct mistakes. BUT if we didn’t make the mistakes in the first place we wouldn’t have to solve them – right?

You see too often we spend all our time trying to solve problems instead of avoiding them. I have people come to my office and call me all the time to talk to me about how to solve their problems. But very seldom do I have people come and talk to me about how they can avoid the problems in the first place. And even when I teach it, as you can see by looking around, not many come to learn it.

Where are the shallow places in my marriage, and my lifestyle? Where are the pitfalls in my parenting…? Where are the rocks in my relationships…?

And not only identifying where those shoals are but how do I sail between them? How do I avoid problems with my money, with my marriage, with my children…?

Many start but few finish, because a lot of Christians, especially young Christians end up getting stuck on a spiritual gravel bar or run into some submerged snag and get pulled under and never get out.

Solomon says we can steer clear of those obstacles, and it is the purpose of the book of Proverbs to teach us how.

Proverbs Study

Proverbs 1:3 gives us the next components in the purpose of Proverbs.

The NIV says, “for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;”

The King James probably provides the better translation in this instance. “To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;”

Now first notice it says, “to receive”. That’s important. Because, (I’ve alluded to this, but I haven’t actually stated it.), No one has wisdom by nature. We’ve already seen that it comes either by experience - (Someone has said, if we ignore the past we condemn ourselves to repeat its mistakes.)

Or we get it through the study of scripture, and especially the book of Proverbs. Either way, it is something we receive as a gift, but it’s not something we’re born with.

Ok what is it we receive? "Instruction”. Now that’s the same word we saw in verse :2 – but instruction in what? Notice four things.

1. “Wisdom” Now this is slightly different from the wisdom in verse :2 (chokma) (which is the ability to use knowledge to solve life problems). This is (saw-kal') which might be better translated, “Wise dealing”. This is active wisdom. See you can have wisdom but not use it. This word implies action. It’s wisdom put into practice. It’s like common sense in decision-making. Maybe the best word to describe this attribute would be “decisiveness”. Here’s person who doesn’t second guess his decisions. That’s what this is. Proverbs teach us to be decisive.

2. “justice” Better “righteousness”. Now remember that there are two kinds of righteousness. We’ve discussed this before. There is positional righteousness that we receive by faith in Christ. It is when He takes our sin and gives us his position of righteousness with God. The second kind of righteousness is personal righteousness, or righteous acts. That’s what is being described here.

This is personal conduct that conforms to a relationship. Here the relationship is to the covenant law of God. So this righteousness refers to active obedience to the law. (Of course this was written during the Old Testament period when the only written part of the Bible they had was the law.) So for us this word would mean, active obedience to the Word of God – the Bible.

Notice it is “active” obedience. Not just knowledge of the Word. Not just an understanding of it. Romans 2:13 says, “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.”

Its God’s will for us to know the Word of God, but we must also act upon that knowledge.

3. “judgment” Now like “rightousness” is a better translation of the last word than“justice”, here, “justice” is probably a better translation than “judgement”.

“Righteousness” has to do with our relationship to God. “Justice” has to do with our relationship to man. And this word has to do not only with our conduct in obedience to God, but our conduct with respect to others. Our moral behavior. This is, “How to maintain an upright posture in a fallen world”. (I don’t remember who said that. – I wish I had.)

There is much in Proverbs about guarding our morality. And it centers on the existence of absolutes. There is such a thing as good and evil right and wrong. It is based on a divinely established moral order.

4. “equity” “Equity” means “straight, level or even”. This is a word that still even in modern English carries a similar meaning, even though it has shifted somewhat even in the last few decades. Let me give you and illustration. If someone is a criminal, one colloquialism we use of such a person is a “crook” or we say they are “crooked”.

30 years ago if a person didn’t drink or use drugs he was said to be “straight”. That’s changed in our contemporary culture. Today if a person is a heterosexual, he is said to be “straight”. All together, that’s the meaning here. Conduct that is straight forward.

Now let me make one final observation about this verse. All of these elements in the purpose of Proverbs exist as a part of a lifestyle, and not just independent actions. What I mean is that these qualities are to become so much a part of our character, that they don’t require contemplation. They are to become “second nature” to us so that we use them almost unconsciously.

When I was in the Navy I had a friend who was from the Philippines. He had learned Karate as a child and had practiced it all his life. So his reflexes were so highly tuned that it was almost impossible to catch him off guard and strike him. Any punch or kick toward him (even if he was not expecting it) was immediately blocked – defended, and an appropriate offensive response set in motion.

That’s the picture here spiritually. The purpose of Proverbs is to teach us and train us and tune us spiritually so that instantly, instinctively we will react and respond Biblically to whatever life throws at us.

Proverbs Study

In the introduction to Proverbs, (See www.ibcpastor.blogspot.com), we looked at verse one of chapter one and discovered that the title of the book is Proverbs, from the Hebrew [Mashal], which refers to short rhythmic statements that are catchy and full of meaning. And they had wide spread acceptance as teaching tools.

We also learned that most of the book of Proverbs was written by Solomon. It is possible that chapters 30 and 31 were not, but the names used there may be alternate names for Solomon. It really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t damage the book in any way if there were other contributors because it was all given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and eventually canonized as scripture. So it is still the Word of God even if there were other authors.

So verse one gives us the author and the explanation of what Proverbs are. Verses 2-6 gives us the purpose for the book of Proverbs. We alluded to some of this last week.

Remember we said that Proverbs deal with choices people make. They speak of family relationships, business ethics, moral choices, and inner motivation, and again universal in their application.

Proverbs adapt themselves to our situation, and provide instruction in handling “life”. The issues and apprehensions of life that bog us down. The questions we ask about how to raise our kids and handle our money, and make the most of our marriage, and get along with our neighbors and our employers. These are the things that Proverbs teach us.

But I guess that’s really more about what they are. But in Proverbs 1:2-6 God tells us what His purpose is for this book. Why did he inspire it? Why was it written? Why did he make sure that it is available to us 3000 years later to read and study? Well in these verses he makes that very clear.

1:2 “for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;”

God is very clear. This book was given first of all for attaining:

“Wisdom”. If we had to sum up the theme of the book of Proverbs in one word it would be “Wisdom”. We saw last week that this book along with Job, some of the Psalms and Ecclesiastes are known as “Wisdom Literature”

The word, “wisdom” comes from the Hebrew word “chokma”, and has different meanings depending on the context. For instance,

II Chronicles 2:7 “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled craftsmen, whom my father David provided.”

Here is means and is translated “skilled”. The KJV says, “cunning”.

II Samuel 13:3 “Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.”

In this verse it is translated “shrewd”. The KJV here renders it “Subtle”.

But in our text in Proverbs, it probably has to do with knowledge of the moral law of God – that is what God requires. And it refers to the ability to use that knowledge to live life rightly. There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is simply the possession of facts. Wisdom is the ability to use those facts. It’s kind of like the difference between classroom instruction and practical experience. In the classroom, you learn facts. Then you go out and apply those facts to life, AND in the process you learn a whole lot more.

Brenda and I were talking about that the other night. She was saying that there were all these facts that she was being introduced to in her nursing classes. Some of them are clear and some of them are not. But when she has clinicals and sees those things put into practice, or she gets to practice them, they make more sense and the big picture begins to come together.

Proverbs was written toward the end of Solomon’s life because he had attained a great deal of wisdom through his life experience. That’s why Proverbs speaks highly of the gray hair of the righteous.

Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.” That is young men delight to show strength and agility of body; whereas in old age physical strength is often replaced by wisdom and experience.

But not only is this book for the purpose of attaining wisdom, but also:

“Discipline”. If you have a King James, it says “instruction”. Now the basic meaning of both these words is “Chastisement”. You know what chastisement is? That’s when your daddy used to take you to the woodshed. “Discipline”, “Correction”. That’s the kind of instruction Solomon is talking about here.

Sometimes we learn instruction from experience, and other times it requires, “instruction”. I used to get a lot of “instruction” from my parents. And sometimes I get “instruction” from my heavenly Father. Does God ever take you to the woodshed? Now why does God do that? Because He loves us.

Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” The New American Standard Version say, “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,”

So sometimes God is going to use the book of Proverbs to discipline us. Are you ready for that? We are going to see things that we are doing right. But sometimes we are going to be confronted with areas that we need to change. And it’s very important that we accept that. Why? Let me give you two reasons.

First, look at Hebrews 12:8 “If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” You see when God disciplines us, its evidence of sonship. What does that mean?

We all sin. As believers we try not to but we do. John says, I Jn. 1:8 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” And when we do sin, God disciplines us, that’s what we just saw in Hebrews 12:6. But if God never spanks you. If God never chastises you. If God never disciplines you, then Heb. 12:8 says, you’re not a child of God.

Sometimes people come to me with questions about assurance of their salvation. They think they are saved but something has made them question it. So one of the questions I usually ask is simply this. Can you sin and get away with it. If you can sin and God doesn’t convict you about it and discipline you, if you’re not grieved by it, then you’re probably not saved. That’s what the Bible says.

Now the second reason discipline is important is because it’s worth it. Notice Heb. 12:11. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

God’s “instruction”, His loving discipline, administered to his sons and daughters is not without cause and it’s not without fruit. God’s discipline, while not pleasant at the time, ultimately produces righteousness in our lives. And that’s the point – and the purpose of Proverbs.

The third purpose for the book of Proverbs that we find here is also in verse 2. It is:

“For understanding words of insight”, (KJV- “to perceive the words of understanding”). This is the characteristic that we all pray our children will acquire. It is the attribute that we have tried to drum into the heads of our children since they were small. It is the trait we want our youth to learn – But – it is a quality that we all need no matter our age.

The words “understanding” and “insight” are similar words. The writer used them for emphasis to demonstrate just how extremely important this point is. Both words have the same root as the Hebrew preposition “between”. It refers to one who can “see between the lines”. Someone has said that it takes rare insight to read between the lines, and that is true. But the author of Proverbs is telling us that one who studies this book can, to a degree, achieve that ability.

It is the ability to decide upon a right course of action. It is the ability to make right choices. The ability to make accurate life decisions. To be able to discern the will of God for one’s life.

WHO’S YOUR DADDY?

It should be pointed out that Genesis chapters ten and eleven are not recorded in chronological order. The events of chapter eleven occurred first. That is not an error but simply a literary device. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event.

Chapter ten identifies which nations descended from each of Noah's three sons. Chapter eleven explains how the dispersion of these nations transpired.

This information is important because without it, a cursory reading of chapter ten might lead some to believe that when the family of Noah began to increase, there followed a natural expansion, as mankind migrated across the face of the earth.

The fact is, however, as can be readily seen in chapter eleven, the people did not relocate naturally or willingly. In fact, there was a monumental rebellion against the idea of expansion and dispersion.

For whatever reasons, they wanted to remain geographically united. It was, however, God's plan to distribute humanity over the face of the earth, and scripture makes it clear that God communicated His will to the people, and that it was He who made certain it happened. From that dispersion sprang all of the nations of the world.

Duet. 32:8 says, "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel."

Paul preaching to the men of Athens also makes reference to this in Acts 17:26. "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."

Chapter ten lists the names of the descendants of Noah through his three sons: Japheth, Ham, and Shem. Many of the names listed are not only names of individuals but also became the titles of nations and people groups.

The descendants of Japheth - Genesis 10:2‑5 "The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim. (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)"

From Japheth have come the Indo European nations. Gomer is the ancestor of the Celts. Among the nations that emerged from this son of Japheth are: England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Various regions of Russia appear to have come from Magog, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

Madai is the father of the Medes. From Javan came the Greeks. Ashkenaz is the progenitor of the Turks and Germans. Elishah's descendants became the nation of Italy. Tarshish was probably the forefather of Spain.

Others that descended from Japheth include India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Romania, the Vikings, the Swedes, the Norwegians, and the Danes, to name just a few.

The descendants of Ham - 10:6‑20 "The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD." The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations."

From Ham came the nations that largely, though not exclusively, settled in the continent of Africa. Cush, it is generally agreed, became the people of Ethiopia. From Mizraim came the nation of Egypt. Put is synonymous with Libya.

Two exceptions to the descendants of Ham settling initially in Africa are the Sidonians, or the people of Phoenicia, (modern Lebanon.) The Hittite nations were the descendants of Heth and the Canaanites, who inhabited Palestine when Israel conquered the land, were also Hammites.

During the period of the Judges, Jerusalem was still called Jebus, because it was the home of the Jebusites, descendants of Ham through Canaan. Judges 19:10

Other nations and people groups that are of hametic descent are the Chinese, Japanese and other Asians, American Indians, Eskimos, Australian Aborigines, Polynesians, Pacific Islanders and others.

The descendants of Shem - 10:21‑31. "Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber. The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country. These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations."

From Shem came many of the Arab nations and the Israelis. Elam lived in the area that became Iraq. Asshur settled in the region that is now Iran. Uz fathered the people of Saudi Arabia. Eber is the name from which we get (Hebrew), and through him came the Jews and all who descended from them.