Psalm 150
When you read and study the psalms, you meet with joys and sorrows, tears and trials, pains and pleasures, but the book of Psalms closes on the highest note of praise! Like the book of Revelation that closes the New Testament, this final psalm says to God's people, "Don't worry—this is the way the story will end. We shall all be praising the Lord!" The word praise is used thirteen times in this psalm, and ten of those times, we are commanded to "Praise him." Each of the previous four books of psalms ends with a benediction (41:13; 72:18–19; 89:52; 106:48), but the final book ends with a whole psalm devoted to praise. Like the previous
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women to accompany their sacred dances (Ex. 15:20–21). There were two kinds of cymbals, smaller ones that gave a clear sound and larger ones that gave a loud sound. But the final verse sums it up. Whether you can play an instrument or not, no matter where you live or what your ethnic origin, male or female, young or old—"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" After all, that breath comes from the Lord (Acts 17:25), and if things that do not have breath can praise the Lord (148:8–9), surely we can, too!
ministry of Christ. However, we must beware lest the routine use of the calendar becomes more important than the meaning of the days, or that the observing of these days is a means of salvation (Rom. 14:1—15:13; Gal. 4:8–10; Col. 2:16–17). We cannot plumb the depths of all that God is or all that He has done (106:2; 145:4, 11, 12). This is why our eternal worshipping of God will never become boring!
The Means of Worship: Musical Instruments and Human Voices (vv. 3–6) When it is used correctly, by God's grace and for God's glory, the human voice is the most perfect musical instrument in the world, but we find no prohibitions in Scripture against using man-made instruments in the worship of God. Instruments will be used in heaven (Rev. 5:8; 8:6–12), and there will also be singing (Rev. 5:9–14; 6:12; 11:16–18; 15:1–4; 16:5–7; 19:1–9). The psalmist seems to be describing an orchestra that has string instruments, percussion instruments, and wind instruments. The trumpet was the shofar or ram's horn that the priests and Levites used (47:6; 98:6) along with the harp and lyre (1 Chron. 25:1). The timbrel was probably what we know today as a tambourine. It was usually played by the
Praise the Lord!
End Notes Book V 25 Some students connect these "degrees" with the fifteen degrees on King Hezekiah's sundial (Isa. 38:8; 2 Kings 20:9–10). See Old Testament Problems by J. W. Thirtle (Morgan & Scott, 1916); Appendix 67 of The Companion Bible; and chapter 10 of Mark These Men by J. Sidlow Baxter. There are some interesting parallels between Isa. 36–38 and Ps. 120–134, but modern evangelical scholarship has not accepted Thirtle's interesting theory. 26 See chapters 13—15 of my book Real Worship: Playground, Battleground or Holy Ground? (Baker Books) for a more detailed discussion of Satan's desire for worship.
P R O V E R B S
G e n e s i s E x o d u s L e v i t i c u s N u m b e r s D e u t e r o n o m y J o s h u a J u d g e s R u t h
J e r e m i a h L a m e n t a t i o n s E z e k i e l D a n i e l H o s e a J o e l A m o s O b a d i a h
1 S a m u e l 2 S a m u e l 1 K i n g s 2 K i n g s 1 C h r o n i c l e s 2 C h r o n i c l e s E z r a N e h e m i a h
J o n a h M i c a h N a h u m H a b a k k u k Z e p h a n i a h H a g g a i Z e c h a r i a h M a l a c h i
E s t h e r J o b P s a l m s P r o v e r b s E c c l e s i a s t e s S o n g o f
S o l o m o n I s a i a h
CONTENTS Introduction to the Book of Proverbs 1054 Don't Just Make a Living, Make a Life!
Proverbs (1:7–33; 8—9) 1058 Is Anybody Listening?
Proverbs (2—4) 1062 The Path of Wisdom and Life
Proverbs (5–7) 1066 The Path of Folly and Death
(The Wise and the Wicked) 1070 People, Wise and Otherwise—Part I
(The Simple, Scorner, and Fool) 1073 People, Wise and Otherwise—Part II
"Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief" 1077
Family, Friends, and Neighbors 1082
(Human Speech) 1086 A Matter of Life or Death
Make Way for the Righteous! 1091
Enjoying God's Guidance 1094
Popular Sins (Drunkenness, Disrespect,
Illusion, Greed, Pride) 1098
"This God Is Our God" 1102
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decisions. Joseph was considered a wise man in Egypt, and Daniel and his friends were honored for their wisdom while serving in Babylon. God wants His children today to "walk circumspectly [carefully], not as fools but as wise" (Eph. 5:15 nkjv). Understanding the book of Proverbs can help us do that. It isn't enough simply to be educated and have knowledge, as important as education is. We also need wisdom, which is the ability to use knowledge. Wise men and women have the competence to grasp the meaning of a situation and understand what to do and how to do it in the right way at the right time.
CHAPTER ONE Introduction to the Book of Proverbs DON'T JUST MAKE A LIVING, MAKE A LIFE! M
y wife, Betty, is the navigator in our household. For more than forty years, I've depended on her to plan our ministry trips and our occasional holidays and to direct me when I'm driving. She knows that I don't have a good sense of direction and have even been known to get lost just a few miles from home. But the Lord gave her built-in radar, and I've learned to trust her, whether we're in the big city, the African bush, or the English countryside.
To the ancient Jew, wisdom was much more than simply good advice or successful planning. I like Dr. Roy Zuck's definition: "Wisdom means being skillful and successful in one's relationships and responsibilities … observing and following the Creator's principles of order in the moral universe."2 In that definition you find most of the important elements of biblical wisdom, the kind of wisdom we can learn from the book of Proverbs.
I need a similar "spiritual radar" to guide me when I'm embarking on a "study journey" through a book of the Bible. That radar is provided by the Holy Spirit, who guides us into God's truth (John 16:13) and, if we let Him, keeps us from going on unprofitable detours. But if I begin my journey by answering some basic questions about the book I'm studying, the Holy Spirit will find me better prepared for His teaching ministry. The questions I ask myself are
Biblical wisdom begins with a right relationship with the Lord. The wise person believes that there is a God, that He is the Creator and Ruler of all things, and that He has put within His creation a divine order that, if obeyed, leads ultimately to success. Wise people also assert that there is a moral law operating in this world, a principle of divine justice that makes sure that eventually the wicked are judged and the righteous are rewarded. Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person's IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God's truth.
(1) What is the major theme of the book? (2) Who wrote the book and how is it written? (3) What is the key verse that helps "unlock" the
message of the book? (4) What does this book say about Jesus Christ? (5) What must I do to get the most out of this
book?
Let's get prepared for our pilgrimage through Proverbs by answering these five questions.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "wise" (hakam) is used to describe people skillful in working with their hands, such as the artisans who helped build the tabernacle (Ex. 28:3; 35:30—36:2) and Solomon's temple (1 Chron. 22:15). Wisdom isn't something theoretical, it's something very practical that affects every area of life. It gives order and purpose to life; it gives discernment in making decisions; and it provides a sense of fulfillment in life to the glory of God.
1. What Is the Major Theme of the Book of Proverbs? One word answers the question: wisdom. In Proverbs, the words wise and wisdom are used at least 125 times, because the aim of the book is to help us acquire and apply God's wisdom to the decisions and activities of daily life.
Wisdom keeps us in harmony with the principles and purposes that the Lord has built into His world so that as we obey God, everything works for us and not against us. This doesn't mean we don't experience trials and difficulties, because trials and difficulties are a normal part of life. But it means we have the ability to deal with these adversities successfully so that we grow spiritually and the Lord is glorified.
The book of Proverbs belongs to what scholars call the "wisdom literature" of the Old Testament, which also includes Job and Ecclesiastes.1 The writers of these books wrestled with some of the most difficult questions of life as they sought to understand life's problems from God's point of view. After all, just because you're a believer and you walk by faith, it doesn't mean you put your mind on the shelf and stop thinking. The Lord expects us to apply ourselves intellectually and do some serious thinking as we study His Word. We should love the Lord with our minds as well as with our hearts and souls (Matt. 22:37).
People with wisdom have the skill to face life honestly and courageously, and to manage it successfully so that God's purposes are fulfilled in their lives. That's why I called the original Be series book on Proverbs Be Skillful, because we're seeking to learn from Proverbs the divine principles that can make us skillful, not in making a living, but in making a life. The pages of history are filled with the names of brilliant and gifted people
Wisdom was an important commodity in the ancient Near East; every ruler had his council of "wise men" whom he consulted when making important
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a favorite of mine: "When you want a drink of milk, you don't buy the whole cow." Centuries ago, the Romans smiled at timid politicians and soldiers and said to each other, "The cat would eat fish, but she doesn't want to get her feet wet."
who were smart enough to become rich and famous but not wise enough to make a successful and satisfying life. Before his death, one of the world's richest men said that he would have given all his wealth to make one of his six marriages succeed. It's one thing to make a living, but quite something else to make a life.
As an intellectual exercise, I challenge you to expand those four proverbs into four paragraphs of explanation. If you do, you'll learn to appreciate the brevity and richness of good proverbs. Proverbs are pithy statements that summarize in a few choice words practical truths relating to some aspect of everyday life. The Spanish novelist Cervantes defined a proverb as "a short sentence based on long experience." From a literary point of view, that isn't a bad definition.
2. Who Wrote the Book of Proverbs and How Is It Written? Author. In 1:1, 10:1, and 25:1, we're told that King Solomon is the author of the proverbs in this book. God gave Solomon great wisdom (1 Kings 3:5–15), so that people came from the ends of the earth to listen to him and returned home amazed (4:29–34; Matt. 12:42). He spoke three thousand proverbs, most of which are not included in this book. The Holy Spirit selected only those proverbs that the people of God should understand and obey in every age.3
Some people think that our English word proverb comes from the Latin proverbium, which means "a set of words put forth," or, "a saying supporting a point." Or, it may come from the Latin pro ("instead of," "on behalf of") and verba ("words"); that is, a short statement that takes the place of many words. The proverb "Short reckonings make long friendships" comes across with more power than a lecture on forgiving your friends. One of my junior high school teachers, when she heard the low murmur of pupils talking in class, would say, "Empty barrels make the most noise," and that would take care of the problem.
But other servants, guided by God's Spirit, were also involved in producing this book. "The men of Hezekiah" (Prov. 25:1) were a group of scholars in King Hezekiah's day (700 BC) who compiled the material recorded in chapters 25—29, and in Proverbs 30 and 31, you meet "Agur the son of Jakeh" and "King Lemuel," although many scholars think "Lemuel" was another name for Solomon. Most of the material in this book came from King Solomon, so it's rightly called "the proverbs of Solomon" (1:1).
The Hebrew word mashal is translated "proverb," "parable," and even "allegory," but its basic meaning is "a comparison." Many of Solomon's proverbs are comparisons or contrasts (see 11:22; 25:25; 26:6–9), and some of his proverbs present these comparisons by using the word better (see 15:16–17; 16:19, 32; 17:1; 19:1). Throughout the centuries, familiar maxims and proverbial sayings have been compiled into books, but no collection is more important than the Old Testament book of Proverbs. For one thing, the book of Proverbs is a part of Scripture and therefore is inspired by the Spirit of God (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Proverbs contains much more than clever sayings based on man's investigation and interpretation of human experience. Because God inspired this book, it is a part of divine revelation and relates the concerns of human life to God and the eternal. The book of Proverbs is quoted in the New Testament4 and therefore has a practical application to the lives of believers today.
As every Bible reader knows, Solomon began his reign as a man of wisdom but ended his life practicing the greatest folly (1 Kings 11; Deut. 17:14–20). In order to achieve his political goals and keep the kingdom in peace, Solomon allied himself to other nations by marrying hundreds of women, and these heathen princesses gradually turned his heart away from loyalty to the Lord. How tragic that Solomon didn't even obey the precepts he wrote in his own book!
Approach. "Always do right—this will gratify some and astonish the rest." Mark Twain said that, and President Harry S. Truman liked the quotation so much he had it framed and placed on the wall behind his desk in the Oval Office.
Whether or not they tell the whole truth, clever sayings like Twain's are like burrs that stick in your mind. You find yourself recalling them and quoting them. This is especially true of proverbs, some of which are now so ancient they've become clichés. I once had to tell a pastor that my schedule wouldn't allow me to accept his kind invitation to speak at his church. He replied, "Oh, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained." The proverb he quoted has been around a long time. Chaucer quoted a version of it in one of his poems— in 1385!
According to 2 Timothy 3:16–17, "All Scripture is … profitable" in four ways: for doctrine—that's what's right; for reproof—that's what's not right; for correction—that's how to get right; and for instruction in righteousness—that's how to stay right. You will find all four of these purposes fulfilled in the book of Proverbs. These inspired sayings teach us about God, man, sin, creation, and a host of other doctrinal topics. These proverbs rebuke and reprove sinners for their lying, laziness, drunkenness, sexual sins, and other personal failures. But Proverbs doesn't stop with conviction; the book also administers correction, telling us how to turn
Almost every tribe and nation has its share of proverbs expressed in ways that make it easy to "hang" proverbial wisdom in the picture gallery of your memory. "Every invalid is a physician," says an Irish proverb, and a Serbian proverb reads, "If vinegar is free, it is sweeter than honey." A proverb from Crete is
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topic we'll need the most. Just as the Bible itself isn't arranged like a systematic theology, neither is Proverbs. What Solomon wrote is more like a kaleidoscope than a stained-glass window: We never know what the next pattern will be.
from sin and mend our ways. It shows us how to stay on the path of wisdom and not stray again.
My friend Dr. Bob Cook, now home with the Lord, told me that he started reading Proverbs regularly when he was just a boy. There are thirty-one chapters in Proverbs, so if you read a chapter a day, you can read the book through once a month. Bob's father promised to give him a dollar every time he faithfully finished reading the book, so every year Bob gained spiritual treasure and earned twelve dollars just by reading Proverbs.
The first nine chapters of Proverbs form a unit in which the emphasis is on "wisdom" and "folly," personified as two women. (The Hebrew word for wisdom is in the feminine gender.) In chapters 1, 8, and 9, Wisdom calls to men and women to follow her and enjoy salvation, wealth,6 and life. In chapters 5, 6, and 7, Folly calls to the same people and offers them immediate satisfaction, but doesn't warn them of the tragic consequences of rejecting Wisdom: condemnation, poverty, and death. Chapters 10—15 form the next unit and present a series of contrasts between the life of wisdom and the life of folly. The closing chapters of the book (16—31) contain a variety of proverbs that give us counsel about many important areas of life.
Traditional man-made proverbs don't always agree with each other and aren't always right, but you can trust the book of Proverbs. "Look before you leap" advises caution, while, "He who hesitates is lost" warns you not to miss your golden opportunity. Which maxim do you follow? "Many hands make light work" is contradicted by "Too many cooks spoil the broth." However, the proverbs in Scripture are consistent with each other and with the total pattern of divine truth given in the Bible. Furthermore, the children of God have the Holy Spirit to guide them as they seek for God's wisdom in God's Word, because the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of wisdom" (Isa. 11:2; Eph. 1:17).
As you survey Solomon's approach, you can see how wise God was in arranging the book this way. Wisdom isn't some abstract treasure that's so far away we can't grasp it. Through His Word and by His Spirit, God is every day calling us to the life of wisdom. If we want to live wisely, we must begin with commitment to Jesus Christ, who is "the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:30). Wisdom and Folly each want to control our lives, and we must make the choice.
But we still have to answer the important question, "Why did Solomon use proverbs and not some other kind of literary approach as he recorded these divine truths?" Keep in mind that, apart from kings, prophets, and priests, the average Jewish adult didn't own copies of their sacred books and had to depend on memory to be able to meditate on God's truth and discuss it (Deut. 6:1–9). If Solomon had written a lecture on pride, few people would remember it, so he wrote a proverb instead: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18 niv). There are only seven words in the original Hebrew, and even a child could memorize seven words!
After we have committed ourselves to the Lord and His wisdom, we must recognize that there are consequences to the decisions we make. The proverbs in chapters 10—15 depict so vividly the contrasts that exist between the life of wisdom and the life of folly, between faith and unbelief, obedience and disobedience. We can't compromise and expect God to bless. The final section of the book (chapters 16—31) contains the further counsels we need for developing spiritual discernment and making wise decisions.
Because proverbs are brief and pictorial, they are easy to memorize, recall, and share. Edward Everett's two-hour oration at the Gettysburg battlefield is written in American history books, but Abraham Lincoln's two-minute Gettysburg Address is written on the hearts of millions of people. Believers who learn the key proverbs in this book will have at their disposal the wisdom they need for making right decisions day after day. The truths found in Proverbs touch upon every important area of human life, such as acquiring and using wealth, making and keeping friends, building a happy home, avoiding temptation and trouble, controlling our feelings, disciplining the tongue, and building godly character.
3. What Is the Key Verse That Helps "Unlock" the Book? I suggest that 1:7 is the key verse we're looking for: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning [chief part] of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." This statement is amplified in 9:10: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [Holy One] is understanding." (See also Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10.)
There are at least eighteen references to "the fear of the Lord" in Proverbs (1:7, 29; 2:5; 3:7; 8:13; 9:10; 10:27; 14:2, 26–27; 15:16, 33; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4; 23:17; 24:21; 31:30). If you read all these verses carefully, you'll get a good idea of what this important biblical phrase means.
Analysis. But why didn't the Holy Spirit direct the authors to arrange these proverbs in topical fashion, so we could quickly find what we need to know? Derek Kidner reminds us that the book of Proverbs "is no anthology, but a course of education in the life of wisdom."5 As we read Proverbs chapter by chapter, the Spirit of God has the freedom to teach us about many subjects, and we never know from day to day which
If we truly "fear the Lord," we acknowledge from our hearts that He's the Creator, we're the creatures; He's the Father, we're His children; He's the Master, we're the servants. It means to respect God for who He is, to listen carefully to what He says, and to obey His
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both His wisdom and His wealth (Matt. 12:42). Certainly all the beautiful qualities of wisdom described in Proverbs are seen in Jesus Christ, and His earthly walk is a pattern for God's people to follow (1 John 2:6).
Word, knowing that our disobedience displeases Him, breaks our fellowship with Him, and invites His chastening. It's not the servile fear of the slave before the master but the reverential and respectful fear of the child before the parent. Children fear not only because their parents can hurt them, but also because they can hurt their parents. Proverbs 13:13 admonishes us to fear God's commandments, which suggests that the way we treat our Bible is the way we treat God.
The description of wisdom in Proverbs 8:22–31 suggests Jesus Christ as the eternal wisdom of God, but that isn't the main thrust of the passage. Solomon personifies wisdom as the joyful son of a father, a master craftsman, and reminds us that wisdom is one of God's eternal attributes. God magnified His wisdom in the way He created the universe. The "laws of nature" that form the basis for modern science were "built into" the universe by the wisdom of God. When we honestly study creation, no matter what branch of science we follow, we're only thinking God's thoughts after Him. Jesus Christ, the eternal creative Word, was there in the beginning (John 1:1–5; Heb. 1:1–4; Col. 1:15–17).9 Wise people learn the eternal "wise principles" of life built into creation and seek to obey them.
"But what is this fear of the Lord?" asks Charles Bridges, and he answers the question adequately: "It is that affectionate reverence by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his Father's law. His wrath is so bitter, and His love so sweet; that hence springs an earnest desire to please Him, and—because of the danger of coming short from his own weakness and temptations—a holy watchfulness and fear, 'that he might not sin against Him.'"7
The six verses that precede this key verse (1:7) explain why the book of Proverbs was written: to give us wisdom, instruction, understanding, subtlety (prudence), knowledge, discretion, learning, and counsel. Everything depends on wisdom; the other seven words are practically synonymous with it.
5. What Must We Do to Get the Most out of This Book? Solomon often uses the phrase "my son" (Prov. 1:8, 10, 15; 2:1; 3:1, 11, 21; 4:10, 20; 5:1, 20; 6:1, 3, 20; 7:1; 19:27; 23:15, 19, 26; 24:13, 21; 27:11), which suggests that Proverbs contains truths that loving godly parents would pass along to their children10 (see 1 Chron. 29:1). As God's children, we need His loving counsel, and He gives it to us in this book. So, the first essential for an effective study of Proverbs is faith in Jesus Christ so that you can honestly call God your Father. You can't make a life until you first have life, and this life comes through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 36). What applies to the study of Proverbs applies to the study of any book in the Bible: Unless we are spiritually prepared, diligent, disciplined in study, and obedient to what God tells us, we won't really understand very much of God's Word. A willingness to obey is essential (John 7:17). F. W. Robertson said that "obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge." The Holy Spirit teaches the serious, not the curious.
Louis Goldberg says that wisdom means exhibiting "His [God's] character in the many practical affairs of life."8 Instruction carries the idea of discipline, a parent's correction that results in the building of the child's character. Understanding means the ability to grasp a truth with insight and discernment. Prudence ("subtlety") is the kind of intelligence that sees the reasons behind things. People with prudence can think their way through complex matters and see what lies behind them, and thereby make wise decisions about them. (In a negative sense, the word translated "prudence" means craftiness. It is used to describe Satan in Gen. 3:1.)
The word translated knowledge comes from a Hebrew root that describes skill in hunting (Gen. 25:27), sailing (2 Chron. 8:18), and playing a musical instrument (1 Sam. 16:16). Knowledge involves the ability to distinguish; the Latin equivalent gives us our English word science. Discretion is the ability to devise wise plans after understanding a matter. The negative meaning is "to devise a plot."
At least a dozen times in Proverbs you find the imperatives "hear" or "hearken"11 (Prov. 1:8; 4:1, 10; 5:7; 7:24; 8:6, 32–33; 19:20; 22:17; 23:19, 22); many other verses explain the blessings that come to those who obey (who hear and heed) the Word of God (1:5, 33; 8:34; 12:15; 15:31–32). In fact, Solomon warns us not to listen to instruction that will lead us astray (19:27; see Ps. 1:1). This doesn't mean that Christian students can't study the classics and books written by nonbelievers, but they must be careful to read them in the light of the Scriptures. The counsel of godly Robert Murray M'Cheyne is helpful: "Beware the atmosphere of the classics," he wrote to a friend in college. "True, we ought to know them; but only as chemists handle poisons—to discover their qualities, not to infect their blood with them."12
The Hebrew root for learning means "to lay hold of, to grasp, to acquire or buy." When we grasp something with the mind, then we have learned it. The word translated counsel is related to the verb "to steer a ship." Counsel is wise guidance that moves one's life in the right direction.
You'll find these eight words repeated often in the book of Proverbs; when you put them together, you have a summary of what Solomon means by wisdom.
4. What Does Proverbs Say about Jesus Christ? In Jesus Christ "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3), and He is our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24, 30). Solomon was the wisest ruler who ever lived, and yet Jesus Christ is "greater than Solomon" in
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As you study, keep in mind that Hebrew proverbs are generalized statements of what is usually true in life, and they must not be treated like promises. "A friend loves at all times" (Prov. 17:17 nkjv), but sometimes even the most devoted friends may have disagreements. "A soft answer turns away wrath" (15:1 nkjv) in most instances, but our Lord's lamblike gentleness didn't deliver Him from shame and suffering. The assurance of life for the obedient is given often (3:2, 22; 4:10, 22; 8:35; 9:11; 10:27; 12:28; 13:14; 14:27; 19:23; 21:21; 22:4) and generally speaking, this is true. Obedient believers will care for their bodies and minds and avoid substances and practices that destroy, but some godly saints have died very young, while more than one godless rebel has had a long life. David Brainerd, missionary to the American Indians, died at thirty. Robert Murray M'Cheyne died just two months short of his thirtieth birthday. Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia, died at thirty-two. William Whiting Borden, who gave his fortune to God's work, was only twenty-five years old when he died in Egypt on his way to China.
generous gifts to meet all their needs, and escape many of the physical and emotional pains and problems that the ungodly usually suffer. God's covenant with the Jews promised special blessings if they obeyed and chastisement if they disobeyed (see Deut. 27—28), but the book of Proverbs also emphasizes the "true riches" of the spiritual life that are summarized in Christ's beatitudes. It has well been said that true happiness lies, not in the greatness of your possessions, but in the "fewness" of your wants. 7 Charles Bridges, Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1959), 3–4. 8 L. C. Harris, Gleason Archer, and Bruce Watke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 1 (Chicago: Moody, 1980), 283. 9 The phrase "the beginning of the creation of God" in Revelation 3:14 (kjv) cannot mean that Jesus was the first thing God created, since the Son of God was with the Father before there was a creation (John 1:15). The Greek word arche can mean either "first in time" or "first in rank"; therefore the NIV translates the phrase, "the ruler of God's creation." The familiar title "firstborn" can also refer to rank. As "the firstborn of every creature" (Col. 1:15 kjv), Jesus is the head of creation ("the firstborn over all creation," niv). 10 Remember that the Hebrew society was strongly masculine and that primarily the fathers trained the sons, while the mothers trained the daughters. The masculine emphasis in Scripture must not be interpreted as a sexist bias but rather as a characteristic of the Jewish culture of that day, a characteristic that should no longer persist in the light of the gospel (Gal. 3:26–29). 11 The Hebrew word for hear is shema. The Jewish confession of faith in Deuteronomy 6:4–5 is called "the Shema." Implied in the word hear is receiving and obeying God's Word. 12 Andrew A. Bonar, Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne (London: Banner of Truth, 1966), 29.
"The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead" (11:8 niv) certainly happened to Mordecai (Est. 7) and Daniel (Dan. 6), but millions of Christian martyrs testify to the fact that the statement isn't an absolute in this life. In fact, in Psalm 73, Asaph concludes that the wicked get the upper hand in this world, but the godly have their reward for eternity. The book of Proverbs has little to say about the life to come; it focuses on this present life and gives guidelines for making wise decisions that help to produce a satisfying life.
God calls us to receive His wisdom and be skillful, so that we can make a life that will glorify Him. The important thing isn't how long we live but how we live, not the length but the depth of life. Fools wade in the shallows, but wise people launch out into the deep and let God give them His very best.
CHAPTER TWO Proverbs 1:7–33; 8—9 IS ANYBODY LISTENING? T
Notes 1 There are also "wisdom psalms": 1, 19, 32, 34, 37, 49, 73, 78, 112, 119, 127–128, 133. 2 Roy Zuck, Biblical Theology of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody, 1991), 232. 3 Among the Jews, proverbs were a popular and accepted way to digest and preserve wisdom. (For proverbs outside the book of Proverbs see 1 Sam. 10:11–12; 24:13; Ezek. 12:22–23; 16:44; 18:1–2. See also Matt. 9:12, 17; 24:18; John 4:35, 37; 9:4; 1 Cor. 6:13; 14:8; 15:33.) 4 Proverbs 3:11–12 is quoted in Hebrews 12:5–6; 3:34 in James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5; 11:31 in 1 Peter 4:18; 25:21–22 in Romans 12:20; and 26:11 in 2 Peter 2:22. 5 Derek Kidner, Proverbs in Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downer's Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1964), 22. 6 Keep in mind that "wealth" means much more than possessing material things. The Bible doesn't promise that obedient Christians will all be healthy, wealthy, and successful. It does promise that they will have godly character, enjoy their Father's
hree hundred years before Christ, the Greek philosopher Zeno made a statement that he never dreamed would become a powerful weapon for parents everywhere. No doubt your parents quoted Zeno's words to you whenever as a child you talked too much: "The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less."
If ancient Greece had been as noisy as our world today, Zeno might have changed his mind and covered his ears. The Greeks didn't have the necessities of life that we have, like radios and televisions (both stationary and portable), amplified rock music (120 decibels), telephones and pesky solicitation calls, movies, camcorders and DVD players, and all the other devices that have invaded modern life. Zeno never heard a jet plane (140 decibels) or a power mower (100 decibels), nor did he ever stop his car next to a vehicle inhabited by
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play with temptation, because temptation always leads to a trap (Prov. 1:17). Birds don't take bait when they can plainly see the trap, and people ought to be smarter than birds.2
sinister stereo speakers emitting sounds so loud that the vehicle was shaking. Zeno never spent the night in a motel room with tissue paper walls separating him from the room next door where a TV set was being ignored by a guest who was obviously deaf.
Third, when you disobey God by harming others, you only harm yourself (vv. 18–19). You're free to take what you want from life, but eventually you'll have to pay for it, and the price you pay is higher than the value you gain. You end up sacrificing the permanent for the immediate, and that's a bad investment.
"Listen more and talk less." Bah, humbug! There are times when about the only way you can protect your sanity and your hearing is to open your mouth and say something, even if it's only a primal scream.
But the greatest tragedy of life isn't that people invade our privacy, get on our nerves, and help destroy our delicate hearing apparatus. The greatest tragedy is that there's so much noise that people can't hear the things they really need to hear. God is trying to get through to them with the voice of wisdom, but all they hear are the confused communications clutter, foolish voices that lead them further away from the truth. Even without our modern electronic noisemakers, a similar situation existed in ancient Israel when Solomon wrote Proverbs, because there's really nothing new under the sun. God was speaking to people in Solomon's day, but they weren't listening.
The voice of temptation (vv. 11–14). Anybody who makes it easy for us to disobey God certainly isn't a friend. The offer they made sounded exciting, but it only led to disaster. How tragic that a group of people would actually find enjoyment in doing evil, and how foolish of them to think their loot would satisfy their desires. They rejected the eternal treasures of wisdom (3:14–16; 16:16) for the cheap trinkets of this world, and they lost their souls in the bargain.
The voice of salvation (vv. 20–33). How does Wisdom speak? In a loud ringing voice that everybody can hear! Through both creation (Rom. 10:18; Ps. 19:1–4) and conscience (Rom. 2:14–16), "what may be known of God is manifest in them [the lost world], for God has shown it to them" (Rom. 1:19 nkjv). The church's task is to proclaim the gospel message so everybody can hear, believe, and be saved. Like Wisdom, we must herald the Word in an uncompromising way.
If you'll refer to the suggested outline of Proverbs, you'll see that the first nine chapters present two women—Wisdom and Folly personified—as they seek to win the attention and obedience of people in the city streets and squares. In this chapter, I want to focus on Wisdom's calls, and then in the next chapter we'll listen to Folly and learn what she has to offer.
Where does Wisdom speak? In the crowded streets and public places where busy people gather to take care of the business of life. The message of God's truth is made for the marketplace, not the ivory tower; we must share it "at the head of the noisy streets" (Prov. 1:21 niv). Wisdom even went to the city gate where the leaders were transacting official business. No matter where people are, they need to hear Wisdom's call.
1. Wisdom's Call to Salvation (1:8–33) This paragraph records three voices that the person reading Proverbs needs to identify.
The voice of instruction (vv. 8–10, 15–19). This is the voice of a godly father, urging his son to listen to Wisdom and obey what he hears. Note that both the father and the mother have been involved in teaching the boy,l and they both warn him not to abandon what he's been told. These parents have obeyed the instructions of Moses (Deut. 6:6–9) and have faithfully taught their family the Word of God. But what will their children do with all this teaching?
To whom does Wisdom speak? To three classes of sinners: the simple ones, the scorners (scoffers, mockers, niv), and the fools3 (v. 22). The simple are naive people who believe anything (14:15) but examine nothing. They're gullible and easily led astray. Scorners think they know everything (21:24) and laugh at the things that are really important. While the simple one has a blank look on his face, the scorner wears a sneer. Fools are people who are ignorant of truth because they're dull and stubborn. Their problem isn't a low IQ or poor education; their problem is a lack of spiritual desire to seek and find God's wisdom. Fools enjoy their foolishness but don't know how foolish they are! The outlook of fools is purely materialistic and humanistic. They hate knowledge and have no interest in things eternal. I'll have more to say about each of these in a later chapter.
The parents' desire is that the children obey what they have learned, so that God's truth will become a lovely ornament to beautify their lives, like a crown on a king or a necklace on a queen. Paul told Christian servants to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things" (Titus 2:10), which simply means to make the Bible beautiful to others by living a godly life. Peter exhorted Christian wives to win their lost husbands by focusing on the imperishable beauty of Christian character rather than the artificial beauty of man-made glamour (1 Peter 3:3–4).
What does wisdom say to them? First, she brings an indictment against them (1:22) and asks how long they plan to remain in their dangerous spiritual condition. Wisdom has spoken to them time and time again, but they have refused to listen, and this will make their judgment even more severe. Then Wisdom issues an
In Proverbs 1:15–19, the father tells his son how to avoid yielding to temptation. First, he says, check carefully the path you're on and don't walk with the wrong crowd. (This sounds very much like Ps. 1:1 and 2 Cor. 6:14–18.) If you're walking with the wrong crowd, you'll end up doing the wrong things. Second, don't
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and that we would today call "double-speak." Whatever God's Word says about anything is right and can be trusted (Ps. 119:128). "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether" (19:9 nkjv).
invitation that they turn from their evil ways and receive her gifts (v. 23). This is a call to repentance and faith. She promises to change their hearts and teach them the wisdom of God from the Word of God.
Wisdom's words are plain, spoken clearly and openly so that there can be no confusion. Of course, those who reject the Lord don't understand what God is saying (1 Cor. 2:12–16), but this isn't because the Word of God is confusing or unclear. It's because sinners are spiritually blind and deaf (Matt. 13:14–15). The problem is with the hearer, not the speaker. Mark Twain is supposed to have said, "It isn't what I don't understand about the Bible that worries me, but what I do understand."
How do the simple, the scorners, and the fools respond to Wisdom? They refuse to obey her voice; they won't take hold of her outstretched hand; they laugh at her warnings; and they mock her words. Note the word also in verse 26. Because they laughed at Wisdom, one day Wisdom will also laugh at them. Because they mocked her, she will mock them. Wisdom sees a storm of judgment coming that will bring distress and anguish to all who reject God's invitation.
When that judgment arrives, sinners will call upon the Lord but it will be too late. "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6 nkjv). Sinners will reap what they have sown. "Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies" (Prov. 1:31 nkjv). They turned away their ears from hearing the truth (v. 32; see 2 Tim. 4:4) and were complacently comfortable with believing lies. In contrast to the judgment promised to unbelievers, wisdom promises security and peace to those who will listen to her and believe (Prov. 1:33).
"You can receive true wealth" (vv. 10–21). This passage deals with enrichment, not riches in the material sense. Wisdom isn't promising to put money in the bank for us; she's urging us to seek eternal wealth instead of gold, silver, and precious stones (see vv. 18–19 as well as 2:4; 3:13–15; 1 Cor. 3:12). This is an Old Testament version of Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (nkjv).
Some Israelites during the Old Testament era had the idea that wealth was a sign of God's blessing while poverty and trouble were evidences that you were out of His favor. Because Job's friends held to a "prosperity theology," they concluded that Job was a great sinner or he wouldn't be suffering so much. When Jesus said it was hard for a rich man to enter God's kingdom, His astounded disciples asked, "Who then can be saved?" (Matt. 19:23–26). If rich people don't make it to heaven, who will?
2. Wisdom's Call to True Wealth (8:1–36) In His mercy, the Lord continues to call to sinners because He is "long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9 nkjv). Wisdom returns to the crowded places of the city and calls out so everyone may hear. But note that she addresses the simple and the fools but not the scorners (compare Prov. 1:22 with 8:5). They had laughed at her message and turned away from the truth, so their opportunities were over, not because God wasn't speaking but because their hearts were too hard to hear. "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Heb. 4:7–8 nkjv). "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks" (12:25 nkjv).
But Wisdom has better gifts to offer than perishable riches—blessings like prudence, knowledge, discretion ("witty inventions," Prov. 8:12), the fear of the Lord, humility, godly speech, wise counsel, understanding, guidance on life's path, strength for the journey, and "durable riches." A life that's enriched by God may be poor in this world's goods, but it is rich in the things that matter most. It's good to enjoy the things that money can buy, provided you don't lose the things that money can't buy. What Wisdom has to offer can't be purchased anywhere, no matter how rich you are.
Wisdom's second message has three very clear points, followed by a call to decision.
"You can trust my words" (vv. 6–9). Five adjectives are used here to describe the character of the message Wisdom declares. Her words are "excellent" (v. 6), a word that is often translated "captain" or "ruler" in the Old Testament. The New International Version reads "worthy things," and other translations use "noble" or "princely." Since God's message is the Word of the King, it is indeed noble and princely.
How do we secure this satisfying and enduring wealth? Hear the Word of God (v. 6), receive instruction (v. 10), love truth and wisdom (vv. 17, 21), and seek God and His wisdom daily (v. 17). Many of God's people have discovered how important it is to start each day with the Lord, meditating on His Word, praying, and worshipping Him. (See Ps. 57:8 and 63:11; Gen. 19:27; Ex. 24:4; Mark 1:35.) "You can see my works" (vv. 22–31). We touched upon this in chapter 1 and found it to be an explanation of the wisdom of God at work in the creation of the universe. While it isn't a description of Jesus Christ, for the eternal Son of God was never created, it does foreshadow Christ as the creative Word that brought everything into being (John 1:1–4; Col. 2:3).
The message also contains "right things" (vv. 6, 9), a word that describes something straight. The English word right comes from the Latin rectus which means "straight." This root is also seen in words like "direct" and "correct." God's Word is also true (v. 7) and righteous (v. 8). Folly uses deceptive and "crooked" words to achieve her purposes, language that George Orwell called "newspeak" in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
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here of any preliminary invitation. The maidens are simply saying, "Come right now!"
One of the lessons of this paragraph is that the power and splendor of God, seen all around us in creation, are evidence of what God's wisdom can do. The same God who worked in the "old creation" also wants to work in our lives in the "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:10; 4:24; Col. 3:10). The Lord Jesus Christ, who holds the universe together and causes it to fulfill His will, can hold our lives together and accomplish His purposes for His glory.
Note that they are inviting one class of people: the simple (Prov. 9:4). Wisdom's first call was to the simple, the scorners, and the fools (1:22). The scorners laughed at her, so in her second call she invited only the simple and the fools (8:5). But the fools didn't want God's wisdom, so in this third call she invites only the simple ones to come to her feast. It's a dangerous thing to reject God's invitation; you never know when it may be your last one (Luke 14:24).
When we belong to Jesus Christ and walk in His wisdom, all of creation works for us; if we rebel against His wisdom and will, things start to work against us, as Jonah discovered when he tried to run away from the Lord.
Of course, when the simple people accept the invitation, it means leaving the old crowd, and the fools and scoffers will try to talk them into staying (Prov. 9:6–8). Sinners don't want to be rebuked and reproved, but wise people will accept and benefit from both. Fools, scoffers, and the simple like to have their own way and be told they're doing fine, but wise men and women want the truth. Teach wise people and they'll accept the truth and become wiser; try to teach fools and they'll reject the truth and become even greater fools.
"You must make a decision!" (vv. 32–36). Having declared God's truth, Wisdom now calls for a decision, as all faithful heralds must do. How people respond to God's message is a matter of life or death (vv. 35–36), and it's impossible to be neutral. Wisdom calls for a sincere, life-changing decision that involves turning from sin (repentance) and turning to Christ (faith). If the decision is real, it will result in a commitment to the Lord that leads to meeting with Him daily, like a servant at the master's door.
Celebration (vv. 10–12). When you respond to Wisdom's invitation and attend the feast, what will you receive? For one thing, you'll have a greater respect for the Lord and a deeper knowledge of the Holy One (v. 10). The better you know God, the keener will be your knowledge and discernment when it comes to the decisions of life.
Those who reject God's truth sin against their own souls. Those who hate God's truth are heading for eternal death (Rev. 20:11–15).
3. Wisdom's Call to Life (9:1–18) Instead of going to the busy places of the city, Wisdom now remains at home and serves as hostess of a grand feast.
Once again, Wisdom promises to give us long life (v. 11) and to fill our days and years with rich experiences of God's grace. God wants to add years to our life and life to our years, and He will do it if we obey His wisdom. Verse 12 reminds us that the Lord wants to build godly character into our lives, and we can't borrow character from others or give our character to them. This is an individual matter that involves individual decisions. Belonging to a fine family, attending a faithful church, or studying in an excellent school can't guarantee the building of our character. Character is built on decisions, and bad decisions will create bad character.
Preparation (vv. 1–2). In the previous chapter, we saw Wisdom at work in creation, but here we see her having built a spacious house ("seven pillars") where she prepares a sumptuous banquet. The Jewish people didn't use their flocks and herds for food, so opportunities to eat roast beef or lamb were infrequent and welcomed. The table would be spread with delectable foods as well as wine to drink. "Mingled" (mixed) wine could mean diluted with water (usually three parts water) or mixed with spices. However, the presence of wine on the table must not be interpreted as a divine endorsement of alcoholic beverages. Wine was a normal part of a Jewish meal, but nowhere does the Bible approve of drunkenness (see 20:1; 23:29–35; 31:4–7). More on this topic in a later chapter.
Condemnation (vv. 13–18). The chapter closes with a quick glimpse of the prostitute (Folly) as she calls to the same simple ones and invites them to her house. But if they accept her invitation, they'll be attending a funeral and not a feast— and it will be their own funeral!
Invitation (vv. 3–9). Instead of going out herself as in the previous two "calls," Wisdom now sends her lovely maidens to the highest places of the city to invite people to the feast. It was customary in those times for a host or hostess to issue two invitations. The first one, given some days in advance, notified the guests of the day and hour of the feast; the second one, given the day of the feast, ascertained who was actually coming (see Luke 14:16–24; Matt. 22:1–14). Knowing the approximate number of the guests, the cooks could then prepare sufficient meat so that there was plenty for everybody and nothing would be wasted. We don't read
In 5:15–18, Solomon compared the joys of married love to drinking pure water from a refreshing fountain, but Folly (the adulteress) offers "stolen water" from somebody else's fountain. God ordained marriage to be a "fence" around the fountain so that nobody will pollute it. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14) has never been removed from God's law.
When it comes to possessing eternal life and living so as to please God, it's an either/or situation. Either we accept the invitation or we reject it; either we obey His wisdom or we reject it. Those who claim to be neutral
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chapters 2, 3, and 4 is on the blessings God's people enjoy when they walk on Wisdom's path. The path of Wisdom leads to life, but the way of Folly leads to death; when you walk on the path of Wisdom, you enjoy three wonderful assurances: Wisdom protects your path (ch. 2), directs your path (ch. 3), and perfects your path (ch. 4).
are rejecting His Word as much as those who turn away from it completely. "He that is not with me is against me," said Jesus (Matt. 12:30).
What will it be in your life, the feast or the funeral?
Notes 1 The father's statement, "my son," is found forty-one times in Proverbs, but the influence of the mother isn't ignored. See 1:8; 4:3; 6:20; 10:1; 15:20; 19:26; 20:20; 23:22; 23:25; 28:24; 30:11, 17; 31:1ff. 2 James 1:14 uses the images of hunting and fishing to get the same point across. The verbs "drawn away" and "enticed" carry the idea of "luring with bait," whether baiting a trap or a fishing hook. Temptation is the bait, and Satan wants us to think we can grab the bait and avoid the consequences (Gen. 3:5). Alas, it never works that way. 3 In Proverbs, three Hebrew words are translated "fool": kesyl, the dull, stupid fool; ewiyl, the corrupt fool who is morally perverted; nabal, the stubborn, brutish fool whose mind is made up and won't be convinced. For a vivid example of this third variety of fool, see 1 Samuel 25.
1. Wisdom Protects Your Path (Prov. 2) The key verse in chapter 2 is verse 8: "He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints" (nkjv). The repetition of the phrase "my son" (2:1; 3:1, 11, 21; 4:10, 20; and see 4:1, "my children") reminds us that the book of Proverbs records a loving father's wise counsel to his family. The British statesman Lord Chesterfield said, "In matters of religion and matrimony I never give any advice; because I will not have anybody's torments in this world or the next laid to my charge." But Jewish fathers were commanded to teach their children wisdom (Deut. 6:1–9); if the children were smart, they paid attention and obeyed. Life is dangerous. It is wise to listen to the counsel of godly people who have walked the path before us.
CHAPTER THREE Proverbs 2—4 THE PATH OF WISDOM AND LIFE A
Three different "walks" are described in this chapter. Walking with God (vv. 1–9). Chapters 2—4 all begin with an admonition to listen to God's words and take them to heart (3:1–12; 4:1–9), because that's the only way we can walk with God and live skillfully. Eight imperatives in this paragraph reveal our responsibilities toward God's truth: receive (accept) God's words and hide them (store them up) in our minds and hearts; incline the ear and apply the heart; cry after knowledge and lift up the voice for understanding; seek for wisdom and search after it. If you want wisdom, you must listen to God attentively (Matt. 13:9), obey Him humbly (John 7:17), ask Him sincerely (James 1:5), and seek Him diligently (Isa. 55:6–7), the way a miner searches for silver and gold.
newspaper cartoon shows an automobile balancing precariously over the edge of a cliff, with an embarrassed husband at the wheel and his disgusted wife sitting next to him. Meekly, he says to his wife, "Honey, there's got to be a lesson here somewhere."
There's a lesson there all right, and it's this: The only way to end up at the right destination is to choose the right road. If you've ever made a wrong turn in a strange place and found yourself lost, then you know how important that lesson is.
The metaphor of life as a journey is a familiar one; it is found in the Bible as well as in classical literature. The Odyssey of Homer describes Ulysses' ten-year journey from Troy to his home in Ithaca, and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is an account of Christian's journey from the City of Destruction to the heavenly city. The Bible frequently exhorts us to choose the right path, but the contemporary world thinks there are "many ways to God" and any path you sincerely follow will eventually take you there.
Obtaining spiritual wisdom isn't a once-a-week hobby, it is the daily discipline of a lifetime. But in this age of microwave ovens, fast foods, digests, and numerous "made easy" books, many people are out of the habit of daily investing time and energy in digging deep into Scripture and learning wisdom from the Lord. Thanks to television, their attention span is brief; thanks to religious entertainment that passes for worship, their spiritual appetite is feeble and spiritual knowledge isn't "pleasant to [their] soul" (Prov. 2:10). It's no wonder fewer and fewer people "take time to be holy" and more and more people fall prey to the enemies that lurk along the way.
Jesus made it clear that in this life we can take only one of two ways, and each of them leads to a different destination. Everybody has to choose either the crowded road that leads to destruction or the narrow road that leads to life (Matt. 7:13–14). There's no middle way.
If we do our part, God will keep His promise and protect us from the enemy (vv. 7–8): "He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones" (niv). "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Ps. 119:11 nkjv).
In the book of Proverbs, the words path and way (and their plurals) are found nearly one hundred times (kjv). Wisdom is not only a person to love, but Wisdom is also a path to walk, and the emphasis in
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promises when we obey His precepts, because our obedience prepares us to receive and enjoy what He has planned for us.
People are willing to work diligently in their jobs because they know they'll earn a paycheck, but what about applying themselves diligently to God's Word in order to gain spiritual riches that are more valuable than gold and silver and jewels, riches that will last forever? (See 2:4; 3:13–15; 8:10–21; 16:16.) There's a price to pay if we would gain spiritual wisdom, but there's an even greater price to pay if we don't gain it. We must walk with God through the study of His Word.
Conditions to meet (vv. 1–12). The first condition for receiving God's guidance is that we learn God's truth (vv. 1–4). The will of God is revealed in the Word of God (Col. 1:9–10), and the only way to know His will is to study His Word and obey it. By receiving the Word within our hearts, we experience growth in godly character so that mercy and truth ("love and faithfulness," niv) become beautiful ornaments in our lives (Prov. 3:3; 1:9). It isn't enough for believers to carry the Bible in their hands; they must let the Holy Spirit write it on their hearts (3:3; 7:3; 2 Cor. 3:1–3). Obedience to the Word can add years to your life and life to your years.
Walking with the wicked (vv. 10–19). Here we meet "the evil man" and "the strange woman," two people who are dangerous because they want to lead God's children away from the path of life. The evil man is known for his perverse ("froward," kjv; crooked) words (see vv. 12, 14; 6:14; 8:13; 10:31–32; 16:28, 30). He walks on the dark path of disobedience and enjoys doing that which is evil. He belongs to the crowd Solomon warns us about in 1:10–19. The person who walks in the way of wisdom would immediately detect his deceit and avoid him.
Second, we must obey God's will (vv. 5–8). "He shall direct your paths" (v. 6 nkjv) is the promise, but the fulfillment of that promise is predicated on our obedience to the Lord. We must trust Him with all our heart and obey Him in all our ways. That means total commitment to Him (Rom. 12:1–2). The word translated "trust" in verse 5 means "to lie helpless, facedown." It pictures a servant waiting for the master's command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general.
The "strange woman" is the adulteress, the wayward wife described so vividly in 7:1–27. If the evil man uses perverse words to snare the unwary, the adulteress uses flattering words. Someone has said that flattery isn't communication, it is manipulation; it's people telling us things about ourselves that we enjoy hearing and wish were true. The strange woman knows how to use flattery successfully. She has no respect for God because she breaks His law (Ex. 20:14); she has no respect for her husband because she violates the promises she made to him when she married him. She no longer has a guide or a friend in the Lord or in her husband because she has taken the path of sin. Anyone who listens to her words and follows her path is heading for the cemetery.
The danger, of course, is that we lean on our own understanding and thereby miss God's will. This warning doesn't suggest that God's children turn off their brains and ignore their intelligence and common sense. It simply cautions us not to depend on our own wisdom and experience or the wisdom and experience of others. Abraham did this when he went to Egypt (Gen. 12:10–20), and so did Joshua when he attacked the little town of Ai (Josh. 7). When we become "wise in [our] own eyes" (Prov. 3:7), then we're heading for trouble.
Walking with the righteous (vv. 20–22). Note the argument that Solomon gives in this chapter that begins with the "if" of verse 1 and continues with the "then" of verse 9 and the "thus" of verse 20. If we receive God's words and obey them, then we will have wisdom to make wise decisions, and thus God will keep His promise and protect us from the evil man and the strange woman. When you obey God, you have the privilege to "walk in the ways of good men" (v. 20 niv). If you follow the Word of God, you will never lack for the right kind of friends.
Share God's blessings (vv. 9–10) is the third condition we must meet if we want God to direct our paths. There's no such thing as "spiritual" and "material" in the Christian life, for everything comes from God and belongs to God. The Old Testament Jews brought the Lord the firstlings of their flocks (Ex. 13:1–2) and the firstfruits of their fields (Lev. 23:9–14), and in this way acknowledged His goodness and sovereignty. The New Testament parallel is seen in Matthew 6:33.
If we don't faithfully give to the Lord, we don't really trust the Lord. Of course, our tithes and offerings aren't "payment" for His blessings; rather, they're evidence of our faith and obedience. Christian industrialist R. G. LeTourneau used to say, "If you give because it pays, it won't pay." Giving is heart preparation for what God wants to say to us and do for us. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21 nkjv).
The wicked may appear to be succeeding, but their end is destruction (Ps. 37). The godly will be rooted in the place of God's blessing (Ps. 1:3), but the ungodly will be uprooted from the land. The safest and most satisfying path is the path of wisdom, the path of life.
2. Wisdom Directs Our Path (Prov. 3) The key verses in this chapter are verses 5–6, a promise God's people have often claimed as they have sought the Lord's direction for their lives. And this promise has never failed them—if they have obeyed the conditions God has laid down in verses 1–12. God keeps His
Our fourth responsibility is to submit to God's chastening (Prov. 3:11–12). Chastening is a part of God's plan to help His sons and daughters mature in godly character (Heb. 12:1–11). God chastens us, not as a
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judge punishes a criminal, but as a parent disciplines a child. He acts in love, and His purpose is that we might become "partakers of his holiness" (Heb. 12:10). Sometimes He chastens because we have rebelled and need to repent; other times He chastens to keep us from sinning and to prepare us for His special blessing. No matter how much the experience hurts us, it will never harm us, because God always chastens in love (Deut. 8:2–5).
God's path (vv. 22; see Luke 9:53), your feet walking on the right path (Prov. 3:23, 26), and even your backbone safe while you're sleeping (v. 24). If something frightening suddenly happens, you won't be afraid (v. 25; see Ps. 112:7; 121:3–6), because the Lord is protecting you. How we sleep is sometimes evidence of how much we trust the Lord (Ps. 4—5).
A positive relationship with others (Prov. 3:27–35) is a fourth blessing the believer enjoys when he or she walks in the wisdom of God. Wise Christians will be generous to their neighbors and live peaceably with them (vv. 27–30), doing their best to avoid unnecessary disagreements (Rom. 12:18). After all, if we truly love God, we will love our neighbor as we would want him to love us.
Blessings to enjoy (vv. 13–35). If we trust and obey, our Father will direct our path into the blessings He has planned for us; the first of these blessings is the true wealth that comes from wisdom (vv. 13–18). Some people know the price of everything but the value of nothing; consequently, they make unwise choices and end up with shoddy merchandise. An acquaintance of mine, thinking he was getting a bargain, bought a box of white shirts from a street vendor for just a few dollars. When he opened the box at home, he discovered they weren't shirts at all: they were dickeys made to be used on corpses. So much for his bargain. You take what you want from life, and you pay for it.
On the other hand, if our neighbor is a perverse person who scoffs at our faith (Prov. 3:31–35), the Lord will guide us in letting our light shine and His love show so that we will influence him but he won't lead us astray. Sometimes it takes a great deal of patience, prayer, and wisdom to rightly relate to people who don't want Christians in the neighborhood, but perhaps that's why God put us there.
It's good to have the things money can buy, provided you don't lose the things money can't buy. What good is an expensive house if there's no happy home within it? Happiness, pleasantness, and peace aren't the guaranteed by-products of financial success, but they are guaranteed to the person who lives by God's wisdom. Wisdom becomes a "tree of life" to the believer who takes hold of her, and this is a foretaste of heaven (Rev. 22:1–2).
It's possible to have a godly home in the midst of an ungodly neighborhood, for God "blesses the home of the righteous" (v. 33 niv). We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and one dedicated Christian in a neighborhood can make a great deal of difference and be a powerful witness for the Lord.
3. Wisdom Perfects Our Path (Prov. 4) The key verse in chapter 4 is verse 18: "But the path of the just is like the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." The picture is that of the sunrise ("the first gleam of dawn," niv) and the increasing of the light on the pilgrim path as the day advances. If we walk in the way of God's wisdom, the path gets brighter and brighter and there is no sunset! When the path ends, we step into a land where the light never dims, for "there shall be no night there" (Rev. 22:5).
Another blessing is harmony with God's creation (Prov. 3:19–20). The person who walks according to God's wisdom can sing, "This is my Father's world," and really mean it. The wisdom of God brought everything into being (8:22ff.), including what science calls "the laws of nature." Obey these laws and creation will work with you; disobey them and creation will work against you. People in the so-called "New Age" movement try to be "at one" with creation, but they're doomed to fail because they reject the wisdom of God. Christians who live by God's wisdom will be good stewards of His creation and will use His gifts for His glory.
God has a plan for each of His children (Eph. 2:10), and if we walk in His wisdom, we can confidently say, "The Lord will perfect that which concerns me" (Ps. 138:8 nkjv). Our path may not be an easy one, but it will always be a fulfilling one as we walk in the will of the Father. This involves three responsibilities on our part: knowing God's Word (Prov. 4:19), trusting God's providence (vv. 10–19), and obeying God's will (vv. 20–27).
A third blessing is the Father's providential care (3:21–26). Because God directs our path, He is able to protect our path. The Lord isn't obligated to protect His children when they willfully go their own way. They're only tempting Him, and that's a dangerous thing to do. Back in the early 1940s an angry unbeliever asked a pastor friend of mine, "Why doesn't God stop this terrible war?" My friend quietly replied, "He doesn't stop it because He didn't start it." It was started by people who rejected God's wisdom and pursued their own selfish plans.