Proverbs 3:8
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
– Proverbs 3:8
Proverbs 2:20
That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
– Proverbs 2:20
Proverbs 1:20
Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
– Proverbs 1:20
Solomon shows that wisdom is accessible. Wisdom here cries and utters her voice in the streets. Wisdom cries openly. The streets are the common place of common men and women. The rest of the passage also bears out that wisdom is accessible. So wisdom is not some secret or mystical knowledge only for a few initiates like the Gnostics taught.
Solomon warns that sinners are calling and compelling us to go their way. He also teaches that wisdom is in the common spaces and cries out to be heard and followed. A part of his aim is to teach us to discern the call of wisdom and walk in the good way.
Proverbs 1:10
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
– Proverbs 1:10
Sinners in Proverbs are those who do not have the spirit of wisdom. It is a categorization more than a comment about anything in particular they’re engaged in. The word for entice literally means roomy or spacious. In that sense, it means to make the way easy. There are elements of deceit and allurement.
The fatherly address continues and proceeds from this verse to give an example of enticement. It isn’t the only sort of enticement, but a common one. The father instructs and warns the son about the various settings and ways in life where he will be compelled to go a certain way. Obviously, he needs wisdom to discern the good way from the bad. He is then to refuse his consent to the way of folly.
Proverbs 1:9
For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
– Proverbs 1:9
The emphasis here is not on the outward. Solomon doesn’t intend that wisdom brings us health and wealth. In Ecclesiastes 9:11 he observed that bread and riches do not always come to the wise and understanding. Wisdom isn’t a means of achieving worldly success. This is where many Christian books and messages fail when they come to the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is not written to make us more successful in the world, but to grow us in wisdom, God’s wisdom. Wisdom may in fact cause us to be despised by the world (Ecclesiastes 9:15).
Wisdom is still the way of life though. Wisdom is better.
Proverbs 1:8
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
– Proverbs 1:8
The admonition is to hear. The same word is used in verse 5 and means to hear intelligently. It means to listen attentively. The son is admonished to hear the instruction and law of his father and mother. Not only is he to hear, but he is also not to forsake his mother’s law. Forsake conveys the thought of casting off in the sense rejecting. It is a more deliberate action than simply forgetting or neglecting.
There are various layers to this verse, so we will consider just a couple. Instruction means discipline and can refer to training and correction. It encompasses the whole life training received from parents. A degree of humility is enjoined upon the son. He must acknowledge the greater wisdom of father and mother and submit to it, rather than rejecting it. The verse also hints to the fact that the son will encounter other ways, which will compel him. That is made plain in verse 10 and throughout this section. As he is assailed by other ways of folly, he is to cling to the wisdom of father and mother.
Lastly, the picture presented is neither of parental infallibility nor of lifelong spoon-feeding of children by their parents. The essence of wisdom is discernment and when coupled with the fear of God, leads to discerning the way of righteousness. The earnest desire and plea for the father is for the son to grow in wisdom. He wants him to mature and come to the full stature of a man not blown about by every wind of philosophy. This is plain in places like Proverbs 4:7 and Proverbs 2:1-5.
Proverbs 1:3
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
– Proverbs 1:3
Prudence here is joined with justice, judgment, and equity. These three convey the ideas of knowing what is right, making right decisions, and being upright, fair, or even. These words have a legal connotation in making judgments of law concerning cases, but here refer more to the manner of life and one’s dealings with others in the course of life. Therefore, they are applicable to such things as family relations, neighborhood or community relations, and business dealings.
Psalm 119:50
This is my comfort in my affliction:
for thy word hath quickened me.
~ Psalm 119:50
This is my comfort in my affliction:
He refers to God’s Word as his comfort. Note that he isn’t speaking hypothetically or in the realm of possibilities. He writes of his experience: “my comfort” and “my affliction.” He has known heights of joy and depths of sorrow and found comfort in the Word of God.for thy word hath quickened me.
Comfort from the Word has come from its quickening power. He has been given life or infused with fresh power and strengthening. These are not mere words in a book, nor a set of instructions, nor even a collection of comforting thoughts. God’s Word is the word of life (John 6:63, 68). This is why the Psalmist prayed for the quickening power of the Spirit through the Word (Psalm 119:107).
Proverbs 3:16
Posted by Jeff Short on July 17, 2016 · 1 Comment
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Wisdom is personified here as a woman with gifts in both hands. Clearly, wisdom is the better way of life. The gifts of long life, riches, and honor are considered the preeminent blessings of life. In a sense they stand for the best possible earthly life. The left hand is the weaker hand and the gifts of the left hand are the lesser gifts. The right hand is the strong hand and bears the best gift. In terms of earthly life, this is a general statement for we have already seen that the wise do not always live long nor are they always wealthy. In the spiritual sense, all who have wisdom from above have length of days, riches, and honor in terms of eternal life of blessedness with Christ.– Proverbs 3:16
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