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 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
– Proverbs 1:7
Understanding the right relation to God illuminates the meaning of fools despising wisdom and instruction. Fools want wisdom, but they want it separate from God (Psalm 14:1). So their despising is a despising of true wisdom. The fool’s pursuit ends in less knowledge and wisdom (Romans 1:18-32).
Proverbs 1:6
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
– Proverbs 1:6
Solomon gives us an example of the kind of interpretive wisdom he endeavors to teach us in Proverbs 24:30-34. He went by a field and was able to study and think and learn wisdom from what he saw. This example shows us that wisdom is equipment for life. Not everything comes to us in the form of step-by-step instructions. We need wisdom to be able to learn and interpret what we see around us all the time.
Proverbs 1:5
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
– Proverbs 1:5
Counsel refers to guidance. The wise man is a man of understanding who will receive and heed good, wise counsel. Contrariwise, the fool is one who will not listen or receive counsel, though it comes from multiple wise sources (Proverbs 12:15; 26:12, 16).
This verse is an example of the layering common in the Proverbs. By sketching a wise man we also have a sketch of the fool if we consider the reverse image. One of the layers common in Proverbs is to teach us insight into character. So where we have a man or woman who will not receive or listen to counsel from anyone, we know we are dealing with a fool.
Proverbs 1:4
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
– Proverbs 1:4
Knowledge means cunning or perception and is paired with discretion. The word for discretion means a purpose, plan, or plot. It can be used of a good plan or evil and so the context determines which. Here the discretion is good whereby the young man who attains it can wisely plan his way.
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.
Proverbs 1:2
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
– Proverbs 1:2
The verbs—to know and to perceive—mean to ascertain and to separate mentally. They refer to acquiring and sorting. They give us the thought of discerning, which is a chief component of wisdom. The different verbs and nouns in this first section are an instructive study and also let us know that the kind of wisdom presented is not easily come by.
The Proverbs was written to grow us in that sort of wisdom and discernment. Real life is not like a black-and-white cowboy picture where the good guys all have on white hats and the bad guys all have on black hats. You can readily discern their character by quickly distinguishing their headgear. In real life we encounter various ways of life, philosophies, teachings, and counsels. They are all compelling us to go this way or that. We need true wisdom to distinguish the good from the bad and the true from the false, and that true wisdom doesn’t come easily or quickly.
Proverbs 1:10
Posted by Jeff Short on April 27, 2016 · 1 Comment
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Verses 10 to 19 describe the other way, the way of folly. The way of wisdom has been shown to be an initially difficult way that ends with ornaments of grace bestowed. The way of folly will be shown as an initially easy way that ends with humiliation and ultimately death.– 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.
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