|
| |
Introduction
to Proverbs
The
following is a Bible study posted on our Bible Study Group.
Hi, and welcome to our first Bible study on the book
of Proverbs.
Before we begin, let me remind me of your ongoing homework assignment.
Please read a chapter a day of the book of Proverbs, beginning with Proverbs 1
on October 1, etc. For the month of October, take a yellow pencil or marker and
mark each verse that lists a benefit of following God's wisdom. For instance, in
my Bible I've marked the following verses:
-- But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear
of evil. (Prov. 1:33)
-- The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Prov.
10:22)
You'll find MANY, MANY more than just these two examples! Have fun! (And yes,
I'll be nagging you often to remind you to keep reading... <big grin>)
--------------------------
First of all, what is a proverb? "A proverb (the word means a comparison or
likeness) is a crisply stated principle of living)" (from Competent
to Counsel, by Jay E. Adams, p. 98). The book of Proverbs uses a form of
Hebrew poetry that is unfamiliar to us because it doesn't rhyme. Instead, many
proverbs are comparisons that basically state the same thing twice...
"But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely,
AND shall be quiet from
fear of evil." (Prov. 1:33)
Other Proverbs contrast two things...
"The poor useth intreaties; BUT the rich
answereth roughly." (Prov. 18:23)
You'll find some other forms of Hebrew poetry as we go
along, and I'll try to remember to point them out (feel free to do so if I
forget).
To study these verses, I simply used a Strong's
Exhaustive Concordance. This is a handy, big-huge reference book that
lists every word of the Bible in alphabetical order. Next to each word, you'll
see a fragment of how the word is used in a verse plus a number. You can then
look up the number in the back of the concordance for a more thorough definition
of the word in the original Hebrew, plus a listing of all the ways this word is
used in the Bible. It's really helpful! If you don't own a Strong's Concordance,
you can access one online.
I personally like the "real" version better than the virtual version,
though.
Today we're going to look at Proverbs 1:1-7 (KJV).
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding
shall attain unto wise counsels:
6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and
their dark sayings.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom
and instruction.
What are the benefits we'll gain from studying and applying the book of
Proverbs? I see four benefits in these verses:
1) We will know wisdom (verse 2). The word "know" (Strong's #3045)
means to know using a great variety of our senses. It's interesting to me that
this is the same word used to describe the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil in Genesis 2:9 and 17. This word is the opposite of taking something by
sight or at face value. ("By sight" is how the word is used in Numbers
15:24 and Ruth 2:10.) It's the difference between saying we know someone because
we recognize her when we see her long, brown hair and her familiar nose, and
saying we know our husbands! God wants us to KNOW His wisdom!
2) We will know instruction (verse 2). You could substitute the word
"spanking" or "chastisement" here (Strong's #4148). It is a
warning or a reproof. Why is this a good thing!? Because it's comforting to know
the Lord loves us enough to not let us get away with sin. It's also nice to know
that we can "learn our lessons" by reading and applying the wisdom in
the book of Proverbs instead of having to always learn everything the hard way.
In this fabulous book, God allows us to have a glimpse into the bad choices that
others have made, so we can learn from them -- and avoid making those terrible
errors ourselves!
3) We will perceive the words of understanding (verse 2). Perceive (Srong's
#995) means to separate mentally or to distinguish -- to be able to choose the
best from all the options, so to speak. Unbelievably, understanding is Strong's
#998 and is a derivative of #995. So God is going to teach us how to
"distinguish the words of distinguishment." LOL! In contrast, Satan
tries to lie to us and make things very unclear. How good God is!
4) We will receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity.
Instruction here is the same as above, meaning "chastisement." Wisdom
(#7919) means intelligence and looking in all directions for the best
choice. As my husband so aptly said, we will receive "common sense."
(Wouldn't that be nice?) We also receive the instruction of justice, judgment
and equity -- traits sorely needed in wives and mothers, don't you agree?
So who needs to read this book? (I think we're all waving our hands and
shouting, "We do! We do!")
1) The simple (verse 4). A simple person is silly and
easily seduced (#6612). However, God promises to give the simple person
"subtlety" (#6195), which means trickery or in a good sense,
discretion. In other words, the silly and easily fooled person will learn to
make wise choices and avoid being tricked! Wow! Psalm 19:7 says, "The law
of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple."
2) The young man (verse 4). (This is helpful for us parents to keep in mind --
and even for ourselves, on those days we feel quite young ourselves!) The young
man will gain the knowledge spoken of above in benefits #1, and he'll also
receive discretion (#4209). Discretion is having a good plan! What young person
doesn't need these things?
3) The wise (verse 5). The wise man will hear and will increase his learning. In
other words, those who are already wise from daily meditation on God's Word and
years of study will CONTINUE to increase their wisdom. There is no one who
cannot continue to grow and improve!
4) The man of understanding (verse 5). Again those who are able to distinguish
between the better and the best will find wise counsel. How many times have we
all needed a personal counselor? God promises to counsel us with His very own
wisdom in this special book. This is one of the reasons I suggest that you read
a chapter every day, so that the Holy Spirit can point out certain verses to you
and be your "wonderful counselor" (Isaiah 9:6).
So where do we start if we want the Lord's wisdom? Verse 7 says that "the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." Fear here means
"reverence" (#3374). Elizabeth Elliot, in her book The
Shaping of the Christian Family, says, "Although the Bible has much to
say about the fear of the Lord, Christian teaching on it is rare today.
Objections are raised as soon as it is mentioned. Isn't fear a base motive? Why
should we fear Him who loves us as He does? If He is our Shepherd, Savior, and
Friend, how can we be afraid of Him? 'He is not a tame lion,' as C.S. Lewis
says... A child's fear of physical punishment leads him to obedience, but so
does his natural desire to please the people he loves. It is the beginning of
respect. Until we love perfectly, which will not happen on this fallen planet,
we must fear. Until perfect love casts it out, fear is a salutary thing. Fear
saves us." (pp. 125-126) We'll talk more about this fear next week, since
verse 7 says this is where we should begin.
Finally, let's conclude with the warning given in verse 7. "Fools despise
wisdom and instruction." What is a fool? A fool (#191) is a stronger
version of a simple man, and he's described as being perverse and silly. Other
meanings for the word "fool" in the Old Testament are
"stupid" (see Proverbs 1:22) and "wicked" (see Psalm 53:1).
We sometimes see our children despising the wisdom we give them, or even
despising our "chastisement" of them when they do something wrong.
Proverbs calls them a fool -- and it calls us adults a fool if we read the book
of Proverbs yet despise the wisdom we find there. We'll talk in the weeks ahead
about the horrible outcome of the foolish and how we don't want ourselves or our
kids labeled a fool!
In conclusion, let's hop over to two of my favorite verses in Proverbs. I'm sure
you've heard these verses before as well. "Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5-6). These verses sum up all
that God wants to do for us through our study of Proverbs, and they also
describe our responsibility -- to trust with all our hearts, and not to lean on
our own understanding. (May I recommend reading the book Assumptions
That Affect Our Lives, by Christian Overman?)
This was quite a long study! Whew! Grab your pencils and Bibles, make a pretty
spot for them next to your bathroom sink, and start doing your homework, looking
for all the benefits of following God's wisdom. We'll talk next Wednesday about
"the fear of the Lord."
If you would
like to participate in our current study, click
here to join.
Next
Home
|
