1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
(Proverbs 1:1, ESV)
Life is painfully difficult. For all its pleasures and joys, there is a wildness to life, an untidy complexity that breeds feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. It is this complexity that makes us feel we need help to navigate life well. Like sailors in a storm, we need guidance and direction to steer ourselves through the days of tumult. There are times, of course, we feel a clarity about life. During a sermon at church or a discussion with godly friends, for example, we might have moments where the world and our way of navigating it feels certain, but then real life hits and blows us off course. These rains, winds, storms, and hurricanes of life are disorienting. If we are in our right minds during those storms, we will run to God, his book, and his community to get our bearings and refresh our course. If we are in our wrong minds, we will resist God, turn to our own feelings of fear, sadness, disgust, or anger, and drive straight into the rocks of catastrophe.
For his part, God has not left us alone in our storms. The God of the Bible did not originally create the storm, nor will he allow it forever, and, best of all, he entered into our storm to experience and consume it within himself. This means we worship a God who understands the feelings of complexity that come with being human. He sees how challenging it is for us to steer our way through the myriad of decisions thrown at us from the earliest years of our lives to our final breath. And in all those decisions, we might run to the Scriptures to find the guidance we require, only to discover that our situation is so specific and granular and in the gray that we cannot discern our right from left. Or, after making thousands of decisions that seem clear cut from a biblical standpoint—going to church, reading our Bibles, abstaining from vice—we might still be confused about the more regrettable elements of our lives. Even the holiest of us are flummoxed by broken relationships, feelings of despair, and general sadness. Often, if we are honest, we do not know how to deal with the complex web of relationships, key decisions, and temptations life presents. We did not know what to do in the storm.
This is where the book of Proverbs can provide believers with help. It is a 31-chapter book of wisdom literature from the ancient days of Israelite culture. The Son of David, King Solomon, initiated these proverbs, and a few other authors made their edits and contributions to the completed collection (1:1). Solomon, before his coronation, had to copy the entire Torah by hand, so he was familiar with Scripture. Additionally, in the early days of his reign, God gave Solomon supernatural wisdom on a variety of subjects, and this wisdom began to be known far and wide. As Solomon peered into the Scriptures, the natural world, and humanity, the Spirit gave him powerful insights that resound to this day.
But what is a proverb? A proverb is usually a pithy saying that compares, contrasts, or summarizes common experiences of life. These sayings often come in the form of parallel thoughts—two poetic lines that either build on one another or contrast with one another to help the reader gain wisdom. As one progresses through these proverbs, they build a robust wisdom grid for various elements of everyday life. Categories like inner emotions and feelings, interpersonal relationships, work and finances, leadership and planning, or the power of words are all addressed in Proverbs. Wisdom on subjects like these is helpful because knowledge (like knowing the correct route to your destination) or rules (like deciding not to murder) are limited in the direction they give. No Scripture will tell you which house to buy, which career to choose, or if you should marry a person, but all of those decisions deeply impact life. It is here that Proverbs provides guidance.
Today, we are beginning a long multi-month study of Proverbs, which means we are entering into a season as a church where we want to interact with God's wisdom. For our first lesson in Proverbs, we are going to observe its introduction through the framework of three questions. First, what can God's wisdom produce? Second, who is God's wisdom for? Third, where does God's wisdom begin?
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:2-7, ESV)
What Can God's Wisdom Produce?
Scattered throughout this introduction to Proverbs are various words that, taken together, give us a strong concept of what the digestion of this book could do in someone's life. The words are wisdom, of course, along with instruction, understanding, wise dealing, prudence, knowledge, discretion, and guidance (2-5). It is one thing to talk about wisdom, but these offshoot words help color what wisdom produces. Let's consider concept.
- Instruction implies training with accountability, meaning there is an element of discipline to wisdom. It indicates that wisdom is hard-won, fought for, and not the result of mere intellectual study. One must allow wisdom to chasten and challenge them in order for it to work, and instruction is the way. Instruction in wisdom is like learning to play the piano—over time, with discipline, beautiful music is produced.
- Understanding relates to the wisdom to discern or distinguish between things. Understanding helps us know what is good and what is evil, even when it is not obvious or apparent. It is easy to say Superman is a good guy, just as it is easy to say caring for the poor is good. But it takes understanding to know if the Incredible Hulk is a good guy—he often is, but it's complex because he's often angry and destructive—just as it takes understanding to know if the ways people care for the poor are helpful in the long run.
- Wise dealing applies wisdom to daily life, and it leads to righteousness (moral uprightness), justice (concern-fueled action for others, righting wrongs), and equity (impartial treatment of others, fairness). These themes are hammered on throughout the Bible because they are rooted in God's character and reflect how he wants his people, made in his image, to fill and subdue the earth (Gen. 1:26-27).
- Prudence is the ability to navigate life carefully by considering the consequences before acting. We spend much of our lives learning things the hard way, but prudence is the ability to gain experience the easy way. Through God-informed wisdom, the prudent person can see what they might experience down the various paths in front of them. Prudence makes someone like a Grandmaster chess player, able to see many moves ahead.
- Knowledge and discretion, in Proverbs, speak of grasping how facts and information should best be applied if we want to honor God and choose the right course of action. A person with knowledge and discretion builds a life on a good foundation and heads in the right direction.
- Guidance comes from a Hebrew word related to the ropes used in sailing. Because of its nautical origins, the idea is that through wisdom a person can tie it all together, get the guidance they need, and steer in the right direction.
All of these words, taken together, lead us to God's wisdom, which goes beyond morality to living life with skill (2, 3, 5, 6, 7). The wise person loves God and man, obeys God's commands, and lives within his clear cut rules for righteous living, but they also enter into all the gray areas of life with great know-how. They understand how life with God really works. Wisdom is like a master chef who knows more than just the ingredients but how to combine them to make a perfect dish. If you have ever cut with a dull blade, you know what a life without wisdom is like. Wisdom is like sharpening life's blade. Wisdom makes everything—I don't want to say "easy" because life is complex and challenging even with it—but less demanding than it is without it.
In modern times, we have begun to understand how Intellectual Intelligence (IQ: Intelligence Quotient) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) are interconnected and complement one another. Proverbs values the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, but it goes beyond it to show us what to do with it. The wise person, as described in Proverbs, fosters healthy relationships, makes great decisions, does not self-sabotage, is financially healthy, considers the entire community, and keeps on growing for the duration of their lives. They have ingested God's wisdom over and over again, and it has become part of them, making them look conspicuously like Jesus. They might have a high IQ, but they definitely possess a high EQ. That is what God's wisdom can produce.
Who is God's Wisdom For?
Now that we have considered what Proverbs says it can do, we need to consider who it is for—to whom is Proverbs addressed? In our opening verses, we learn there are three specific people Proverbs has in mind and one it doesn't.
The person Proverbs is not for is the fool because fools despise wisdom and instruction (1:7). We will revisit the fool in all his forms throughout Proverbs as he is a main character within the book, but "fool" is more than an insult. Throughout Proverbs, some fools are unteachable, others are morally corrupt, others have no speech control, others are lazy, and others are severely evil. God's wisdom could help fools, of course, but they are hard-hearted and unwilling. Because of this, as we will see all throughout this book, the fool is totally resistant to the wisdom of Proverbs.
If the book is not for fools, who is it for? First, it is for the simple (prudence to the simple, 1:4). They will appear throughout Proverbs as naive and untaught people. Like the fool, they don't have wisdom, but unlike the fool, they do not despise it. They are not necessarily closed off and resistant to God's wisdom, but their exposure to life and wisdom has been limited. This lack of exposure puts them in a vulnerable situation, and their lives could go in either a positive or negative direction, but with wisdom, they have every opportunity to excel.
Second, Proverbs is for the youth (discretion to the youth, 1:4). The Hebrew word for youth is found in the Old Testament to describe babies, thirty-year-olds, and all the ages in between. What seems to be highlighted in Proverbs, however, is the relative inexperience of this person. Though the wisdom of Proverbs is accessible to all of us, the first audience was often King Solomon's sons, kings who would rule after him. He wanted these young men to learn wisdom to prepare them for the rigors of adult life, but also life as a leader. As kings, they needed to see how life worked at many levels of society, and this wisdom is helpful to those of us living in those levels of society.
Third, Proverbs is for the wise (1:5). Solomon wrote, "Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance" (1:5). Does this surprise you? It is quite easy to see how the wisdom of Proverbs can help someone become wise, but we should also see that God's wisdom can help us become wiser. This tells us that wisdom is not a static achievement but a dynamic process that requires continuous effort. When you get a diploma, you can frame it and put it on your wall, but you can't really do that with wisdom—you've gotta keep going to its school! This makes sense when one considers life. You can't really get the wisdom you need to navigate your eighties well when you are in your twenties. You can build the foundation, but as life progresses, you will need fresh doses of wisdom to help you navigate it well. And, as life passes by, it becomes less black and white and more complex, and this is where real wisdom is required, so the wise and understanding person keeps coming back for more.
What does all this show us? That Proverbs is for naive, inexperienced, or in-process people—and this is congruent with gospel truth. The gospel shows us a God who recognizes us in our brokenness, depravity, and shame yet comes to rescue us because of his great love. He does not, as this introduction to Proverbs shows us, expect us to have everything all figured out. He knows we are limited, so he makes himself available to us to help us when we lack wisdom or experience, teaching us as we move through life. Proverbs is another form of the grace of God, and it is accessible to the humble.
So, one question at this point is, do you want what Proverbs offers? Are you interested in the sharpening wisdom found within its pages? Do you see yourself as someone in need of God's wisdom—not just for a singular decision you might be stymied by today, but for all of life in its complexity? If so, Proverbs is for you.
Where Does God's Wisdom Begin?
But Solomon's introduction does not stop with what wisdom can do and who it is for; it goes on to tell us where it begins. He wrote, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (1:7). This statement serves as the theme of the entire book of Proverbs. The idea is that God has made the world and, especially in its broken and fallen state, his wisdom is required to navigate it well. Though many proverbs sound like mere common sense, the person who is rooted in deep respect, admiration, and awe of God—the fear of the Lord—is well positioned to receive that wisdom.
This statement from Solomon that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, sets Proverbs apart from the ancient wisdom literature of other cultures around Israel at that time. Because of common grace, we expect to see people who don't believe in God exhibiting various forms of wisdom, and we find that in ancient wisdom texts outside the Bible, but what you don't find is Yahweh. Something similar could be said about Ecclesiastes, a wisdom book in the Bible that never mentions Yahweh, the name for the covenantal God of Israel, choosing instead to use a more generic term, Elohim, when speaking of God. Ecclesiastes depicts a man wrestling with the complexities of life with a bit of distance from God, while Proverbs depicts wisdom that considers God. This all helps us recognize that Proverbs is trying to pin itself on the nature and character of the true God. It throws itself upon God's being, presenting itself as a grid for life that collapses without Yahweh.
This reverence for God, this fear of the Lord, recognizes that he is the source we need to pursue. God and a deep respect for him, in other words, is foundational, the very beginning of wisdom itself. Just as letters are foundational to reading, numbers are foundational to mathematics, and notes are foundational to music, so the fear of the Lord is foundational to true and robust wisdom. To love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength is the operating system that runs God's wisdom in our lives. Without it, we are prone to resist him and close our ears to him. But with it, we present ourselves before him, open to receiving his guidance for our lives.
Proverbs will go on to tell us that this attitude is the foundation of emotional stability (strong confidence) and the source of help in the multifaceted issues of life (fountain of life). Take note:
In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:26–27)
This fear is not cringing terror but an attitude of awe and wonder before a faithful God who covenants his love for us. For this reason, one of the best ways to cultivate the fear of the Lord in your life is to gain a more robust vision of the gospel of Christ. When our eyes are more fully opened to his grace as displayed on that cross, we more readily stand in awe of God. The more we feel the grace and forgiveness of God, the more we fear, respect, and appreciate him. This type of fear is far better than the alternative. Either God and your connection to him will define everything about you, causing everything else to be evaluated in that light, or something else will define your reality. And anything less than him will inevitably crumble beneath your feet.
Conclusion
As we conclude, I want to position Proverbs well within your mind's eye. What was it written? One way to think about God's desires for ancient Israel is that they would, as Jesus affirmed so many years later, love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength (that's Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and love their neighbor as themselves (that's Leviticus 19:18).
If you were to ask for some specifics about what it looks like to love God and neighbor, they might take you to the Ten Commandments; the first four deal with love for God, while the last six deal with love for neighbor.
If you were to ask for more information about how to live out The Ten, they might take you to the Book of the Law, where hundreds of religious ceremonies and civic regulations were spelled out for them.
But if you were to ask for help in the areas of life that those specific laws did not touch on, they might take you to Proverbs, a book designed to provide a wisdom grid for the more nuanced areas of life. Israel’s law revealed how to love God and neighbor, from the Ten Commandments to detailed civic and religious guidelines. But Proverbs provides wisdom for life’s nuanced, everyday decisions, pointing us toward God’s desires in every moment.
If you were to ask me for a perfect picture of the life presented in Proverbs, I would take you to the life of Christ, who came as the perfect embodiment of the wise human life. It is here, in this mixture of Proverbs and the life of Christ, that so much of our loving God and neighbor occurs, so it will help us to consider Proverbs in the light of Jesus as we study this book together. Over the coming weeks, we’ll see how Proverbs offers a practical grid for navigating life in Christ, helping us reflect his wisdom in a complex world.
Study Questions
Head (Knowledge, Facts, Understanding)
1. What are the three key questions posed in the introduction to Proverbs, and how do they shape our understanding of the book’s purpose (Proverbs 1:1-7)?
2. Define the terms instruction, understanding, prudence, and discretion as they are used in Proverbs 1:2-7. How do these concepts build a foundation for wisdom?
3. According to the sermon, what distinguishes the “fear of the Lord” as the foundation of wisdom from the wisdom literature of other ancient cultures?
Heart (Feelings, Impressions, Desires)
4. How does the complexity and “storm-like” nature of life resonate with your personal experiences? How do you feel God’s wisdom addresses these challenges?
5. Reflect on the description of the fear of the Lord as awe and wonder before a faithful God. How does this description impact your view of God and your relationship with Him?
6. What emotions or desires does the picture of God’s wisdom as “a fountain of life” and “strong confidence” stir in you?
Hands (Actions, Commitments, Decisions)
7. What practical steps can you take this week to grow in the fear of the Lord, as described in the sermon?
8. How can you apply the wisdom of Proverbs to a specific area of your life currently filled with complexity or uncertainty?
9. Based on this teaching, what commitment will you make to integrate God’s wisdom into your daily decision-making process?