The Three Voices of Proverbs 1

This week we continue our series in the book of Proverbs by looking at Proverbs 1:8-31. Over the first 9 chapters of Proverbs we are introduced to two women – Wisdom and Folly.  Solomon personifies these two paths showing how they both seek our attention and obedience.

In Proverbs 1:8-31 we see 3 voices (Wiersbe)

1. The Voice of Instruction (Vs. 8-10, 15-19)

In these verses the parents are speaking to their child desiring that God’s Word and wisdom would adorn their life.  Titus 2:10 references adorning ourselves with the doctrine of God, that is to say that we make the Bible beautiful by living godly lives.  1 Peter 3:1-4 encourages wives with unsaved husbands to adorn themselves with the gospel to win their lost husbands.

Vs. 15-19 the parents shift their focus to show their child how to avoid yielding to temptation.

First (15-16) – Check your path and check your crowd.  Fairly simple concept – Wrong direction, Wrong crowd = Prone to do wrong things.

Second (17) – Don’t play with temptation.  Solomon states that birds are smart enough to avoid snares, but we often head straight into the trap and danger.  We must be wise in our life.  Avoid things such as lunch with that work associate of the opposite sex, the conversations on Facebook with that person from High School, or the temptations at work to take items left out.  Everybody’s temptations will be different.

Third (18-19) – There’s a price tag to everything in life.  Solomon states that if you harm others, ultimately you are harming yourself.  The price tag is higher than the gain you receive. Here’s the principle – Don’t sacrifice the permanent for the immediate!  This is a hard concept to consistently apply in our lives.

 

2. The Voice of Temptation (Vs. 11-14)

I’ll just mention two things out of these verses.

First – Anyone who makes it easy to disobey God is not a friend.

Second (14) – Notice the verse mentions that they will have “one purse”.  Anyone that’s ever watched a western movie knows that when a group’s money is put together there’s going to be trouble.  This is what America is trying to do.  It didn’t work for the early church in Acts when they sold their possessions and shared (and they were Christians).  How do we think this concept will work for a nation of lost people. Communism and Socialism are contrary concepts to God’s principles and we should remember that when we select leaders and train our children.

 

3. The Voice of Salvation (Vs. 20-33)

How does wisdom speak? – Both through creation and conscience (see Romans 1:19-20)

Where does wisdom speak (20-21)? – It speaks in the streets and public places, where people are carrying out their lives.  We must realize that wisdom is for you and me.  It is for us to share.  It’s not to be isolated in our buildings, but seen and heard on the ball fields, in the restaurants and at the work place.

To whom does wisdom speak (22)? – It speaks to the simple, scorner and fool.  The simple are the naive that believe anything, yet examine nothing.  The scorners think they know everything and mock that which is important.  The fool is ignorant of truth because they’re dull and stubborn.  They are fools not because of low IQ, but because of a lack of spiritual desire.  They seek the material instead of the spiritual.

What does wisdom say (22, 23, 26-33)? – Vs. 22 asks “How long” will we remain in this state?  Vs. 23 extends an invitation to turn from our evil and foolishness. Wisdom promises to transform your life.  However, as we continue to read this passage we find that most mock wisdom and in Vs. 26 the tables are turned and wisdom eventually has the upper hand mocking those that rejected her.

Remember – There is a price tag for everything in life (good or bad).  I would rather pay the price for God’s way of wisdom because Vs. 33 tells us the payout.  The loss of what the world offers for God’s hand of peace and protection is worth its price in our lives.

The Reason for Proverbs

This week we begin a new series in the book of Proverbs.  Let’s start with just the first few verses of Proverbs 1 as Solomon describes his intentions for writing the book.  In verse 1 the author is described.  Solomon, the son of the great king of Israel, David.  Solomon was witness to the daily life of Israel greatest king during some of David’s greatest challenges and successes.  The word “proverb” means “to rule”.  These are principles intended to rule or govern our actions in life.  They aren’t just bits of human wisdom, but heavenly philosophy that mainly deal with our actions as we deal with our fellow man.

There are 4 words, which are closely linked, that will continue to come up in Proverbs.    We need these in our lives and we desperately need to place them in our children.  They are – wisdom, instruction, understanding, and discernment.  We will look at these over the coming weeks.  Solomon begins in Vs. 2 with 3 of these words and indicates why he is writing all of this down.  In Proverbs there are 6 Hebrew words translated as “wisdom”.  Wisdom in Vs. 2 refers to the ability to make the right choices at the right time.  This is the same word used when describing the builders of the tabernacle.  Solomon states that we need wisdom and “instruction”.  Instruction is the admonition and discipline to carry out the wisdom.  To know what is right without the discipline to carry it out is useless and leads to arrogance.  So, we are to know wisdom and instruction – AND to perceive the words of understanding.  This understanding is the ability to discern and see the truth.  As faithful Christians we are given the sight to discern the truth in God’s Word.  A lost person does not grasp that truth and the uninterested Christian finds it unpalatable.  Understanding is the ability to see the end of the path before venturing down it.  Oh that Christians would seek the understanding of God’s word and not just the reading of it as ritual.

He then continues to tell us what the proverbs will do.  In Vs. 4 we are told that it will give subtlety to the simple.  It refers to a removal of being gullible.  A subtle person is crafty, but I believe in this context it refers to seeing through that craftiness.  So many folks are foolish and lack discernment.  We need to realize when is the right time for certain actions or words and what are the right things to do and not to do.  Having two teenagers I deal with this all the time.  Today’s world of social media thrives on this lack of discernment in our young.

Solomon wanted the most simple to have these principles.  A mastery of Proverbs will go a long way in our lives.

Solomon didn’t stop with the young, he proceeded in Vs. 5 to speak to the older folks. Basically he in encouraging them to stay teachable.  How do you respond to someone that is younger than you or maybe has been a Christian for less time?  Your response to that question is a good indicator to how teachable you are.  God can still speak through them to us, but we must allow them.

In Vs. 7-9 Solomon finishes his intentions.  Vs. 7 is the key verse – Fear of the Lord.  That phrase is used 14x in Proverbs.  It deals with our reverence for God’s authority in our lives.  When God is in His proper place in our lives His truths make sense to us.  Without God in His proper place, God’s truths can seem harsh and out-of-date.

Vs. 7 states that the fear of the Lord “is the beginning of knowledge”.  We don’t become educated so we can grasp God’s knowledge.  That’s how man typically tries it, but it starts with God.  Solomon finishes the section by comparing the fool and the son that applies these truths.  It starts with the fear of God and then it moves to further respect for authority.  Proper respect for authority is critical to teach at an early age, because it is nearly impossible to grasp later in life.

Typically you will find that a person that respects authority will later be entrusted with authority.  Therefore, we are helping set the course for our children early in life by how we use God’s Word.  It needs to be an “ornament of grace” and a “chain about thy neck” instead of club for the stiff-necked that refuse instruction.