April 4
Reading: Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
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.
8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, 9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; 12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; 13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse” 15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, 25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, 27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, 30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, 31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; 33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
Proverbs inhabits a unique genre. The book is a collection of sayings, all having to do with wisdom. Right away we are alerted to this theme. Wisdom is a fascinating concept in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is like understanding, but different. it is related to religion. It requires learning. It involves humility. It is founded upon faith in God. You cannot have wisdom without God. The essence of wisdom is found in how one lives life.
Wisdom is the skill of living life God’s way.
The word “way” shows up importantly in this book. “The two ways” is a concept central to Hebrew wisdom literature. Think of Psalm 1. There is the way of wisdom and there is the way of the fool. In the proverbs we will often see these two ways described and contrasted.
The theme of the book is, without question, found in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
There is a right way and a wrong way to read this book. The wrong way is to read these proverbs as an argument or a promise. They are creative and poetic statements of how God has made life to be and how we ought to live. Often one verse is unconnected to the next, sometimes a number of them are grouped together. The right way to read is to read each verse, think on it, enjoy it, and then consider how you can better live that way. Usually, in reading a chapter, one or two verses will leap out at you, engaging your mind and seeming to ask for application in your life. Memorize that verse, write it down for the day, meditate upon it, and it will bear fruit in your life.
When you read the same chapter again in a year, another verse will present itself.
In chapter one, consider in verses 8-19 the warning to not walk in the way that the sinners walk. Then think about how wisdom, personified in verses 20-33, speaks, asking you to pay attention to her. Most people ignore her and do their own thing and are miserable. So, the lesson of chapter 1: Listen to wisdom when she speaks and do not go the way of all the foolish sinners in the world. Most people do not heed the advice.