The Value of Wise Sayings
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 to acquire wisdom and discipline, to understand the words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and fairness,
4 to give discernment to the naïve, knowledge and discretion to the youth
5 (let the wise listen and increase learning and the discerning obtain wise counsel)
6 to understand a proverb and a puzzle, the sayings of the wise and their riddles. ~Proverbs 1:1-6
These first six verses tell us what the book of Proverbs is all about in a nutshell. In our small home Bible study group (5-9 Members) we chose this book to dissect and meditate upon. Our weekly assignment is to read the chapter, pray and seek understanding and then share what we learned from the Holy Spirit with each other at the next meeting. Study suggestions include: Reading the literal interpretation, cross referencing with other similar scriptures, Greek and Hebrew word study (example below), learning Biblical symbolism and parables to find deeper meaning.
Strong’s Hebrew: 2452. חָכְמָה (chokmah) — wisdom – Bible Hub chokmah: wisdom Original Word: חָכְמָה Part of Speech: Noun Feminine Transliteration: chokmah Phonetic Spelling: (khok-maw’) Definition: wisdom NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding to chokmah Definition wisdom NASB Translation wisdom (8). NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries – https://biblehub.com › hebrew › 2452.htm
Since the Proverbs were written by King Solomon, we’ll begin with the passage where He asks God for wisdom. Solomon said: “You have shown my father Your servant David great loving kindness, as he walked before You in truth, righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You. Indeed, You have kept this great loving kindness for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. So now, Adonai my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. I am but a youth. I don’t know how to go out or come in. Your servant is amid Your people, whom You have chosen—a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant a mind of understanding to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil—for who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”~1 Kings 3:6-9
Can you imagine the weight of responsibility of ruling a nation on a young person? We all have this weight of responsibility as ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20, Luke 14:23) for the Kingdom of Yeshua, to live and walk as He did in order that we might lead others to do the same. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:14-16
As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things—and it is true and not a lie—and just as it has taught you, abide in Him. And now, children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we will have confidence and not be ashamed in His presence at His coming. ~1 John 2:27-28
The Wisdom of Parents
7 The fear of Adonai is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
9 For they are a garland of grace for your head and a chain to adorn your neck. ~Proverbs 1:7-9
And of course there is the burden of responsibility for parents as they navigate through this mess of the world to raise God fearing children. And speaking of Godly fear, it is that as we love Him we want to please Him as much as we want to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the evil one who seeks to destroy us.
Honor your father and mother, so that your days be long upon the land which Adonai your God is giving you. ~Exodus 20:12
Then Joseph said to them…, “Do this and you will live. I fear God. ~Genesis 42:18 Our very lives depend on Him and doing what He says. It is His grace and mercy which gives us the time to figure this out.
Avoid a Bloodthirsty Gang Wisdom
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in.
11 Suppose they say: “Come with us! Let’s lie in wait for blood! Let’s ambush the innocent—for no reason!
12 Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol—still healthy, as they go down to the pit!
13 We’ll find all sorts of valuable things, we’ll fill our homes with loot!
14 Throw your lot in with us— we’ll all have one wallet.”
15 My son, do not go along with them, keep your foot from their path—
16 for their feet run to evil and they are swift to shed blood.
17 Surely it is useless to spread a net in the eyes of all winged creatures!
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush their own lives.
19 Such is the fate of all gaining by violence. It takes the life of its possessor. ~Proverbs 1:10-19
Sin will take one blindly down such a path that one becomes selfish, greedy, and even sadistic and bloodthirsty. It’s a deadly trap (John 10:10) from a crafty Devil.
For such men (who have turned themselves over to sin) are false emissaries, deceitful workers masquerading as Messiah’s emissaries. And no wonder, for even satan masquerades as an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their deeds. ~1 Corinthians 11:13-15
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents (having full understanding of craftiness and wisdom to avoid danger and evil) and innocent as doves (still behaving as God’s gentle ambassadors). But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues (because they have become sadistic). You will be brought before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them and to the Gentiles. ~Matthew 10:16-18
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. ~1 Peter 3:9
Wisdom Calls, But Who Listens?
20 Wisdom (Khokmah) calls aloud in the streets, she raises her voice in public squares.
21 She cries out above the commotion. At the entrances of the city gates, she utters her speech:
22 “How long will you naïve ones love simplicity, you scoffers delight in scoffing, and you fools hate knowledge?
23 You are repulsed at my rebuke. Behold, I pour out my heart to you. I will make my words known to you.
24 Because you refused when I called, and did not pay attention when I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignore all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when dread comes on you,
27 when your terror comes like a storm and your calamity sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when trouble and distress overwhelm you!
28 Then they will cry out to me, but I will not answer! They will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Adonai,
30 they would not accept my counsel, they spurned all my reproof,
31 so they will eat the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own schemes.
32 For the backsliding of the naïve will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever pays attention to me will live securely, and be free from the fear of evil.” ~Proverbs 1:20-33
This is a stern warning about the consequences of merely calling on God when one is in trouble. It is an example of what we call tough love. The road of sin is naturally full of trouble and pain. Our Abba is patient and merciful and I imagine that He gives us all many chances to get back on track as He bails us out of trouble again and again, but eventually when we continue to go back to the same sins which keep us in a state of chaos (Isaiah 3:9) and the lesson is not learned then further pain may be necessary. The goal is to bring us back. It is about rescue, not punishment. He is calling for genuine repentance as opposed to temporary remorse (He knows the difference), because He loves us and does not want us to be destroyed by the enemy (2 Peter 3:9).
But I say, walk by the Ruach (Spirit), and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, but the Spirit set its desire against the flesh–for these are in opposition to one another, so that you cannot do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the deeds of the flesh are clear: sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, just as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom. But the fruit of the Ruach is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control–against such things there is no law. ~Galatians 5:16-23
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