“The school of God’s wisdom”BibleClass.com.au Teaching Series

Series: Proverbs: In the school of God’s wisdom Part: #2

Main Scripture: Proverbs 1:7-2:22; 9:13-18 Teacher: Martyn Iles

Date: 20.02.2013

The MP3 audio of the study upon which this transcript is based and a learning guide are available from http://bibleclass.com.au/

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WisdomStudies in the book of Proverbs

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;

Those who hold her fast are called blessed.

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How to read the ProverbsAlthough this study is primarily concerned with the speeches of Proverbs 1-9, a number of the sayings from chapter 10 onwards will be quoted. It is therefore necessary to make some comment on the structure of these Proverbs.

Each Proverb is generally two lines in length and is a parallelism. That means that the two lines are intended to be read together because they relate to each other. That is because they were written in Hebrew poetry, which is not concerned with rhyme or rhythm, but rather the linking together of thoughts.

Therefore, when you read a Proverb it should always be apparent that it has two short parts. If you have a relatively modern Bible translation, the translators have aided you by formatting the Proverbs in poetic stanzas. Regrettably (as it is a good translation generally), the King James Bible translates the whole of Proverbs as prose and not poetry, rather confusing the whole issue.

Note the following examples of proverbial parallelism:

1. Repetition Sometimes the two parallels will express exactly the same thought in two different ways. This is very common. For example:

Proverbs 16 16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

1. Opposites Sometimes the two parallels will express opposite thoughts in order to make a point. For example:

Proverbs 11 5 The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

1. Development Sometimes the first statement will lay down a principle and the second statement will apply it or demonstrate its outcome or development. For example:

Proverbs 3 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Once you get that flow of logic in your head, your ability to see what the Proverbs mean and to get a handle on them will be enormously improved.

The concept of wisdom (review)In the last study, we considered the chief subject of Proverbs, which is wisdom. It will aid our understanding to restate some of the principles of that study in brief (learning comes by repetition!)

We saw that wisdom is an attribute of God. It is eternal in origin and is apparent in all that God

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does - for example His creation work, as we saw in chapter 8. In verse 31 we read that, when He came to creating men and women, wisdom rejoiced in us above the rest of creation because we were uniquely created in His image, also capable of appropriating and understanding wisdom.

Therefore, because God made us with that capacity, the instruction comes to us that we ought to hearken unto the ways of wisdom.1 We are instructed to seek it, to exercise it and to live by it as a legitimate means of divine guidance, or as a legitimate means of living within the will of God.

The New Testament informs us that the availability of wisdom to us is actually a product of our salvation. Christ has been made unto us righteousness, sanctification, redemption and… wisdom.2 Further, we are clearly told that our salvation is supposed to impart to us everything that is necessary for life and godliness3 and wisdom beautifully fits that criteria.

When you realise all of that, the attainment of wisdom actually becomes very important, because we are supposed to be conforming to the character of God, as Christians. The New Testament instruction is, “Be holy for I am holy” and if wisdom is part of what God is like, that’s just the same as saying it’s part of His holiness, so the attainment of wisdom is really important as part of our Christian growth and testimony.

Therefore we see the answer to two key questions:

1. What kind of people should we be? Answer: We should be wise people.

2. How do we live life according to the will of God? Answer: Exercise wisdom in all that we do.

All of this is really why Solomon can say with such certainty, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” And that is the key verse of this book. It appears in similar forms in 9:10; 1:7 and 15:33. See also Psalm 111:10, Job 28:28.

This key verse reinforces to us what we saw last week: the bedrock principle of Proverbs is that wisdom and godliness are inseparable, just as godliness is essential to the appropriation of any other part of God’s character.

How can I be wise?The inevitable question is now raised, having seen what wisdom is like and where it comes from and how important it is to our Christian character: how can I become wise?

It does not occur by osmosis; it doesn’t occur by chance. It requires action. We are responsible for our wisdom and it must be obtained and exercised with great effort, Proverbs will tell us. Notice that the fear of the Lord doesn’t automatically give us wisdom, but rather it is the beginning of wisdom. It is the first instruction that we are to heed if we are going to begin down this path.

Always remember that the path of wisdom is trodden through the maze of real life. Therefore the Proverbs deal with this subject of appropriating and exercising wisdom via the canvassing of 1 Proverbs 8:32.2 1 Corinthians 1:30.3 1 Peter 1:3.

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all the various issues of life and situations of life, from the very, very mundane to the significant. Many proverbs deal with such basic issues as table manners, family relations, our manner of speaking, work ethic and so forth. It is from these small areas of personal discipline that the fuller life of wisdom will flourish.

Chapter 1 really does start at the very beginning. It seems to be especially relevant to young people who are starting out on the path of wisdom, because Solomon’s points go back to the very beginning. He has already made that blanket statement:

Step 1: Fear the Lord; Know GodThis is why the Bible can say with such finality, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”4 Because that person has fallen at the very first hurdle; the first requirement to ever know wisdom.

This is also why Christians everywhere are concerned about our [Australia’s] current Prime Minister, who is on the record saying that there is no God. Her office is one that requires exceptional wisdom. In chapter 8:15, wisdom says, “By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just. By me, princes rule and nobles, all who govern justly.” Immediately you can see that we have a great problem on our hands, because that essential quality of leadership must be absent by definition. And indeed if you are a political observer it explains an awful lot.

Step 2: Receive parental instructionWhat next? Listen to, honour and treasure the instruction of your father and mother. In fact, if you do that, then the teachings of your parents will be a great adornment for you – they will enhance you and augment your character. This is portrayed by that imagery in verse 9, “They are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”

It is therefore very sad that not only does society not fear the Lord, but it is a cultural norm to either disrespect, or at least think fairly average thoughts about your own parents. This is destructive worldliness that has no place in a Christian home, nor among those of us who are children and we profess to be Christians. If we have got this wrong, then we will never progress beyond being a simpleton – in fact it is the singular hallmark of the fool in Proverbs that he despises the instruction of his father and mother.5

Step 3: Choose your pathStep 3 arrives in the form of a little narrative between verses 10 and 19. Solomon all of a sudden starts talking about this young person going off and falling amongst criminals, thieving and murdering and getting for themselves a whole pile of loot and dividing up the spoils. It seems rather shocking and one may wonder at its inclusion here.

One key to this section presents itself in chapter 9, where we read of the lady, wisdom, calling all people to a fine feast where they will find nourishment and the secrets to life. Then it speaks of the foolish woman by contrast, who is calling her guests to her own feast. But far from a call that goes out to dine in prosperity and finery, the foolish woman says:4 Psalm 14:1.5 For example, 15:20.

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Proverbs 9 17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he [the simpleton] does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Compare:

Proverbs 1 19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

What we are learning then is something of the nature of the pathway that is chosen by the foolish. The key is that phrase, “everyone who is greedy for unjust gain.” Compare that with the enjoyment of stolen, illicit food. These are people who don’t want to put effort in. They want quick rewards. They don’t want hard-earned, diligently obtained rewards. It’s all about fast money and choosing the easy path.

This is a principle that applies to life, especially the early choices of a younger person. The way of sin is much easier in the short term. If you are greedy for gain and ambitious, then you can well choose the wrong path. Rather than the path of reproof, learning and diligence and something that takes time which a young person often thinks is wasted time. You can meet people who are all about now, now, now. I want more now. I don’t care how I get it. And they are narrowed in their outlook and the long term result of their attitude is grief.

This attitude is at odds with the path of wisdom.

Step 4: Self-assessmentThe path of the diligent, wise person is described in the rest of the chapter, but first we are invited to assess what kind of person we are.

Wisdom addresses her exhortation to those three people we met very briefly last week: the simple, the fool and the scoffer.

It is important to stress that this is not a matter of realising that you might be in one of these categories, but rather which category you are actually in. All of us, to a greater or lesser extent, are described by one of these three personalities – we have character flaws and personality bents which will lead us into one of these three pitfalls. What is your character flaw? Which one prevents you from imbibing wisdom?

• The simpleton is a naïve person. He is irresponsible and easily influenced.

• The fool is someone who has no interest in finding out about right thinking or right behaviour.

• The scoffer is a person who resists instruction and does not like reproof.

None of these titles have anything to do with mental capacity. They only describe the person’s attitude to right thinking and right behaviour.

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The SimpleIt is the simple person who is enticed by sinners here in chapter 1. He is inexperienced and aimless. He is also the one, in chapter 7, who meets the temptress. She flutters her eyelids and strokes his ego with smooth words and he is at once ensnared. The result of both situations is death. Proverbs 1:32 confirms, “For the simple are killed by their turning away.”

He is naive, imperceptive to danger and easily lead astray:

Proverbs 14 15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

Proverbs 22 3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.

Prudence is always given as the remedy for the simple:

Proverbs 1 4 To give prudence to the simple...

Proverbs 8 5 Oh simple ones, learn prudence...

This is the condemnation of the simple person: they do not approach life with prudence and therefore they are unprepared for it. They haven’t given thought to their steps before they take them and therefore the don’t see danger.

I woke up to this reality when I went to university. I remember going to Orientation Week in my first year, back in 2006, and yes I was a bit nervous about the whole thing. I had never been to the St Lucia campus, I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know anyone in my course. But I hadn’t really given prudent thought to the way I would handle university, in terms of guarding myself against all the sin and temptation and the various forces that exist at university which are designed in a very serious way to destroy faith and turn a person away from God. It is a snare, waiting for a simple person – a young man lacking sense (as Proverbs says) – to come alone and be enticed away.

I can remember on that day – in retrospect it was by the grace of God – I had a few experiences and saw a few things that woke me up very quickly. Actually, I was so startled that I left and went straight home. And I can remember sitting down that afternoon and having a very vivid moment of realisation when I thought, “Martyn... You need to wake up! If you don’t ready yourself for this and have some prudence about where you’re going to put your steps – drop your anchor and have a good hard think about how you’re going to deal with this place, then it will destroy you.”

But time and again you see the attitude of people, as they tread the path of life, is to be happy-go-lucky and take it as it comes. Well, the end is always grief. Whether you do it when you start a family – “Well, let’s see what happens with this whole business of raising children” - never mind that it’s about the most important thing you’ll ever do – or going into new work or moving to a new community or whatever it is. Remember:

Proverbs 22

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3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.

Proverbs encourages strong treatment of a persistently simple person to wake them up. They are not to be mollycoddled. They are to learn via a strong picture lesson or experience – just as I did at university:

Proverbs 19 25 Strike a scoffer and the simple will learn prudence...

Proverbs 21 11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise...

Both are strong picture lessons and neither involves light treatment.

The FoolRather than being naïve, lacking roots and a general realisation of the ways of life, the fool is someone who is complacent about knowing wisdom or just doesn’t care for it. Proverbs tells us that the simpleton, left unchecked, will become a fool:

Proverbs 14 18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Because, rather than being broadly ignorant of instruction and the right way to live, the fool has rejected instruction:

Proverbs 1 7 ...fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Fools lack the concentration and discipline that is so necessary for the diligent search and the measured pathway of wisdom:

Proverbs 17 24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

In fact, he will try the easy path to find wisdom and come up empty - the easy path which we saw the error of in the chapter 1 narrative. He would pay for it, but he won’t set his heart to it:

16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it? [KJV]

But despite all of this complacency and lack of discipline, he does not imagine that he is mistaken in his views - a rebuke is totally wasted on him:

10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

Importantly, the root of the fool’s complacency is a spiritual malady. This confirms the fundamental principle of Proverbs that godliness is the beginning of wisdom - if wisdom is lacking, then there must be a spiritual problem somewhere in the mix. Proverbs 1:29 clearly

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presents their twofold error: they “hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.”

Their spiritual malady becomes evident in their attitude to sin - their view of it is low and complacent:

Proverbs 14 9 Fools make a mock at sin... [KJV]

Proverbs 10 23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool...

Proverbs 13 19 ...to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

The correction of the fool must come early and it must be done via harsh methods if it is to be effective - Proverbs shows this by contrasting the rehabilitation of a child versus an adult:

Proverbs 22 15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

Proverbs 27 22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.

Thus foolishness is produced through lack of discipline, and when fully developed is hard to correct.

A key concept in Proverbs is that a person reaps what they sow, and is therefore entirely responsible for the outcome of their ways and for their life. An early example of this is in 1:31, “Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.”

The next verse points out what the way of the fool is: complacency. And what the fruit of his way is: destruction. But the fool does not recognise nor appreciate this:

Proverbs 19 3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.

The strongest evidence of a fool is on his tongue. You can spot one by the way they speak. There are countless Proverbs concerning the speech of a fool and you will find that the fool is prone toward any of the following:

• Venting anger• Speaking aggression• Babbling vanity and uttering a lot of nonsense• Is content with empty talk of no substance• Reveals his foolishness in conversation unwittingly• Answers before he has heard

Proverbs 18 7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

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The ScofferThe standout feature of the scoffer is that he or she isn’t the sort to receive instruction or accept reproof. A by-product of that is that they avoid the advice of the wise.

Proverbs 13 1 ...A scoffer does not listen to rebuke

Proverbs 15 12 A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise

The person who is at risk of pride or arrogance - a common character flaw which some of us will be aware of in ourselves - needs to beware of the scoffer’s pitfall:

Proverbs 21 24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.

If there is trouble in a company of people, the source of it can always be traced to the scoffer. He is a troublemaker:

Proverbs 22 10 Drive out a scoffer and strife will go out, and quarrelling and abuse will cease.

In fact a scoffer will take up a spark of trouble and fan it into a fire and let it burn:

Proverbs 29 8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

The scoffer’s resistance to instruction equates him with the swine and the dogs of Matthew 7, where the Lord instructs us not to cast our pearls before swine lest they get trampled and we get attacked. Proverbs says that this is the activity of a scoffer:

Proverbs 9 7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

The scoffer is in a very bad place. The writers of Proverbs hold out very little hope for him at all:

Proverbs 26 12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Ultimately, the scoffer is set to receive a bitter dose of his own medicine:

Proverbs 3 34 Toward the scorners He is scornful, but to the humble He gives favour.

And in that statement you see that the scoffer is a person who is disobedient to a fundamental Biblical principle. Think of Luke 18 and the repentant prayer of the tax collector, “Lord be merciful to me the sinner.” What was the lesson of that parable? “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled

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and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” The Proverb itself is also reminiscent of James 4:6, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” I could list many such references.

The proud person puts themselves beyond the use of God. It is always the humble whom He takes up, just as they are exalted in salvation per these New Testament references, so they are used in His work when they are humbled before Him.

The same principle is given to us amongst those people that God used for His service in the Old Testament. Gideon, Moses and so forth - they were in humble circumstances, convinced of their inability to serve. They were far from the scoffer’s arrogant pride. Those who became proud, such as Samson, were struck down. But even he was used again at the end of his life when he made a short prayer of repentance, with no eyes and bound in chains: and it was in that moment of his death that he destroyed more Philistines than he had in his entire life.

We can all progress down that path, unfortunately and it can be very damaging for us spiritually and even for others - especially our churches where we can cause trouble through pride.

Wisdom gets put to useThe remainder of chapter 1 is dedicated to explaining one of the key ways in which wisdom is valuable to a person: It is of priceless value in the day of trial, which will inevitably come. In this way, there is a strong link here with the book of James. Wisdom says the following:

Proverbs 1 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,

Suddenly, the day of trial strikes and the fool, the simpleton and the scoffer all know that they need wisdom - its value is suddenly apparent. But wisdom is nowhere to be found, because it’s too late. The time for discipline, seeking and diligence has not been taken. Wisdom is absent because:

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.

They did not turn at reproof and did not listen to instruction (1:23). They ignored counsel (1:25). They refused to listen (1:24). They hated knowledge (1:29). They didn’t fear the Lord (1:29). They didn’t accept counsel; they wouldn’t accept reproof (1:30).

There is a theme developing. The theme is this: listen. Proverbs tells us that a wise man loves reproof, loves instruction, searches for it and is humble enough to accept it and change. Not so the person who has never gained wisdom. And the great tragedy is that the trials of life come along and it is in that moment that these people cry out, not knowing where to look for wisdom

and wisdom eludes them.

The chapter concludes with that poignant principle: we all eat the fruit of our own way. What we do has outcomes. Surely the preceding tale of fools is distress is sobering evidence of that.

The way of the simple is to turn away from wisom. The fruit is death. The way of the fool is to be complacent. The fruit is destruction. But the way of the wise is to listen and the fruit is security:

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.

In order to conclude this study, I would like you to complete a little exercise. Simply read chapter 2, laid out below and reflect on it. If my words have been insufficient to instill a desire for wisdom into your heart, then I believe Solomon says it best. He simple calls on us again to undertake the search, showing us the blessings that can be ours. Read and reflect upon it:

Chapter 2 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, 12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, 13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, 15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, 17 who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 for her house sinks down to death,

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and her paths to the departed; 19 none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.20 So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

The closing imagery concerning the inheritance of the land was a powerful metaphor for the Jews, because the inheritance of the promised land represented all the promises and blessings of God which He had in store for them. The same idea comes to us: wisdom is a means of inheriting the promises and the blessings of God for our lives.

See you in the next study.

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