Not fools; but a person that wishes to be wise certainly does. Today is September 1, so as I do many mornings, I opened my Bible to the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to the date, hence Proverbs 1. As the reading began, the reasons Solomon penned these words seemed to be in box car letters. They are found in verses 2-6. Let’s look at those today while remembering that a proverb is not only a tidbit of information, but a rule to live by.

  1. “To know wisdom and instruction…” (V.2). There are several words in the Hebrew language which can be translated to wisdom. In this verse the word is “chokmah.” It means having the ability to make right choices when opportunities present themselves. Instruction is tied to discipline, admonition and often chastisement. Disciplined minds see all sides of an issue.
  2. “…to perceive (see clearly) the words of understanding” (V. 2b). Solomon penned most of the proverbs, not all but most, so our vision would be clear. There are many cultures which have proverbs attached to them, but while they may have grains of truth in them, they do not compare to the proverbs of the Book.
  3. “…to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity” (V.3). For me, the key word in this verse is “receive.” There must be a willingness on the part of a person to accept truth. In our Postmodern world, truth is subjective. Your truth is truth to you and my truth is truth to me. But what if those truths are opposite of each other? That’s not a problem because truth is what you want it to be, in certain circles. That’s the type of nonsense children are beginning to learn in elementary school. Recently, I heard an educator addressing a group of teachers who made the statement that we shouldn’t tell kids that 2+2=4 if the child truly thinks the answer is 5. It might hurt the child’s self-esteem. Truth isn’t subjective; it is objective. We have the truth of the Bible as objective truth. It tells both you and me what truth is no matter what we would like it to be. To have a proverb (life rule) direct us, we must receive it.
  4. “…to give subtilty to the simple, and to the young man knowledge and discretion” (V.4). Prudence would be a really good word when thinking about “subtilty” and when thinking about “simple” think of a young person, not much experience and very naïve. The proverbs are for someone just starting out, seeking to make good choices right out of the gate.
  5. “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels” (V.5). Increasing our learning should be a goal for each of us. We are never too old to learn, and we should all want to learn. The previous verse seemed to be aimed at the youth, but this verse seems to be aimed at mature people. The phrase “increase learning” points to that fact. The second half of this verse shows action. If you truly want wisdom, seek to hang out with wise people. Zig Ziglar was a motivational speaker who was very popular in the 70’s and 80’s. He often said, “In ten years you’ll be exactly like you are right now with the exception of the books you read and the people you hang out with.” All Zig did was put V.5b into his own words. If you want wisdom, find somebody smarter than you, sit near them, listen to their words, and be quiet. You are there to listen and learn, not share your foolishness. I love the adage, “Better to be thought a fool than to open my mouth and remove all doubt.”
  6. “To understand a proverb and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings” (V.6). Key words in this verse would be “interpretation” and “dark sayings.” In ancient times people loved riddles. Interpretation would be satire, and dark sayings would be questions, hard to understand stories, i.e. riddles. Phillips shares the riddle of the ancient Sphinx, “What has one voice, and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?” According to mythology the sphinx ate any traveler who could not give the correct answer. In a Greek legend Oedipus passed that way and gave the correct answer, “Man crawls on all fours as a baby, walks upright in the prime of life, and uses a staff in old age.” The sphinx was so enraged by his answer that she threw herself to her death from the rock on which she lived outside the city of Thebes. The wise person listens intently, seeking understanding and adds wisdom gleaned to his or her daily life.

In closing, let me say that 1:7 is the starting place. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”