Proverbs Manuscripts
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Contents
- The Benefits of Discovering True Wisdom
- Digging for the Diamonds of Wisdom
- On a Collision Course with Sin
- The Warnings of Wisdom and The Ways of an Ant
- An Invitation from a Woman named Wisdom
- Words and Work
- Putting Wisdom to Work
- A Word to the Wise
- Recovering Some Ancient Proverbs
- Words of Wisdom from Creation
- The Profile of a Godly Woman
The Benefits of Discovering True Wisdom
Proverbs 1:1-19
The book of Psalms has told us how to get along with God. The book of Proverbs tells us how to get along with people. Psalms helped us know how to worship; Proverbs is going to help us know how to walk.
“The Hebrew word translated ‘Proverbs’ … comes from the root word māshāl, which means ‘rule.’”[1] A proverb is a rule or a principle that helps us to live wisely.
Proverbs have a way of saying a lot in just a few words, and they are found in every culture around the world. You have probably used many of them yourself, such as, “Better to be on shore wishing you were sailing than sailing wishing you were on shore.” A proverb I have often put into practice goes like this: “Your silence can be misinterpreted, but it can never be misquoted.”
Now, no proverb in the world is more important than the collection found here in the inspired book of Proverbs. God gave us this book in order to give us wisdom for life.
The first verse of this book tells us these are “the proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.” I have often thought how tragic it was that Solomon stopped practicing his own proverbs.
These opening verses give us a number of benefits gained from studying this inspired collection of proverbs. First, we are told in verse 2 that these proverbs cause us “to know wisdom.” What is biblical wisdom? Let me sum it up this way: Wisdom is the ability to make the right decision for the right reason at the right time. This book will help you do that.
Second, we are told that these proverbs will help us “know … instruction.” The Hebrew word here for “instruction” (musar) carries the idea of a parent’s instruction or discipline. It makes you wise. And let me tell you, when my parents disciplined me, I got a little wiser because of it.
This word refers to being instructed, not only by personal discipline, but also by watching others make mistakes. I remember believing you could jump off the back side of our garage roof—about a ten-foot drop to the grassy backyard—without getting hurt if you held an open umbrella in your hand. Well, I wasn’t totally certain of my hypothesis, so I convinced my eight-year-old brother that it would work, and he happily went along with it. As soon as he jumped, that umbrella just swooshed inside out, and he hit the ground. I learned something from his experience.
A third benefit of Solomon’s proverbs is found in verse 2: they will help you “understand words of insight.” This is what we call discernment; discernment is the ability to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong.
Solomon adds a fourth benefit in verse 3: we “receive instruction in wise dealing.” And he says that wise dealing with others is marked by “righteousness, justice, and equity.”
Here’s a fifth benefit in verse 4: “to give prudence to the simple.” The word for “prudence” can be translated “shrewdness,” in the sense of critical thinking. The “simple,” or naïve, are inexperienced and gullible people. In other words, Proverbs can take gullible people and give them the ability to think critically.
There’s a sixth benefit for all who learn and practice the proverbs. Verse 4 says they give“knowledge and discretion to the youth.” Maybe you’re thinking, That rules me out because I’m no longer a youth. Well, this word for “youth” is used in the Old Testament for an infant (Exodus 2:6); a seventeen-year-old (Genesis 37:2), and a middle-aged man (Genesis 41:12). The word seems to refer to someone on the threshold of maturing just a little more. And that should describe all of us—we are not just growing old but growing up in the Lord.[2]
There is one more benefit of these proverbs, given to us here in verse 6: they will help us understand “the words of the wise and their riddles.”This refers to understanding the complexities of life—how to work through the maze of riddles and challenges in life.
To review quickly, studying this book will give us wisdom, knowledge, discernment, instruction, critical thinking skills, and understanding. So, the question is not, “Why would we take a wisdom journey through the book of Proverbs?” The real question is, “How can we afford not to?”
Now verse 7 is a key verse in Proverbs. It reads, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” “Knowledge,” “wisdom,” and “instruction” are synonyms in this book.
Solomon is saying that the search for wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, which is reverence for the Lord. Fearing the Lord is not a fearful feeling; it is “a foundation to build upon.”[3] The foundation of wisdom is respect for God and His Word.
Like many proverbs, verse 7 sets forth a contrast here—this one between someone who reverences the Lord and someone who rejects the Lord. Notice that Solomon says, “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” He calls somebody who rejects God a fool. He is not pulling any punches here.
You need to understand that in the Bible a fool is not somebody who flunked chemistry or never graduated from kindergarten. A fool in the Bible is someone who disbelieves in God and disregards God’s Word. In other words, a fool will not follow God’s advice.
Now with that list of benefits, Solomon begins to give some practical instruction for his son in verse 10: “My son, if sinners entice you,do not consent.” The Hebrew text indicates these sinners are people who sin repeatedly.[4] They want to sin, they like to sin, they live to sin.
Solomon gives his son, and us, two ways to respond to the invitation of sinners to join them. The first response is verbal: “Do not consent.” That means you just say no.
The second response is physical. Note verse 15: “Do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths.” They are only going to ruin their lives; don’t join them and ruin yours.
Isn’t it interesting that at the very outset of his advice, Solomon tells his son to avoid the wrong people? Now it is one thing to have friends who are unbelievers—we want to befriend unbelievers so we can win people to Christ. But it’s another thing to make unbelievers your closest friends, because in so doing you are effectively giving them permission to influence you. True wisdom carefully chooses close friends.
People of the world long for wisdom to make the right decision at the right time for the right reason; they just go to the wrong source. Let’s not follow their example.
The Greeks believed that wisdom had its origin with their god Zeus. In fact, they believed Zeus delivered his own daughter, Athena, from some strange opening in his head. Since Athena supposedly originated in the mind of Zeus, she became the goddess of wisdom. According to legend, she was represented by a sacred owl. And that gave rise to the superstition that lasts to this day that an owl is a wise bird. People today still talk about somebody being wiser than an owl.[5]
Well, we know that true wisdom does not come from a goddess or a bird but from God. In the last verse of the New Testament book of Romans, Paul tells us that God is “the only wise God.” And James writes in his letter, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God … and it will be given him” (James 1:5).
So why don’t you go ahead today and ask God for just that—as we begin our Wisdom Journey through the book of Proverbs.
Digging for the Diamonds of Wisdom
Proverbs 1:20—4:27
As we pick up our study of Proverbs at verse 20 of the first chapter, we find Solomon urging us to embrace wisdom. In doing so, he focuses on wisdom’s benefits as a motivation for our search.
Like the book of Psalms, Proverbs is a book of poetry. It uses word pictures, figures of speech, and other poetic elements to communicate important truths in a rather pithy, memorable way. Solomon begins this section with the poetic device known as personification.
Godly wisdom is personified. It is pictured as a woman, calling out to all who will hear, inviting them to listen to her: “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out” (verses 20-21).
The sad truth is that most people are not listening. They just keep walking down the street because they think they have all the wisdom they need in life. Wisdom says, “I have called and you refused to listen . . . you have ignored all my counsel” (verses 24-25).
That is the sad truth. and here is the sad result: When problems arrive and people realize they need a sudden dose of wisdom to deal with it, they will be frustrated. Wisdom says in verse 28, “They will call upon me, but I will not answer.”
Beloved, wisdom is not an emergency button you push whenever you want; it is a companion you walk with in life. People who want help only when the house is on fire, so to speak, really are not interested in changing their lives. Solomon reveals their true feelings here in verse 29: “They hated knowledgeand did not choose the fear of the Lord.”
When Solomon says they hated knowledge, that does not mean they didn’t want to study for their final exams or go to college. It means they hated the knowledge of the truth of God.
The apostle Paul put it well when he described such people as always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7). They never connect the dots between what they are learning with how they should be living. They might be educated, but they have become educated failures.
In contrast to them, chapter 2 begins laying out some of the benefits of receiving wisdom from God. Solomon tells his son in verse 4 to “seek [wisdom] like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures.”
Rocks and pebbles are on the surface, but diamonds are deep underground. Wisdom is like diamonds; you have to dig for it. You have to really want wisdom.
So how badly do you want wisdom? Well, consider some of the benefits of beginning a quest for the treasures of wisdom. Solomon says in verse 12 that wisdom will protect you from “the way of evil” and from evil men. It will also protect you from sexual sin, verse 16 says. And in verse 20, you find that wisdom will guide you on the “paths of the righteous.”
The “righteous” are those characterized by right living—being right with God and everybody else. That is the path that makes life worth living.
Now in chapter 3, Solomon gives us a wonderful promise in verses 5 and 6:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him [that is, put Him first]and he will make straight your paths.
Trust the Lord and His Word. Walk with Him, and you can be sure of His guidance. Walk with God today, and you won’t miss tomorrow.
In the next few verses, Solomon refers to the Lord’s discipline and instruction, which lead us toward both spiritual and physical prosperity.
You need to be careful here, though. These proverbs are general principles—they are not automatic guarantees. When you wisely steward your finances, you will generally experience financial success; when you work with integrity, you will more likely get promoted. In other words, living a wise life generally leads to a healthier, more prosperous life. But not always. The will of God might bring you financial hardship or physical suffering so you learn to trust Him more.
In fact, Solomon tells us here in verses 13-14 there is something better than prosperity:
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom . . . for the gain from her is better than gain from silverand her profit [is] better than gold.
Listen, God’s blessing is not just related to your bank account. God’s blessing is far richer than gold or silver.
Chapter 3 ends with a series of “do nots”: do not withhold good from others (verse 27); “do not plan evil against your neighbor” (verse 29); do not envy a violent person or choose any of his ways (verse 31). It is a mark of wisdom to avoid such sinful actions in our relationships with others.
The fourth chapter of Proverbs continues this theme of wisdom’s benefits. In verse 5 Solomon urges his son—and the rest of us, by the way—to “get wisdom; get insight,” to go after these. Why? Verse 6 says, “Do not forsake [Wisdom], and she will keep you.” And in verse 8 we read, “Prize her highly, and she will exalt you.” Here is the blessing of digging for godly wisdom.
Chapter 4 concludes with some further exhortations. In verses 24 to 25 we read, “Put away from you crooked speech . . . let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.” That is, don’t get sidetracked as you pursue a life of wisdom.
There are going to be a lot of distractions along the way—a lot of side roads and temptations to take you off the path. But Solomon writes in verse 27, “Do not swerve to the right or to the left.”
I hope you get the message of these opening chapters: Only God’s wisdom can lead you to the right decision for the right reason at the right time, as you are guided by a right relationship with God and His Word.
Wisdom makes the difference between making a living and making a life worth living. So, the real question is this: Do you really want wisdom? And if you do, how badly do you want it?
I have read that a young man once came to Aristotle and asked how he could find the wisdom he observed in Aristotle’s life. Aristotle told the young man to follow him across the courtyard. They came to a water fountain and a pool of water; and without hesitating, Aristotle waded into the pool, where the water was waist high.
The young man stopped at the edge, somewhat confused. Then he thought, Well, Aristotle said to follow him in order to find wisdom; so gathering up his robe, he climbed over the edge and went in. When they reached the middle of the pool, Aristotle suddenly turned, grabbed the young man by the nap of his neck and pushed his head under water. The young man thrashed about with his arms and kicked with his legs, thinking he was going to drown. At the last moment, Aristotle pulled him up and carried him to the side of the pool.
As the young man caught his breath, somewhat in shock, Aristotle asked him, “When I held you under the water, what did you want more than anything?” The young man said, “Air, sir, air!” Aristotle then said, “When you want wisdom as badly as you wanted air, you will find it.” PQ
As we have begun to learn, God’s wisdom is more precious than diamonds; but as with diamonds, you have to be willing to dig for His wisdom. Search and study God’s Word, and pray, as you seek out this precious jewel of wisdom for your own life.
And that is exactly what we are doing together on this Wisdom Journey through the book of Proverbs.
On a Collision Course with Sin
Proverbs 5:1-23; 6:20–7:27
Some time ago I read the news report of three young men driving home from a bowling alley in Tampa, Florida. Even though it was dark, they thought they had the right of way as they drove through an intersection. But the stop sign that should have been there had been stolen by thieves. A large truck slammed into the car, and all three young men were instantly killed.[6]
Numerous articles indicate that stealing traffic signs is all too common and that the favorite sign to steal is the stop sign. When I read that, I couldn’t help but think that there is another kind of “stop sign” that is being removed, and the casualties are everywhere. Our world has removed the stop signs whenever and wherever sexual issues are encountered.
It seems to me that the stop signs are being replaced with “Speed Up” signs. Our world has even connected the word safeto sex outside of marriage. That is like some official going to the beach where sharks have been sighted and hammering up a sign that says “Safe Swimming” or someone posting a sign at a drainage ditch next to an industrial plant that says “Safe Drinking Water.” Beloved, there is no such thing as safe sin.
Solomon devotes more than two chapters in the book of Proverbs to this subject of sexual sin. He delivers a strong warning for us all—a warning that, sadly, he himself will fail to heed. Beloved, let this study in our Wisdom Journey be a powerful reminder to you of the need to faithfully obey God’s stop signs.
Now in broad terms, the biblical word most often used for sexual immorality is fornication. The Greek word is porneia, which gives us our English word pornography. It broadly refers to any and all forbidden sexual activity.
And let me tell you, what the Bible says on this subject has nothing to do with how you feel, or what you desire, or what your culture considers legal. This is the Word of God.
Today we are here in Proverbs 5. This entire chapter, much of chapter 6, and all of chapter 7 are devoted to the matter of sexual sin.
Solomon is going to take us to the scene of a collision, but he begins by telling us that sexual sin starts out by promising something delightful. He writes to his son in Proverbs 5:3, “The lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil.” This temptation sounds so right—so fulfilling.
Over in chapter 7, Solomon plays out this scene in detail as he watches a man heading toward a moral collision. He writes,“[He was] passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness” (verses 8-9).
Then he records that the woman says to him,“I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you . . . and I have found you” (verses 14-15). In other words, she is saying, “I’m a religious girl, and I have been looking for a great guy like you.”
It all sounds so sweet, but what begins here with sweetness and honey and flattery is going to quickly turn sour and harmful. It begins with delight, but delight turns to disgust.
Back in chapter 5, Solomon fast-forwards the tape and says in verses 3-4,“Her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood.” Wormwood is a small, flowering bush in Palestine from which a bitter drink was made for digestive problems and liver disease. It was even used to increase sweating in an attempt to rid the body of disease. So, look what this jar of honey turned out to be—a bitter-tasting cup of wormwood.
Delight turns to disgust, and then note the digression here: disgust turns into dishonor.
In chapter 6, Solomon writes this warning in verse 27:“ Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?”Verse 33 adds,“He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.”
Although forgiveness is available for the person who repents, the consequences of sexual sin might last a lifetime. They certainly did for King David. David’s polygamy and adultery set the table for a divided family—for murder and intrigue and jealousy and strife; in fact, it gave his son Solomon every excuse to go even farther in sexual sin, which he certainly did.
Ironically, though, at this point in his life, Solomon is warning his son that you cannot carry fire around and expect to get away with it. In more familiar terms, “You play with fire and you are going to get burned.”
Delight turns to disgust; disgust turns into dishonor; and now, dishonor leads to disaster.
Back again in chapter 5, Solomon writes in verse 11,“And at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed.” He is describing the physical effects of sexually transmitted diseases. The Center for Disease Control recently recorded that 26 million new sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed in just one year.[7] That is almost fifty every minute! In spite of penicillin and other drugs, millions of people are contracting new generations of infections that are turning out to be incurable.
Why do we not hear about this pandemic? I’ll tell you why: it is because we live in a world that is eagerly taking down God’s stop signs in order to enjoy sin for a season.
Solomon ends his warning here in chapter 7 with these words:
And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. (verses 24-26)
Now all the blame is not on the woman presenting the temptation—it takes two people to walk into sexual sin.
So, the question is this: What do we do about this danger, especially in a world where the stop signs have been replaced with “Speed Up” signs? Let me give you four practical precautions you can take.
First, don’t justify little compromises as innocent. Beloved, immorality does not begin in a hotel room; it begins in a boardroom, a classroom, at the local market—it begins in the mind long before it ever involves the body.
Second, don’t wait till it reaches a danger point to start fighting the temptation. The best place to put on the brakes is before you reach the intersection. Stop it at the first glance, the first invitation, the first moment you realize it is inappropriate.
Third, don’t assume you are stronger than temptation. Never allow yourself to say, “That will never happen to me; that is not a problem for me.” You are not immune to any temptation.
Never fool yourself into believing it is not all that wrong or that you can stop anytime you want. I have had people who are engaged in something the Bible forbids tell me they are not hurting anybody. Yes, they are. They are in the process of destroying their own lives. As the old saying goes, sin is going to cost you more than you ever want to pay, and it’s going to keep you longer than you ever want to stay.
With that, let me give you a fourth practical precaution: When temptation knocks—and it will knock—ask the Lord to go and answer the door. Call on the Lord immediately for His strength and help.
In the meantime, don’t take the stop signs down where God has put them up! He put them there for your protection, your integrity, your purity, and your good. Leave them right where they are.
The Warnings of Wisdom and The Ways of an Ant
Proverbs 6:1-19
In our last session, we covered the theme of moral purity—the only subject Solomon spent nearly three chapters of Proverbs talking about. Now, we are going to go back to chapter 6, where Solomon also provides what we will call wisdom warnings.
The first warning concerns the matter of finances. A godly person is not going to be stingy toward others but must be careful at the same time.
Solomon cautions here in verse 1 about putting up “security for your neighbor” and giving “your pledge for a stranger.” To “put up security” is to become equally responsible for someone else’s debts, such as when you cosign on a loan.
Solomon warns against doing that for a stranger—for someone you really don’t know that well. In fact, you need to be careful about doing that for a family member. You better consider whether or not you can handle that loan, because you just might have to.
Now let’s skip down in chapter 6 for a moment to verse 16, where Solomon tells us, “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him.” An abomination is something that is “morally repulsive” to the Lord.[8]
Now this Hebrew expression, “six things … seven,” is a way of indicating that the list is not exhaustive. The Bible makes it clear that all sin is equally repulsive to God—all sin is sinful.
So, this is actually encouraging here. Solomon could have written, “There are 6,000 things that the Lord hates, 7,000 that are an abomination to Him.” That is true, but the Lord boils it down to seven, as if to get us started in the right direction.
First on the list, here in verse 17, is “haughty eyes,” which indicates arrogance toward other people. Solomon adds “a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.” You don’t need any commentary to understand lying and murder are an abomination to the Lord.
Verse 18 adds to the list a “heart that devises wicked plans.” This describes those who are always conniving, scheming, and scamming other people. Also in the list are “feet that make haste to run to evil.” This pictures people who love to sin; they are looking for ways to sin; they live to sin.
Finally, in verse 19, the Lord hates a “false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” God hates deceit, and He cannot stand division among the people of God.
Now, let’s move back a few verses to a subject we are going to run into several times in the book of Proverbs—the sluggard. A sluggard is a person who works hard at getting out of work.
Solomon refers to the sluggard numerous times in this book. One thing he points out is the sluggard’s lack of a work ethic—he is undependable.
Over in Proverbs 10:26, we read, “Like … smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.” A sluggard will make you cry because you just cannot depend on him!
Second, his excuses are unbelievable. In chapter 22 we read, “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” (verse 13).
He is claiming he can’t go to work because there is a lion out there somewhere that might get him. This goes way beyond calling in sick, but it’s the same idea.
I heard about one employee who called his boss to ask off to attend his grandmother’s funeral. Six months later he called in again. It seems his grandmother had died all over again. He had forgotten he had used that excuse before and even used the same grandmother’s name. One author said, “The sluggard summons all of his creative energy into making excuses rather than making a living.”[9]
Here’s a third observation: the heart of a sluggard is unteachable. Proverbs 26:16 says,“The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.”
If you challenge lazy people, they will give you a list of reasons why you are wrong. Just ask them, and they will tell you they are your best employees. They are the only ones who work so hard. Why, you couldn’t do without them. The truth is, they can talk, but they don’t work.
Solomon writes in chapter 6 directly to the sluggard in verse 6, saying, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” This is the solution: “Let’s take a field trip to an anthill, and just watch for a while. Study the ants, and grow wise.”
Ants are fascinating creatures. They can lift up to fifty times their weight, which would be like you or me going outside and picking up an automobile.
A single ant colony can house millions of ants, all busy at work, guarding the colony, serving the queen ant, or hunting and gathering food. And here is the really amazing thing: All of this is implanted in their instincts by their Creator. Solomon writes that they do all this “without having any chief, officer, or ruler” (verse 7).
They do it all without a “chief.” The Hebrew word can be translated as “judge.” They do not need a judge to settle a dispute or some labor issue. The ants just move around and over each other, and stay at the task. Imagine an ant hill with a million ants and not one traffic signal!
Ants do everything without a chief and, Solomon adds, without an “officer.” This Hebrew word refers to someone who literally writes something down—someone who assigns orders to others. You can imagine an ant out there with a clipboard handing out assignments. Well, there isn’t one.
Solomon also adds that the ants work together without a “ruler.” He is saying the ants do not need someone to correct their job performance or praise them for a job well done.[10]
Ants are internally motivated to obey the instincts given to them by their creator God. You could put it this way: They don’t need anybody to make them work, manage their work, or motivate them to work.
No wonder Solomon writes:
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. (verses 6-8)
Ants just seem to love doing what their Creator gifted and designed them to do. We ought to be more like them.
I have read about those who serve in the military as riggers. Their job is to fold and pack parachutes other soldiers will use as they jump from airplanes.
Part of their creed says, “There can be no compromise with perfection. … I will be sure—always.” And that is because they know they have a life-or-death job to perform.
Can you imagine being told, “Listen, you are going to jump out of an airplane, and your parachute was packed by that sluggard over there. He came to work late and didn’t seem to care about the work he was doing, but we think he folded the parachute right. So here, use the parachute he prepared.”
I doubt you would be willing to jump out of that plane!
Beloved, if God cares about the work an ant performs, He certainly cares about your work. So, become even more diligent as that dedicated teacher who prepares your lessons well, that plumber who gets all the pipes connected properly, that mechanic who charges only for what is needed, that doctor who takes time to listen, that cook who serves only their best, that salesman who makes only an honest deal, that student who tackles each assignment.
Listen, we are ultimately working for the reputation of our Savior and the impact of His gospel in our world. Are we working with diligence and excellence?
An Invitation from a Woman named Wisdom
Proverbs 8–9
In our Wisdom Journey through the book of Proverbs, we have reached a point where Solomon changes the focus of our attention. He has just spent nearly three chapters describing the dangers of sexual immorality, as he pictured for us an immoral woman inviting a young man to sin.
Now in chapter 8 Solomon uses another woman as an illustration, and she is passing out invitations as well. Only this time, it’s a wonderful invitation to accept, and that is because her name is Wisdom.
Here is how chapter 8 begins:
Does not wisdom call?Does not understanding raise her voice?On the heights beside the way,at the crossroads she takes her stand;beside the gates in front of the town . . . she cries aloud. (verses 1-3)
So, here is Lady Wisdom, in prominent places—at busy crossroads, at the city gates—calling out to people as they pass by. And what is she saying?
“To you, O men, I call,and my cry is to the children of man.O simple ones, learn prudence;O fools, learn sense.”(verses 4-5)
In the Bible, a simple person is naïve and a fool is stubborn and unteachable. So, Wisdom is inviting them all into her classroom, and it’s free of charge—there is no registration fee or tuition. Solomon tells us she is teaching courses like “Prudence 101” and “Common Sense 102.” “Prudence” is clear thinking, and common sense is practical discernment; both make for a useful, productive life.
Now following this invitation from Lady Wisdom, we are reminded how valuable she is. For starters, we are told that wisdomproduces godly living.
Wisdom says here in verses 6-7, “I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth.” She is not going to lead anybody astray.
The words of Wisdom here in verse 9 are “straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.” She will set you straight and put you right; she will help you walk in a straight line and on the right path.
Verse 12 adds that Wisdom offers “knowledge and discretion.” These words relate to your ability to plan wisely in achieving the right goals. And that is critical because having goals does not make them automatically right. A bank robber has a goal of robbing the bank; a lazy person has a goal of getting out of work as much as possible. They have goals, but their goals are wrong. Wisdom, Solomon indicates in verse 13, keeps you from sinful goals.
We are also told here that a wise person is going to influence people in the right way. That is, your wisdom will rub off on other people. In fact, wisdom is not for you to keep to yourself. Solomon writes in verses 15 and 16 that wisdom enables political leaders to rule correctly. He writes, “By me [wisdom] . . . rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.” In other words, good leadership actually depends on godly wisdom.
The reason our world is so messed up is because we are missing godly leaders. We have so many leaders in our business world and financial world and social world and political world making unwise decisions because they have refused to take classes from Professor Wisdom. They have rejected the wisdom of God’s Word.
So, the first benefit of learning from wisdom is that it produces godly living. The next benefit is this: wisdom leads to godly appreciation.
Wisdom is an attribute of God’s character. It is who God is, and it is what God does. It’s impossible to separate God from wisdom and wisdom from God.
Solomon illustrates that by showing us how wisdom was connected to the creation of the universe:
Before the mountains had been shaped,before the hills, I [Wisdom] was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there … when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight. (verses 25-30)
Beloved, just look around. The wisdom of God is on display through creation. And you, as a follower of God, can appreciate and enjoy this marvelous creation in a way that an unbeliever will never be able to.
In chapter 9 Solomon tells us that Lady Wisdom prepares a feast and sets her table and then sends out invitations to the feast. We read her invitation here in verses 4-6:
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! … Come, eat of my breadand drink of the wine I have mixed.Leave your simple ways, and live,and walk in the way of insight.”
Solomon then gives us some examples of responses to Lady Wisdom’s invitation. For instance, verse 7 describes a bunch of scoffers who laugh at the idea of needing wisdom. They mock at Wisdom’s moral instruction. She is just so old-fashioned.
Their minds are so closed that it is useless to even try to reason with them. Verse 8, in fact, says, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you.”
Thankfully, other people respond positively to Lady Wisdom’s invitation, and here is the promise given to them in verse 9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” Simply put, the wise person who is willing to hang around Lady Wisdom is going to grow even wiser and reap the benefits of living the right kind of life.
At this point, Solomon introduces us to another woman. Her name is Folly, and Solomon is going to contrast her ways with those of Lady Wisdom.
He describes Lady Folly in verse 13: “The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing.” But notice that her invitation cards sound very familiar. In verse 16 Lady Folly says, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
That is exactly what Lady Wisdom said. It’s like the printer made a mistake and printed off the same invitation cards but with a different return address for the feast.
Yes, it sounds the same, but once inside the dining room, the food is very different. Lady Folly has not prepared a wholesome meal. We are told in verse 17 that she has set her table with “stolen water [that] is sweet … [she promises] bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
She has put out a feast of stolen food. She is tempting her dinner guests with things that are forbidden by God. The expressions used here—stolen water and bread eaten in secret—refer to sexual immorality, partaking of that which does not belong to you!
Oh, but her dinner guests think this is the place to be. This is the menu they have been waiting for.
But Solomon pulls back the curtain of time and reveals the dark danger here in verse 18: “But he [the dinner guest] does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol [the grave].” They are not enjoying a feast that brings satisfaction and life; they are playing around with judgment and death.
So, the contrast here in Proverbs 8 and 9 is between Lady Wisdom and life and Lady Folly and death—and the choice between the two is very clear. So be careful. When you get an invitation, make sure it is going to take you to the house of Wisdom. There you will find life worth living.
Words and Work
Proverbs 10–15
What we have studied so far in the first nine chapters of Proverbs is in many ways an introduction. We have been given the great importance of wisdom; we have been invited to pursue wisdom, to dig for wisdom, and to embrace the wisdom of God. We have also been given some warnings about rejecting the wisdom of God.
Now we come to chapter 10, where verse 1 repeats the book’s title: “The proverbs of Solomon.” This begins a long section of the book that gives us a series of individual, isolated proverbs. Each verse, or proverb, stands alone, without any extended discussion.
What that means is that from here on, most of this book is going to be impossible to outline. If you are a Bible teacher or pastor or missionary and you have tried to teach through this book, you know how true that is.
Solomon touches on a number of topics rapidly and even repeatedly. According to 1 Kings 4:32, Solomon “spoke 3,000 proverbs.” So, in the book of Proverbs, we have only a small collection of them; however, these are the proverbs the Spirit of God wanted preserved in His inspired record of Scripture for your benefit and mine.
Now let me say just a couple of things about Hebrew proverbs. They are written in poetic style, and what you will notice most often is something called parallelism. That is, the second line of the proverb parallels the first line. The second line often repeats the thought of the first line using different words; sometimes the second line creates a contrast to the first line. For instance, Proverbs 10:1 says, “A wise son makes a glad father,but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.” Here we see a contrast.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a proverb is not a guarantee; it is a general rule or principle. It generally comes true, but not always. For example, consider verse 9: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” There are a lot of honest people in the world who have been mistreated, and there are a lot of crooked people in the world who never get caught. But this principle generally holds true in life. That is why honest people live with the security of knowing they are doing the right thing, and crooked people are always looking over their shoulder to see if they have been found out.
As we go through many of these proverbs, keep in mind that they offer general principles to follow.
Down in verse 12, we have this familiar proverb: “Hatred stirs up strife,but love covers all offenses.” The first part here is rather obvious: hatred creates conflict. But love, Solomon says, “covers all offenses.” A loving person is willing to forgive others. Some people put every little offense into a pot they keep on the stove burner of their heart; and every day they go by there and stir that pot. They want to remember what somebody said or did that hurt their feelings.
The book of Proverbs creates questions for us in terms of application, and the question to ask ourselves with this proverb is this: Are we going to empty out that pot, or do we want to keep stirring it up?
In verse 27 we have another proverb on a topic Solomon has touched on already: “The fear of the Lord prolongs life,but the years of the wicked will be short.” Now again, this is a general principle. If you live a holy life, your life will generally be healthier and longer because you are not going to abuse your body. But there are exceptions. I know godly people who have died young and some sinful people who just never seem to get old.
Let me illustrate this general principle this way: If I drive according to the speed limit and stop at red lights and do not race around corners, I am probably going to live longer than somebody who thinks he has entered a racing event every time he gets behind the wheel. I was on the interstate the other day, and a guy passed me doing well over 100 miles an hour, weaving around cars recklessly. Now I might be the one who gets into an accident at some point, and he might never get into an accident; but in general, he is much more at risk of dying on the highway than I am. And that is the idea here: the person who walks with God is living a healthier life that is more likely to lead to a longer life than somebody who is living a reckless and sinful lifestyle.
Now in chapter 11 is a proverb that offers a good reminder when you need some direction in life. It reads, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls,but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (verse 14). In other words, don’t make important decisions without consulting others. God has given us fellow believers, spiritual leaders, and mentors who can offer different perspectives, different experiences, and biblical insights that can guard us from making the wrong decision.
In the first verse of chapter 12, we read, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,but he who hates reproof is stupid.” Even though discipline, or correction, is humbling and maybe even embarrassing, a wise person accepts correction and instruction.
Proverbs 13:20 presents a principle that appears often in this collection of proverbs: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Let me ask you something: Who are your best friends? Who are the people you hang out with? To whom have you given permission to influence your life? Are they wise? Well then, their wisdom is going to rub off on you. So, choose your close friends carefully.
Now in chapter 14, we are told why good counsel and discipline are needed: “There is a way that seems right to a man,but its end is the way to death” (verse 12). I can’t think of a better description of our world than this one. People believe that whatever opinion the majority holds is right. Whatever our country legalizes must be right. Whatever our culture approves must be right. Let me tell you, what is politically and socially correct is often biblically corrupt.
Finally, Proverbs 15:29 gives us both a word of assurance and a warning: “The Lord is far from the wicked,but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” I hear a lot of people in our world today talking about praying—they are praying about this or that. But that does not mean God is listening. Praying to God is dependent on a partnership with God; you cannot pray, “Our Father in heaven” unless He is your heavenly Father. And He cannot be your heavenly Father unless His Son is your Savior. That is how you get into the family of God—through Jesus Christ alone. And when you come to Christ, you begin a partnership—a relationship—with your heavenly Father.
Now I want to highlight just one theme that runs through chapters 10 through 15, and that is the topic of speech, or words. There are few, if any, topics given more attention in the book of Proverbs than our speech. Proverbs has a lot to say about our words.
Proverbs 15:1, might be something you will need to remember today: “A soft answer turns away wrath,but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Tense situations can be diffused by gracious words.
Words can start a war, and the right words can end a war. So, let’s use words with great wisdom.
Putting Wisdom to Work
Proverbs 16:1–22:16
As we are working our way through the book of Proverbs, I hope you have gotten the impression by now that this divinely inspired collection of wise sayings touches just about every aspect of life—because it does! Now we can’t stop at every proverb in this book on our Wisdom Journey, but over these next few chapters, I want to point out some of the key topics Solomon addresses.
We begin in chapter 16, where we are given one of those encouraging principles for today here in verse 3: “Commit your work to the Lord,and your plans will be established.” If we want our plans to head in the right direction, we must commit them to the Lord today.
“Commit” here literally means “roll upon.” So, roll your plans upon Him. Put your to-do list in His hands and trust Him to direct you. You might not get everything on your list done today. You might be interrupted, but those interruptions are actually the plan of God for you today. He is in charge of your calendar, and you can trust Him as the day unfolds.
Now here is a proverb that many people know: “Pride goes before destruction,and a haughty spirit before a fall” (verse 18). Pride and a haughty spirit go hand in hand.
The Hebrew word for “haughty” is related to height. We communicate that idea by saying that a haughty person has his or her nose in the air and is looking down on everybody else. Of course, if your nose is in the air, you are not going to pay attention to your path, and you are going to end up tripping and falling flat on your face. That is the warning here.
Solomon often warns against becoming angry quickly. Here in verse 32, he writes, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” In God’s eyes patience, or self-control, is more honorable than physical strength. Ruling a city is not nearly as important as ruling your spirit.
Over in chapter 19 Solomon adds, “Good sense makes one slow to anger” (verse 11). So, as we say, the length of your fuse—how long it takes to make you angry—is a good measure of the depth of your godly wisdom.
Now in chapter 21 we are given a wonderful reminder—especially during days of political and social division. Solomon writes in verse 1, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;he turns it wherever he will.” In other words, kings might think they are ruling everyone, but God is actually ruling the rulers. In fact, they are in power because God wants them there. Even wicked leaders are part of God’s orchestration of history. The apostle Paul wrote that no governmental authorities exist except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1).
That should help you sleep at night. You can, and should, vote your conscience and pray for godly leaders—and by the way, I love it when a believer is appointed by God to serve in some political or judicial office. But even if your candidate loses, the one who steps into that office is there by God’s choice. Nobody gets into office, Paul wrote, apart from God’s appointment.
Ultimately every ruler, every leader, every nation will give an account to God before the King of Kings. But note, as Solomon records, even the heart of a wicked king is in the hand of God. God is moving him like He channels the currents of the rivers and oceans. It might look chaotic today, but God is ultimately in control of the chaos. He moves even wicked rulers to accomplish His ultimate purposes.
Now Solomon returns to a topic that shows up often in the book of Proverbs—namely, the subject of working diligently. Proverbs 20:13 says, “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.”
I can remember as a boy of thirteen having to get up on a Saturday morning and go cut two or three lawns. I had a little lawn-mowing business that earned me enough money to help my missionary parents at the end of the summer purchase clothing and shoes for the coming school year. But let me tell you, getting out of bed on a Saturday morning to push a lawnmower in the hot sun was the last thing in the world I wanted to do! And the truth is, it hasn’t gotten any easier today to do some of the things I need to do.
Whatever you need to do today, beloved—whether it is pushing a pen in that writing project, pushing a load of laundry into the dryer, pushing through a stack of papers on your desk, or pushing cows into their stall—work hard at it. Do your best; it pleases the Lord who assigned you that labor for it demonstrates godly wisdom at work.
You will notice in reading Proverbs that there are many verses relating to family life—marriage, parenting, discipline, and so on. In fact, Proverbs provides some of the most helpful instruction on the family you will find in all the Bible.
Here in chapter 19 we read, “A foolish son is ruin to his father,and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain” (verse 13). The point here might seem obvious. No man wants a foolish son or a quarrelsome wife.
It is natural to desire a wise family—a wise son—but it doesn’t happen automatically. Your children are born sinners. You will never have to teach them how to lie; you will have to teach them how to tell the truth. You are never going to have to teach your children how to be selfish; you are going to have to teach them how to share.
Solomon writes here in Proverbs 22:15, “Folly,” or foolishness, “is bound up in the heart of a child.” This is the condition of every child’s heart. But there is hope for parents, for the second part of that verse says, “The rod of discipline drives it far from him.” Now the “rod,” is not justifying brutality or cruelty; rather, it refers to measured, consistent, physical punishment as a part of reinforcing right and wrong.
Back in verse 6 we find a proverb that is often misunderstood: “Train up a child in the way he should go;even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Remember, proverbs present general principles—not guarantees. Godly training does not guarantee a godly life—in fact, the book of Proverbs makes it clear that godly instruction can be refused or ignored.
By the way, the Hebrew word here for child (na’ar) is used in Proverbs for a young person who has reached the age of marriage. And that gives this proverb a different perspective, doesn’t it? As a parent you encourage your grown children to walk in wisdom—the path you have pointed out to them as you raised them. And as a general rule, they are not going to forget it now that they are older.
But keep this in mind, beloved: you can make your children civil—you can make them behave in public, use a knife and fork at the table, show respect to those in authority, and a million other things—but you cannot make them spiritual. Only God’s Spirit can open their eyes to the truth of the gospel.
You can point the way, but God has to open their heart. That is why today, godly parents can have ungodly adult children, just as ungodly parents can have godly children. God alone deserves the credit when they turn out godly. Just make sure you do not take the blame if their eyes remain closed to the wisdom of God.
A Word to the Wise
Proverbs 22:17–24:34
Our Wisdom Journey through the book of Proverbs brings us now to the middle of chapter 22 and the beginning of a new section, called here in verse 17 “the words of the wise.” In fact, these are not only words of the wise; they’re also “a word to the wise.” A word to the wise is an expression we use today when we give advice to people who are willing to listen.
In verse 20 we are told that this section contains “thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge.” This section takes us through Proverbs 24:22; then even more sayings of the wise are added in the closing verses of chapter 24.
Evidently, these proverbs were written by other people but collected by Solomon. It was his passion to collect proverbs. Some people are passionate about collecting stamps or coins. Some have been known to collect pencils and napkins. I read of a woman who had a collection of more than 5,000 bars of soap, and a man who had collected more than 1,000 toothbrushes—he has no excuse for getting a cavity!
Now those collections might keep your hands clean and your teeth white, but they cannot give you a wise heart. This collection of proverbs will.
Solomon writes in verses 17-18:
Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,and apply your heart to my knowledge,for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.
The Hebrew literally reads, “If you keep them in your belly and fix them on your lips.”[11]
These words to the wise do not just inform us; they will transform us. They were not given to make us smarter but to make us wiser.
In verse 28 we have this warning: “Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.” In other words, do not move a boundary marker.
In ancient days, people marked the edges of their property with stones. Apparently, it was common for people to secretly move the stones—perhaps just a little at a time over a long period. This amounted to stealing somebody’s property and was forbidden in the law back in Deuteronomy 27:17. So, God is essentially defending private ownership—the right to own personal, private property.
Over in Proverbs 23, we are given a warning in verse 10 about stealing property from the fatherless. God considers taking advantage of such vulnerable people a serious crime.
Other Scriptures emphasize protecting people like widows and orphans, as well as those without fathers. This includes children growing up with a single mother. Let me tell you, they are of special concern to God. They are vulnerable, and the followers of God should pay special attention to their needs.
In Proverbs 23:4 we encounter an interesting, and perhaps puzzling, proverb: “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.” At first glance, this seems to contradict other proverbs that encourage hard work and obtaining wealth. Solomon wrote back in Proverbs 12:27, “The diligent man will get precious wealth.”
This is not a contradiction at all. It is one thing to work hard and receive a paycheck. But it is another thing to center your life on that paycheck—pursuing wealth and wearing yourself out to climb the ladder, so to speak. Proverbs 23:4 is talking about that kind of pursuit. Focusing on getting rich empties your life of fulfillment, and that is because you are never going to have enough. Solomon writes in verse 5 that your wealth is going to sprout wings and fly away one day. It will soon be gone.
Proverbs 24 opens in verse 1, “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them.” In other words, don’t hang around their locker, their corner. Don’t give them an opportunity to influence your life. Why not? Verses 19-20 spell it out: “Be not envious of the wicked,for the evil man has no future.” It might look like they have a future, but you just need to look a little farther down the road. They might have the nicest seats with the softest cushions, but they are sitting on the deck of the Titanic. They have no future hope or joy.
But here is the contrast for the believer; back in Proverbs 23:18, Solomon writes, “Surely there is [for you] a future,and your hope will not be cut off.” You might have a hard bench to sit on and a lousy view, but look where you are heading—to the promised land of pure and wholesome pleasures forevermore.
Now we are given some warnings here about overeating and alcoholic beverages. You might not like this section, but these are words to the wise.
We read in chapter 23, “Put a knife to your throatif you are given to appetite” (verse 2). That is a pretty strong way of saying, “Stop overeating.” Of course many people in the world today don’t have enough to eat, but there are others of us who just can’t seem to get enough to eat. We are not hungry, but we keep on eating. Wisdom invites us to take self-control seriously in this matter.
Then in the last seven verses of chapter 23, the Bible describes the danger of alcohol. The writer asks here who has woe, sorrow, strife, complaints, wounds, and bloodshot eyes. The answer is, “Those who tarry long over wine.” And you say, “Well, I just won’t tarry very long.” But verse 31 goes on to warn, “Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.” This is a reference to strong drink—frankly, the kind of drink you might be buying at the grocery store today. The wine of today is equal to the strong drink that is forbidden here. Verses 32-33 describe its power: “In the end it bites like a serpentand stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things,and your heart utter perverse things.” Said another way, you can’t think straight, and you can’t see straight.
This is not a pretty picture, is it? This kind of picture is not going to end up in a beer or wine commercial on television, where it’s all happiness and good times. But this warning reflects reality. Verse 34 says, “You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.” In other words, you are going to stagger all around.
Now why all the warnings here about drunkenness and gluttony? We need to recognize the problems associated with them. Alcohol has ruined more lives and taken more lives than anything else sold over the counter. And we rarely hear any kind of warning about gluttony—unless it comes from our doctor who tells us about the complications and risks to our health that might very well take our lives.
Has it ever occurred to you that Solomon puts gluttony and alcohol in the same category of warning? They are both equally dangerous. Both of them can ruin our lives.
Three thousand years ago, Solomon collected warnings that are just as important and applicable today as they were then. So many heartaches could be avoided if we would listen to these “words to the wise” and follow them today,
So, let’s not see how close we can get to the line here. Let’s take these warnings seriously. I for one am not going to keep a snake in my cupboard, and I am going to battle gluttony as a dangerous trap as well.
Recovering Some Ancient Proverbs
Proverbs 25–29
In our study of Proverbs, we now begin a new section of the book in chapter 25. We are told here in verse 1 that these are more “proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.” Solomon composed these proverbs, but they were collected, copied, and added to this book more than 200 years later by scribes on the payroll of King Hezekiah.
In this section, which runs from chapter 25 through chapter 29, most of the proverbs are presented as contrasts or comparisons. And just like the previous chapters, these are words of wisdom for a variety of things we encounter in life.
Remember, wisdom is the ability to make the right decision at the right time for the right reason. For instance, here in Proverbs 25:7-8, Solomon gives some wisdom on handling a legal dispute. He writes:
What your eyes have seendo not hastily bring into court,for what will you do in the end,when your neighbor puts you to shame?
In other words, don’t be so quick to run to court. Many people take others to court, only to see it backfire. Solomon wants you to consider that in rushing to court, whether you win or lose your case, you run the risk of losing your reputation—and your reputation is far more important than winning a case in court.
Solomon goes on to offer a better solution. He says in verses 9-10 to handle the matter personally and quietly if at all possible. Try to settle that case with your neighbor and resolve the issue without throwing mud back and forth in a public courtroom setting.
Solomon also tackles the subject of gossip again in chapter 26. He offers wise counsel, writing in verse 22, “The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.” Gossip is just about irresistible, isn’t it? Somebody once said that the phrase “This is none of my business” is usually followed by the word “but”—“This is none of my business, but . . .” And then the gossip begins.
Solomon warns in verse 21 that gossip is like wood added to a fire, which produces an even bigger fire than before. The simple solution, by the way, is not to listen to it, because if you don’t listen to it, you will have nothing to repeat.
Here is a rule of thumb that will protect you and many others around you: if you are not part of the problem and you are not part of the solution, stay out of the situation. As Solomon promises in verse 20, without the fuel of gossip, the fire will die out.
Now we find this unique proverb in Proverbs 27:19: “As in water face reflects face,so the heart of man reflects the man.” In other words, just as you can see your reflection in water, so your heart gives you a reflection of who you really are.
What you treasure, value, love, desire, and pursue is a reflection of your true character, even if you try to convince yourself you are something else. Regular, careful self-examination in light of God’s Word will reveal to us who we are and drive us to repentance and dependance on the Lord.
Along this same line, Proverbs 28:13 warns us and encourages us at the same time to get real with ourselves and before the Lord. Solomon writes, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
We find several character traits emphasized in these five chapters of Proverbs. There are traits to avoid, as well as character traits to develop. On the negative side, there are repeated warnings against conceit, or pride. Look at 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.”
No matter how intelligent or talented a person you might be, conceit will make you almost a hopeless case. Why? Well, if you are too proud to listen to counsel, or admit to sin, or see any need for God, you are closing all the avenues of God’s grace intercepting your life. And if you don’t have the grace of God intercepting your life, your life is going to be without hope.
Here is another danger sign about pride in chapter 27: “Do not boast about tomorrow,for you do not know what a day may bring” (verse 1).
This does not condemn the idea of making plans and thinking through tomorrow; rather, the point is that all the wise planning in the world is not going to guarantee tomorrow. That kind of boasting effectively ignores the truth that God is in control. God is ultimately in control of your today, and He is in control of your tomorrow. So, learn to say, as James writes in his letter, “If the Lord wills” or, “If it’s the Lord’s will” (James 4:15).
Solomon goes on to deliver another practical piece of wisdom in verse 2 of chapter 27: “Let another man praise you . . . and not your own lips.”
This is a practice to develop at any age. I remember when our twin sons began playing soccer in elementary school. One of our sons was amazingly talented at scoring and the other son just as good at defending. They would go on in high school to win all-state recognition among the top offensive and defensive players. It was not unusual to watch one of our sons score three or four goals in a game, while his brother defended so well the other team remained scoreless.
Well, you can imagine the conversation on the way home: “Did you see what I did in that play?” “Yeah, and did you see what I did?” My wife was so good to consistently say, “Boys, remember, ‘Let another man praise you, and not your own lips.’”
Let me tell you something, you never outgrow the temptation to say, “Did you see what I did?”
There are so many people who have quit serving the Lord—in the church, on the mission field, in some volunteer role—because they did not get the recognition they felt they deserved. Nobody seemed to notice.
But keep in mind, beloved, the Bible says that the Lord Himself will not “overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name” (Hebrews 6:10). He has not missed one thing you have done for Him.
Here is another promise to encourage you to keep walking in wisdom. Solomon writes in Proverbs 28:18, “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.” Integrity refers to walking uprightly—that is, according to what is right. But those whose ways are crooked—that is, according to what is wrong—are in danger of ruining their lives. And that can happen suddenly; it might happen, so to speak, overnight.
Regardless of the circumstances around you, walking with integrity—following God’s instructions about what is right and wrong—is always going to be the wisest path to walk.
How gracious was God to make sure these five chapters of wisdom were not lost to the ages. He motivated godly King Hezekiah, more than two centuries after Solomon, to put together a team of men to collect and copy down these proverbs so that we would have the benefit of this wisdom to this day.
Here is how to live, how to act, how to view yourself, and how to treat other people. Here is how to make the right decision at the right time for the right reason.
Words of Wisdom from Creation
Proverbs 30
We come now to Proverbs chapter 30, where we are told here in verse 1 that these are “the words of Agur son of Jakeh.” Nobody knows who Agur is. He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Agur means “the collector,” and Jakehmeans “the obedient.” It is possible that these are clever pen names for Solomon, referring to himself as the obedient collector.
What we do know is that Agur opens with this rather blunt statement about himself:
Surely I am too stupid to be a man.I have not the understanding of a man.I have not learned wisdom,nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. (verses 2-3)
Well, I think he is a little too hard on himself because it is going to take a rather intelligent person to write these proverbs. But I think there is a point to be made here. A person who thinks he is the smartest person around is not going to listen to instruction; he is not going to be teachable.
Another thing I notice here is that the author is comparing his intelligence and wisdom with God’s. He asks five rhetorical questions in verse 4:
Who has ascended to heaven and come down?Who has gathered the wind in his fists?Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
Of course, the answer to all these questions is God Himself. So, understand this: the author wants you to be humble and teachable so that you can learn the wisdom of God. God is the schoolteacher, but you have to show up in class so that God Almighty can impart to you His divine wisdom.
And by the way, this question here, “What is his name, and what is his son’s name?” is a wonderful Old Testament allusion to God the Son, the Lord Jesus.
Now here in Proverbs chapter 30, Agur begins to instruct us with some pretty serious warnings about sin. He points out four sins that are common among people and need to be avoided. He writes in verse 11: “There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.” This is disrespect for parents, and there’s no age limit on this sin. He is not just talking about a three-year-old smarting off to his mother. This could be a thirty-year-old disrespecting his father and being unkind to his mother.
The second sin mentioned here is self-righteous hypocrisy: “There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth” (verse 12). In other words, they claim they are not guilty of any sin at all! They don’t need to be cleansed by God; they are just fine in their own eyes.
Agur mentions next the sin of arrogance in verse 13: “There are those—how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift!” This describes people who are always looking down on everybody else.
Then the fourth sin is mistreating the poor and needy. Verse 14 says, “There are those [who] devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind.”
We need to understand that biblical wisdom does not just tell us what we ought to do; it also tells us what we ought not to do.
Now in this chapter, we read in verse 15, “Three things are never satisfied; four never say, ‘Enough.’” Then again, down in verse 18, we read, “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand.” This “three things . . . four things” is a Hebrew expression that tells us that “the list, though specific, is not exhaustive.”[12] It is like saying, “There are three or four things that come to mind, but the list could be longer.”
Agur then begins in verse 16 to describe things that are not satisfied. Sheol, or the grave, is never satisfied. Likewise, the barren womb, parched and thirsty ground, and a forest fire that just does not seem to die out all illustrate human greed, which is never fully satisfied.
Now with that, Agur makes some positive observations about life. He writes in verses 18-19:
Three things are too wonderful for me;four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky,the way of a serpent on a rock,the way of a ship on the high seas,and the way of a man with a virgin [that is, a woman he has fallen in love with].
These are wonderful things to observe.
But then he adds one thing he just does not understand. Verse 20 says, “The way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done no wrong.’” She does not see any damage done to her family, her marriage, or other people. “I have done nothing wrong,” she says.
This is the perfect picture of our world today with all its sexual immorality. The world does not think it is wrong at all. It is something to be proud of, something you can celebrate. There is no need to worry about the ruin it brings to a marriage, a family, a home, or even a nation.
Now with that, the writer turns to some wisdom the world of creation offers us. Verse 24 says, “Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise.” The author then points out four specific creatures. First is the ant, which stores up food for the coming winter; second is the rock badger, which lives in the rocky cliffs for protection. These creatures understand their limitations and never stray far from home; and that is pretty good advice for us today.
The locusts, mentioned in verse 27, “have no king, yet all of them march in rank.” Even though no one is barking out orders, they have enough sense to work in unity. Then verse 28 lists the little lizard. It is tiny, but because of its persistence, it lives inside the palaces of kings.
Agur now writes in verses 30 and 31 of four things that are “stately”—that is, they are impressive in their appearance. He points out the lion, the strutting rooster, the male goat, and a king surrounded by his army. All four, picture confidence and strength.
It is not hard to observe that God has created certain animals for prominent positions; He has also placed certain people in prominent leadership roles. And a wise person recognizes this is the created order of God.
And with that, chapter 30 wraps up with a warning not to try to exalt yourself. Don’t work at your own promotion. That will open the door to scheming and manipulation and then anger and frustration if you do not get ahead.
Agur writes in verse 32, “If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.” Stop talking about yourself. Stop scheming to get ahead.
I was driving my pickup truck down the interstate the other day, and a sports car raced past me—it must have been going 100 miles an hour. It made me feel like I was in the way. As the car blasted by me, I noticed the license plate read, “Nfront”—and he certainly was. It was pretty obvious that what mattered to that driver was getting ahead of everybody else. I couldn’t help but think that is the wisdom of the world—do whatever it takes to get to the front of the line.
Beloved, the wisdom of God reminds us that while we should take initiative and work hard, we are to trust the Lord for His direction, His promotion, His assignment, His placement of us where we are, and with humility learn to appreciate our creator God and His perfect wisdom in our lives.
The Profile of a Godly Woman
Proverbs 31
Someone in my church sent me a humorous list of things his mother taught him while he grew up. He said, “My mother taught me the value of cleanliness when she said, ‘If you and your brothers are going to kill one another, go outside—I’ve just cleaned the house.’”
He also wrote, “My mother taught me the value of perseverance when she said, ‘You’re going to sit there at that dinner table until you’ve eaten all your spinach.’”
I can identify with that! How about you?
Many a night I would be alone at the dinner table with green peas left on my plate, which I couldn’t stand. They were obviously the result of a fallen world. My mother would tell me I had to stay there until they were all gone. So, I started storing my peas under the rim of my plate and then mashing them under the rim of the plate and then volunteering to rinse off the dishes. My mother finally figured it out, and she went out and bought clear glass plates. That ended that.
Well, frankly, there are too many things to list that I learned from my godly mother, growing up. She often pointed to a plaque hanging on the wall of their missionary home, where my three brothers and I grew up. It read, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Well, we have arrived at the final chapter in the book of Proverbs, and it happens to be advice from a mother to her son. The chapter begins with this heading in verse 1: “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him.”
We do not have any record of a King Lemuel in the Old Testament. Lemuel means, “belonging to God.” I agree with some Old Testament scholars that Lemuel was likely a special name for Solomon, given to him by his mother who dedicated him to the Lord.
And Solomon’s mother was none other than Bathsheba. This dedication of Solomon to the Lord represents her personal testimony of repentance and commitment to the Lord. And she wanted nothing more than for her son to follow Him as well.
I think it is interesting that her first piece of advice to Solomon is a warning here in verse 3: “Do not give your strength to women,your ways to those who destroy kings.” She would know. Because of her sin with King David, she would see this family filled with trouble and division.
It is sad to consider that Solomon is not going to heed his mother’s advice. Women will certainly destroy his godly reputation and walk with God.
A second warning from Bathsheba concerns the dangers of alcohol. She says to him in verse 5 that drinking clouds the minds of kings: “They drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.”
Who knows? David might have been drinking that night he saw Bathsheba down there in her courtyard bathing. Did he drink and forgot what had been decreed by the Lord as it related to
Following these warnings, Bathsheba begins to describe for Solomon the profile of a godly woman. The list stretches some twenty-two verses.
This list reminds me of the list of godly characteristics in 1 Timothy 3, required of men who lead the church—and frankly of every man who wants to be godly. That list is always intimidating to me; but it is good for me. I will never get it all down perfectly, but it is the goal of godliness every man should pursue.
Well, no woman is going to get this list down perfectly either, but these twenty-two verses give us the goal of godliness for women to this day.
This section beginning at verse 10 is an acrostic poem, with each verse beginning with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This made the passage easy for the nation of Israel to memorize.
It begins with a question here in verse 10: “An excellent [virtuous] wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” In other words, a man can be financially poor, but if he finds a wife like this, he is the wealthiest of men. He can trust her with his heart and life, verse 11 adds.
Now this woman has to be one of the hardest working women on the planet. In fact, no woman is going to be able to keep all this up without these maidens she has working for her, mentioned in verse 15. She evidently has a household staff of women assisting her.
My wife has often joked that she would be able to fulfill Proverbs chapter 31 if I would just hire a household staff for her. Well, neither my faithful wife nor the vast majority of you wives reading this has a houseful of people working for you—it’s just you.
Bathsheba adds to the description this element of financial discernment: Not only does she apply herself to work at home, but she also earns money outside the home. Verse 16 says, “She considers a field and buys it;with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.” Down in verse 24 we are told, “She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.”
She is not just selling clothes in the marketplace; she is also clothing her own family: “She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet” (verse 21). This Hebrew word translated “scarlet” actually means “double garments”; their garments are doubly thick for the cold, snowy winter.
We are told in verse 20 that she also cares about people outside her family: “She opens her hand to the poorand reaches out her hands to the needy.”
Now she evidently doesn’t give everything away and walk around dressed like a pauper because we are told here in verse 22 that her own “clothing is fine linen and purple.” This statement represents a measure of wealth and fashionable taste in clothing.
Verse 23 gives us a brief glimpse of her husband as being “known in the gates” and sitting “among the elders.” He’s a well-respected man, perhaps even a judge. The idea is that his wife has increased his credibility and respectability by her actions and reputation.
So, it is no wonder this poem includes a personal statement from her husband. In verse 29 he says, “Many women have done excellently,but you surpass them all.”
Bathsheba had been a woman beautiful and charming enough to get the attention of David’s faithful soldier Uriah. This renowned warrior married her. Sadly, Bathsheba also was beautiful enough to get the attention of David, who, in my view, abused his power and manipulated his role as king to get Bathsheba into his palace that night.
But now listen to what beautiful Bathsheba has to say about beauty here in verse 30: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Listen to her as she counsels her son. Charm is deceitful; it can get you into trouble. Beauty is vain—it’s empty—without a relationship with the Lord.
If you have a godly mother, or if you are blessed to be married to a godly woman, she is going to hand out the same advice.
She is going to be more concerned with her character than her complexion. She is going to saturate her mind more with the Word of God than with the latest trends. She is going to challenge her children, if she has any, to pursue the approval of God rather than the approval of people. She is going to live by this principle: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
And with that we finish our Wisdom Journey through the book of Proverbs.
Footnotes
[1] John Phillips, Exploring Proverbs, Volume One: An Expository Commentary (Kregel, 1995), 14.
[2] Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 1–15 (Eerdmans, 2004), 178.
[3] Peter A. Stevenson, A Commentary on Proverbs (BJU Press, 2001), 9.
[4] Waltke, Proverbs: Chapters 1–15, 190.
[5] Richard L. Mayhue, Practicing Proverbs (Christian Focus, 2000), 41.
[6] Sue Carlton, “Missing Road Sign Spins Long Legacy of Misery,” Tampa Bay Times, October 1, 2005, tampabay.com.
[7] “Sexually Transmitted Infections Prevalence, Incidence, and Cost Estimates in the United States,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published January 2021, cdc.gov.
[8] Peter A. Steveson, Proverbs (BJU Press, 2001), 84.
[9] Charles Swindoll, Selected Studies from Proverbs (IFL, 1994), 52.
[10] See Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs: Chapters 1–15 (Eerdmans, 2004), 337 for the word meanings here.
[11] Robert L. Alden, Proverbs: A Commentary on an Ancient Book of Timeless Advice (Baker Book House, 1983), 165.
[12] Derek Kidner, Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary (InterVarsity, 1964), 73.