Through the Bible - Proverbs

The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding... The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:1-7)

If you want to know how to live, Solomon hands you the instruction manual—and it begins with the fear of the Lord.

A Book Built on a Prayer for Wisdom

The book of Proverbs is an important passage of Scripture, and a little shorter than the Psalms. I have to be honest—studying through Proverbs was harder than studying through the Psalms. Reading Proverbs is like reading a dictionary, because the focus changes from one verse to the next. Paul's letters flow like a letter and you can easily trace the key themes, but Proverbs jumps from one thing to the next, and many have found it hard to outline. I think there is a clear and cohesive outline, and we'll look at it tonight.

Before we do, consider that this book is built upon a prayer Solomon gave to the Lord back in 1 Kings 3. Solomon became king near the end of David's life, and he offered a great sacrifice at Gibeon where the tabernacle was. There the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night and said, "Ask what I shall give unto you."

Could you imagine if God came to you with that same request? Some of us might fall into the genie-in-the-bottle syndrome. Here is a man standing at the very beginning of his rule over a nation. You would think such a person might ask for glory, honor, and strength—and that those things might top the list.

Solomon's Request and God's Answer

But notice what Solomon asked. He recounted the great mercy God had shown to his father David, and then said:

And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad. (1 Kings 3:7-9)

The speech pleased the Lord. God answered:

Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words. (1 Kings 3:11-12)

God gave him a wise and understanding heart unlike any before or after him, and He also gave him what he hadn't asked for—riches and honor. Solomon asked for wisdom to govern a people so numerous they couldn't be counted, and God granted his petition.

In 1 Kings 4:29 we read that God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceedingly much, even as the sand of the seashore. His wisdom excelled all the men of the east and all of Egypt. He spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. His fame spread throughout the world, and kings and queens came to Jerusalem not only to see the temple but to hear his words.

We see a small picture of this wisdom in 1 Kings 3, when two women came arguing over a baby. Solomon called for a sword to divide the child in half. One woman cried, "No, don't do that," and the other agreed to it. Solomon discerned at once who the true mother was and gave her the child. He knew how to answer the riddle.

An Instruction Manual for Life

As we come to Proverbs, it's a book filled with his proverbial, wise statements. We're told he had 3,000 proverbs, but only about 800 are written down here. There's a great deal that challenges and encourages us, especially in the first ten chapters.

I remember years ago a family friend who got off into immorality and committed adultery. My dad, who read through the Proverbs every day, said to me, "If he had only read the Proverbs, this would never have happened." That's a very true comment, especially as you read those first ten chapters.

The book divides into six sections. The first is simply an introduction—the first seven verses give the purpose and the theme. Verse 1 is the title: "The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel." Then he declares the purpose: to know wisdom and instruction, to give subtlety to the simple and to the young man knowledge and discretion.

The purpose is ambitious. This relatively small book is essentially about how to live life. It's like buying a camera and getting a manual. Guys, let's be honest—we wouldn't read the manual. We'd just play with it until we figured it out. How many of us tried to do that with our lives and failed? Most of us. We figured we didn't need the instruction manual. Solomon says, here it is—this is how to live.

The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning

If the book didn't start with verse 7, you might as well throw the manual away:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

If you want wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, you must start with the fear of God. Not fear in the sense of dread and terror—as you read through Proverbs, the one who is afraid of God is the fool, the wicked one. Proverbs 28:1 says the wicked flee when no one pursues. There is a person who flees from God, and that is the one who is foolish.

That group should fear God with dread and terror, because it is appointed unto all men to die once and then comes judgment. Hebrews 10 says all the foolish have to look forward to is a certain and fearful expectation of judgment. That's not a happy thing to anticipate.

But there's another side. The fear that is the beginning of knowledge is reverence and respect. Solomon reveals a God who knows everything—all-wise, all-knowing. Out of the abundance of His knowledge He created this world and created man with intellect, will, and emotion. If you really want to know how to use this life, refer to the One who created it. Respect the One who made it. If you don't revere Him, you'll mess things up.

Those who despise wisdom are the fools, the wicked, the evil ones. Psalm 107 speaks of such a person in the prison house, bound in affliction and iron—and why? "Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High." They wouldn't listen to God, and so they found themselves in darkness. Thankfully, God has sent forth His light.

The Instruction of a Father

The second division runs from chapter 1:8 through the end of chapter 9—the instruction of a father. Here Solomon speaks as one giving instruction to a son, and you get the sense that perhaps David is speaking these things to Solomon, God's wisdom passing down through a father.

This is vital. Proverbs 22:6 says fathers are to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. While he holds that position of authority and the children are in his house, it is the father's duty to train them. Guys, if you want to know how to do this, read Proverbs 1 through 10.

The instruction starts with how to choose friends. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." Every one of us can look back and see how our friends changed our direction—especially in high school. The company you keep at that age can affect the rest of your life.

Proverbs 9:6 says, "Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding." Proverbs 13:20 says, "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." This applies not only to biological children. We always stand as a Paul to Timothys—older men teaching younger men, older women teaching younger women. We have spiritual children to instruct as well.

Psalm 1 captures it: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly... His delight is in the law of the LORD... He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water." But the ungodly are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Navigating the World's Temptations

As the son grows older in Proverbs 3, 4, 5, and 6, the father speaks frankly about the temptations of this world—the pleasures of alcohol, sexual temptation, and the lure of quick profits. Many young men think, "I'll just make a million dollars before I'm 18." But those chasing quick profit are often walking the path that leads to destruction.

The wise father gives clear direction in a verse you likely know by heart:

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

We battle the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the devil uses this world to get to our flesh. How do you navigate that minefield? Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't lean on your own understanding. How many have read Pilgrim's Progress? Highly recommended—watch Christian choose routes that look better, with men standing along the way saying, "This is the way to go." But "there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12).

How many of you have used a fancy GPS? When I was in Germany with Josh, my friend David Guzik lent us his car with a new GPS. In a proper English accent it would say, "Turn left in 300 meters," and it led us by the shortest route through the middle of the country—I never would have found that city otherwise. Wouldn't we love a spiritual GPS? We have one. If we trust the Lord and acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths. Isaiah speaks of a coming highway of holiness where "the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err."

Be Not Wise in Your Own Eyes

We often forget verse 7. "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." Paul warns, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," and that the one who thinks himself something when he is nothing deceives himself.

Some people picture God like a comic strip I once saw—the gray-haired God at His computer, finger over the "smite" button as a man walks under a hanging piano. We imagine God just waiting to make life miserable. That's not what God wants.

When I led junior high here for four years, the number one question at camp was, "What's God's will for my life?" We treat God's will as some weird, obscure thing we have to climb a mountain to find. But if God wants you to walk in His will, do you think He'll make it impossible to discover? No—don't be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Then, "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." Verse 9 adds, "Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase."

In chapters 4 through 9 he personifies wisdom as a beautiful woman to pursue, and folly as a wicked, immoral woman who leads down to the depths of hell. Wisdom is better than rubies; all the things man desires are not to be compared to it (Proverbs 8:11). This life is far too big to handle on our own. If we don't trust the Lord, we'll find ourselves constantly falling in the pit.

The Proverbs of Solomon: Contrasts and Word Pictures

The third section is the actual Proverbs of Solomon, chapters 10 through 24. Proverbs 10:1 says, "A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." Through these fifteen chapters most of the one-verse statements are contrasts—a form of Hebrew poetry called antithetic parallelism. It's simply a contrast: walk this way and get this; walk that way and get that.

It's like Moses at the end of his life in Deuteronomy: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life." We live in a world drowning in relativism—"that's your truth, this is my truth, there's no real truth." But there is a way that seems right to a man, and its end is death. The clarity of Proverbs grates on people, yet every man who tries to figure it out on his own ends up dead in a gutter or in an insane asylum.

There are also descriptive, expressive proverbs without a contrast. "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him" (10:26). "As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion" (11:22)—picture that dirty pig with a beautiful gold ring in its snout. What a waste. So is a beautiful woman with no discretion.

Wisdom for Daily Life and Marriage

In chapter 16, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." "Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right"—the men at Enron should have known that one. "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." It's God's positioning system, and Father really does know best.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." We exalt the physically strong—the Terminator—but the one who rules his spirit is greater.

Proverbs 17:9 is good for married couples: "He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends." If you constantly bring up what your spouse said five years ago, it causes separation. Verse 14: "The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water." You know the buttons to push—after only a year and a half of marriage I learned the buttons within the first 48 hours. It's like Dennis the Menace: "Don't touch that button," and you already know what happens when you do. The floodgates open.

Verse 17: "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Some of the strongest friendships are forged in difficulty—men who've been in combat together carry that kinship for life. The same is true in marriage; the Lord allows couples to go through trials to make the relationship stronger, but only He can strengthen you to weather them.

Verse 28: "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise." As Chuck Smith has said, it's better for people to think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Sometimes just keeping your mouth shut is an important lesson.

Proverbs 18:13: "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." When a wife comes for counsel without her husband, you hear one side and think she's right—until you hear the other side. Verse 17: "He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him." Hear the whole story before you answer.

Proverbs 18:22: "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD." Right in the middle of a discussion the Lord reminds me of that. Marriage has transformed me—I thought I was a great communicator before, but I learned I'm good at talking, not necessarily at communicating. And verse 24, which stuck with me in junior high: "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." You have to be a friend to have a friend.

Proverbs Collected by Hezekiah

Proverbs 19:18 says, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying"—my parents liked that one. There's another that says beat your child and he will not die; I think that was my parents' theme verse.

The fourth section begins at chapter 25: "These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out." Hezekiah was a great king who, when the word of God was found, saw the nation transformed; he assigned his men to gather more of Solomon's proverbs. So chapters 25 through 29 are written by Solomon and collected by Hezekiah.

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (25:11)—the right word at the right time. I pray for that often, driving to the hospital to meet a grieving family, or when someone shares a problem after a service. "Lord, give me that word fitly spoken." Verse 24: "It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house." The lesson? Don't marry the contentious woman.

Proverbs 27:23: "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds"—important for anyone in leadership. Every one of us has a position of leadership, whether over our family, a children's ministry, or a home fellowship. Verse 17: "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." That's why Hebrews tells us not to neglect assembling together—we need to be sharpened by one another.

The Words of Agur and the Virtuous Wife

The fifth section, chapter 30, is the words of Agur the son of Jakeh, which reads as a response to the wisdom of the Proverbs, including a prayer of confession. We don't know who Agur was; no background is given.

The sixth and final section is chapter 31, the words of King Lemuel and the prophecy his mother taught him. Many believe this was actually Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, speaking. She warns: "Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted."

I'd add: it is not for leaders. Now, some in the body of Christ have a glass of wine with dinner, and I'm never going to tell them it's wrong—I don't see that in Scripture. But for myself, as a leader, God has spoken: it's not for you. Perhaps He'll speak that to you in your leadership too. It's not a legalistic thing. Then she charges him to open his mouth for the dumb and judge righteously, pleading the cause of the poor and needy.

Then comes the famous portrait of the virtuous wife:

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her... She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy... Strength and honour are her clothing... She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness... Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:10-30)

These are important words for any young man to consider—words a mother might speak about the woman her son might marry. I'm very thankful I believe I've found a virtuous woman, and I praise the Lord for that.

A Proverb a Day

It's no accident there are 31 chapters in Proverbs and generally 31 days in a month. Read a proverb a day, and it will keep you on the right way. The Lord desires that we walk in the counsel of our Father, leaning on Him and trusting Him as the God-positioning system. If you want to walk righteously, read this book regularly and memorize its verses.

There is a way that seems right to a man, and its end is death. Sometimes the right way doesn't seem right to our intellect, but God knows what He's doing. I've experienced that this last year—looking at the path I'm on and thinking we must have made a wrong turn somewhere—yet the Lord knew. Even the things I don't like always turn out for the best.

At the missions conference this week, a friend shared troubles he's faced over the last eight years, and suddenly my woes seemed small. He admitted that, though he didn't like the way things had gone, looking back he had to go down that path to learn what he learned. Many of you are on that path—you know what I'm talking about. But you are there because God set you there, and if you lean upon Him, He will bring it to pass.

Closing Prayer

God, I thank You that You have given us counsel like a father—wisdom and understanding to know how to walk. I pray that You would help us to lean upon You and trust in You, knowing that we may plan what we will do, but You direct our steps. Help us to allow You to do that, even if it seems You're taking us a way we don't completely want to go. We praise You that You know best, You know all things, You are the all-wise God. As we look at this year before us, help us to trust in You, to lean upon You, and to see You do great things. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.