Proverbs 2:1–22

 ¹ My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, ² So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; ³ Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, ⁴ If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; ⁵ Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. ⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; ⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; ⁸ He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. ⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. ¹⁰ When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, ¹¹ Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, ¹² To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, ¹³ From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; ¹⁴ Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked; ¹⁵ Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths; ¹⁶ To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words, ¹⁷ Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God. ¹⁸ For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead; ¹⁹ None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life— ²⁰ So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. ²¹ For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; ²² But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

Commentary 

Vs. 1-2 ¹ My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, ² So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 

As children of God then we are to receive His Word and treasure His commands that He gives us. For it is by these that we are guided away and preserved from all the evil that is at work in this world. Thus, by listening to God, and Godly counsel, we are inclining our ears to wisdom, we are applying our hearts to understanding. For listening (not talking) is the beginning of understanding, and understanding is the beginning of learning, and learning from God, from His Word, is how one discerns good from evil. 

Vs. 3-5 ³ Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, ⁴ If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; ⁵ Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. 

Discernment and wisdom then are not just gifts of the Holy Spirit; they are a lifetime pursuit for everyone of us who believe in Jesus Christ, to become wiser and more discerning as we mature in our faith. To cry out to God for wisdom, yes, (also James 1:5-7) but also, we are to pursue it, to literally seek her as valued silver and search for her as hidden treasures. For that is what Godly men and women have always done in searching out God’s Word, searching for true Wisdom, true Knowledge, true Understanding. For only then will you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God when you believe His Word and obey Him, then you will see Him transform your own person and life as well (James 1:22-25). 

Vs. 6-8 “For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; ⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; ⁸ He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.” 

It is the Lord who gives wisdom to those who seek it from Him, He gives knowledge and understanding to those who know Him and want to obey Him (James 1:5-8). Indeed, He is a shield to those who walk uprightly, He stands before them as a guardian because He always guards the paths of justice, and thus those who do justly. And so, though we may be slandered and condemned by ungodly and unbelieving men and women, we will not be condemned by God because He preserves the way of His saints (consider Psalm 34:19-20, 22; Isaiah 54:17). 

Vs. 9 “Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path.” 

These then are the benefits of knowing and fearing God (vs. 9-22), of having His Spirit give us wisdom through His Word. For then you will understand righteousness and justice, fairness and equity, and every good path that a man or woman should take. For wisdom is the path that makes for peace and prosperity in our lives. For God is in the business of making Godly people for His Kingdom; people who do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). And in this it all begins with believing in the Lord Jesus Christ who opens the door to the Kingdom to us, who turns sinners into saints, and thus by His Holy Spirit renews them and brings wisdom and knowledge and understanding to them and everyone who believes in and obeys Him. 

Vs. 10-15 ¹⁰ When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, ¹¹ Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, ¹² To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, ¹³ From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; ¹⁴ Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked; ¹⁵ Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths; 

Thus, it all starts with our having a willing heart that wants to know and obey God, that wants to fear Him and Keep His commandments, not rebel against them, as is continually promoted and held up in popular culture as the “cool” thing to do. Thus, when wisdom enters your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you, understanding will keep you…, keep you from walking in the ways of evil and thus walking with evil and perverse men and women, who only speak and do perverse things, who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, whose hearts and minds and lives have become darkened and depraved to the point that they now rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perversity of the wicked. Therefore, do not associate with such people! Indeed, open your eyes and see these people for who they really are, and consider their end, lest their end become yours also, if you choose to follow their path of life! For they are only crooked in their ways and devious in their paths. For they are the charmers and the deceivers, the manipulators and the liars, and with bold personalities and boastful tongues they sway the hearts of others. They are also the silent ones who in heart craftily work out their plans by which they seek to harm others, or profit themselves, and then craftily recruit others to do their evil will. They are experts at setting people against others while promoting themselves, and they must be in control, and they are found in every vocation and every walk of life, whether rich or poor, whether holding trusted offices or not, they are found in every walk of life. And befriending them (or being subservient to them as they wish) only assures that one will be used and abused by them, and then callously disregarded when you are no longer useful to them. Their “friendship” and their “love” then is deceitful for they utterly incapable of either, because people to them, even their closest relations, are just pawns on their gameboard of life to be moved and used to get “the win” for themselves. Therefore, God gives wisdom and discernment, knowledge and understanding to us all who know Him and who fear Him, so that we may steer clear of them and avoid all the pitfalls that come with being involved with them, so that we may not be ensnared by their charming persons, and deceitful lies and lives which promise endless riches and pleasures but, in the end, they only deliver misery and sorrow, ruin and regrets, and then death! Therefore, repent and believe now, while you can, and have all your sins washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ whose death on the Cross has provided the Atonement for you to be made not only right with God, but also to be made new, a new creation by His Holy Spirit, who will regenerate your person the moment you believe in Him! Therefore, call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior, and He will take away all the old and make all things new! And that includes you sinner, yes even you who think you are the worst of sinners, yes absolutely, even you! (2 Cor. 5:17). 

Vs. 16-22 ¹⁶ To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words, ¹⁷ Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God. ¹⁸ For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead; ¹⁹ None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life— ²⁰ So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. ²¹ For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; ²² But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it. 

Wisdom, knowledge, discernment etc. then not only brings to us understanding, that is soul saving and life changing truth about God and ourselves, but also reveals to us the real nature and the true cost of sin. The true danger of becoming involved with an immoral woman, who knows nothing of love, but only how to satisfy her lust, (and or her own greed through the same), who eyes out her victim before she makes her move towards him, and in this she is a skillful seductress who knows how to use flattering words and seductive speech to seduce and slay the simple man whom she has set her eyes upon. Many a man has been taken by her, and many a marriage has been ruined by her, including her own. And so, verse seventeen tells how she forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. Abandoning her husband (or love of her youth) she forgets her marriage vows before God to run after whomever she has now set her heart upon (vs. 17). She is then a very dangerous person for any man to get involved with because as verses eighteen and nineteen reveal, “…her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead; ¹⁹ None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life—” ^{Vs. 18-19} She then is the way for a man to shortened his own days and perish his own soul! To make his life pleasurable in the short term, only to suffer long lasting and sometimes everlasting misery, destruction and ruin both in this life and in eternity, Therefore, wisdom is given us by God, “So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. ²¹ For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; ²² But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.” ^{Vs. 20-22} In God’s Kingdom then such men and women who reject His counsels and choose to follow their own evil desires will find neither a place or a refuge there (Mark 9:42-47; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Isaiah 66:22-24). 

Scripture Quotations 

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.

Proverbs 1:20-33

²⁰ Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. ²¹ She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words: ²² “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. ²³ Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. ²⁴ Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, ²⁵ Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, ²⁷ When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, ³⁰ They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. ³¹ Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. ³² For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; ³³ But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

Commentary 

Vs. 20-21 ²⁰ Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. ²¹ She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words: 

Here the call of wisdom is graphically portrayed, and not as an obscure thing that one must climb to the tops of mountains to find, or run to the ends of earth to seek her out. No, it is God's wisdom who seeks us out, who avails herself to us everywhere, at any point in our lives, crying out to us in the open squares and yelling to us from the chief concourses of the city, wherever people are gathered there wisdom calls to us all seeking to reach us all whose persons and lives are in peril. And yet for all of her attempts to reach us, for most she is simply a voice which at best is ignored, or “polity” passed off as something for others, or at worse is mocked and jeered by simpletons and pride filled sinners.

 Vs. 22 “How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.” 

And so in crying out to those who think themselves wise and secure, but in fact they are only simple ones, scorners, and fools, wisdom asks them in rebuke, how long you simple ones ones will you love simplicity? "For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge." Thus wisdom already knows what they are, and what they do, and so they do and say nothing that wisdom does not already know what it is that they will do and say. And because wisdom knows the end of all those things wisdom calls us all to repent, saying: 

Vs. 23 “Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.”

Wisdom then is not seeking their judgment, but their redemption! Wanting them to turn at her rebuke so that she might pour out her spirit upon them, so that she might make her words known to them. For wisdom promises that if anyone turns at her rebuke she will pour out her spirit upon them; she will make her words, that is her counsels known to them; and not just in their minds, but practically in their lives, as listening to and obeying God's wisdom always brings positive changes to ones life. Therefore God gives us all both the opportunity and the means to turn from this worlds sin and folly to His wisdom, for where wisdom is, there He always is, and where He is, there is always inner peace and eternal safety, for everyone who believes in Him and obeys Him! Note: the use of the feminine gender in describing wisdom does not entail a female gender to it. It is simply being used as a means to motivate a young man to listen to wisdom, to make wisdom more desirable to him. 

Vs. 24-28 ²⁴ Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, ²⁵ Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, ²⁷ When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.

 And so just as we have wisdom call clearly portrayed so to here we have wisdoms response to anyone's refusal and rejection of wisdom. For wisdom does not just call out to us all and then let her word come to nothing. No wisdom requires a response from us, just like the Gospel does, to either repent and believe, and thus receive the Lord Jesus Christ, or to carry on in ones sins and wayward ways, and thus reap the consequences of both ones actions and decisions. In a sense we have here the warning of God to this degenerate world which refuses to listen to Him, which high handily rejects Him and His Word, that is His Son, and then goes on to arrogantly live by its own degenerate Sodom and Gomorrah “morality,” thinking that they are masters of their own fates and destines, as if there is no accountability to God, who destroyed ancient Sodom and Gomorrah and the people of it for doing so (2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7). Therefore, hear the Word of the Lord you rulers of Sodom, you people of Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:10). God is not mocked, whatever a person sows that they shall reap (Gal. 6:7). For neither God nor His wisdom is not mocked by sinful man. For God always judges in heaven the deeds that take place on earth, regardless of whether or not one believes in Him, or obeys Him. And in this He has innumerable tools at His disposable, from alternating the climate patterns and shutting up the rains from heaven which are needed here on earth to sustain our persons and lives, to removing our peace, whether individually or collectively, by giving individuals or humanity over to their most base and wicked desires, which itself has terrifying ripple effects for all of our societies. For God judges both peoples and nations through floods and famines, diseases and droughts, wars and peace etc. For it is God alone who raises up one and brings down another, who exalts both people and nations or brings them low. Therefore, in the day of prosperity, or here adversity consider, because surely God has appointed one day as well as another (Ecc. 7:14). For the Lord of the heavens and the earth alone makes peace and He alone makes calamity, for He alone sits Sovereign over the affairs of us all (Isaiah 45:5-8, vs. 7). Therefore, to mock and reject His wisdom is only to guarantee that one will find themselves likewise being mocked, jeered and scoffed at by wisdom when their terror comes, when destress and anguish comes upon them all who do so. 

Vs. 28-30 ²⁸ “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, ³⁰ They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke.

Therefore when wisdom's counsels are only rejected and hated by those who only want to continue on in their Godless ways and means. And so when the consequences of their sins and pride and folly come home to roost, wisdom in like manner now turns a deaf ear to them all. And so here we see their back peddling, they’re looking for quick way out, even trying to find her in their time of distress, but they cannot because now she is hidden from them all "because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke." vs. 29-30 

Vs. 31-33 ³¹ Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. ³² For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; ³³ But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.” 

Because they rejected wisdom and did not choose the fear of the Lord they are now made to eat the fruits of their own ways and to be filled to the full with their own fancies. And so all the consequences that go with doing and pursuing Godless deeds and desires they now have to the full! And along with it all of the sorrows, distresses and personal troubles that comes through choosing that path of life. Wisdoms judgment on them begins with their reaping the consequences of all of their sins in this life, of giving them over to all of their fancies, that is giving them over to all of their Godless desires and deeds so that these become the means of their own judgment. In essence their own lives are ruined by their own sinful pride and unwillingness to listen to God. For everyone has the right to choose for themselves whether or not they will serve the Lord Jesus Christ or serve their own sinful and evil desires, and thus be servants of the devil, who always uses these for his purposes. For those are your only two options, for there is no neutrality in this life. You either become a child of God, by receiving Christ; because no one is born a child of God (John 1:12); or you remain an offspring of sin, and thus a servant of the devil, doing his will, and thus storing up wrath and punishment on yourself on the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Judgment (Rom. 2:3-16; 2 Peter 3:7). Therefore, choose for yourself whom you will serve whether Christ, or the devil. Therefore don't be like the wicked, the scoffers, and the deceived, who do not see their own need for Christ, who mock Him and His Word, see your own need for Him and repent and believe in Him! Then you will be secure and safe on the Day of God’s Judgement, living without fear of evil, because you to believe in Him and obey Him through His Word.

Scripture Quotations 

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.

Proverbs 1:8–19

 ⁸ My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; ⁹ For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck. ¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. ¹¹ If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; ¹² Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; ¹³ We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; ¹⁴ Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”— ¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; ¹⁶ For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. ¹⁷ Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; ¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives. ¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners. 

Commentary 

Vs. 8-9 ⁸ My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; ⁹ For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck. 

Though the address here seems directed towards youth, it should be noted that all of these insights into life, people, and how God always works righteousness and justice, and thus wants the same from us, are applicable at any stage of our lives. And so, to encourage us all, whether young or old to listen and receive Godly instruction, Solomon in writing these proverbs addresses us as a father would address his own son, encouraging us to receive God’s Word as we would receive the wise counsel of Godly parents  so that we can avoid the many pitfalls of youth and life. Thus, we are to hear the instruction of a father, of a man like Solomon who by God’s grace and Spirit was given opportunity to do and pursue all that is in this life, so as to write and declare what he learned by doing so (i.e., Book of Ecclesiastes). Hearing then the instruction of a father, (and God in heaven is our Father, and He by His servant King Solomon has given us His Word), and not forsaking the law of one’s mother, that is of a Godly mother who knows and herself keeps the Word of God is how one is adorned with all of wisdoms riches and treasures, here portrayed as a graceful ornament on one’s head and chains around one’s neck. In essence when one does they will not only have peace and prosperity in this life, they will be honored by God in this life and in eternity. 

Vs. 10 “My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.” 

There is no doubt that it is in one’s youth, when one is most influenced by one’s peers, and that many of life’s temptations first come and or are realized then. And so, in verses 10-19 we are given a graphic look at both a process and an outcome that happens when one yields to and follows those who are themselves doing and pursuing a sinful course of life that ultimately leads to their own destruction. Therefore, the emphasis here is do not to consent to them, or go with them, with anyone doing and pursing a sinful lifestyle, when they invite you to partake of any of those things with them. Because their so called “friendship” is deceitful, and they will not be there for you when you too are caught in the cords of your sin and are ruined by them.

Vs. 11-14 ¹¹ If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; ¹² Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; ¹³ We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; ¹⁴ Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”— 

Therefore, “if they say…” that is whatever they say to you, do not believe them, or go with them, because both their words and their "promises" are deceitful. Here then is a scene of some local thugs and robbers enticing some vulnerable youth to join with them in taking another person’s life. To join them in their exploits, which they promise will bring them not only comradery with all kinds of thrills and excitement, but also an abundance of wealth for them all. And so, for a misguided youth whose mind is filled with the images of popular cultural icons which constantly promote endless fame, fortune, and pleasure, this for them this may seem like the fast tract to attaining to those deceiving and deceitful lifestyles. 

Vs. 15-19 ¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; ¹⁶ For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. ¹⁷ Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; ¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives. ¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners. 

Having then giving an example of an enticement laid before our impressionable youth. Here we have the correction, the reality check to their inducements to sin. The call from a loving father to his son not to walk in their evil ways, but to keep oneself from their paths, “For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood.” ^{Vs. 16} Therefore they are only living violent lives, and many of them will only end their own lives violently, or waste and ruin their own lives, with many years of their lives only spent incarcerated for their crimes. Thus, the metaphor, “Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird” ^{vs. 17} That is if a simple dumb bird can see the trap laid before them and avoid it, so how much more should you avoid the pitfalls of running or associating with evil and wicked men. For as the Proverb says in all of their lying in wait for others, they are only lying in wait for their own blood, and lurking secretly for their own lives (vs. 18). For in all of their evil scheming and plotting they are only plotting their own end, and orchestrating their own destruction and ruin. “So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.” ^{Vs. 19} 

This is a profound insight, not only into their end, but also everyone’s who is greedy for gain, it truly takes away the life of its owners. For the person whose heart is greedily set on gaining riches for themselves will soon find themselves doing all kinds of questionable things, maybe small at first, but soon their greed magnifies itself, as one cannot serve two masters, God and money, for one will either hate one and love the other, or one will be loyal to one and despise the other (Matt. 6:24). And so soon their hearts, their lives, their souls (think Judas Iscariot) are corrupted and consumed by their all driving desires to get more, regardless of whom it hurts or wrongs. Even the one who overworks to be rich, often only loses their life, their family, their friends, in their greedy pursuits for more. And so there are many applications for that one verse and hopefully we will all take it to heart.

Scripture Quotations 

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.

Proverbs 1:1-7

Brief Introduction 

The Book of Proverbs is by far the most tangible book of the Bibles Wisdom literature. For within it is the very wisdom of God given through King Solomon so as to make all who heed His counsels not only wise in their understanding and perception; so as to be able to avoid the personal pitfalls and destruction and ruin that comes through following sin and folly; but also, the Book of Proverbs has within it the potential to make you, yes even you, very discerning of all that is good and evil, of both counsels and people, which you will encounter in your generation, just as the generations before you also have. That said, for some they will not truly appreciate the invaluable treasure that is the Book of Proverbs until they have experienced the truth of the Book of Proverbs for themselves; that is its blessings and its judgments, that guaranteed will come through either heeding or rejecting its eternal councils, whether in ignorance, or in full knowledge of them. With that said wisdom need not be learned by suffering the consequences of one’s bad decisions and wrong choices, for the wisdom that leads to a rich and full and abundant life can be easily attained too by anyone who heeds the councils and the warnings of God given in this glorious book. 

Proverbs 1:1–7 

¹ The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: ² To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, ³ To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; ⁴ To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— ⁵ A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, ⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. ⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

Vs. 1 “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” 

Now Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, was God’s chosen heir of his father’s throne. David himself new this, was told this was the will of God through God’s prophet, and so from the time of Solomon's very youth his father David always emphasized to him to seek wisdom above all else, for having either military might, or an abundance of riches, is utterly useless, and can be more of detriment than a help, if one does not have the wisdom of God to guide them in how to use them. Wisdom then is the treasure that not only guides and guards’ one’s steps, but it is by wisdom that one has success. Therefore, King Solomon when he began to reign, and knowing his own naivety and inabilities as a young king, sought out God and asked Him for wisdom so as to be able to lead His people. Therefore, God gave him what He gave no other king before him, both wisdom and riches so as to make him a king by whom he could bring forth His life saving councils into this broken world (1 Kings 3:4-15; 4:20-34).

Vs. 2 “To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,” 

Now wisdom is never attained without following God’s instruction, for the two are invariable linked, same with understanding, for one cannot understand God unless one obeys God. These principals are all summed up in verse seven. 

Vs. 3 “To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity;” 

And so, in this one must have a receiving heart, that is a humble heart that does not defy God, but willing receives His councils of Justice, judgment, and equity. For it is by these that one discerns good and evil, righteousness and wickedness, and thus learns how to live free from the perils of sin, and those who pursue it, how to live and pursue what is good and shun what is evil and only harmful to oneself and others. 

Vs. 4 “To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion—” 

Therefore, Solomon in writing these proverbs for us wants to give us prudence; (tact, savvy), so as to know how to conduct ourselves, especially when we are most vulnerable to sin and influential as youths, being drawn this way and that by the moral climate and culture of the day; Godly guidance. Solomon also links knowledge with discretion, for it is through knowledge that ignorance is dispelled, and thus one attains to a sanctified common sense. 

Vs. 5 “A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,” 

A wise man then does not harden his heart or shut his ears to God’s councils, he listens! And so, in listening he increases his learning and thus his capacity to learn more. The antithesis to that is those whom you cannot correct or instruct, for they simply shut you down before you can even begin to reason with them. Therefore, unlike them, a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, and not just any counsel that pleases him, like them, but wise council that will guide him or her in the right way to go. 

Vs. 6 “To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.” 

Here Solomon is referring to the “hidden” meanings contained within certain proverbs and the like, where if one only takes them at a glance, they will miss the true application of them. Many of Jesus’ parables require one to see and look into the deeper meaning behind the surface implications of them. And so in the pursuit of Godly wisdom and knowledge there must also be an applied effort put forth by us all who desire to have it. 

Vs. 7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

To fear the Lord means to fear Person, His Word, His Judgments, and so His Divine Authority and Power by which He alone can save or destroy, all according to His own Will and Desires. The Fear of the Lord then means when God says something is wrong you shun it out of fear of Him. Like a child who fears the punishment of their parents, so we should not do and pursue those things that we know will bring His wrath and judgment on us (Prov. 16:6). Therefore, to fear the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, for by it one understands not only the Will of the Lord for them, but one also realizes their own accountability to God for all that they do and say. The antithesis then of fearing the Lord, of receiving His Word and His commandments, is those whom the Scripture calls fools, people who not only despise His Wisdom and His instruction for them, but make mockery of it and Him to their own eternal destruction and ruin. Having a teachable spirit then goes hand in hand with fearing the Lord.

Scripture Quotations 

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.