Grace Institute: The Writings : Proverbs Part 3

Proverbs Survey of the Old Testament: The Writings Fall 2006

The Nature of Wisdom

The book of Proverbs presents wisdom as a thing of great value. To Solomon, there is no greater thing that he could pass on to his son than wisdom. You can almost hear the pleading of Solomon for his son to understand the great value and benefit of wisdom:

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth
Do not forsake her, and she will guard you
Love her and she will watch over you (4:5-6)

To help his son understand the nature of wisdom, Solomon takes this abstract concept and personifies it in the woman of wisdom. After discussing the seductive nature of the adulterous harlot in chapters 5-7, Solomon reveals another woman who is calling out to men, but this is the woman of wisdom. She calls out from the heights, from the crossroads at the city gates and at the doorways (8:1-3) almost begging for us to take heed and learn of her truth. What the woman of wisdom offers is better than silver, gold and jewels (8:10-11). Indeed “all desirable things cannot compare with her.”

This woman of wisdom was with Yahweh at the beginning of time, and was established by Him (8:22-26). It is through wisdom that God created the heavens and the earth (8:27-29). She was his delight, rejoicing in all that He created (8:30-31).

The comparison to John 1:1-3 is obvious. John uses the Greek term logos, meaning “word, rationality, wisdom.” The logos was with God in the beginning and all things came into being by the logos . But John further reveals that the logos was made flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus. Clearly, John is identifying that the logos and very likely the woman of wisdom in Proverbs 8 with the Messiah, Jesus. While Solomon probably did not see this when he wrote of wisdom in Proverbs 8, he does identify wisdom as the embodiment of the very mind of God.

The woman of wisdom has set up her home and invites all the naïve and simple to come in and partake of her feast (9:1-6). For those who partake, they will find long life (8:11). However, there is another woman calling out to the naïve: the woman of folly (9:13). But her lies hide the fact that she lives in a house of the dead and that “her guests are in the depths of Sheol” (9:18).

The offers have been made. Will you listen to wisdom or to folly? Will you accept the way of life or the way of death? Will you listen to the instruction of your father or will you go down in ruin? The plea goes out:

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!

The Expression of Wisdom

However, wisdom is not left as some abstract. Wisdom is expressed in numerous practical, real life situations. Wisdom is found in family life, in business, and in politics.

Family Life

The Proverbs are filled with wise counsel for living with the family. Wisdom is to be expressed first, not in the marketplace or in the political arena, but at home with your spouse and your children. If one can be found wise in family matters, than wisdom will be transferable to all aspects of lie.

The Danger of Adultery and the Delights of Your Wife

The Danger of Adultery

One of the most important lessons of family life that Solomon wants to pass to his son is the danger of adultery. As a man who was married to over 700 wives, such a passage may seem hypocritical. However, this is also the voice of experience. Solomon was a man who had engaged in every form of sexual pleasure imaginable (Ecclesiastes 2:8, 10), and yet his advise to his son is to avoid the lure of sexual immorality and instead to enjoy your wife.

Solomon's first warning is that adultery is seductive (5:3-4). The adulterer lies. Her lips drip honey and her speech is smooth, but in the end it leads only to death. The biggest lie is that you won't get caught (Proverbs 7:18-20). In addition the adulterous woman flatters (7:5, 21) and seeks you out (Proverbs 7:10-15). The lure of sexual sin is all around us. It's on the television. It's on billboards. It's on the Internet. Adultery is seductive.

The second warning is that adultery is destructive. Proverbs 5:11 states that adultery ravages the body (5:11), probably as an allusion to sexually transmitted diseases. Adultery also leads to regret (5:12). Adultery wrecks your reputation (5:14). It will ruin your life (5:8-10, 6:26). While the lie states that you can get away with adultery, Solomon reminds us that adultery will be revealed. The Lord knows your adultery (5:21). And make no mistake there will be consequences to our sins. We will have to pay the piper. Proverbs 6:27-29 says:

Can a man take fire in his bosom
And his clothes not be burned?
Or can a man walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
So is the one who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

The Delight of Your Wife

Solomon doesn't just warn of the dangers, but he also provides advise on how to handle the temptation. First, he says we should run from the temptation (5:8). It is the naïve man does, the one lacking sense, who hangs out in the wrong part of town at the wrong time of the day. If you go looking for temptation, you are going to find it. But if you avoid being in the places and circumstances where you are tempted, then you will be able to avoid it (7:7-8).

But Solomon doesn't just recommend we run from adultery, but that we also run to our spouse. Marital intimacy is a God-given righteous act that he has given for us to enjoy. Run to it! Look at what it says in Proverbs 5:15-19:

Drink water from your own cistern
And fresh water from your own well…
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.

The word “exhilarated” in verse 19 is often also translated as captivated. In the original Hebrew, both this word, and the word “satisfy” in the line above it can be translated “to be intoxicated.” This theme becomes the topic of a love song by Solomon called Song of Solomon (a.k.a. Song of Songs). For a man who experienced all that there was sexually, his conclusion is that the best sex is that found with the wife of your youth. This is wisdom from experience and one that is as important today as it ever has been.

The Excellent Wife

The Proverbs express the importance of marriage repeatedly. The value of a good wife is crucial for wise living.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing
And obtains favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22)

But one must be careful when selecting a wife. Some wives are not gifts of God. Some wives are antithetical to wise living. The burden of a difficult woman is a common theme amongst the proverbs.

It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and vexing woman (Proverbs 21:19)

The mother of King Lemuel provides an easy to remember poem so that her son knows what to look for in a wife. This acrostic poem outlines the character qualities a young man should seek in a wife so that his wife is found to be a gift from God rather than an irritation like the dripping rain (27:15).

The excellent wife is one who is industrious. She seeks bargains and quality goods when shopping in the marketplace (31:13-14). She is not lazy, but works hard (31:15). She knows how to save money and knows how to make good investments (31:16). An excellent wife is a strong woman who doesn't grow tired, but takes charge of her household (31:17-19). She is generous (31:20) and she does all she can to honor her husband (31:23) and ensure her family is provided for (31:21-24). The excellent wife is a wise woman (31:25-26), and she receives the blessings and praises of her family (31:28-29).

This is the kind of woman a young man should seek in a wife. A man should not look to charm or beauty, which fades away (31:30a). Instead, look for a godly woman who fears God (31:30b). Then, when you have her, reward her and give her the praise she deserves (31:31).

Parenting and Discipline

Proverbs also has much advise for the parent. The role of the parent is to pass on wisdom to their child so they will find success and prosperity in life (4:1-5). If one trains up their children “in the way he should go,” their children will not depart from the way of wisdom when they are older (22:6). Literally, the verse says to train a child in “his way,” suggesting that child rearing needs to be customized to the particular needs of each individual child. Another possible translation helps us to understand the meaning here: “train a child according to their bent, and they will not depart from it.”

In contrast, a child who is not guided and disciplined will bring shame to their parents (29:15). To fail to discipline a child is to hate the child (13:24). But discipline will drive foolishness out of a child (22:15) and save them from death (23:14).

Wise parenting, however, like all wisdom, begins with the fear of the Lord (14:26). The righteous man brings blessings to his children (20:7). Likewise, children and grandchildren are a blessing to us in our old age (17:6). However, a foolish son, however, brings grief and bitterness to his parents (17:25).

Business Ethics

Proverbs has much to say about how we should conduct ourselves in business. It begins with the need to be honest in our business dealings. Proverbs 11:1 says:

The Lord abhors dishonest scales,
But accurate weights are his delight. (Proverbs 11:1 NIV)

Ethical business people don't load the scales in their favor. Ethical business people don't have two sets of weights. Ethical business people are honest, fair, accurate, and truthful in their dealings.

We are confronted with honestly in our business dealings all the time. What do you do when a mistake is made in your favor? What do you do when the clerk at the grocery store gives you too much change? The ethical person is honest.

The ethical businessperson seeks to improve their community (11:11). The ethical businessperson keeps things confidential (11:9). The ethical businessperson is cautious when entering contracts (11:15). The warning here is not merely to avoid pledging security for another, but it is to be cautious anytime you enter a contract. Know what you are signing. Understand your obligations and make sure you have the capacity to meet your obligations.

Finally, the ethical businessperson is generous.
The generous man will be prosperous,
And he who waters will himself be watered.
He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. (Proverbs 11:24-26)

Those who old to these ethical business practices reap the benefits of their integrity. However, those who lack ethics will suffer the consequences. The ethical are a delight to the Lord . The unethical are an abomination to the Lord (11:1, 20) . The ethical gain the respect of their community. The unethical are despised by their community (11:10). The ethical gain the respect of their community. The unethical are despised by their community (11:10). The ethical will find prosperity. The unethical will find poverty (11:24, 13:11, 10:2-3).

Finally, the ethical follow a path to deliverance and life. The unethical follow a path to judgment and death.

The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.
He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death. (Proverbs 11:18-19)

If you are seeking wealth, success, and profit, those things will not help you when the day of wrath comes. Jesus himself put wealth into proper perspective when he said:

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36)

But if you are seeking to live ethically, desiring righteousness rather than riches, not only will you find respect and prosperity on the earth, but you will also find deliverance from wrath on the Day of Judgment.

Political Ethics

The king wishes to impart his wisdom to the next generation to help his son become a wise leader.

Political power can be seductive. So the proverbs advise us not to get caught up in the benefits of power (23:1-3). We are advised to no make ourselves to be more than you are in front of the king. It is better to let him lift you up than to have him demote you (25:6).

A wise person knows who has the power. It is the king who can control your destiny (16:13-15, 19:12, 20:2). The king is to be feared, as the Lord is to be feared (24:21). Therefore, it is good to know how best to relate to those in power.

Government is important if the people are to prosper. People need to have leaders (14:28). The land will prosper with a just king (29:4). The king who shows justice to the poor will have his throne established forever (29:14). The throne of a king is upheld with lovingkindness and faithfulness (20:28).

Ultimately, however, we cannot expect to a ruler to bring about all justice. That is reserved for God alone (29:26). Furthermore, it is important to remember that all political power rests in God. The king is merely a stream of water in the hands of the Lord (21:1).

Ironically, Solomon's son, Rehoboam, does not adhere to his father's wisdom, resulting in the division of the kingdom. Rehoboam ignores the political wisdom of his father, listening to foolish advisors and oppressing the people rather than listening to wisdom and demonstrating justice. Rehoboam is proof that wicked and foolish advisors will take down a king (25:5). Solomon warned that a wicked ruler is like a roaring lion or a growling bear (28:15), and that a foolish ruler becomes a cruel oppressor (28:16).

The Beginning of Wisdom

While Proverbs is intensely practical, it is also proclaims the gospel. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Without a proper respect and humility before God, the rest of the advice in Proverbs is useless. If you do not fear God, you are not wise.

Those who do not fear the Lord are those who despise wisdom and hate knowledge (1:7, 29). Those who embrace wisdom and love knowledge will come to a point where they understand who God is and what our proper place before him should be. It is only those who deny or run from knowledge who fail to see themselves as needy before God and therefore in need of his mercy.

Solomon warns us not to lean on our own understanding (3:5). We cannot trust our own wisdom, for it will deceive us. There is a way that seems right, but it leads to death (3:7, 16:25). Instead we must trust in the Lord with all our heart, acknowledging God's proper place in all aspects of our life (3:5-6).

Those who trust in themselves and their own wisdom are guilty of pride and arrogance. Throughout the Proverbs, the haughty and proud are on a path towards destruction (18:12), while those who are humble and acknowledge the futility of their own wisdom are on a path towards life (22:4).

When we are wise in our own eyes, we see ourselves as without sin. When we think we are without sin, then we mock the guilt offering. This leads to death. But when we humbly accept that we are sinners and accept that we need the guilt offering to atone for our sins, then we enjoy acceptance from God (14:9-12).

People think they are pure and without sin, but God knows better (16:2). For this reason God sees the arrogant as an abomination (16:5a). Those who think they are without sin don't fear God, for they think they have nothing to fear. But they should fear, for their sin will lead to punishment (16:5b). Those who recognize their own sinfulness and the consequences of their sin will fear God. Those who fear God will receive atonement for their sins because the lovingkindness of God atones for sin (16:6)

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper
But He who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always
But whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. (Proverbs 28:13-14 ESV)

[Next: Bibliography]