Proverbs 1:1-7

"The Beginning of Knowledge"

Proverbs is all about Jesus.

You see him on every page.

That may sound a little strange at first,

because Proverbs appears at first blush

to be one of the least Christ-centered books in the Bible.

But what is the problem of the book of Proverbs?

How does a father raise his son to live wisely in a world populated by fools?

The book of Proverbs is a sneak peek into the counsel of God the Father

as he spoke to his only begotten Son,

calling him to walk in the way of wisdom.

There is a reason why these are the Proverbs of Solomon.

Solomon was the son of David,

the one who inherited the anointing as the son of God.

Israel was called to be God's son,

but the kings of Israel and Judah had a special anointing-

a Messianic identity-that reminded Israel of their filial identity.

Wisdom, righteousness, justice, and equity-

these are the hallmarks of a king-

of a Son of God who reflects his Father's wisdom and justice.

Introduction: Proverbs and Daily Life

Proverbs is perhaps the most misquoted book in the Bible.

It's easy to do.

Proverbs, by their very nature, are pithy statements that summarize very neatly

some principle.

Therefore they make great "prooftexts"--

which very quickly get generalized into laws.

Proverbs 26:4-5 is a great place to begin our study of Proverbs.

"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes."

Try coming up with a hard and fast rule here!

(If you succeed, you have demonstrated that you have not learned wisdom!)

So which one are you supposed to do?

Are you supposed to answer a fool, or not?

The reason why this causes difficulty is because we are so used to reading the Law.

When the Law says to do something,

you do it.

It doesn't take a whole lot of figuring out,

you just obey God.

But the Book of Proverbs is not Law, but Wisdom.

These sayings, or proverbs, are not designed to give you rules for everyday living,

but rather are designed to illustrate and teach Wisdom.

The wise man will know when to answer a fool according to his folly,

and when not to.

(Of course, the biblical concept of "Torah"-or law-is not nearly as statute oriented

as our concept of law is today. Biblical law requires great wisdom to put into practice.)

Or what about Proverbs 19:4?

"Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend."

Does that mean that you are supposed to abandon your friends if they are poor?

And of course, then there are the simplistic promises of the blessed life:

"The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want." (13:25)

So the rich are righteous and the poor are wicked?

But wait-"better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife" (17:1)

So which is it?

And for that matter,

how do you deal with the seemingly haphazard arrangement of chapters 10-31?

Is the book of Proverbs just a grab bag of wise sayings?

Or does it have some deeper theological meaning?

We won't be able to answer all these questions tonight!

But we will at least start down the path toward wisdom.

The key to the book of Proverbs is found in the first 9 chapters.

As opposed to the seemingly random collections of chapters 10-31

(And I say "seemingly random,"

because there is certainly thought and order behind the arrangement),

Proverbs 1-9 has a clear structure and order.

Indeed, while there are many "proverbs" in the first 9 chapters,

these chapters are much more like "lectures" than mere "sayings."

Proverbs 1-9 is set up as a father's instruction to his son.

Many of you have sons (and daughters!).

Your children are growing up.

What are you doing to prepare them to become wise and faithful adults?

Certainly a good education will be useful,

and there is no substitute for being a good example to them,

but are you teaching them wisdom?

Are you preparing them for how to live in a world that is not as it should be?

Proverbs 10-31 is "the world."

As you walk through Proverbs 10-31 you find some strange things.

"No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble." (Prov. 12:21)

and yet, "a bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;

wherever he turns he prospers." (Prov. 17:8)

You never know what is coming next:

there are proverbs about the tongue, about laziness, about doing what is right,

and about trusting the LORD in times of trouble.

Just like in real life-you never know what is coming next.

An editor could have divided the proverbs up into neat categories:

proverbs on wealth

proverbs on the tongue

proverbs comparing the wise man and the fool

etc.

But that would not fit the way life works.

But we find navigating daily life difficult enough!

If we don't know how to handle daily life, how can we understand Proverbs?

1. The Purpose of Proverbs 1-9

This is why we are given Proverbs 1-9.

Proverbs 1-9 is designed to teach wisdom to the simple,

so that the simple may become wise,

and therefore understand the rest of the book of Proverbs-

which means, understand how to live your daily life before God.

Indeed, that's exactly what Proverbs 1:1-7 says Proverbs 1-9 is all about.

"The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel."

This is the title of the book.

There are a few proverbs later on that are by other authors,

but the majority are by Solomon.

But before we get to the proverbs of Solomon,

we are given a prologue in the first 9 chapters to prepare us for the proverbs.

Verses 2-6 then set us up for verse 7.

"To know wisdom and instruction...."

What do you need to know wisdom and instruction?

We're not told yet!

"To understand words of insight..."

Yes, we want very much to understand the words of the proverbs,

but there's more!

"To receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity...."

Do you want to know how to deal wisely and effectively with people?

Do you want to be able to make righteous, just and fair decision?

(In other words, do you want to grow up to be a elder?)

Then listen to this!

"To give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth..."

This identifies the primary target of this book.

The simple-the youths-those who will soon be placed in the middle of Proverbs 10-31,

in other words-in the middle of daily, adult life.

Of course others may well benefit from it:

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance"

Not only the simple and the youths should pay attention,

but even the wise may add to their learning.

After all, a wise man never thinks that he has achieved all knowledge.

The more wisdom you have, the more you realize how much more wisdom you need!

"To understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles...."

Ah-ha!

In other words, if you listen to what I'm about to say,

you will learn how to understand Proverbs 10-31-

you will learn the secret to unlock the riddles of Solomon.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction."

This statement opens Proverbs 1-9.

It will also close it in Proverbs 9:10

If you would learn wisdom,

if you would obtain knowledge,

then fear the LORD.

"Wisdom and knowledge are inseparable,

for mastery of life's experience demands knowledge of the divine moral order."

There is nothing in Proverbs about the mighty works of God in redemption.

The exodus from Egypt is never mentioned,

there are only throw-away references to offerings and sacrifices,

and the passing comments about kings

never speak of God's promise to David.

But unlike other wisdom literature from the ancient world,

Proverbs is resolutely theological.

Proverbs uses the name of Yahweh over 100 times-the covenant name of God.

And like here in 1:7, Proverbs regularly roots wisdom

in the character and revelation of the LORD.

Proverbs assumes that you know your history.

(That's why we've gone through Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Joshua and Judges first!)

You need to know, here is what God has done in history to establish his people-

the covenant name of Yahweh reminds us

that it is not just any God whom we are to fear.

We are to fear the LORD.

2.The Fear of the LORD

What is the fear of the LORD?

The phrase occurs 21 times in the OT-14 times in Proverbs.

So we will encounter it again and again!

To fear the LORD means to submit to him.

It means that you are more concerned with what God thinks of you,

than with what others think of you.

The fear of the LORD is said to be "the beginning of knowledge."

You will not understand how to live in God's world unless you submit to him.

As Prov 2:4-6 says,

"If you seek wisdom like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures,

then you will understand the fear of the LORD

and find the knowledge of God.

For the LORD gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Think about that:

the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

So how do find wisdom?

Fear the LORD.

But how do you understand the fear of the LORD?

Seek wisdom!

It sounds circular.

To find wisdom, fear the LORD.

To understand the fear of the LORD, seek wisdom.

Where do you start?

You start with your father!

No one ever starts on a quest for wisdom in isolation.

The place where you learn the first principles of wisdom is at home.

Of course, if your father is a fool,

that is a terrible thing-but then you can find a mentor in the church,

Psalm 34:11-"Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD"

David, as the LORD's anointed, speaks to the covenant children

and calls them to listen to him as he teaches and trains.

Proverbs does not assume that every parent will be self-sufficient.

That is why even the "wise" are called to hear and increase in learning.

But Proverbs is designed as a manual for fathers,

as much as it is designed as a workbook for sons!

This is written for parents and teachers-those who will use this book in teaching their children.

3. The Simple

Who are "the simple" or "the youth"?

The word "youth" is used to refer to the infants Moses and Samuel (Ex 2:6 or 1 Sam 1:22, 24),

the 17-year old Joseph (Gen 37:2)

the 30-year old Joseph (Gen 41:12, 46)

and indeed, in Proverbs is used of any age prior to being an "elder"

(zaqen: 17:6; 20:29).

The youths are on the threshold of maturity,

and they must choose for themselves to join the wise if they would obtain knowledge.

These "simple" are said to also "lack judgment."

This means that they are neither wise, nor foolish,

but rather that they are in a dangerous middle ground--

a middle ground which will lead them to ruin unless they find wisdom first,

because as Proverbs 14:15 says,

"a simple man will believe anything,

but a prudent man gives thought to his steps."

To put it simply, to be simple is to be a fool just waiting to happen.

The simple in Proverbs is the young man who is easy prey to easy money and easy sex.

The default path of the simple, is the path of folly.

That is the way that they will end up going if they do not pursue wisdom.

But the simple is not yet a fool.

There is still hope for you!

And that hope is that you will learn the fear of the LORD.

That you will become more concerned with what God thinks of you,

than with what your friends think of you.

The difference between the simple and the fool is that simple is still teachable.

The fool is not.

"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion" (18:2)

This is why one early father praised one bishop for his silence!

(Something I am still trying to learn!)

But "even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise" (17:28)!

Conclusion

So let us together walk along the path of wisdom,

as our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God walked the path of wisdom

that his Father gave to him.

And let us learn from him,

the wise and faithful Son, who has become for us

wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification.