How self aware are you about your motivations for some of the choices you make? What I am referring to is:
Theme verse of the book is:
the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).
In this context, fear does not mean, terror or frightful, or fear of punishment. Rather it means, reverence, awe, wonder, amazement that leads to worship and obedience to the One, True God of all that is.
Let me give you a suggested definition of the kind of wisdom we are talking about:
“wisdom in the book of proverbs means, skill in the art of godly living.”
Proverbs is not teaching us the path of Salvation. We are not to follow the path of wisdom in order to earn or gain our salvation. We are invited to choose, to decide to seek and to hold on to wisdom as opposed to the fool who is one who rejects wisdom.
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. 13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. 19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew (Proverbs 3:11-20).
The role of discipline (Proverbs 3:11-12)
We must remember that this word, discipline, can also be translated as correction or rebuke. In the Bible, discipline is not the same word that is used for punishment that results from God’s wrath. Here in verse 11, discipline is to be understood as what a loving father does to correct his son for the benefit of the son.
Here, the idea is to teach, correct or discipline so that the son will learn the lesson which is stated in Proverbs 3:5, to trust in the Lord completely.
The goal of discipline is to teach us humility and to trust God completely, Proverbs 3:5-6, and to bring us back to God’s path.
“The goal is not to punish us.”
How self aware are we of God’s tender correction in our life? He means it for our good, even if it might cause pain at the time?
In this fallen, sinful world, there will be adversity. The only question is, how will we respond when we experience it?
Wisdom tells us to run to God for shelter, comfort, asking in faith for strength to endure the storm and to discern what He might be teaching me about myself in this difficulty. The fool turns away from God in bitterness, anger, resentment, saying, I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.
“The wealth of wisdom is gained when we turn to God in humility and dependance. ”
The rewards of wisdom (Proverbs 3:13-18)
In these verses, we have a clear and stark contrast between the biblical reward of wise, godly living and the worldly goal of monetary or material gain. The writer or sage as he is often called, says that truly wise living is to be seen as greater than, more important than gaining the material rewards or possessions of the world.
“Wisdom is more profitable and yields greater value than money.”
The book of Proverbs is clearly stating that wise, skilful living really has little to do with gaining wealth, in the sense that our culture would describe riches or wealth.
God’s goal for His children is to become more like Jesus. Jesus wasn’t materially rich.
Secondly, this teaching calls itself, the prosperity gospel. However, it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ at all, but a perversion of what the Bible clearly presents throughout the whole teaching of the Bible.
The teachers of the Prosperity Gospel base their teaching on a few verses, which are taken out of context, and ignore many clear passages elsewhere which actually contradict their ideas.
The rewards of wise, skilful, godly living as defined by Proverbs are described as long life. This translates as:
Wise living may result in physical long life or it may describe a quality of life no matter how long or short our life is
A pleasant path
A path of peace, or the Hebrew word, Shalom, well-being, contentment, blessing
Wisdom is illustrated by or pictured as fruitful, healthy tree that is planted by water. Think of Psalm 1.
The word, Life, in the majority of Proverbs texts refers to an abundant life in fellowship with God, a living relationship.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; 22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26 for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. 29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm. 31 Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. 32 For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. 34 He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. 35 The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame (Proverbs 3:21-35).
More benefits of godly wisdom (Proverbs 3:21-26)
In verse 22, the author paints a picture of the benefits of living a life of wisdom by illustrating its value like piece of jewellery.
The picture of jewellery invites the son to put on, to value this lifestyle of living wisely as he would put on a piece of jewellery that he values greatly.
This means he takes on the instructions given like one would take on a wedding ring, an heirloom of a loved and valued, relative.
In verses 23-26, the sage talks about a different kind of wealth. The wealth of living wisely is described as peace, safety and security. A life free of guilt, shame, or fear of punishment from God is pictured as going to sleep in peace, having no fearful thoughts of judgment, no nightmares or regrets about wrong choices made during the day.
Verse 26 tells us a benefit or reward of godly wisdom:
“God will be at our side if we have followed His wise instructions. ”
This is a picture of the real wealth of living by godly wisdom. Prosperity gospel teachers actually offer too little, too temporary, too limited. Something that reflects more the values of this world than God’s.
In verses 27-31, the teacher offers some practical warnings for daily life.
Don’t delay in giving a person what is due them now (Proverbs 3:27-28)
One of the dramatic and painful effects of the pandemic are the stories of third world populations who have live from day to day. They have no savings, no bank account, if they don’t work, they don’t get paid and there is no money to buy the basics of daily life.
Don’t gossip, slander another unjustly, without reason (Proverbs 3:29-30)
Later on in Proverbs our teacher will talk more about the destructions our tongues can cause others. But now, at the beginning of the book, he warns against a misuse of our language. Wisdom is seen as controlling our tongues.
Don’t enjoy, evil, wrongdoing, don’t desire to follow that kind of example (Proverbs 3:31)
Have you noticed how enticing, inviting, some TV shows and movies make evil and wrong? They make it appear tempting and even fun sometimes. Or necessary and right. They manipulate us so we identify at times with someone making a bad choice.
Finally a contrast of the path of wisdom & the path of folly (Proverbs 3:32-35)
In the final verses of this section, the teacher states the results of choosing to find and follow wisdom or to follow the way of a fool. In short contrasting sentences the life of a wise person is described in comparison with the life of a fool.
God detests the fool since he is perverse but God walks with the man who chooses wisdom. God curses the whole world of the fool, but blesses the wise. God mocks or ridicules the mocker, but values, is pleased with the humble.
Finally, in verse 35, the end result of these two contrasting lifestyles: the wise inherit honor, but the fool receives only shame.
The teacher, by giving examples of wise and foolish choices, is practically screaming: therefore choose wisdom!
The wealth of real wisdom is not only the reward of pleasing our heavenly Father in this life, but enjoying His welcoming arms in the life to come.
At the conclusion to Jesus’ teaching we call The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew:
whoever hears my words and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on a firm foundation. But everyone, who hears these words and does not put them into practice is like the foolish man who built his house on sand (Matthew 7:24-26).
In this section of Proverbs, we are constantly being confronted with thinking about what real wisdom is in God’s view. We are called to make a choice; choices that are grounded on God’s wisdom.
