In our study of Proverbs, we see a picture of young people starting out in life and the choices that they have to make. A proverb (mashal in Hebrew) is a short saying that expresses truth and wisdom. This is a collection of those sayings and it tells the story of young people starting their lives on their own.
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The proverbs of Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra’el,
The first part of this book contains sayings from Solomon who was the wisest man the world has ever seen. We remember that, when Solomon was told that he could ask for anything from God, he asked for wisdom and God granted it (2 Chronicles 1).
are for learning about wisdom and discipline; for understanding words expressing deep insight; for gaining an intelligently disciplined life, doing what is right, just and fair;
Here, we see the purpose of these sayings. Wisdom is the ability to properly use knowledge and for us, as Christians, it is the mind of Jesus Christ. Instruction is talking about teaching using discipline while understanding speaks of intelligence. Prudent behavior is referring to the fact that not all knowledge is to be shared at all times with all people. Prudence is using good judgment on when to share your knowledge. In short, these sayings are meant to show us how to live a life that brings glory to God.
for endowing with caution those who don’t think and the young person with knowledge and discretion. Someone who is already wise will hear and learn still more; someone who already understands will gain the ability to counsel well; he will understand proverbs, obscure expressions, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
We see that these sayings are for the benefit of everyone. The simple speaks of foolish people and we see that they are given good judgment. A fool will usually run around doing whatever pops into their mind. They have no direction or ability to filter their actions. We see that they give knowledge to the young and the ability to think before acting. We all have been young and impulsive but these sayings can give young people a pause so they do not end up doing foolish things. Even the wise can add to their understanding.
The fear of Adonai is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
The "fear of the Lord" (Yirat HaShem) is talking about rightly seeing God as He is and showing respect. In this case, it is knowing that this wisdom and instruction can only come from God. The entire book is about living in a way that brings glory to God (artful living) and who is better to learn from than the Creator of all things? As we saw, it was God who granted Solomon his request for wisdom.
My son, heed the discipline of your father, and do not abandon the teaching of your mother; they will be a garland to grace your head, a medal of honor for your neck.
We see that it is both the mother and father who provide the teaching for the son. We are reminded that this is how God has designed the family. The breakdown that we see today in the family has produced generations that simply follow the crowd. The garland and gold chain were signs of honor and respect that were granted by a king. This was the case with Joseph (Genesis 41:42) and Daniel (Daniel 5:29). They were to set the person apart and mark them as royalty. This principle of a king marking his royalty is carried through even to the last days as God's witnesses are sealed (see Revelation 7).
My son, if sinners entice you, don’t go along with them.
A young man's/woman's first step into the world alone, today, is to go off to college as they mature. There may be different schools trying to get them to attend. This is the picture of what is happening here. Solomon says that the college of wisdom is calling them but also the college of fools. Those that acknowledge God are of the school of wisdom while those that do not are of the school of fools. The Hebrew root for the word entice is related to the word "simple" or foolish. The sinful men will attempt to get you to forget about the good judgment that was given to you through your parents. Solomon urges his son to stand strong and hold onto his godly principles.
Suppose they say, “Come with us: we’ll ambush somebody and kill him, we’ll waylay some harmless soul, just for fun; we’ll swallow him alive, like Sh’ol, whole, like those who descend to the pit; we’ll find everything he has of value, we’ll fill our homes with loot! Throw in your lot with us;
The school of fools will often use the prospect of material wealth to lure young people away from the wisdom of God. Here, we see that they are willing to do whatever is required to get ahead even if that means stomping on others. This is compared to the image of death and the grave.
my son, don’t go along with them, don’t set foot on their path; Their feet run to evil, they rush to shed blood.
The word path brings to mind the fact that it is a regular way of going and it becomes a habit. Once you have your heart set on material wealth and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it, it gets very hard to get out of it.
For in vain is the net baited if any bird can see it; rather, they are ambushing themselves to shed their own blood, waylaying themselves. So are the ways of all greedy for gain — it takes the lives of those who get it.
Nets were used to trap birds and other animals but birds are smart enough to avoid a net that they can see. Once you are on the path of materialism, you can be easily consumed by the quest for more. It can start with small compromises of integrity and lead to bigger and bigger crimes. Those that are on this path become trapped by the worry of being discovered and the guilt of knowing that it is wrong. Here, Solomon is, in a sense, making his son aware of the net. We have heard the phrase "bird brained" and it is usually used to point to the fact they they have little intelligence due to the fact that they have a small brain. If he is as smart as a bird (which is not very smart), he will avoid this trap.
Wisdom calls aloud in the open air and raises her voice in the public places; she calls out at streetcorners and speaks out at entrances to city gates:
While the things of God (wisdom) are proclaimed out in the open where everyone can see, those who strive for ill-gotten gain usually do so in secret. They may even go so far as to pretend to be one way in public but be the opposite in private. This is what Paul was talking about (in 2 Corinthians 11) when he referred to Satan and his servants masquerading as an angel of light. A simple lesson from this for Christians is that, if you are afraid that others will find out that you are doing something, then, don't do it!
“How long, you whose lives have no purpose, will you love thoughtless living? How long will scorners find pleasure in mocking? How long will fools hate knowledge?
With knowledge of the things of God comes responsibility. Many people simply do not want that but would rather walk around in ignorant bliss. For many, the answer to wisdom's questions is that it will end on judgment day. We have all probably seen a child say "I don't know" when asked why they did something. That may work for children in the world but it will not work when a grown person stands before the judgment throne.
Repent when I reprove — I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make my words known to you.
Repentance is required as we humbly accept that we do not know it all. We have all been young and ready to take on the world. At that time, we thought that we had all the answers and knew everything about life. If we are humble and accept that we do not have the wisdom that we need, God will provide. For Christians, this verse speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit as our counselor. God promises that, if we have faith (trust) in Him, He will not let us be fooled by the false angels of light. Jesus spoke of them using great signs and wonders to deceive (Matthew 24:24) but we will stand through the power of the Spirit in us.
Because you refused when I called, and no one paid attention when I put out my hand, but instead you neglected my counsel and would not accept my reproof; I, in turn, will laugh at your distress, and mock when terror comes over you — yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble assail you.
If there is no repentance and the young man/woman continues in the school of fools, there will be consequences. Here, we see that disaster will overtake them as what started out relatively small has reached the scale of calamity. As a parent, one wants to intervene and prevent the consequences for their children but is that the right thing to do?
Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they won’t find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Adonai,
When the consequences of foolish behavior begin, many pray to God to get them out of their trouble. Here, God warns them that He does not hear and answer these prayers because they did not repent. One might ask how this can be with a loving God. The simple fact is that God would rather give them tough love and bring them to repentance than to let them have a false sense of salvation.
they refused my counsel and despised my reproof. So they will bear the consequences of their own way and be overfilled with their own schemes. For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them, and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them; but those who pay attention to me will live securely, untroubled by fear of misfortune.”
The ultimate consequence of graduating from the school of fools, is eternal death (separation from God) and a spot in hell. The good news is that, until that final breath is taken, there is the opportunity to stop and choose the path of the school of wisdom (God). That is a change of direction from living for self to living in Christ. The best decision that anyone can make is to drop out of the school of fools and enroll in the school of wisdom!
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