Prayer

Almighty God, my loving Heavenly Father, thank you for a new day of life. I praise and worship you, thank you for the privilege of this life. As I start out on this new day that you have given me, whatever this day may bring, O Lord, thou art God. You alone decree and determine all things, only help me I pray to be faithful with whatever is allotted to me. O Lord, meet me, I pray, in the midst of my great weakness. I am not sufficient unto the doing of this day. Unless you preserve me, I can do nothing. Again I cry out for wisdom, my wisdom is profoundly lacking. Please cause me to abound in wisdom, that I may know and discern how I must live to please and serve you. So may it be in the lives of all the saints, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Reading

Proverbs 1:2-5.

“To know wisdom and instruction,to understand words of insight,

to receive instruction in wise dealing,in righteousness, justice, and equity;

to give prudence to the simple,knowledge and discretion to the youth—

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

Meditation

Why did Solomon write the book of proverbs? In Proverbs 1:2-5 Solomon lays out four major reasons as to why he wrote this book. We’re going to look at these four reasons in this meditation.

The first of these reasons is simply: to make us wise. In verse two we read: “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight”. What Solomon is talking about here is far deeper than just intellectual knowledge. This is not just about learning information to pass some test. No, Solomon writes that we may “know wisdom and instruction”. That word “know” has a connotation of intimacy about it. Solomon wants wisdom to become a part of who we are. He wants to write wisdom into your spiritual DNA. He wants it to have a profound effect on the way you view the world, and thus to start to change the way you live in the world. This is what it means to become wise, it means that the way we are and the way we live truly starts to change. Wisdom actually impacts your life. In an earlier meditation we talked about “living an exceptional life”. Wisdom is the essential working ingredient in every exceptional life. So that’s the first reason Solomon wrote this book: to make us wise. For that reason, this devotional series of books that I’m writing, as an exposition of the Book of Proverbs, has the same aim: to make us wise.

Here is the second reason that Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs: to instruct us in how to obey God’s law. Verse three says that Solomon writes that we may “receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity.” There is a close relationship between wisdom and the righteous law of God. Perhaps I can put it this way: the law teaches us what God’s righteousness and justice looks like on a human level, wisdom teaches us how, and is the innate capacity, to skillfully apply and live out God’s law. Wisdom is the ability to rightly apply and live out God’s revealed will. In the course of these studies, we should expect so see numerous parallels with scripture more broadly as Solomon gives practical expositions of God’s righteous law. And remember: the law of God is a revelation of his righteous character as it would look in the life of his creatures. Wisdom is thus the forming of God’s righteousness in our lives – it is a restoration of the image of God within us! Ultimately, it is the formation of Christ’s character within us.

The third reason Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs was to give maturity to the young. In verse four we read that Solomon’s writings are intended to “give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth”. This is also very obvious as we consider the nature of the dialogue in chapters one through nine of the book as a whole – it’s a dialogue of a father speaking to his son. Young people are not naturally wise. We’re not born with wisdom coursing through our veins. On the contrary, as Proverbs 22:15 says “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.” The book of Proverbs thus has a very special role to play in instructing children and young people. Parents ought to use it in discipling their children, young people ought to pay careful attention to it (give this book to a young person!). If we do not receive wisdom, then in our old age we will still be naive simpletons, unable to exercise discernment. Living foolishly. For those of us who are physically older, but still spiritually immature, the lesson also applies here, for the Book of Proverbs will be a welcome tonic for our spiritual growth.

Prudence speaks to teaching us the best and most effective way of living out and accomplishing righteousness. It suggests that the prudent will be “cunning” unto the accomplishment of that which is good. Similarly, as Paul Washer has pointed out, discretion connotes the capacity to make the right choice in a given situation. This is discernment. In other words, as wisdom is formed in us through our prayerful studies through the Book of Proverbs, part of what this means is that we will become skillful in doing good. That sounds appealing to me! This is moral excellence outworked in our lives.

The fourth and final reason Solomon gives for writing the Book of Proverbs is to give increased wisdom to the mature. In verse five we read: “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance”. There is always more space to grow in wisdom, one never “arrives”. So, yes, the Book of Proverbs especially targets young people in order to give them wisdom, but it is also a constant source of further growth for those who are more mature in the faith. Proverbs is a book to be taken in steady doses for a lifetime of learning and spiritual growth. SDG.

Be ye doers of the word…

As Paul Washer reflects in his meditations on Proverbs, we live in a perilous world. Without wisdom, the world will eat us alive. There will be snares placed before us, temptations, and without wisdom we will walk heedlessly on in to those snares. I’ve sought to impress the importance of being diligent in this study of Proverbs. You don’t have to read these books, but you do have to make a serious investment into the Book of Proverbs, and the Word of God. My hope is that these articles/podcasts, as the series unfolds, will be a serious help to make that investment. Don’t read a few articles and then give up (unless you have a committed alternate and better plan for making this investment!).

Prayer of Confession & Consecration

Dear Lord God, our Heavenly Father, we praise you the God of wisdom. Your understanding knows no limits, and your insight is boundless. Lord, we are small and foolish by nature, and stand in great need of your wisdom. Through these studies in Proverbs, please impart to us your wisdom – that we may know instruction, and understand words of insight. Without your power at work within us, we can do nothing. For the sake of Christ who loved us, please reform us anew into your image, that we may have wisdom. Please Lord, spare us from laziness in these studies, and make us increasingly to walk in the ways of wisdom. All praise, glory, and thanks be to you who gives wisdom freely to all who ask. We thank you Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Get full access to Old things New. at rcbhpastor.substack.com/subscribe