Proverbs 1:1–9 — what the book of Proverbs is for

From a Sunday school class · Proverbs 1:1–9

Who wrote it, and to whom (v. 1)

"The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel." Most of the book is Solomon's, written — as verse 8 shows — to his son, probably Rehoboam. Rehoboam went on to split the kingdom, and if we're honest, he doesn't seem to have heeded these proverbs very well. The beauty of the book is that it tells you its purpose right at the start. You don't have to guess.

A proverb is a short sentence, often repeated, that expresses a well-known truth learned by experience — a maxim of wisdom. And here's the key to reading them: proverbs aren't math equations. They're not formulas that always produce the same output. Think of cooking versus baking — baking is precise, cooking is a feel. Proverbs teach us how to think, live, and act within God's desires. They're for forming judgment, not memorizing answers.

To know wisdom (v. 2)

"For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings." Wisdom is skill — wits, shrewdness, prudence. Want to know its opposite? Read Psalm 107:23–29, sailors in a storm, "tossed to and fro... at their wits' end." The phrase uses the same Hebrew word. The opposite of wisdom is instability — being tossed around, unable to stand. So wisdom looks like being firm, stable, able to stand. (I learned this personally, deep-sea fishing on our honeymoon.)

"Discipline" means correction, teaching, warning. A huge theme of the book is being able to identify, listen to, and heed instruction. That's one of the great dividers between the fool and the wise: the wise seek instruction and listen to it. And "understanding insightful sayings" — Proverbs teaches us how to understand what we're taught. It doesn't just teach what to think; it teaches how. It's good to be taught Christian ways; do we think in Christian ways? Being wise isn't knowing the answer to one question; it's being able to handle many questions in many situations. A police officer with the rulebook memorized still needs wisdom when he steps out of the car. Seek to be this way, and teach your children to be this way.

To receive instruction (vv. 3–4)

"For receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity." "Receive" has the sense of taking — it's there for the taking, so take it, the way salvation is there to be received. Instruction in prudence — pay attention. In justice — justice is a huge deal to God; He is just, and He expects us to treat each other justly, without partiality, with "just balances, just weights" (Leviticus 19:36). In judgment — we're told not to judge in a way we wouldn't want to be judged, but everyone has judgments to make, and Solomon is raising a future king who'll have to make them well. And in integrity — evenness, straightness, what's right.

"For teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man." "The inexperienced" — the simple — is someone who hasn't chosen a path yet, with wisdom and foolishness both pulling at him. Solomon wants to take that blank slate and write good things on it. Discretion — knowing what to do in a situation — is a major idea of the book.

The wise keep learning (vv. 5–6)

"Let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance." A mark of wisdom, and how it grows, is listening to and learning from people wiser than you. When we refuse instruction, we show ourselves unwise. "For understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles" — those riddles aren't mystical; they're hard questions and perplexing statements. The more you're around wise people, the more you understand them. The more time an apprentice spends with the master cabinetmaker, the more he learns.

Where it all starts (v. 7)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline."

Reverence for God is the key to knowledge. When the baseline for everything is shaken, it's hard to reach practical conclusions — and we watch this play out in a culture that has no fear of God and drifts into complete foolishness. The foundation of all things is God. Forsake Him and you get a know-it-all mentality: a lot of very smart, well-educated people become arrogant about how much they know and refuse instruction because they think they're the source of it.

Listen to the people who love you (vv. 8–9)

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction, and don't reject your mother's teaching, for they will be a garland of grace on your head and pendants around your neck." The people who cared most about Rehoboam were his parents. Find the people in your life who have your best interest at heart — who'll tell you things you don't want to hear because they care about you. Plenty of people, even good ones, will give you advice that benefits them. Find counselors who'll tell you the truth even when it costs them.

And there's something special about heritage. If you come from a long line of faith, stay in it. If you're a new Christian, build something your children and grandchildren can build on and be proud of.

Where the foundation actually starts

Solomon says reverence for God is the beginning of knowledge. So start there. If you've been running your own life as the source of what's true, you already know where that road goes — a know-it-all standing on nothing. God isn't asking you to get smart first. He's asking you to bow. Jesus took the sin you've stacked up, died with it on Him, and walked out of the grave three days later. Call on Him and He saves you. Not because you figured it out. Because He did.

If you're already His, go find one of those counselors this week. Not the ones whose advice happens to benefit them — the one who'll tell you the truth even when it costs him something. Ask him one honest question about your life, then sit there and don't argue with the answer. That's harder than it sounds.

And if you've got kids at the table, read verses 8 and 9 out loud to them. Start the heritage. Somebody in the line has to be first.

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Proverbs: Part 1 · The five characters of Proverbs →