Wisdom for life - An introduction to the book of Proverbs

Introduction

The Bible has such a diverse array of writing in it, that it’s easy to get confused by some, or even all of it.

One particularly confusing book is the book of Proverbs. It doesn’t seem too confusing until you come across something like this:

Proverbs 26:4–5 NLT

4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. 5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.

This is the sort of thing that causes skeptics to leap up joyously shouting “contradiction, contradiction, the Bible is a load of rubbish!”

But, of course, that just shows how simple (a word used a lot in Proverbs) the thinking of skeptics is.

Nonetheless, those two verses do seem to be a contradiction, don’t they? And proverbs is supposed to be a repository of wisdom, right? So that raises the question:

What is wisdom?

What is wisdom?

In his commentary on James, pastor and author Roger Ellsworth gives a succinct definition of the Biblical idea of “wisdom.”

First, a word about wisdom. What is it? We must not confuse it with knowledge. Knowledge is information; wisdom is application. Knowledge is comprehending facts; wisdom is handling life. Knowledge is theoretical; wisdom is practical.

Roger Ellsworth

If we think that wisdom is merely knowledge then the two proverbs about fools do present a contradiction. But when we understand wisdom as the much more dynamic and complex process of applying knowledge to life, the apparent contradiction merely becomes a tension in application. Application will be different for different situations, so you can see why there are two different strategies for dealing with the same thing, namely the foolish arguments of fools.

(Just to be clear, it’s not the arguments that matter, but the fools who are making them. You see, some fools are very clever, and if you try to answer their arguments, they’ll drag you down into the seventh level of logic hell with them. I’m sure you’ve encountered such people. Other fools are what Proverbs calls “simple,” which is a rather brutal way of saying “ignorant.” The approach of revealing that there is more to life than their over-simplifications will therefore be very helpful to them and even those around them.)

The practice of wisdom requires being able to tell the difference between these two types of fools. Wisdom is something you practice, like cooking or playing a musical instrument, not just something you study.

Sources of wisdom

So how do we do that? How do we practice wisdom?

Do we follow our heart, as the romantic demands? Perhaps we rely on reason and rationality like an “educated gentleman or lady?”

Do we cling to tradition or cultural practice, as many minority groups are encouraging their people to do?

Do we seek personal advisors?

Perhaps we stick to cold, hard science? Or maybe we do the “opposite” and seek answers in religion?

How is a Christian to become wise?

Well, Proverbs is certainly a good place to start, provided we are careful to read it as it was written to be read.

So lets start with what Proverbs says about itself, which is conveniently located in the first seven verses of the book.

Bible

Let’s read Proverbs 1:1-7:

Proverbs 1:1–7 NLT

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. 3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. 4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. 5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance 6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Who can become wise?

This is a very careful introduction to the book of Proverbs, carefully structured and carefully worded. Let’s work through it, although I’m not going to follow the order of the author.

First, who is the book of Proverbs for?

Proverbs 1:2–5 NLT

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. 3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. 4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. 5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance

According to verse 2, all people benefit from this wisdom. Verses 4 and 5 elaborate further, presenting two contrasting pairs of people. Verse 4 claims that Proverbs benefits those who don’t know much—that is, the simple, or ignorant—as well as those who have limited experience—that is, the young. Verse 5 goes to the other extreme and claims that even those who are already wise and those who are already discerning, or understanding, will benefit from Proverbs, too. In fact, the only people who won’t benefit from Proverbs are those who bury their head in the sand, those who reject the wisdom contained in the book—the fools. By the way, in Proverbs a fool is not a stupid person, but rather someone who rejects wisdom.

How do you become wise?

Next, how do you become wise? The final verse of this section explains the key.

Proverbs 1:7 NLT

7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

In ancient Israel, fear of the LORD was a key attribute of righteous person. In the New Testament, fear of the LORD is still a key attribute of a faithful Christian. Jesus tells his disciples:

Luke 12:5 NLT

5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.

You see, fear of the LORD is crucial to wisdom because it is the humble recognition that God is God and we are his creatures. God will do as he wills, and there is nothing we can do about it except to trust him. One of Solomon’s proverbs expresses it this way:

Proverbs 16:9 NLT

9 We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

In contrast, fools think they know everything, that they control everything—they have confused themselves with God. Or, to put it as Solomon does:

Proverbs 17:10 NLT

10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.

And so when we read Proverbs we should do so with an openness to experience, to correction, to observation.

Tremper Longman III, in his excellent book, How to Read Proverbs, gives some helpful advice:

How to Read Proverbs What Kind of Fool?

Wisdom, then, is not a matter of memorizing proverbs and applying them mechanically and absolutely. Wisdom is knowing the right time and the right circumstance to apply the right principle to the right person.

Returning to the “contradictory” proverbs about whether or not to answer a fool (Prov 26:4–5), we see now that the wise person must, to put it baldly, know what kind of fool he or she is dealing with. Is this a fool who will not learn and will simply sap time and energy from the wise person? If so, then don’t bother answering. However, if this is a fool who can learn, and our not answering will lead to worse problems, then by all means, answer.

In a word, proverbs are principles that are generally true, not immutable laws. Bearing this in mind makes a world of difference when reading the proverbs. Someone reading Proverbs 23:13–14 from the New King James Bible, and having a mechanical view of the application of the proverbs, may well end up with a dangerous view of parenting:

Do not withhold correction from a child,

For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.

You shall beat him with a rod,

And deliver his soul from hell. (NKJV)

Taken as a law, this would lead to parents beating their child out of fear that otherwise the child would end up in the fire and brimstone of hell. Indeed, a literalist would say that only a rod will do; that spanking with the hand is not permissible.

But this is not a law. It is a general principle that encourages those who are reluctant to use a form of discipline by telling them that it is permissible and even helpful for delivering a child from behavior that may result in premature death. As with the fool in the earlier example, though, one must know what kind of child one is dealing with. Some children won’t respond at all to physical punishment; indeed, it may hasten their path to the grave. Others may not need physical punishment but simply a strong reprimand. The key is that parents must know their child and the situation as they apply any proverb.

He goes on to give a very succinct summary of how to read Proverbs,

How to Read Proverbs A Principle for Reading Proverbs

Proverbs are situation-sensitive. We must not apply them mechanically or absolutely. Experience, observation, instruction, learning from mistakes and, most importantly, revelation—all these lay the groundwork for reading the text, reading people, and reading the situation. This understanding of Proverbs will become even more apparent in chapter seven, where we look at the gross misappropriation of wisdom sayings in the book of Job.

What is the point?

So now we know how to get Wisdom, but why should we want Wisdom? What’s the point? Why bother?

Well, wisdom is about living life well. Life is meant to be lived abundantly. Many proverbs are dedicated to explaining how good a wisely lived life is, and how miserable a poorly lived life is.

In our introduction, after the description of the book and its primary author, the purpose is described as:

Proverbs 1:2–3 NLT

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. 3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

I could spend a sermon just on those two verses, but since they are just a summary of many of the proverbs, we can leave that until later.

Indeed, many proverbs contrast the good rewards of wisdom and the disastrous rewards of folly. For example, the first two proverbs in the main section of Solomon’s sayings are:

Proverbs 10:1–2 NLT

1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother. 2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life.

The purpose of wisdom is to enable us to navigate life in a way that glorifies God and enriches both us and those around us.

Wisdom is the difference between the maker and the breaker, the helper and the hurter, the lover and the hater.

Therefore:

Proverbs 4:5–7 NLT

5 Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. 6 Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. 7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.

Over the next few weeks that’s what we’ll be doing by digging into this ancient repository of wisdom.

Let’s pray,

Lord, help us to fear you, to have the humility that is necessary for wisdom. Help us to value your word above our own ideas, or the world’s ideas. Guide us and lead us. Make us a blessing in our home, our family, our church, our community, and our nation.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.