02 The Theme of Proverbs

"THE BOOK OF PROVERBS"

The Theme Of Proverbs (Pro 1:7)

INTRODUCTION

In our previous study we considered the purpose  of the book of Proverbs... 

To know wisdom, perceive words of understanding - Pr 1:2

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity - Pr 1:3

To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion - Pr 1:4

To increase learning for a wise man, to give counsel to a man of understanding - Pr 1:5

To understand proverbs and enigmas, the words of the wise and their riddles - Pr 1:6

In this study, we shall focus our attention on the theme of the book... theme 

Found in(read) Pr 1:7 

Stated in the form of antithetical parallelism

In which the repeated terms of a poetic couplet are opposite in meaning

Typical of thought rhyme (as opposed to word rhyme) found in Hebrew poetry

[We first note that it is "the fear of the LORD" which is...]

THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE

THE FEAR OF THE LORD EXPLAINED...

The term(fear) is the common word for fear in the OT and has a basic three-fold range of meanings - as per the yara'  NET Bible

Dread, terror - Deuteronomy 1:29 ““Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them.”  

Jonah 1:10 “Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.”

To stand in awe (in reference to a king) - 1 Kings 3:28 “And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.”

To revere, to respect (in regards to parents) - Leviticus 19:3 “‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.”

Notice when God descended upon Sinai amid geophysical convulsions - cf. 

Exo 20:18-20

Moses encouraged the Israelites to not be afraid of God arbitrarily striking them dead for no reason "Do not fear!"

He informed them that the Lord revealed Himself in such a terrifying manner to scare them from sinning ("God has come to test you, and that, so that you may not sin.") His fear may be before you

Thus there is also a place for such fear of the Lord in the life of a Christian

We should fear God, not man - Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The early church walked in the fear of the Lord - Acts 9:31 “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”

We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling - Philippians 2:12 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;”

We should be fearful of apostasy, serving God with godly fear - Hebrews 10:26–31 “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” ; 

Hebrews 12:28–29 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

-- The fear of the LORD is expressed in reverential submission to his will - NET Bible

THE FEAR OF THE LORD ESTEEMED...

From the book of Proverbs we learn concerning the fear of the Lord:

It is the beginning of knowledge - Pr 1:7

It will cause one to hate evil - Pr 8:13

It will prolong life - Pr 10:27

It provides strong confidence and is a fountain of life - Pr 14:26-27

It prompts one to depart from evil - Pr 16:6

It leads to a satisfying life, and spares one from much evil - Pr 19:23

It is the way to riches, honor, and life! - Pr 22:4

Thus without the fear of the Lord:

We deprive ourselves of the treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge

We will flirt with evil and be corrupted by it

Our lives are likely to be shortened by our refusal to heed God's word (e.g., suffering sexually transmitted diseases if we do not heed His Word on sexual relationships)

We will not come to know the love of God that gives us assurance and confidence of our salvation

When fallen into sin, we will not be motivated to repent and turn to God!

We will not be motivated to truly "work out our own salvation"

-- The fear of the Lord should be a highly regarded and sought after trait to develop!

[The fear of the Lord serves as the beginning or principal part of becoming truly wise. Now let's notice the second half of verse 7 which reveals...]

THE WAY OF FOLLY

THE FOOLISH DESPISE WISDOM...

The Hebrew word 'evil’ (fool) refers to a person characterized by moral folly - 'evil  NET Bible

It is an adjective meaning foolish in the sense of one who hates wisdom and walks in folly, despising wisdom and morality - TCWD

This foolish disdain for wisdom expressed elsewhere in Proverbs - Pr 1:22; 17:16; 18:2

-- For one to despise the wisdom of God (such as found in this book) is truly foolish!

THE FOOLISH DISREGARD INSTRUCTION...

Not interested in wisdom, they are unwilling to heed the counsel of others

As expressed by the voice of wisdom herself - cf. Pr 1:25,30

Lack of such counsel leads to defeat and failure - Pr 11:14; 15:22

The fool listens only to his own heart - Pr 12:15

But wisdom and delight can be attained through the counsel of others - Pr 19:20; 27:9

-- In the book of Proverbs, the fool is characterized mostly by his or her unwillingness to listen to the advice of others (God, parents, friends, etc.)

CONCLUSION

Here then is the underlying theme throughout the book of Proverbs...

Develop the fear of the Lord if you desire to become truly wise

Discount the warnings and counsel of others, and you will be a fool!

As Christians, let us be truly wise by developing the fear of the Lord...

For His knowledge has given us great and precious promises - cf. 2 Peter 1:2–4 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

It behooves us to perfect holiness in the fear of God - cf. 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Shall we be wise, or shall we be fools...?