Wisdom - A Study in Proverbs

THE SOURCE OF WISDOM

Ultimately in God

Prov. 2:6 “For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Prov. 3:19 “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens.”

Prov. 21:30 “There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel against the Lord.”

Prov. 30:3 “Neither have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.”

Parents

Prov. 4:5 “Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.”

Prov. 4:11 “I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.”

Prov. 5:1 “My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding;”

Prov. 23:19 “Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.”

Wise men

Prov. 1:5 “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,”

Prov. 22:17 “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge;”

Creation

Prov. 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”— Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.”

Prov. 30:24-28 “Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise: The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer; The shephanim are not mighty people, Yet they make their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in ranks; The lizard you may grasp with the hands, Yet it is in kings’ palaces.”

ACTIONS OF THE WISE

Hears Others

Prov. 1:5 “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,”

Prov. 2:2 “Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;”

Prov. 8:33 ““Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it.”

Prov. 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”

Prov. 13:10 “Through insolence comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.”

Fears The Lord

Prov. 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Prov. 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Seeks, Asks, Searches

Prov. 4:7 ““The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.”

Prov. 18:15 “The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”

Prov. 23:23 “Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.”

Makes Wisdom His Best Companion

Prov. 7:4 “Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your intimate friend;”

Prov. 10:23 “Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.”

Prov. 14:33 “Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, But in the hearts of fools it is made known.”

Prov. 17:24 “Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.”

Accepts reproofs/commands

Prov. 9:8-9 “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.”

Prov. 10:8 “The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined.”

Prov. 13:1 “A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

Prov. 21:11 “When the scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise; But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.”

Prov. 29:15 “The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.”

Thinks Before Acting

Prov. 10:14 “Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.”

Is Humble

Prov. 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.”

Wins Souls

Prov. 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.”

Walks With Other Wise Men

Prov. 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Looks For Purpose In Life

Prov. 14:8 “The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit.”

Turns From Evil

Prov. 14:16 “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.”

Teaches Others

Prov. 15:7 “The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.”

Avoids Alcohol

Prov. 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.”

Rejects Fools

Prov. 20:26 “A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over them.”

Deals Wisely With Money

Prov. 21:20 “There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man swallows it up.”

BENEFITS OF WISDOM

Unlocks the mysteries of life

Prov. 1:6 “To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.”

Feelings of accomplishment

Prov. 2:10 “For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;”

Blessings

Prov. 3:13 “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding.”

Honor

Prov. 3:35 “The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor.”

Better Than Wealth

Prov. 8:11 ““For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.”

Prov. 16:16 “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.”

Is Constructive

Prov. 9:1 “Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;”

Prov. 15:2 “The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.”

Prov. 18:4 “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.”

Prov. 24:3 “By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;”

Prov. 24:23 “These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.”

Pleases Parents

Prov. 10:1 “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.”

Prov. 15:20 “A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother.”

Prov. 23:15 “My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;”

Prov. 23:24 “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.”

Prov. 27:11 “Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may reply to him who reproaches me.”

Prov. 28:3 “A poor man who oppresses the lowly Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.”

Is Good For Others

Prov. 12:18 “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Prov. 13:14 “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.”

Prov. 16:14 “The fury of a king is like messengers of death, But a wise man will appease it.”

Prov. 16:21 “The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.”

Prov. 25:12 “Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear.”

Prov. 29:8-9 “Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger. When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.”

Brings Material Satisfaction

Prov. 14:24 “The crown of the wise is their riches, But the folly of fools is foolishness.”

Provides Guide For The Tongue

Prov. 16:23 “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips.”

Prov. 17:28 “Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.”

Prov. 29:11 “A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.”

Prov. 31:26 “She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

Better Than Strength

Prov. 21:22 “A wise man scales the city of the mighty And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.”

Prov. 24:5-6 “A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power. For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory.”

Provides A Future

Prov. 24:14 “Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.”

PROBLEMS

One Might Be Wise In Their Own Eyes

Prov. 3:7 “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”

Prov. 9:12 “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.”

Prov. 26:5 “Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes.”

Prov. 26:12 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Prov. 26:16 “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can give a discreet answer.”

Prov. 28:11 “The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding sees through him.”

The Wrong Type Of People Seek It

Prov. 14:6 “A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.”

Prov. 17:16 “Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense?”

Those Who Need Wisdom Turn Away From The Wise

Prov. 15:12 “A scoffer does not love one who reproves him, He will not go to the wise.”

Prov. 8:11 ““For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.”