Week 2

9/20/09

Proverbs – Wisdom for the Church in Exile

1:1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
 3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
 5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
 6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Wisdom of the Gospel & the Fear of the Lord – Proverbs 1:1, 7

  1. The wisdom of Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:16-31). Understanding the work of the Trinity in the whole of salvation.
  2. Pilgrim wisdom (1 Peter 3:8-17; 2:4ff).
  3. The wisdom of God found in his Word equips us to live in this present evil age to the glory of God.
  4. And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:17).

The Wisdom of Solomon – 1 Kings 3:3-14; 4:29-34

  1. vs.1 – Solomon the Wise Ruler.
  2. Proverbs was written for the covenant community—those who fear the Lord. To teach covenant youth in particular, the way of wisdom.
  3. “Fear of Yahweh also speaks to the intended readers of the book of Proverbs. The book is not written for a general audience, but for a particular people—those who fear the Lord. Anyone can join this community, but the prologue clearly creates insiders and outsiders. Outsiders may learn also, but they may not remain outside of the learning community for long.”[1]
  4. Wisdom blesses, strengthens, and heals the covenant community (Acts 9:31; Eph. 4:11-16). Wisdom brings healing and restores order to the community.
  5. Wisdom protects and preserves the covenant community. One of the ways it does this is by contrasting the fear of the Lord with idolatry. Idolatry is personified in the adulteress, and the woman of folly, God’s wisdom is personified in the woman of wisdom (Proverbs 5,6,7,8, & 9).

Gaining Wisdom

  1. Wisdom must be highly valued by those who seek it (Prov. 2:1-5).
  2. Wisdom – skilled in the art of living. Skill in relationships—with God, his creation, our community, and our neighbors—social skill, right relationships.
  3. Wisdom must be learned:
    vs. 2a – in order to know or gain wisdom for oneself, through experience and submitting to instruction/discipline (Deut. 11:2). There must be an attitude of humility and a willingness to receive instruction (Prov. 3:11-12).
  4. vs. 2b – in order to understand words of insight—knowing the wise thing to do in any given situation—discernment and interpretation. The ability to size up a situation and act accordingly.
  5. Words of Wisdom: knowledge, understanding, insight, prudence, discretion, guidance.

Wisdom and Righteousness – Proverbs 2:9; 21:21; 2 Timothy 3:14-16

  1. vs. 3a – Wisdom produces maturity and personal character that leads to good paths in life. Prudence – caution with regard to practical matters; discretion; antonym: rashness.
  2. vs. 3b – Godly character and righteousness is the goal of wisdom. Righteousness is love of God and love of neighbor in action. “In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is revealed in action, especially in loving action towards one’s neighbor. The wise person practices what is learned out of loving reverence for the LORD.[2]
  3. Wisdom and Righteousness are correlative terms. They have different meanings, but are always together in a person. A wise man is always righteous, as a righteous man is always wise.[3]
  4. The fear of the Lord is connected to understanding and keeping God’s commands.
  5. Proverbs applies the law of God to life, how to live in God’s world—the 3rd use of the law.
  6. Knowing the commandment that a particular saying or proverb relates to, gives insight to the wisdom revealed in the proverb. See the Larger Catechism on the Ten Commandments.

The Simple and the Young

  1. The uncommitted, the ignorant, the inexperienced, the immature.
  2. Proverbs presents the simple with a choice—wisdom or folly.
  3. Wisdom is not a matter of intelligence, but of submitting to instruction, learning from experience and becoming mature.

Who Are the Wise?

  1. vs. 5 – Humility is the defining character trait of the wise. The humble continue to seek wisdom. They continue to be teachable. Acquiring wisdom is a life long pursuit.
  2. The humility of the wise is directly related to the fear of the Lord.
  3. It is the responsibility of the wise to instruct the simple/covenant youth.
  4. “Wisdom is meant to be intergenerational; one generation was to pass on wisdom to the next. Thus, the institution of the family and the covenantal relationships within the larger family of God are responsibility to transmit wisdom.”[4]

To Understand Ancient Forms of Wisdom

  1. “Here the wise acquire learning that aids in understanding these ancient wisdom forms.
    . . . Proverbs and parables, sayings and riddles, all hide in order to reveal. They require some work and exercise of wit on the part of the reader to crack the combination lock.”
  2. The book of Proverbs trains the mind to think wisely.

The Fear of the Lord

  1. Faith in God’s wisdom, His grace in salvation in Christ, in his sovereignty and justice, makes one wise.
  2. “The life of wisdom is not just good sense or a list of principles for a happy life; it is above all an attitude toward God that influences all of our decisions and actions. This attitude does not take away our privilege and responsibility to make choices and plans; it sets them in the light of God’s claim on the world he made, as well as on our lives.”[5]

[1] Koptak, Paul E., Proverbs, The NIV Application Commentary, p. 63.

[2] Koptak, Paul E., Proverbs, The NIV Application Commentary, p. 69.

[3] Waltke, Bruce K., “Righteousness in Proverbs”, WTJ 70 (2008), p. 233.

[4] Gamble, Richard C., The Whole Counsel of God, Vol.1, p. 518.

[5] Koptak, p. 67