This post is a little different in that I am doing most of the first chapter of Proverbs. It is basically an introduction.
God is a God of structure. What is the first thing He did when he created the world? Gave it structure. The book of Proverbs is no exception. He starts off telling you who wrote the book (the wisest man who ever lived 1 Kings 3:10-15), why the book is written and most importantly, Proverbs 1 shows you how to benefit from the book:
Proverbs 1:1-6
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the
words of understanding;
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and
judgment, and equity;
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge
and discretion.
A wise man will hear, and will increase
learning; and a man of understanding shall
attain unto wise counsels:
To understand a proverb, and the
interpretation; the words of the wise, and
their dark sayings.
If you won't accept what this passage tells you, you may as well close Proverbs and never read it again.
To understand a proverb and it's interpretation we must hear and attain. In other words, reach.
These things He tells us must be sought after, we must learn from them and reach for more.
Being the wise man He is speaking of takes work. You must listen and put actions to those words.
Not only that though:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
God is not secretive. God tells us how to get knowledge:
The fear of the Lord
There is no knowledge or wisdom without the fear of the Lord.
There is no wisdom nor understanding
nor counsel against the Lord.
Proverbs 21:30
I haven't looked into this for myself yet but I would hazard a guess that the first eight chapters of Proverbs deal with knowledge and from chapter nine on, it deals with wisdom:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy
is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10
No, it is not the Lord's fear. It is fearing the Lord. Being weary of his existence and:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap.
Galatians 6:7
It is knowing God will reward every man according to his works (Matthew 16:27). If that does not terrify you, nothing will.
As you know this is a study series on the women of Proverbs.
Be warned now that without the fear of the Lord, you will gain nothing from it.
The last part of this chapter is a good and fair warning (the bold text is my doing):
Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her
voice in the streets:
She crieth in the chief place of
concourse, in the openings of the gates: in
the city she uttereth her words, saying,
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love
simplicity? and the scorners delight in their
scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will
pour out my spirit unto you, I will make
known my words unto you.
Because I have called, and ye refused; I
have stretched out my hand, and no man
regarded;
But ye have set at nought all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof:
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will
mock when your fear cometh;
When your fear cometh as desolation.
and your destruction cometh as a
whirlwind; when distress and anguish
cometh upon you.
Then shall they call upon me, but I will
not answer; they shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me:
For that they hated knowledge, and did
not choose the fear of the LORD:
They would none of my counsel: they
despised all my reproof.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of
their own way, and be filled with their own
devices.
For the turning away of the simple shall
slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall
destroy them.
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall
dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of
evil.
Proverbs 1:20-33
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