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Today we begin a new journey.  One that will take us through the entire book of Proverbs lasting 31 weeks.  We pray it will be encouraging, eye-opening, convicting and most of all helpful in turning the Water of the Word into Wine that is enjoyed and shared with others.  The fruit of a strong marriage.

The interesting thing about Proverbs is that Solomon isn’t sitting in a chair saying what he believes based on deep theological thinking.  He took all the knowledge and understanding God gave him and discovered it in real life experiences.  His Proverbs are backed with experience – which qualifies him as the best kind of teacher.  He doesn’t simply tell – he shows.

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Here is the text that stood out to us as we read chapter 1 of Proverbs this week:

“The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The purpose of Proverbs as a whole is to know wisdom and instruction.  Solomon had asked God to make him wise enough to lead His people well.  God answered his prayer and as a result wrote these proverbs for his son, but ultimately for us.

Is your marriage in need of wisdom?

Are you lacking understanding?

The good news is Proverbs will speak to us in our need, and as we respond to the Lord  it will help us grow.

Another purpose of Proverbs is to help us understand words of insight.  Have you ever read the same sentence over and over again because you couldn’t grasp what the writer was trying to say?  Sometimes this is the result of poor writing, but more often than not, it is a result of poor understanding.  This book will help us understand what we read about wisdom making proper application to our lives and marriage.

Thirdly, Proverbs will help us receive instruction in wise dealing.  Have you ever been in a situation where you honestly didn’t know what to do?  Given a couple of good choices, how can we know which one is best, wise and good?  Proverbs won’t tell us specifically which one to choose, but it will teach us how to have discernment in our dealings with others.

Fourth, Proverbs will provide instruction in righteousness.  In order to grow in righteousness, we must adhere to the belief there is only One Truth, One right path.  Our society has embraced a belief that there is no ultimate truth.  What is true for me may not be true for you.  It’s all relative.  However, to live this way rejects the Truth of God’s Word.  We do not condone this for it strips the Gospel of its power.

Righteousness was on display in the life of Christ.  His death and resurrection made His righteousness available to all who would believe and confess Christ as Lord.  In order to grow in righteousness we must be first and foremost, His.

The fifth purpose of Proverbs is to instruct us in matters of justice.  Justice is making sure the right prevails in all things – both relational and judicial.  However the right is not what we think is right, but what God’s Word dictates as right.  This is why it is imperative as Christians we read His Word regularly.  It is the daily immersion in His Word which will bring us to know the Truth.

The sixth purpose is to instruct us in matters of equity.  We weren’t sure what this meant so we turned to Webster’s 1828 for the biblical use of this word:  It is the treating of a person according to justice and reason; right. What a blessing it would be to be married to someone who always treated their spouse in this way.  Impossible?  Maybe completely, for we all married sinners, but it is a worthy goal.  And one we believe this book will help us move toward.

Finally, Proverbs speaks to all possible readers of this book:

• It will give prudence to the simple – Prudence differs from wisdom in this, that prudence implies more caution and reserve than wisdom, or is exercised more in foreseeing and avoiding evil, than in devising and executing that which is good. (Webster’s 1828)
• It will give knowledge and discretion to youth – what parent doesn’t pray for this to be evident in the life of their teens.  One trip to the local mall is proof how much discretion is lacking in our culture.
• It will give encouragement to the wise to grow even more in their understanding.  We will never exhaust our need of more wisdom.

This is a long post, but one we believe sets the stage well for our extended time in this book.  The beginning of wisdom is in rightfully fearing God.  This is a holy fear, unlike the fear one experiences when afraid.  It is healthy to fear God.  To choose otherwise is to be what the last verse in our text says: a fool.

We would love to hear your thoughts?  How does this text speak to you today?