Wisdom Begins with Knowledge

Proverbs 1:1-7

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

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,

3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;

4 To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—

5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The proverbs of Solomon talk of wisdom as “the ability to live life skillfully” a godly life in an ungodly world.  This wisdom has its foundation on knowledge of the LORD God and His word.  This book of wisdom uses a combination of poetry, parables, pithy questions, short stories, and wise sayings to teach us how to live wisely to please and honor God by these examples and principles. The opening section initiates the book by reminding us that spiritual and daily wisdom begins with knowledge of God and His word to live by.  The first few verses lay out essentials to know wisdom through God’s teaching throughout the book, but which apply to the entire Bible as well.  We first see the goal is to gain real understanding as we are instructed that we may grow wise in applying God’s word to our daily lives.  This is not an exercise in becoming an intellectual theologian, but a humbly equipped lover of God’s knowledge put into practice, which is wisdom defined.  To receive such wisdom from His word, we must receive it, willing to learn and walk it out in following God as He instructs  how to live.  In addition to wisdom we are to also receive understanding of justice, fairness, and sound judgment of situations and in dealing with others.  God’s wisdom provides us with prudence to consider our steps in actions and reactions, something we as simple people need from outside ourselves because sin has utterly corrupted our good sense since taking the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the beginning instead of learning from God’s teaching of His word (Genesis 2:17, 3:1, 5-6, Hebrews 5:14).  Yes, His teaching guides and corrects us along the way (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to teach discretion through that acquired spiritual knowledge.  If we are wise, we will listen to heed and learn the lessons of wisdom through that knowledge, increasing more and more (Philippians 3:10, Colossians 1:9-10, 2 Peter:5-9) in life changing knowledge as a foundation to conformity to Christ.  This includes wise godly counsel along the way, for God gives varying gifts to each to build us up (1 Corinthians 12:4, 6-7, Ephesians 4:12-13) into lasting wisdom for living in light of eternity.  His Spirit now living in us gives real and lasting understanding for true wisdom which makes it easier in some ways to understand these difficult enigmatic proverbs like the parables which Jesus told to His disciples.  God’s wise riddles hidden in this book of proverbs point to higher understanding and wisdom for living in light of the New Testament of God’s revealed word to us.  Above all, verse 7 in the end of this first section of chapter one gives us the framework for knowledge leading to spiritual wisdom, which is the fear of God as its foundation.  Only fools despise God’s teaching and the wisdom it produces.  May we not follow their path, but godly examples and patterns as our solid foundation.  Shifting sands of doubt, disobedience, and disbelief are things we should avoid at all cost, choosing instead to live obediently according to His word by faith.  That is the fearful awe and reverence of God, wisdom in living out our faith.  It begins with trusting God’s word as true knowledge, and ends in the wisdom of changed lives of our ongoing sanctification.  To be wise, I must seek to learn by listening, both to God's word and to those who teach it. Then He can sharpen me to do deeper into things not so clear.  But all learning must be founded on the fear of The Lord, knowing that living what I learn must be to please Him, not for my own "bettering."  Only fools hate to learn and to grow wiser.