WEEK 28, DAY 194; TODAY’S READING: PROVERBS 1–4

July 13, 2023 by ·

OVERVIEW:

The purpose for the book of Proverbs; the enticement of sinners; the need for wisdom; the prerequisites for obtaining wisdom, knowledge, and understanding; the power of wisdom and knowledge to protect from the “evil man” and the “strange woman”; the rewards of wisdom; the instruction of a father.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The book of Proverbs is the revelation of wisdom from “the son of David, king of Israel”. (1:1) As that identification is made, it is imperative that we keep in mind the three applications of Scripture. (For a review of them, please refer to “Highlights and Insights” in WEEK 25, DAY 5.)

THE HISTORICAL APPLICATION: From an historical standpoint, Proverbs is the impartation of Solomon’s wisdom, the king of Israel, to his son, Rehoboam. (Note, the phrase “My son” is found as Solomon’s paragraphical “lead in” 23 times in this book.) It is a book written to a king’s son to teach him how to rule in a kingdom, as he employs the practical principles of life and leadership that flow out of understanding the difference between:

  • The WISE (wisdom) and the FOOL (foolishness).
  • What is RIGHT and what is WRONG.
  • The “GODLY MAN” versus the “EVIL MAN”. 
  • The “VIRTUOUS WOMAN” versus a “STRANGE WOMAN”.

THE DOCTRINAL/PROPHETIC APPLICATION: From a doctrinal/prophetic standpoint, Proverbs is the revealing of wisdom to the nation of Israel during the Tribulation Period. (Note how God identifies Israel in Exodus 4:22: “Israel is MY SON”.) Proverbs is a book written by Israel’s king to warn them against the antichrist (“THE” personification of the “evil man”) and the “fornicating” bed of false religion (“THE” doctrinal application of the “strange woman”) that will be so seductive during that time period. (More will be said about this identification of the “evil man” and “strange woman” below.)

THE DEVOTIONAL/INSPIRATIONAL APPLICATION: From a devotional/inspirational standpoint, Proverbs is the revelation of wisdom from Israel’s true King: the “King of kings”, the “Son of David”, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 20:30–31) He writes to all who have been made His “sons”! (John 1:12; 1st John 3:1) It is a book written to teach a young man both how to live and to lead in a kingdom, the first “kingdom” being the “kingdom” of his own LIFE! He must first learn how to rule his own heart, mind, emotions, passions, and desires. When he has applied the wisdom of his King to that first “kingdom,” a young man is then ready to take on the responsibility of marriage, and bringing up children. After learning to “rule well” in the “kingdom” of his HOME (1st Timothy 3:4), he is then ready to take on the responsibility of applying the wisdom of his King in the “kingdom”, as it were, of the CHURCH. (1st Timothy 5:17)

Because he has applied the wisdom of his King revealed through Proverbs, he has learned how to rule in his spirit over the pitfalls men fall into that “disqualify” them from ruling in their homes and in the church:

  • The love of self. (2nd Timothy 3:2)
  • The love of pleasure. (2nd Timothy 3:4 – i.e. self-gratification, seduction of the “strange woman”, etc.)
  • The love of money. (1st Timothy 6:10)
  • The love of this present world. (2nd Timothy 4:10)

At the same time that a young man is learning to apply the wisdom of his King to the “kingdom” of his life and all subsequent kingdoms, if a young lady will likewise apply the wisdom of her King to her life, allowing Him to develop in her the character of a “virtuous woman”, the two will inevitably, in God’s sovereignty and wisdom, find each other. The godly young man will recognize the character of the woman to whom he should offer the proposal of marriage, and the godly young woman will recognize the character of the one to whom she should accept the proposal of marriage. He would be perfectly suited to fulfill his role of representing the Lord Jesus Christ (the “godly man”) in the home (Ephesians 5:25), and she would be perfectly suited to fulfill her role of representing the church (the “virtuous woman”) in the home. (Ephesians 5:24) As the home’s “keeper” (Titus 2:5) or “guardian” (Proverbs 31:27 – “looketh well” = “watchman”), she would be reporting to her husband the things that she sees that might put the “kingdom” of the home in jeopardy.  As the home’s “head” (Ephesians 5:23), he would be poised to make the decisions that would provide spiritual security and safety in the home.

In a very practical application, it is interesting to observe the connection of the 31 chapters of Proverbs to the days of a month. Most months consist of 31 days. Because of the importance of the subject matter and purposes of the book of Proverbs, many have found it a great spiritual discipline and habit to read Proverbs through each month, reading the chapter that coincides with the day of the month.

In the first four verses (1:1–4), God lets us know that Proverbs was actually designed to accomplish nine specific things:

  1. To know wisdom and instruction. (1:2a)
  2. To perceive the words of understanding. (1:2b)
  3. To receive the instruction of wisdom. (1:3a)
  4. To receive the instruction of justice. (1:3b)
  5. To receive the instruction of judgment. (1:3c)
  6. To receive the instruction of equity. (1:3d)
  7. To give subtlety to the simple. (1:4a)
  8. To give the young man knowledge. (1:4b)
  9. To give the young man discretion. (1:4c)

The number nine in the Bible is the number of “fruit-bearing”. We might could say that Jesus wrote this book of the Bible to us to teach us how to have a fruitful life!

We look at the gangs that threaten safety in every major city (and in many not-so-major cities!) around the world and wonder how could society have so degenerated to such extreme and senseless violence. What Solomon reveals to us in 1:10–19 is that it is really nothing new! These verses reveal that there is something within our depravity that finds such behavior appealing and “enticing”, and will be a part of any culture where children grow up with no “fear of the Lord” (1:7), and do not “hear the instruction of their fathers, and forsake the law of their mothers.” (1:8)

For those who become frustrated because you can’t always make heads or tails out of what you read in the Bible, take heart! Trust God’s promise in 1:23, “I will pour out my spirit unto you, and I will make known my words unto you.” (1st Corinthians 2:9–13)

Note also the related promise in chapter 2 and verse 6, “For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” But notice, however, that there are five verses in chapter 2 that precede the promise of verse 6! Solomon reveals that there are seven prerequisites to receiving God’s wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

  1. We must RECEIVE His WORDS. (2:1a)
  2. We must HIDE His COMMANDMENTS with us. (2:1b)
  3. We must INCLINE OUR EAR unto WISDOM. (2:2a)
  4. We must APPLY OUR HEART to UNDERSTANDING. (2:2b)
  5. We must CRY OUT for KNOWLEDGE. (2:3a)
  6. We must LIFT UP OUR VOICE for understanding. (2:3b)
  7. We must SEEK and SEARCH for God’s WISDOM as we would for silver and hid treasure. (2:4)           

Notice the very next word in verse 5: “THEN”! After those seven prerequisites are fulfilled, “THEN” verse 6 will be a reality! The fact is, people don’t know God’s word, and thus, do not receive His wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (2:6), for the simple fact that they don’t really want it. God is basically saying to us through these seven prerequisites, “You gotta want it!”

Notice, when we really do want it, and we, thereby, “receive” it, it provides us an internal defense mechanism against sin! (2:10–22) Solomon says, “Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee (2:11), to deliver thee from the way of the evil man (2:12) …to deliver thee from the strange woman”! (2:16) Wow! Those are some incredible benefits!

The “evil man” and the “strange woman” are key characters in Proverbs and in life! Again, keeping in mind the three applications of scripture, in an historical and devotional sense, every culture has “evil men” who speak “froward” (perverse) things (2:12), love to do evil, and to pull others into their wicked ways. (2:14) But note, God’s wisdom, understanding, and knowledge is what “preserves” and “keeps” us (2:11) from these “ways of darkness” (2:13), and “the frowardness of the wicked”. (2:14) Every culture also has “strange women”: women we refer to today as seductive, loose, or whorish, who seek to lure and allure men sexually. Again, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge is what “preserves” us and “keeps” us (2:11) from her enticements and entrapments.

From a doctrinal or prophetic standpoint, the “evil man” refers to those in whom the “spirit of antichrist” dwells, which is the personification of the very devil himself. They are found in every culture, and yet will ultimately be represented in “THE antichrist” (Satan in a human body — 1st John 2:18), “THE evil man”! The “strange woman” in a doctrinal or prophetic sense, refers to the “harlotrous” false religious systems of the world that seduce men (mankind) into her bed and hold them there. (2:19)

The “evil man” and the “strange woman” are to be avoided in a very practical or devotional sense because they make people’s lives a “living hell”! The “evil man” and the “strange woman” are to be avoided in a doctrinal or prophetic sense because they send people to a literal, eternal hell!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

  • As the SON OF DAVID; ISRAEL’S WISE KING — Proverbs 1:1 (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 20:30–31)
  • As the CREATOR WHO FOUNDED THE EARTH — Proverbs 3:19 (Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:2–3)
  • As the TEACHER OF WISDOM — Proverbs 4:7, 11 (Colossians 2:3)
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