Proverbs, A Divine Appeal to Humanity

Proverbs 1: 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

As the Book of Psalms is man's appeal to God, the Book of Proverbs (along with Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs) represents God's divine appeal to mankind. Proverbs are not hard and fast rules that apply to every situation the same way but rather a guideline from God on how to live on this earth. When interpreting the Bible, sometimes certain books present more of a challenge than others to discern the purpose but in Proverbs; King Solomon tells us within the first seven verses exactly why they were written and why they remain important to us today as well. God's Word is always transcendent; as what was so true thousands of years ago still has stark relevance to our lives today. Examining these purposes for Proverbs should give us a reminder of how God intended for us to live; His divine appeal to humanity.

After Solomon is introduced as the author, verse two starts the brief explanation of the purpose of Proverbs:

for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight. - Proverbs 1:2

To start, God is appealing to us to attain two things, wisdom and discipline. Wisdom is defined as:

Knowledge of what is true or right, coupled with just judgment as to action.

The word embraces the acquisition of knowledge as well. We can pursue degrees of higher education and focus our learning as the world becomes ever-specialized within each area of knowledge. But the definition here is not only of what is true, but also what is right. There are sadly many people who know what is true, but have difficulty with what is right. The world blurs the lines that God set as clear black and white into shades of grey to make us feel better about not doing what is right. God gave us the Book of Proverbs however, to remind us those lines are not grey in nature. The second thing God appeals for us to acquire is discipline. Just as a star athlete has to discipline their body, God expects us to seek discipline in our lives as well. It is easy to know something but far harder to actually discipline our lives to adhere to it. For example:

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil; Proverbs 3: 7

We can acquire the knowledge in this verse rather easily. It teaches us that we should not think ourselves to be wise, we should fear God, and stay away from evil. Pretty simple right? Yet how many times do we find ourselves getting ahead of God in our walk, thinking more of ourselves than we should? How many times have we forgotten the fear of the Lord and found ourselves dabbling in that which we know we should not be. In these instances we have acquired the knowledge of Proverbs 3:7 but failed to acquire the discipline to put it into practice. That is why wisdom is defined as knowledge, coupled with just judgment as to action. Knowledge is not enough. God's appeal to us here is not just knowledge but wisdom through discipline.

Continuing on, verse 3 in the first chapter of Proverbs states:

for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; - Proverbs 1: 3

We see God's appeal continue. It is not His desire for us to randomly apply discipline but rather that our entire life be disciplined. A disciplined life does not fall into the traps of the enemy as easily as the undisciplined life. For example,

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is as bitter as gall, sharp as a double edged sword.- Proverbs 5: 3-4

God's appeal to us here through this portion of Proverbs is to avoid the temptation of adultery. God openly lets us know that the appeal is sweet (honey) and that the appearance may even feel right (smooth as oil) but in the end we will be left with nothing but bitterness and scars. The disciplined and prudent life will more easily avoid the trappings of adultery because it will not just possess the knowledge of this Proverb but it will apply it. It will internalize it. It will live it. When the sweet honey is presented, the disciplined life will know the sword that lies beneath.

The second portion of verse three here however shows that God is not only concerned with how we are internally but also how we live our life amongst each other. One of the most consistent themes throughout the entire Bible is one of fairness and justice. Some of the prophets of Old Testament pronounced judgment upon Israel not only for turning away from God through personal sins but through social injustice. Jesus Himself rebuked the Pharisees of His day for such:

Woe to you, teachers of law and the Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. Matthew 23: 23

God is very much concerned with how we treat each other, and it does not matter to God if the person we are dealing with is a believer or a non-believer. As God still loved us when we were in darkness, so too should we love those who do not yet know His glorious salvation! God's appeal to us here is to live a disciplined life to avoid the common pitfalls and to treat everyone with justice and fairness.

Continuing on in the first chapter of Proverbs we find:

For giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young Proverbs 1:4

God recognizes that not everyone attains the same level of knowledge. In the world, some go on for degrees in higher education while some might pursue trade-work. God's divine appeal to humanity through proverbs is for everyone however. No matter how simple, Proverbs are timeless truths that speak directly into our lives not our resumes. For example:

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Proverbs 8:13

Proverbs are not that difficult to understand or apply in our lives. God's appeal to humanity is not cloaked or disguised. Here we see that God hates evil, pride and arrogance. He does not want our behavior, or our speech to reflect what He hates. You do not need a Masters Degree in theology to hear the appeal of God. So much so that He even says these teachings are for children as well. These are what we are to instill in our children as they grow up. The Lord promises that training a child in the ways of knowledge and discipline will have a lasting impact:

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22: 6

The appeal from God here is that His wisdom is readily available for all, regardless of level of sophistication or maturity. But as we continue in the outlined purposes we see that this is an ongoing process:

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. - Proverbs 1: 5-6

Sometimes the attitude we can end up with in this life is that we have arrived. We have progressed to the point that we "know it all." That is not however of God. This last portion of the purpose of the Book of Proverbs shows that the acquisition and application of wisdom is an ongoing process. Who does God say should listen? The wise. The wise should listen to the appeal of God through Proverbs because it will add to their learning. This life is all about learning. It is an ongoing process. God always has another level for us to go to if we are yielded to Him and have a teachable spirit:

Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Proverbs 19:20

Have you ever come across an unteachable spirit? Always willing to provide correction but never willing to listen to any? The first person to provide advice but incapable of receiving any instruction? That person has not listened to the appeal of God to humanity. They will not progress in Christ to the level God wishes to take them because they think they are already there. That is not wisdom but folly. This section closes with God showing us that there are deeper things to learn as well. Parables have deeper meanings to be discovered. Riddles in life can be challenging to unravel. God is appealing to us through Proverbs to gain an even deeper understanding of life and who He is in our lives. So often we hear people lament that they do not know which way to go. What decision to make. What career move to make. Where God wants to use them for His Kingdom. The path is always straight; it is always in front of us if we are willing to look. Proverbs teaches us about making these paths straight before us:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5-6

God makes our paths straight beloved. He makes them known to us. But only if we trust in Him with all of our heart. Only if we lean upon His wisdom, not our own understanding. Only if we acknowledge Him in all of our ways.

God has made His appeal to us known through the Book of Proverbs. Sometimes we think of these as just quaint sayings and never stop to realize the plea God is making to is. Wisdom without application is useless. We need to not only acquire the knowledge God has provided for us but we need to discipline ourselves to implement that knowledge into our walk and live our lives according to it. We need to act fairly and justly with all the people we come in contact with and avoid the traps the enemy sets out for us.

God's Word is transcendent. What was relevant in the days of King Solomon is relevant to us today. The Book of Proverbs is God appealing to humanity and providing the secret to living a joyful, significant and effectual life. Wisdom only comes from knowing and confessing God as the source and to enjoy the benefits of His wisdom, we must diligently seek Him.

Seek Him today, answer the appeal.

Reverend Anthony Wade.