Comments on "is the beginning of knowledge" -

52] Rick Joyner, The Call (Charlotte, North Carolina: Morning Star Publications, 1999), 61.

Wisdom does not come from a good education, nor does it come from learning social behaviors of people. True wisdom originates from the heart of man and proceeds to change the outward man. It begins with a genuine fear of God and completes its task by changing the whole Prayer of Manasseh , spirit, soul and body.

Thus, the path of divine wisdom is not an intellectual achievement, but it is a spiritual journey, that will last into eternity as we come to know the fullness of God.

A good definition of this verse is found in Psalm 111:10 b, which says that all who do His commandments have good understanding.

Just as Proverbs 1:2-6 give us a brief introduction to wisdom by listing its virtues, so does Proverbs 1:7 b contrast this passage by giving us a brief introduction to the fool.

Just as 7a uses the word "knowledge" figuratively to represent all of the virtues of wisdom listed in Proverbs 1:2-6, so does 7b used the words "wisdom and instruction" in a figurative sense to represent all of the virtues of wisdom listed in the previous verses.

Fools despise and look down upon the way of righteousness and pure living. They refuse to correct their lives by God's Word. The author is going to give an example of a fool in his folly in Proverbs 1:10-19. Wisdom will then show how a fool"s life will end in destruction and a wise person will be blessed ( Proverbs 1:20-33).

This description of how fools despise wisdom helps us to understand that a wise man is someone who is teachable and ready to receive correction in his life, a person who is motivated by the fear of God in his heart.

Proverbs 1:7 — Comments- The theme of Proverbs is clearly stated in Proverbs 1:7 a, which also indicates to us that there will be signposts that are posted throughout the journey to show to us that we are on the right path. For the way is narrow, and many are the deceptions along the way. As the list of virtues in Proverbs 1:2-6 gives us a brief introduction to characteristics of the wise Prayer of Manasseh , the following verse, 7b, contrasts this passage with a brief introduction to the fool.

Proverbs 1:7 — Comments- Keith Johnson teaches a series on how to train children and instill Godly character into their lives from a young age. During this series of teachings, one of the most profound things that he says was when he was dealing with parents who could not handle their rebellious child. The Lord spoke to Keith Johnson and reminded him of the time when his own two-year son stood in front of him and spoke back strongly to his father. Johnson lifted up his two-year old son and shoved him against a piece of furniture, looked into his small eyes and spoke so strongly into the child's face that the child began to tremble. The Lord told Keith Johnson that on that day the fear of God was instilled into this young child's life. The problem with the parents he was dealing with was that there was never a time when the fear of God was placed into the life of their rebellious child by instilling a fear of father and mother. 53]

53] Keith Johnson, "Sermon," Saskatoon Christian Center, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Without the fear of God in a child's life, which must be instilled through parental discipline while the child is young, a person will grow up and even may become saved in church, but he will always have a problem with submission to those in authority over him. While some children will have the fear of God instilled in childhood, others will grow up without this holy fear. For those who grow up will have to come to the Lord with a different type of discipline, which is described later in this chapter. Calamity and problems will provoke some to come to the Lord and serve him. For example, my brother Jerry said to me that the Lord told him his sons would come to the Lord through hard times. This is because the fear of God was not instilled within their hearts as a child.

When a young man enrolls into the U. S. military service, he does not immediately go into training for the job that will be assigned to him. He first goes through boot camp and learns discipline and submission. His military sergeant's duty is to instill fear and respect into the hearts of these young men. For those who do not allow this process to take place, but remain stubborn and unteachable, they are dismissed from military service even before their educational training begins. This is because fear and respect are the first ingredients to proper training.

We will learn now to develop the fear of the Lord within our hearts in Proverbs 2:1-5 as we partake of God's Word. For this is the ingredient that is necessary to keep up on the divine journey that will take us to our destination of eternal rest.

In the first nine chapters, where wisdom is personified, it speaks directly to young men as opposed to young women. The phrase "my son" is used fifteen times in the first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs. Why is this the case? We can imagine living in the court of King Solomon. He has brought the finest young men into his palace in order to give them the best training possible as future leaders of Israel, to be sent out into different provinces of the kingdom. Women were not trained in this same capacity in those days.

We can see him teaching wisdom to these young men. Inspired after hearing such speeches, these young men pass thru the courtyards discussing the meanings of these proverbs with their colleagues. Each of these chosen youth is given a guardian to minister to him and to insure that he follows the rules of the palace.

We see this similar structure in Pharaoh"s court, as Moses" mother is hired to nurse him:

Moses was then trained in all the wisdom of Egypt:

In the courts of King Nebuchadnezzar, we see Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, appointed to oversee Daniel , Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, as these young Jews were trained in the court of the king.

Wisdom is speaking as one of those overseers, or guardians. Galatians portrays the Mosaic Law as a guardian or schoolmaster, much as wisdom is personified here. Wisdom also is our tutor to bring us to Jesus Christ.

In contrast, women were not trained and educated in the courts of the kings. We see Ester in the courts of King Ahasuerus, but not being trained for leadership. She was there rather for the king"s pleasure.

Often I have admired young people who were groomed by loving parents. There are those people who stand out in a crowd because of the wisdom that emanates from them, much as an ornament of jewelry accents a person"s physical appearance. In contrast, I have seen the child that was left to himself, struggling in social behaviors, looking foolish in so many ways.

Verses 7-18

God the Father's Foreknowledge: Calling Us to Our Journey (Preparation for the Journey) - Most scholars consider Proverbs 1-9 to be a discourse, or a tribute, to wisdom. This section serves as an introduction to Solomon's collection of wise, pithy sayings that follows. This introductory material is a preparation for being able to understand the rest of the book. Its underlying emphasis is the divine calling that God gives to every human being. Therefore, we find the statement of wisdom "crying out," "uttering her voice" and "calling" used repeatedly throughout this section of Proverbs.

In these first nine introductory chapters, wisdom is personified as a person speaking in the feminine gender. Just as an artist sketches an outline of a painting, then splashes colors upon the canvas, until a beautiful painting emerges, so in these chapters of Proverbs does wisdom begin to reveal itself verse by verse (as an artist reveals a picture color by color) until chapter 8, when wisdom is seen as an intimate part of God and His creation. Wisdom is personified as a person speaking because man would be incapable of understanding his experiences in life without divine wisdom being given to him. This impartation is done in the person of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is personified as a woman because the Hebrew word translated as "wisdom" is in the feminine gender.

These chapters contrast the table of blessings ( Proverbs 9:1-6) with the trap of death ( Proverbs 1:17-19, Proverbs 9:18). The wise man chooses wisdom"s table of blessings. In contrast, the fool chooses the trap of death, supposing that it is a table of blessing. Studying this introduction is a necessary preparation for finding one's way through the rest of the book of Proverbs. Thus, a drama immediately unfolds in the introduction, revealing to us how wisdom sets a man free, but the trap of death ensnares its victims in the strongholds of sin. These strongholds do not turn its captives loose until it completes its assignment of death. In contrast, wisdom leads a man into his rightful place of glory and honor above God's creation ( Proverbs 3:35, Proverbs 31:30), and into submission to his Creator.

This section of Proverbs is actually a call to follow the path of Wisdom of Solomon , in which wisdom presents his arguments for choosing the path of wisdom over the path of the fool. God calls mankind to righteousness in this present Church age through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that has been sent upon the earth, who convicts the world of sin righteousness and judgment ( John 16:7-11); but prior to this age God called mankind to righteousness through Wisdom of Solomon , which testified from Creation ( Romans 1:19-23), and from society. We see in these chapters that wisdom is a path that is to be diligently followed. Wisdom is a decision that is made on a daily basis, and these daily decisions will determine our destiny, both in this life and in the life to come. This book of wisdom contrasts the wise man with the fool throughout the book. As we will see in Proverbs , every decision that we make is either a wise decision, or a foolish one. Every decision affects our eternal destiny. This section begins with a call to follow wisdom ( Proverbs 1:7-9), and ends by explaining how every human being decides between destinies, heaven or hell ( Proverbs 9:1-18).

In the path of Wisdom of Solomon , there are many dangers. It is for this reason these nine chapters give us many warnings against the evil man and the adulteress, even before the real journey begins. The path of wisdom is narrow and easily missed. All of us have fallen off this path at one time or another in our lives. This book of Proverbs was written by King Song of Solomon , considered the wisest person that has ever lived. Yet, even he fell off this path of wisdom because he allowed pride to blind his vision and dull his hearing. This gives us an indication of how narrow is this path to follow.

Pride is an attitude of the heart. It is the very reason that Solomon fell into idolatry. It is the root cause of every man"s failure. It comes clothed in many forms, such as false humility and it clothes itself in Prayer of Manasseh -made titles of honour, such as "honorable, his lordship, his excellence, his grace, cardinal, pope, etc." For example, the Pope in Rome carries the title of "His Holiness". These nine chapters open and close with Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10, which reveal the secret of avoiding failure, which is caused by pride. We are told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ( Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 9:10). This fear keeps us from falling off the path of wisdom.

This introductory material in Proverbs 1-9 makes up almost one third of the book. Why is this introduction to Proverbs so lengthy relative to the overall length of the book? It is because the preparation for our journey in life is also lengthy. Solomon was taught for many years before he took the throne as king of Israel. Good training takes time and a good education does not come quickly. The degree that a person receives a secular education usually determines the height of his career. In comparison, the degree that a person becomes rooted and grounded in the Word of God will determine the height of that person"s ministry. You must take the time to receive this introductory training in the first nine chapters of Proverbs before you are ready for the journey. The better we are able to understand the introduction of the book of Proverbs , the better we will be able to understand the rest of its teachings.

For hundreds of years in western civilization, a theological education was a part of a well-rounded education. All students learned the classical languages of Hebrew, Greek and Latin in order to study theological literature. The children of Israel were also to give each child a theological education. Solomon received such an education. Therefore, we can see this introduction to Proverbs as the theological training that everyone should go through in preparation for the journey in life.

One further note is worth mentioning about chapters 1-9. Upon reading, we must ask the question as to why this lengthy introduction in Proverbs spends so much time describing and warning the readers about the harlot. Perhaps because this is the one area that trapped and deceived Song of Solomon , the wisest man that ever lived. This is the area that Solomon knows many of the young men he is training for leadership positions in the kingdom will be tempted. In addition, in a figurative sense, such spiritual adultery represents a believer who chooses to love the things of this world above his love for God.

Outline - Here is a proposed outline:

1. The Call of Wisdom to Young & Tender — Proverbs 1:7-33

2. Answering Wisdom's Call (A Hearing Heart) — Proverbs 2:1-22

3. The Blessings of Wisdom — Proverbs 3:1-35 —

4. Three Paths of Wisdom — Proverbs 4:1-27

5. Three Paths of Destruction — Proverbs 5:1 to Proverbs 6:11

6. Characteristics of the Evil People — Proverbs 6:12 to Proverbs 7:27

7. Characteristics of Wisdom — Proverbs 8:1-36

8. Wisdom's Final Call (Food for the Journey) — Proverbs 9:1-18

Verses 7-33