“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”

Proverbs 6:16-17 ESV

The writer uses a Hebrew construction, a numeral plus one, to indicate the Lord’s ultimate displeasure with the items in the list.

Note the connection between the heart and the thoughts. This is the person who sits around plotting wicked actions. He may not carry them out, but he crafts detailed plans of how to steal something, or embarrass that person, or how to wreck that company or, or, or. These thoughts – even without the actions necessary to fulfill them – reflect the heart. Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21-23).

Don’t be fooled into thinking, “It’s okay to devise such plans as long as I don’t do them.” This type of thinking not only reflects an ungodly heart, it also defiles the person. Paul offers some helpful words in this regard,

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8 ESV

“she does not ponder the path of life;

    her ways wander, and she does not know it.”

Proverbs 5:6 ESV

Here, the author identifies the naive way in which the “forbidden woman” wanders through life. First she gives no thought to her path in life. In contrast, Proverbs 4:26 says, “Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.” Thus, the forbidden women’s ways will be unsure because she gives them no thought.

Note also that she wanders and is unaware that she is wandering. Meandering here and there, here and there, without realizing it. This reminds me of the drunk driver who is unaware that he is floating right and left, crossing the lines as he drifts back and forth. I think this illustration may be helpful for the modern reader, because almost instinctively we recognize the destruction and possible death that can come from drunk driving. Here, the author leads with the destruction and death imagery in vs. 5, “Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol.”

So, if the forbidden woman leads to destruction and death, why do men follow her? The answer is folly. Fools chase folly. Wise men chase wisdom. The path of the deceiver leads to death. The path of God leads to life. Choose wisely.

When I was a son with my father,

    tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,

Proverbs 4:3 ESV

Here, the writer indicates that the timing of his father’s instruction was early in his life, when the son was still “tender.” Tender can mean tender of flesh or soft of heart. In either case, in this context it seems to mean that the boy was quite young. An additional consideration is that the boy was the only one in the sight of his mother.

If this be the case, what are the implications upon fathers today? How does this verse guide a wise father in terms of teaching his son (or daughter)? In so many ways the modern culture has spun this proverb on its ear, allowing young children to teach their parents. A common thread in so many movies and television shows is that the parents are wrong and the kids are right. And given enough time and circumstances, the parents will realize their own foolishness and their children’s wisdom. Today, young boys (3, 4, and 5 year olds!) are telling their parents they are girls and the culture says the parents should listen to the child. And some parents actually accept that instruction. Think about it, a child that usually doesn’t even know how to tie his shoes is smart enough and wise enough to discern the depths of his own sexual identity. Interestingly, most parents, even those open to transgendering their boys, would not believe it if their 4 year old son told them he is a horse. They might play along with the child’s fantasy in some ways, but they certainly wouldn’t begin feeding him oats and hay or building a barn to provide him a place to sleep.

In this proverb the writer provides the order of instruction and the timing of the instruction. First, the parents teach the children. Second, they should begin that instruction early in life.

My son, if you receive my words

    and treasure up my commandments with you,

² making your ear attentive to wisdom

    and inclining your heart to understanding;

³ yes, if you call out for insight

    and raise your voice for understanding,

⁴ if you seek it like silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasures,

⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 ESV

NOTE: We are working through these five verses section by section. We covered the first point here and the second point here.

The third condition: If we want to understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God (vs. 5), the third thing we must do is call out for insight and raise our voices for understanding. Like the previous two conditions, this requires action on our part.

Perhaps we should begin by identifying the source of wisdom. While scripture is filled with references that indicate that God is the source of wisdom, perhaps none are more clear than Proverbs 2:6, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” The Lord is the source of wisdom, thus it is from Him we are to request wisdom. Interestingly, while the Old Testament is replete with verses that say God gives wisdom, this is the only verse in the OT that I have found (to date) that suggests we need to call out, or ask for it.

The New Testament has a couple verses about asking for wisdom. The most direct verse is James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Indirectly Paul indicates that we can (or should) ask for wisdom in Colossians 1:9, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

If the Scripture is clear that God is the source of wisdom and that we can (and should) ask Him for it, what prevents us from doing so? Is it pride? Ignorance? Here, Solomon conditions understanding the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of God upon calling out for it. So it seems pretty important to ask.

Will you join me in asking God for wisdom today? Now?

to receive instruction in wise dealing,

    in righteousness, justice, and equity

Proverbs 1:3 ESV

One of the goals of Proverbs is for the reader to receive instruction in a) wise dealing, b) in righteousness, c) in justice, and d) in equity. Here, Solomon indicates the importance of certain values. Below, we will look at wise dealing.

Wise dealing could be simplified as wisdom. Wisdom has to do with how we see life and the way we interact with others. Wisdom, though, isn’t simply knowing how not to get ripped off when buying a used car. Wise dealing has to do with understanding the circumstances of life. It has to do with understanding the other person and knowing how to interact properly with them, how to encourage, rebuke, edify, etc. People are not all the same, and must be approached wisely. I think that is what Hebrews 10:24 is getting at when it says, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (ESV). “Consider” suggests a thoughtful approach to others. After all, we all have our own buttons. Wisdom knows how to push those buttons in a God honoring way.

In Proverbs 1:3, Solomon’s desire is that the reader will have a heart that is receptive to instruction in wisdom. By extension, Solomon’s desire is to provide that instruction through the remainder of this book.

Prayer: Lord, help me to have a heart that happily and easily receives instruction in wisdom.