01 The Purpose (Proverbs 1:1-6)
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The man who wrote the majority of Proverbs, King Solomon, lays out for us very clearly the purpose and principle of his writing for the whole entire book in the first 7 verses. In other words, the first 7 verses are not to be slept on. They’re important. So today we’re going to work through the purpose of Proverbs found in verses 1-6, and then next week we’re going to talk about the main principle of Proverbs, which is found in verse 7.
So picking up in verse 1, and concluding in verse 6, Solomon writes,
‘1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, 3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; 4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, 6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles’.
Now these verses very clearly reveal the purpose of Proverbs. And through my study, I think the best way to walk through that purpose is by answering the question:
‘What is wisdom?’
These verses show us that wisdom is
Royal
Understanding & correction
Ethical
Discerning
Obtaining of guidance (being teachable)
Let’s unpack that.
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So firstly, wisdom is royal. In verse 1 here it says these are: ‘The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, King of Israel.’ Stop right there. It’s important to know and recognize here that it is by wisdom that kings rule. In fact if you skip ahead to Proverbs 8:15-16, you will see wisdom saying just that, saying ‘by me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.’
So why is wisdom royal? Well because it is the means by which kings rule their people.
But there’s more there. Wisdom is more than a means…it's a person. Notice the end of the verse, it says ‘son of David, king of Israel’. ‘Son of David’ is a messianic title. It’s a title that Jesus is referred to multiple times in the book of Matthew, the earliest coming in chapter one verse 1, when Matthew writes of Jesus’ genealogy.
So that means that Proverbs is immediately, IMMEDIATELY, in verse 1, pointing to the Messiah, pointing to Jesus Christ.
Now why is that important?
Well Solomon is writing the book of Proverbs to teach and train his son to establish the messianic kingdom. And as we will see here in a few minutes in verse 4 and 5, he is also instructing the simple, the young and the wise in wisdom because he is hoping to produce that in them as well. But the thing is, and we’ve seen this time and time again throughout history, a nation only goes as far as its leadership. Look at the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Or look at the different Kings in the Bible, from the fruitful leadership of King David to the horrific leadership of King Ahab.
Simply put: if your leader, if your king is foolish, so will the people.
But if your leader, if your king be wise, the people will also be wise.
You go as far as your leadership.
Now… What does that mean for us?
Well it means that we are in desperate need of a wise king that produces a wise kingdom…& guess what? It ain’t you! It ain't me! It ain’t Joe Biden either! We need to see Jesus as King, to see Him as Lord, the son of David, the king of all Kings. Because just as Solomon wants to teach and train his son in wisdom to establish the messianic kingdom, so Jesus wants to establish his messianic kingdom in us. IN. US. In other words, He wants to produce wisdom in us, Christ-likeness in us, through His Spirit.
So what is this book of Proverbs doing for you and for me then?
Well it is quite clearly laying out how kingdom citizens should live and what the wise King, King Jesus, will produce in them.
Wisdom is royalty. First and foremost. You gotta know that. Wisdom is Christ. And we’ll get into that more next week. But for now, wisdom is royalty.
Also, before we move on to verse two, I just want to say that Proverbs is not a book of practical tips and tricks to help you get through the Christian life. It’s not. Proverbs certainly contains those things in a form, but we have a problem that no amount of tips and tricks will solve, and that is ourselves. It’s our flesh. God created the world with an order to work a very certain way, and we must live that way to be truly wise…the problem is we just can’t do it. In our flesh, in our sin we Just. Can’t. Do it.
And so that's what Proverbs is all about. It is about restoring that lack of harmony in the world and the way God designed it to work through the person of Jesus Christ.
In other words, wisdom is not practical tips and tricks. Wisdom is a person. The person of Christ.
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Anyways, moving on to verse two, we see that wisdom is correction. That verse says ‘To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight’.
Now what’s interesting about that verse is that you don’t see the word correction anywhere. We see instruction, but not correction. So you may be wondering, how can wisdom be correction? And that’s a great question.
With this verse what you’ll see is that most translations say ‘instruction’ over correction, but if look at the actual Hebrew word itself, ‘musar’, that word is better translated as correction or discipline.
And regardless of translation, whether it says instruction or correction, we need people who can and will correct us. That’s wisdom. It is. And that implicitly means wisdom ain’t no walk in the park. Pursuing wisdom is not a cake walk. It’s tough! It’s painful! I’m sure many of you listening have been disciplined before in some way, shape or form, and you KNOW discipline is painful. But you also know the fruit it produces.
The question is are you willing to endure, learn, and grow for wisdom? Is the pain worth it?
Wisdom is correction.
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Next we see in verse three that wisdom is ethical.
‘To receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity’.
Now me personally I think this is big and undermined by many believers.
True biblical wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, just and unjust.
It is not best and not best, you can’t pick and choose here, wisdom is right and wrong.
Right and wrong.
You don’t determine what is good and what is evil. God does.
Why else do you think God forbid Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? You think he just wanted to restrict their freedom with some pesky rule? No. One commentary says God did that because He wanted to teach Adam and Eve, to teach humanity, to depend on Him for that knowledge instead of determining it for ourselves.
Let that simmer for a second.
Again, God determines what is good and evil. Not you.
And let it be noted that comes with no exceptions. For some reason we think we’re the one exception…’O well, God wants me to connect with this person so I’m going to cuss and talk like them so I can win them to Christ’ or ‘O I know God doesn’t want me to be miserable so I’m going to take another hit because it makes me feel good or God doesn’t want me to be miserable so I’m going to divorce her.’
No no, honey. There are no exceptions. God’s Word and His infinite wisdom determines what is good and evil. Not you. (AND THAT’S FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT BY THE WAY).
Anyways, wisdom is ethical.
Now in the next verse we are introduced to the fact that wisdom is discernment (or prudence).
Verse 4 says ‘to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—’
Put simply, not only is wisdom the knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong, just and unjust, smart and stupid, not only is wisdom the knowledge of that, it is also the application of that. It is the ability to apply that knowledge by assessing a circumstance or situation and making the right decision, a la discernment.
For my sports fans out there the NFL playoffs are going on right now, and the most important position in the game of football is without a doubt quarterback. The quarterback knows all the plays, runs the plays, and a good quarterback also is able to recognize the plays of his enemy, the defense, in order to make the right decision. Wisdom is similar. Wisdom allows you to know the plays a la the Word of God. Wisdom enables you then to run the plays or to apply the Word to your life and then lastly wisdom also helps you to discern and defeat the tactics of your enemy, the prince of the air, who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.
That’s wisdom. Your favorite quarterback (unless he stinks). Wisdom is discernment.
Now before we move on to the last element of wisdom I want you guys to notice the intended audience of Proverbs shown here in verse 4 and also verse 5…
Solomon says he desires to "give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—...then he says in verse 5 ‘let the wise hear and increase in learning…’
What we see there is that in this ‘class’ if you will with Solomon or the Word of God playing the role of teacher is we see a wide range of the student body: from the simple in verse 4 to the wise in verse 5, from young to old, wisdom is for everyone.
Now to provide some imagery to this, for those who don’t know, my family and I reside in the mountains of NC in a tiny town called Little Switzerland, which is very close to Mt Mitchell, home to the highest peak east of the Mississippi. My family and I have hiked Mt Mitchell numerous times and what is so great about it is that the mountain has hikes for beginners and for experts; they have low effort hikes and strenuous hikes, all reaching the same peak. In the same manner, wisdom has the capabilities and terrain that is profitable for beginners and experts, to the simple and to the wise, all bringing us to the same peak, which is relationship and intimacy with Christ.
Now that leads to the last element of wisdom, and that is that it is the obtaining of guidance.
Verses 5 and 6 conclude our passage today saying
‘Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles’.
I love how Solomon included the wise here. He’s showing us that those who are truly wise understand that they never graduate from the school of wisdom. They never arrive. It shows us that wisdom is not some goal to achieve or attain, rather it is a lifelong pursuit.
Charles Bridges said on this verse ‘for a truly wise man is one - not who has attained - but who knows that he ‘has not attained’ and is pressing onwards to perfection.
Moses was a great example of this in Exodus 18 when he gracefully and humbly received guidance from his father in law Jethro on his leadership of Israel.
With wisdom you never arrive. Guidance is crucial. Someone who has wisdom is someone who is teachable. They desire to increase in learning, they listen, and they don’t listen to respond, which I am guilty of sometimes, no they listen with an ear that seeks to learn.
Wisdom is obtaining guidance.
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So let’s summarize. The purpose of this book - the purpose of Proverbs - is the laying out of how kingdom citizens should live and what the wise King Jesus Christ)will produce in them. The purpose of Proverbs is to encourage our pursuit of wisdom and increase our possession of it.
And what is wisdom? It is royal. It is being corrected and disciplined. It understands good and evil, right and wrong, and it lives that out through discernment. Wisdom is also the obtaining of guidance through willingness to listen and be teachable.
That’s all for episode 1. I truly am so excited to be on this journey with you all.
I love you all.
God bless.
