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Proverbs Are Pro-Verbs (Proverbs 2:6)
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12)[/perfectpullquote] If Job had the Book of Proverbs, he (and his wisdom-challenged friends) would have had the answer! Actually, he did get a lesson in wisdom when the Lord spoke up at the end.In the introduction to his book on Proverbs, Derek Kidner writes,
“Proverbs [asks] what a person is like to live with, or to employ; how he manages his affairs, his time and himself. This good lady for instance — does she talk too much? That cheerful soul — is he bearable in the early morning? And this friend who is always dropping in — here is some advice for him . . . and for that rather aimless lad . . . ” (Tyndale OT Commentary: Proverbs)
Kidner sums up the behavior required by Proverbs as the answer to, “Is this wisdom or folly?”
In referring to proverbs as “pro-verbs,” I see “pro” as meaning “favorable” and “verbs” as “action.” Ergo, “pro-verbs” indicates favorable actions. And that’s what Proverbs is about: affirming the wisdom of favorable actions, according to God’s standards and character.
Wisdom literature like Proverbs has existed for thousands of years. In fact, the desire for wisdom goes back to the Garden of Eden. “‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:5, 6). Note that part of the attraction of the forbidden fruit was that it would make one wise like God. The essence of wisdom is knowing the difference between good and evil. And the source of wisdom, according to today’s theme verse, is the mouth, or words, of God. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6).
Adam and Eve heard the words of warning from God’s mouth, but they followed the man-made (or snake-made) words of Satan instead. God’s wisdom was life; the creature’s wisdom was death (as attractive as it sounded at the time). And so it has been with man’s wisdom from that day forward. The writings of the wise men of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Mesopotamia, China, and other ancient cultures, appeal to man’s desire for happiness and fascination with philosophy, but are missing one thing: the fear of the Lord. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10).
“True wisdom and true prophecy both started from the fear of the Lord, and both worked hard to make Israel think.” (Kidner) In a way, through Proverbs, God says, “Use your brain, people!” Think about what you are doing and saying, using God’s words, and not the fruit of man, to make you wise.
Masks, gloves, Lysol, and social distancing may seem wise for keeping us healthy, but these measures cannot touch the soul in these difficult times. Only the Word of God can protect the soul from the infection of sin with its deadly consequences. In it are hope and peace. – Alan Allegra
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