January 3, 2024
How Do You Become Wiser?
Proverbs 3-4
Brianna Castillo
Big Book Idea
Living wisely; God's way.
Key Verse | Proverbs 3:5-8
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3-4
Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart
1
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2
for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
3
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4
So you will find favor and good success
1
3:4
Or repute
in the sight of God and man.
5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8
It will be healing to your flesh
2
3:8
Hebrew navel
and refreshment
3
3:8
Or medicine
to your bones.
9
Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11
My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
13
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
15
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
21
My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23
Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24
If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25
Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin
4
3:25
Hebrew storm
of the wicked, when it comes,
26
for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
5
3:27
Hebrew Do not withhold good from its owners
when it is in your power to do it.
28
Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29
Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who dwells trustingly beside you.
30
Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31
Do not envy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32
for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD,
but the upright are in his confidence.
33
The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34
Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.
6
3:34
Or grace
35
The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get
7
3:35
The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
disgrace.
A Father's Wise Instruction
1
Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain
8
4:1
Hebrew know
insight,
2
for I give you good precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
3
When I was a son with my father,
tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
4
he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments, and live.
5
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
love her, and she will guard you.
7
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
8
Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will honor you if you embrace her.
9
She will place on your head a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
10
Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
11
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12
When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
and if you run, you will not stumble.
13
Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life.
14
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
20
My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
22
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their
9
4:22
Hebrew his
flesh.
23
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
24
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
25
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
26
Ponder
10
4:26
Or Make level
the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
27
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Proverbs
Timeline
Author and Date
Proverbs itself mentions Solomon (reigned c. 971–931 B.C.) as author or collector of its contents (1:1; 10:1), including the proverbs copied by Hezekiah’s men (25:1). There are also two batches of sayings from a group called “the wise” (22:17–24:22; 24:23–34), and “oracles” from Agur (30:1–33) and Lemuel (31:1–9). No author is named for the song in praise of the excellent wife that ends the book (31:10–31). Although Proverbs was begun in the time of Solomon, it probably was not in its present form until the time of Hezekiah (reigned c. 715–686 B.C.).
Theme
The goal of the book is stated right at the beginning (1:1–7): to describe what wisdom is and to help God’s people become wise. Wisdom is founded in the “fear of the Lord,” and it enables believers to express their faith in the practical details of everyday life.
Audience
The book is addressed to a young man. The situations he will face while he is young receive much attention. These situations supply concrete examples from which all readers can apply lessons to their own lives. Anyone who is wise and who pays attention will benefit (1:5) from this instruction.
Reading Proverbs
The reader of Proverbs must seek to understand the various types of people the book describes. The most obvious characters in the book are the wise, the fool, and the simple. Proverbs urges its readers to be wise, which means embracing God’s covenant and living out the covenant in everyday situations (compare 2:2; 10:1). The fool is the person who constantly opposes God’s covenant (1:7b). The simple is the person who is not firmly committed, either to wisdom or to folly; he is easily misled (14:15).
The first nine chapters of Proverbs are “wisdom poems” that urge the reader to pursue wisdom. The main section of Proverbs—the concise, memorable statements of two or three lines—begins in 10:1. Proverbs often seem to be mere observations about life, but their deeper meanings will reveal themselves if the following questions are kept in mind: (1) What virtue does this proverb commend? (2) What vice does it disapprove of? (3) What value does it affirm?
Key Themes
Proverbs offers wisdom on a wide array of topics from daily life: diligence and laziness (6:6–11); friendship (3:27–28; 18:24); speech (10:19–21); marriage (18:22; 19:14); child rearing (22:6); domestic peace (15:17; 17:1); work (11:1); getting along and good manners (23:1–2; 25:16–17; 26:17–19; 27:14); eternity (14:32; 23:17–18); and much more. It shows that “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8).
- God’s will is intensely practical, applying to every aspect of life. A proper relation to God involves trying hard to understand his truth, and then embracing and obeying that truth.
- A life lived by God’s will is a happy life (3:21–26).
- A life lived by God’s will is a useful life (3:27–28; 12:18, 25).
- A life lived by God’s will does not just happen. One must seek after it (9:1–6).
Outline
- Title, Goal, and Motto (1:1–7)
- A Father’s Invitation to Wisdom (1:8–9:18)
- Proverbs of Solomon (10:1–22:16)
- The Thirty Sayings of “the Wise” (22:17–24:22)
- Further Sayings of “the Wise” (24:23–34)
- Hezekiah’s Collection of Solomonic Proverbs (25:1–29:27)
- The Sayings of Agur (30:1–33)
- The Sayings of King Lemuel (31:1–9)
- An Alphabet of Womanly Excellence (31:10–31)
Fact: Wisdom
Wisdom is a key term in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The word can mean “skilled at making sound decisions in life.” Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”
Fact: A different kind of security
A different kind of security. In biblical times, if a person was unable to pay his debt, the consequences could be serious. The whole family could be sold into slavery. If someone put up “security” for another person, he promised to pay that person’s debt if he was unable to do so himself. Proverbs teaches that putting up security for another person is generally unwise, since those who do so risk losing everything if the other person cannot pay his debt (11:15).
Fact: Hezekiah’s contribution to Proverbs
Hezekiah’s contribution to Proverbs. Although most of the Proverbs were collected or written by King Solomon, who reigned from 971–931 B.C., the book of Proverbs did not exist in its present form until the time of King Hezekiah, some 200 years later. Hezekiah and “his men,” probably his scribes, recorded chs. 25–29.
Fact: Rock badgers
Rock badgers are small cliff-dwelling animals closely resembling guinea pigs. They live and forage for food in large groups and are good at hiding. They are best known for posting sentries that alert the group when danger is near. Perhaps it was this mark of wisdom that earned them a mention in Proverbs (30:26).
Fact: Shalom
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It means much more than just the absence of conflict and turmoil. It means that “all is well” in a person’s life.
OT Testimony that All Are under Sin (3:9)
| Romans 3 | OT Reference |
|---|---|
| Sinful Condition | |
| v. 10, none is righteous | Ps. 14:3/53:3; Eccles. 7:20 |
| v. 11a, no one understands | Ps. 14:2/53:2 |
| v. 11b, no one seeks for God | Ps. 14:2/53:2 |
| v. 12, all have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one | Ps. 14:3/53:3 |
| Sinful Speech (note progression from throat to tongue to lips) | |
| v. 13a, b, their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive | Ps. 5:10, Septuagint (English, 5:9) |
| v. 13c, the venom of asps is under their lips | Ps. 140:3 |
| v. 14, their mouth is full of curses and bitterness | Ps. 10:7 |
| Sinful Action | |
| v. 15, their feet are swift to shed blood | Prov. 1:16/Isa. 59:7 |
| v. 16, in their paths are ruin and misery | Isa. 59:7 |
| v. 17, and the way of peace they have not known | Isa. 59:8 |
| Summary Statement | |
| v. 18, there is no fear of God before their eyes | Ps. 36:1 |
Prov. 3:3 steadfast love and faithfulness. These terms are used together in the Lord’s description of himself in Ex. 34:6 (“abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”). In light of the later appeals to trust, fear, and honor the Lord (Prov. 3:5, 7, 9), the call here to bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart probably has to do with being faithful to the Lord by obeying one’s parents.
Prov. 3:5 Trust in the LORD is necessary for following the wise ways of life taught in Proverbs. Trusting the Lord is closely connected to fearing him (see note on 1:7; see 2:5; 9:10; 15:33; 19:23; etc.). Do not lean on your own understanding further explains what it means to trust in the Lord. The wise will govern themselves by what the Lord himself declares. They do not trust their own finite and often-mistaken understanding if it opposes God’s word.
Prov. 3:10 The prosperity described here is the blessing of the covenant (Deut. 28:1–14), a kind of restored Eden. Your barns will be filled with plenty describes the effect of honoring the Lord with all that one has and is.
Prov. 3:11–12 A father should shape his own parenting (discipline) according to the pattern set by the LORD’s parenting. See Heb. 12:5–6.
Prov. 3:17 peace. See note on John 14:27.
Fact: Shalom
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It means much more than just the absence of conflict and turmoil. It means that “all is well” in a person’s life.
Prov. 3:18 In Proverbs, the things that are called a tree of life are resources that help the righteous walk with God and be blessed by him (see also 11:30; 13:12; 15:4).
Prov. 3:19–20 God has built the principles of wisdom into the way the world works. Wisdom keeps the world from descending into chaos. Thus, when one lives without integrity, one violates the very rules that hold everything together. One cannot do this and thrive. This idea is explained in more detail in 8:22–31.
Prov. 4:3–4 When I was a son with my father. The father shows he can identify with his sons. He, too, was once young and under the instruction of a father. He also implies that wisdom did not begin with him but goes back through many generations.
Prov. 4:7 get wisdom. The reader is encouraged to search for wisdom and guard it continually. It is a great treasure (see 2:4; 3:13–15; 4:20–23). In Proverbs, the beginning of wisdom is always the fear of the Lord (see 1:1–7; 9:10). The Lord is the giver of true wisdom (2:6–8).
Prov. 4:14–17 One should avoid the way of the wicked, for it creates a hunger that is destructive and that cannot be satisfied (v. 16).
Prov. 4:10–19 This passage gives one of the main teachings of Proverbs: the doctrine of the two ways. Everyone has a choice between entering the way of wisdom and the way of folly. Which path is taken will determine the outcome of one’s life.
Prov. 4:18–19 dawn . . . full day. These verses describe ever-increasing brightness, from first light until noon. The path of a person refers to the way that a person lives (v. 14; see 2:8, 13, 15, 20; 3:6; Ps. 25:4). The wise person’s way of life shines brighter and brighter, as it increasingly displays God’s light.
Prov. 4:20–23 The commands in vv. 20–21 all encourage making wisdom a vital part of one’s life. Heart in Proverbs refers to the center of one’s inner life. It is from this place that a person does all thinking, feeling, and choosing. Taking words of wisdom into the heart is of the greatest importance (they are life), because out of the heart flow all the thoughts, words, and choices of a person’s life (from it flow the springs of life; see Mark 7:21–23; Luke 6:45).
Prov. 4:24 crooked speech. A wise person’s speech does not include elements contrary to what the Lord loves. See also 6:12–19, which describes how the misuse of speech displeases the Lord.
Prov. 4:25 The idea that the eyes should look directly forward suggests determination to remain in the right way. When a person turns his eyes away from the path, he is likely to stumble.
S3:003 Proverbs 3-4
Listen NowDive Deeper | Proverbs 3-4
I moved to Dallas straight out of college in 2010. I didn't know a soul here. I chose my apartment because it allowed me to walk to bars. On my very first day in my first adult job, my new coworker invited me to join her at The Porch. God radically gripped me here, and I never made it to one of those walkable bars.
Very shortly after this, I joined Equipped Disciple, a Watermark ministry that helps people grow in their relationship with God by learning, practicing, and becoming consistent in spiritual disciplines. Proverbs 3:5-6 was one of the first passages I memorized, and I clung to it. These verses were on my screensaver for many years in my young adult life. I meditated on them more than any other part of Scripture as I sought wisdom. As Proverbs says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7) And "Get wisdom; get insight . . . ." (Proverbs 4:5)
The instruction in the key verse is clear, descriptive, and simple; just the way I like it. It removes doubt. Trust His ways, not my own. Fear the Lord, turn from evil.
I often find myself wondering what the future holds, in both big things and small details. I imagine I'm not alone in that. This Scripture makes it clear that we can trust God with all the details of our lives. If I acknowledge Him and His ways, my path will be straight. What a relief that gives me! There is no need for me to worry; He's got me. If I walk in obedience, there will be peace rather than chaos.
However, obedience alone is not the ultimate goal. We obey because we trust in God's love. Obedience without trust is not fruitful. Obedience with trust builds relationship.
This month's memory verse
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
– Ephesians 4:2
Discussion Questions
1. Are you trusting God with the details, or do you live in worry? What practical things can you do to trust Him more?
2. What do you think a "straight" path means? If you were confident that your future path will be straight, how would that change your day today?
3. Can you think of an example of obedience void of relationship? How is that different from obedience with relationship?
4. What are the characteristics of somebody who has wisdom? Who in your life is an example, and why?
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