Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

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Proverbs 1

The Beginning of Knowledge

Proverbs 1:¹ The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

Proverbs 1:² To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive (understand or discern) the words of understanding,

• Wisdom is the gift of instruction which comes from correction.
• Col 2:2-3 Attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Proverbs 1:³ To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;

• Wisdom bears the fruit of Justice, Judgment, and Equity, weighing out the value of all things on God’s scales of values.

Proverbs 1:⁴ To give prudence (precaution) to the simple (naive, slow to learn),
To the young man knowledge and discretion (choosing what to say and how to say it)—

Proverbs 1:⁵ A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain (acquire) wise counsel,

• Wisdom is heavy, built on the foundation of truth, but a lie flits about like a dandelion in a wind storm spreading seeds of destruction.

Proverbs 1:⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

• An enigma: a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation.
  
  • How can Jesus be “God” and “With God” except that the Creator created Himself (as man in the flesh).
    • John 1:¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
      
  • Jesus asked the Pharisees:
    
    • Matthew 22:⁴² “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ⁴⁴ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’? ⁴⁵ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.
      
    • Psalm 110:1 Announcement of the Messiah’s Reign – The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to my Lord (‘āḏôn), “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your (Jesus’) enemies Your footstool.”
      
    • How except the “Lord” (the Father) said to David’s Lord (the Son) “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.
      OR
    • The “Lord” (Jesus) said to David as David is calling himself “my Lord”, “Sit at My (Jesus’) right hand, till I make Your (David’s) enemies your footstool.
      • The fact is: BOTH are true.
      • Jesus is both David’s Creator and He is also the descendant of David in the flesh.
      • Like Jesus, it is written that David will reign in the Millennium.
        • Ezekiel 34:24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
        • Ezekiel 37:25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
          
  • What is the “Darkness” of God? Is it where evil lurks?
    
    • No. It is the “unseen realm”
      • Psalm 18:11 He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies.
      • 2 Samuel 22:12 He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
      • Psalm 97:2 Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
    • God’s wisdom is hidden in the darkness and He calls it “treasures of darkness”
      • Isaiah 45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
      • Daniel 2:2 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.

Proverbs 1:⁷ The fear of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

• The difference between a wise man and a fool is the understanding of the value of one thing over another. God weighs those values in His scales. The wise man values that which God values but the fool values the things of the world.
  
  • David needed food for his army. His army was camped near the property of Nabal and therefore had protected him from marauders. However; when David asked for food Nabal was harsh and evil in his doings and treated David with contempt. David would have killed him had it not been for the intervention of his wife Abigail who gathered and delivered much food to David and his troops. Nabal died soon thereafter and David married Abigail. The man’s name “Nabal” literally meant “Fool”.
    
    • 1 Samuel 25:38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died. (Ten is the number for Accountability.Ten is a symbol of the authority of God, stability, His government on earth and man’s responsibility to God.)

Shun Evil Counsel

Proverbs 1:⁸ My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;

Proverbs 1:⁹ For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.

Proverbs 1:¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.

Proverbs 1:¹¹ If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

• Joseph’s brothers hated him and conspired to kill him. Instead, they sold him to a caravan of Midianites as a slave. Joseph was sold to the Egyptians and eventually became the second in command in Egypt. His brothers ended up serving Joseph as their ruler.
  
  • Genesis 45:³ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. ⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

Proverbs 1:¹² Let us swallow them alive like Sheol (Or the grave),
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit (grave);

• The Pharaoh tried to “dam up” the Jews from leaving Egypt. The Pharaoh and his army were all drowned when God broke the water of His dam.
  
  • Exodus 14:²⁸ Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them.Not so much as one (Egyptian) of them remained. ²⁹ But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. (Not one Hebrew had drowned)

Proverbs 1:¹³ We shall find all kinds of precious possessions (Lit. wealth),
We shall fill our houses with spoil (plunder);

• King Ahab’s wife Jezebel conspired and killed Naboth for his vineyard. She was thrown out of an upper window and the dogs lapped up her blood on the street.
  • 1 Kings 21:7 Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
  • 1 Kings 21:23 And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’

Proverbs 1:¹⁴ Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—

• “We will split the booty equally”
  • “After we kill each other for it”

Proverbs 1:¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;

Proverbs 1:¹⁶ For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.

Proverbs 1:¹⁷ Surely, in vain (futility) the net is spread
In the sight of any bird (Lit. Lord of the wing);

Proverbs 1:¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.

• Haman built the gallows for Mordecai. He and his family were hung on the same gallows. Mordecai was promoted.
  • Esther 9:25 but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

Proverbs 1:¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom

Proverbs 1:²⁰ Wisdom calls aloud outside (in the street);
She raises her voice in the open squares.

• Definition of Wisdom: To weigh in the balances for the value of one thing compared to the other and then to choose that which has the most value.

Proverbs 1:²¹ She cries out in the chief concourses (top of the walls; or the head of multitudes),
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:

• “Plead in prayer to love those things God loves, to value the things God values, and to know the difference between helping others and enabling others.”

Proverbs 1:²² “How long, you simple ones (naive), will you love simplicity (naivete)?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.

• Scorners and fools think highly of themselves while looking down on the humble and wise.

Proverbs 1:²³ Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

Proverbs 1:²⁴ Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

Proverbs 1:²⁵ Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke (correction),

Proverbs 1:²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,

• A fool gathers destruction to his heart.

Proverbs 1:²⁷ When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

Proverbs 1:²⁸ “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

• Call on the Lord while He can be found!
  • Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

Proverbs 1:²⁹ Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ),

• Psalm 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.

Proverbs 1:³⁰ They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.

Proverbs 1:³¹ Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

• Rotten is the fruit that comes with one’s own fancies, worms that consume the fruit.

Proverbs 1:³² For the turning away (waywardness) of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

Proverbs 1:³³ But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure (at ease), without fear of evil.”

• A Proverb and Promise of wisdom to store in one’s heart.