THE PURPOSE OF
PROVERBS
Pastor Kevin Burden | Cornerstone
Baptist | For Sunday AM, April 28th, 2012
Proverbs 1:1-9 “The
proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words
of understanding; 3 To
receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the
simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man
will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain
unto wise counsels: 6 To
understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their
dark sayings. 7 The fear
of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge: but fools despise
wisdom and instruction. 8
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy
mother: 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto
thy head, and chains about thy neck.”
The English word “proverb”
is from the Latin meaning “instead of words.”
·
A
proverb is a brief statement used “instead of many words.”
·
It’s
a short statement that summarizes a wise, prudent life principle.
The Hebrew word
translated “proverb” means “a comparison.”
·
Many
of the proverbs are joined together with similarities or contrasts.
·
These
short sentences are easy to remember as they squeeze a wealth of wisdom into small
spaces.
The book of
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings intended to serve as a guide for daily
living.
·
These
wise sayings cover numerous topics that explore attitudes and relationships.
·
They
assess such things as Poverty, Promiscuity, Property, Prosperity & Power.
The Proverbs
reflect a type of literature common in ancient times.
·
Many
of the sayings in this book were written or collected by Solomon.
·
Proverbs
25:1 suggests that this collection was compiled in the days of King Hezekiah,
about 700 B.C.
The book of
Proverbs covers numerous topics of great importance to us today. Let’s examine
a brief example in Proverbs 18:22-24 Þ
·
Domestic Life (v 22) “Whoso findeth a
wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.”
·
Poverty vs Privileged
(v 23)
“The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.”
·
Friendship (v 24) “A man that hath
friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer
than a brother.”
Proverbs frequently
mentions three types of people who desperately need wisdom. Proverbs 1:22 “How long, ye
simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their
scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”
·
The Simple believes
everything and everybody. They lack discernment and discretion. They are easily
led astray by others because they have no solid foundation on which to stand.
They cannot see ahead and, as a result, repeatedly get into trouble. They are self-satisfied!
·
The Foolish is a person who is
dense, slothful, careless. They are
self-possessed!
·
The Scornful mock God's wisdom
because… 1. It is over
their head; 2. They think
they know everything. The Hebrew word for “scorner” means “to make a mouth.” You
will often see scorners sneering and making faces. They never profit from
rebuke. They are self-illuminated!
God has
given us these Proverbs to help us…
1.
RECOGNIZE TRUTH (v
2a).
“To
know wisdom and instruction;..”
Wisdom = skillful, perceptive,
and wise:
·
True
wisdom is mastery of the art of living in accordance with God's expectations.
·
In
secular usage signifies a man who was a skilled craftsman.
·
A
person with true wisdom is a person who has learned to be skillful in living.
Instruction = reproof, warning,
correction, discipline, doctrine. It implies that to be wise a person must be
willing to learn.
2. RECEIVE TRUTH (v 2-3). “To
perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the
instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;”
·
To perceive means to detect,
distinguish, discern (Prov 3:11-12).
·
To receive means accept, buy, own
and carry away.
3. RELAY TRUTH (v 4-5). “To give subtilty
(prudence) to the simple, to the
young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of
understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”
4. RATIFY TRUTH (v 6). “To understand a proverb,
and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.”
To
truly understand is to be in agreement with by approval and endorsement.
5. REVERENCE GOD (v 7). “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of know-ledge: but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.”
The
fear of the Lord is the continual awareness that I am in the presence of a
holy, righteous, just and loving God; and that every thought, word action and
deed is being evaluated by Him continually.
6. RESPECT AUTHORITY (v 8-9). “My son, hear
the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9
For they shall be an ornament
of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.”
God’s
creation is orderly, and subject to the laws He has ordained and established.
James
Hervey [1789] wrote:
“Who, that looks upward to the midnight sky; and, with an eye of reason,
beholds its rolling wonders; who can forbear enquiring, Of what were their
mighty orbs formed?
Amazing to relate, they were produced without materials. They sprung
from emptiness itself. The stately fabric of the universal nature emerged out
of nothing. What instruments were used by the Supreme Architect to fashion the
parts with such exquisite niceness, and give so beautiful polish to the whole?
How was it all connected into one finely proportioned and nobly finished
structure?
A simple
statement accomplished it all – ‘Let be’, said God. He added no more; and at
once the marvelous edifice arose, adorned with every beauty, displaying
innumerable perfections, and declaring amidst enraptured seraphs its great
Creator’s praise.”
Psalm
33:6-8
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the
breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he
layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all
the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.”
God
has also ordained order in the Home, Church, Employment and Government…
A
wise person will understand and honor those structures of authority!
