BibleProject | The Wisdom of ProverbsSample

Chapter 1: What’s Wisdom For?

Here we go! Before you read the proverbs themselves (they start in chapter 10), you are first going to read nine chapters of poems. The point of these poems are to whet your appetite for how important God’s wisdom is in your life. These poems are speeches. Some of the speeches are from a father to a son that you get to listen in on. Others are from a character called “Lady Wisdom” and are written directly to you. In chapter 1 we hear from both of these voices.

Verses 1-7: The Introduction

Before these speeches, there is an introduction to the entire book. The book opens with a pep-talk about its purpose, and the message is clear: whether or not you think you’ve got life figured out, you need this advice. The introduction ends by saying that gaining wisdom will be impossible if you don’t cultivate humility for God’s authority—“the Fear of the Lord,” a theme that will appear many times in this book. “Only fools despise knowledge and discernment,” concludes verse 7, bringing up the implied question: “Wise or foolish—which are you going to be?”

Verses 8-19: 1st Speech from Father to Son

After the introduction comes a speech, the first of ten, from a father to a son. There’s consistent language here about resisting evil, and the father doesn’t pull any punches while warning his son. His words are concise, direct, and rather forceful: if people tempt you with claims of an easy, deceitful life of “ill-gotten gains,” do not follow them. Period. It will only bring ruin. Period. The father ends with especially descriptive words about the violence that will come from falling into these ways (Hint: He uses the word blood A LOT).

Verses 20-33: 1st Speech from Lady Wisdom

The next speech is the first from Lady Wisdom, a character in this book who personifies the concept of wisdom. She claims that rejecting her advice will lead to self-destruction and you’ll only have yourself to blame. If you don’t listen to wisdom, you’re going to crash and burn. Hard. She’s pretty much going to bust out with “I told you so” (Or as she puts it: “You will eat the fruit of your ways”).

As a whole, chapter 1 bluntly cuts to the point: our choices are a serious matter, but wisdom is accessible to us. The stakes are high, but we have instruction to guide us. Guard yourself, pay attention, and consider carefully how you will respond. Are you going to be open-minded and learn new ways of living well in God’s world? (Spoiler: You really should.)