"Proverbs" deals with the subjects of wise and foolish children, laziness and hard work, the use of the tongue, wealth and poverty, telling lies and speaking the truth, being talkative and being subdued in our speech, slandering, justice and injustice, pride and humility, good women and bad women, covetousness and contentment, anger and self control, gloominess and cheerfulness, good company and bad company, the education and discipline of children, the fear of the Lord, the opinion that people have about themselves, warnings against temptations, how to treat servants, bribery, reproof, correction, friendships, sensual pleasures, drunkenness, flattery, money not acquired in righteous ways, revenge etc., You can see that covers many areas of our daily life on earth. That is why it is good for all young people to study this book seriously.
The first nine chapters are directed primarily to young people: "To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding"(Prov 1:2). These three words have a distinctive meaning in the book of Proverbs. Wisdom refers to the Divine nature. Instruction refers to practical knowledge that comes through discipline. Understanding refers to the knowledge of God and His ways.
The very first thing the writer has to say is this: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"(Prov 1:7). There are two types of fear that we can have of God - one is wrong and the other is right. The wrong type of fear is the fear that God may hurt us. The right type of fear is the fear that we may hurt God. False religions major on the first type of fear. They teach people that God is angry with them and may hurt them. So the people seek to appease their god and to make him happy by offering him gifts and sacrifices and by going on pilgrimages. That spirit is found in Babylonian Christianity too. But the type of fear the Bible speaks about is the fear that we may hurt God by the way we live. The Holy Spirit can be grieved by something we do or say or think. Such a fear is actually a reverence for God. True wisdom is to have a reverence for God. Many people crack jokes about God and about spiritual things. Humour is a gift of God. But we must never make God and Divine things the subject of a joke. We must never make hell the subject of jokes - because hell is an awful reality. A person who reverences God will never joke about hell - just like we would not joke about a man dying of AIDS.
Reverence for God is terribly lacking in the world today. If we want to become spiritual, we must begin with reverence for God. The knowledge that Proverbs speaks about is the knowledge of God - not an academic knowledge of the Bible. There is a vast difference between knowing the Bible and knowing God. Wisdom comes from reverence for God and knowing Him. The more we know Him the more we reverence Him, and the more we reverence Him the more we get to know Him.
Every verse in Proverbs is of value. This is the best book of practical advice in the Old Testament. It is like a New Testament book in the Old Testament!
He goes on to warn young people to be careful about the type of company they keep. "If sinners entice you, don't listen to them. Don't allow other people to drag you in their worldly ways" (Prov 1:10). Stand alone if necessary, for the Lord. One of the most important things that young people need to learn is to say, "No. I can't come along with you." That may offend many of your friends. But you won't regret it in the long run.
To all such young men, God gives a promise: "I will pour out My Spirit on you, and I will make known My words unto you"(Prov 1:23). If we study God's Word academically, we can't get wisdom. God has to pour out His Spirit upon us so that His words become living to us. Someone studying the Bible without the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit would be similar to a man trying to read a book in total darkness. He can read nothing. But as soon as the lights are switched on he can see everything. That is what happens when the Spirit gives us revelation on His Word. God says, "I will make known My Words" which refers to His giving revelation on His words. That is how we acquire wisdom.
He goes on to say that if you refuse wisdom's invitation, one day when you are in trouble, and you call for help, you may not find it (Prov 1:24-33). You may not find wisdom late in life, if you have neglected it in your earlier years.
So it says in Proverbs Chapter 2:4, "Seek for wisdom as you would seek for silver and hidden treasures. Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God". These are the two essentials that re repeated again and again in Proverbs - reverence for God and knowing God personally. The wisdom the Lord gives will deliver us "from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things and from the strange woman" (Prov 2:12,16). Young men need to be protected from evil men who try to deceive them and evil women who try to attract them.
