Proverbs: Wise Words for Wise Living

June 8^th 2025

Proverbs 1:8-2:20

Introduction

The term ‘my son’ appears 15x in these 9 chapters. Each time to bring awareness to us!

Pursue Wisdom and Listen to Its Voice

1. Listen to Your Parents (1:8,9)

“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”

Proverbs sees parents as agents through which God’s wisdom comes to a child. These exhortations presuppose that the parents’ instruction reflects God’s truth.

“God ordained the family not just to be fruitful and fill the earth with people, but to fill the earth with instructed people and taught people. The family is the place where the next generation is born and where the next generation learns how to live.” John Piper

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20

1. The First Warning (1:10-19)

v.10 – “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”

Sinners – chata - which means "to miss." It is an archery term which meant “to fall short, miss the mark” .The mark is the will and plan of God as revealed in Scripture. Sin is the transgression of the Law. It is whatever misses the will of God for man doctrinally or morally. Chatta means ungodly, godless, violating the norm for a proper relation to God.

v.15 – “my son, do not walk in the way of them; hold back your foot from their paths…”

“Be not deceived: bad company, corrupts good morals…” 2 Corinthians 15:33

• Lady Wisdom Speaks (1:20-33)

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks…” v.20,21

Wisdom is personified as a woman who gives a "ringing cry" which would be audible to all who have ears to hear. Her cry is in two parts – First part in verses 22-27 she tells what she has done. The second part in verses 28-33, she tells what the future holds for those who do not heed her words.

v.1:22 - "simple. . .scoffers. . .fools" There are three distinct groups here:

simple ones - those who simply are ignorant of God's truth

scoffers – those who talk a lot about that which they do not know or understand

fools – those who seemingly know God's truth but reject it as a viable lifestyle

1. The Value of Wisdom (2:1-22)

2:1 – We see another ‘my son!’ This is the second instruction, but in this one it is like Solomon has taken a deep breath and proceed to speak.

It is one long admonition from father to son to strive after wisdom, but no commands or imperatives are given. Solomon begins this long sentence with a condition and urges him to listen. Solomon gives his son the ‘if’ ‘then’ scenario for wisdom and life!

v.1-4 – The ‘if’s’

receive and treasure, ear and heart, call out and raise your voice, seek and search

v.5,9 – The’ then’

God’s wisdom is priceless!

"The Bible is no lazy man's book! Much of its treasure, like the valuable minerals stored in the bowels of the earth, only yield up themselves to the diligent seeker." AW Pink

"Truth lies deep and must be dug for." William Gurnall

"Dig for the truth like a man digging for Australian gold!" J.C. Ryle

v.13-15 – Two Paths Contrasted: Uprightness and Darkness

v.16-19 – Watch out for the Forbidden (adulterous) Woman

v.20-22 – The Two Ways Clearly End with Different Results

1. Jesus Is Wisdom and Life