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1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9 They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
10 My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot”—
15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.
17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.
20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
The book of Proverbs candidly opens with your reason for being here, a set of explanations of the outcomes that await you if you stay the course and root this wisdom deep in your heart.
You will:
Gain wisdom and instruction for understanding words of insight.
Receive instructions for prudent behavior, a how-to guide for doing what is just and fair.
Learn to give prudence to those who look to you for it.
Learn to listen.
Deepen your ability to understand Proverbs and Parables.
And yet, even with all those promised benefits, Solomon immediately pivots, personifying Wisdom as a woman with a warning. Pay close attention and watch as Lady Wisdom echoes Solomon’s declaration at the start of the book. See how she gets right to the heart of the matter:
How commonly do we as men wait to seek the wisdom of God until something has gone wrong?
“How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?” she asks, warning us that the time to ask for forgiveness and guidance has passed us time and time again.
Our preoccupation with going our own way while things are good is nothing new to Wisdom. She’s seen it billions of times, and the consequences have been dire. Those who do not choose to fear the Lord have been met with silence when “calamity overtakes you like a storm.”
This way of living, where one could find themselves thrashed about by whatever circumstance comes their way, is not the way God desires His sons to live. Today, Wisdom is eagerly pointing us to a life built soundly on the advice of the Lord.
The way forward? Repent of your wandering and ask earnestly for God’s guidance. You are not too far gone, and no mistake is unredeemable through the power of God. Heed Wisdom’s call today, and let today be your first step lit by the lantern of God’s divine wisdom.
Lord, I’m grateful for this wake-up call today. I’m thankful that You are kind enough to remind me to leave my old ways behind. I’m grateful that You invite me to ask for Your thoughts and teachings and that You promise to give them freely. I don’t want to make my way through life confident in Christ but arrogant in my abilities, eventually crumbling under the weight of circumstance. Today, I choose to fear the Lord, to marvel at Your surpassing knowledge, and I ask You to light my path.