Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1
Proverbs 1:5
“A wise man will hear and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.”
When do people discontinue learning in life? According to King Solomon and the proverbs only an unwise man stops learning. A wise man will keep his ears open and decipher things he hears throughout his entire life and build upon his learning. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1
Let me say this to everyone right now the following statement I make you will see it repeated in this book many times. God gave all of us two ears and one mouth for a reason. He wants us to do more listening than talking. You cannot hear what someone else has to say or improve upon your listening and learning skills if your tongue is constantly in motion. So, a big part of learning how to become a person of wisdom is being quiet and being still. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1
The fool is the one who thinks he knows everything. These people are the ones that feel that have gained all the knowledge they will ever need. Unfortunately, that is an untrue assessment. The oldest living person in the Bible was Methuselah. He lived to be 969 years old and then he died. Even if we were to live that long we would never know all there is to know. Therefore, we should always be alert and ready to learn new things.
The second part of this proverb tells us that a person of understanding will gain good counsel. The more effort we put forth to hear and learn then we will gain a better understanding and wisdom. We will be able to differentiate between many things. When God sees us trying, he makes himself known to us which will make all the difference in the world. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1
Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Wisdom – ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; a wise attitude, belief, or course of action.
Fear – an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; anxious concern.
Reverence – honor or respect felt or shown; a gesture of respect.
Awe – an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime.
Knowledge – the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association; the range of one’s information or understanding. I am sure you have all heard the adage “knowledge is power.” You can become powerful where the Lord is concerned in a fearful state. However, you must have the right fear which is reverential.
Above I have provided definitions of words critical to the Book of Proverbs and this verse. Wisdom means being wise and all of us can be that. To have knowledge of something it is mandatory we have familiarity and to do that we must have an association. We need to surround ourselves with that thing. Fear takes on all shapes and sizes. We can have a fear of roller coasters, airplanes, spiders, being alone, even being diagnosed with a deadly disease. Movies take on all genres but a film like Halloween and Friday the 13th inspire terror. To reverence something means to honor it. God specifically stated how important honor is in the book of Exodus 20:12, “Honor thy Father and Mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
So now let’s return to the above passage. The first part of this proverb is telling us we are to understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. This is where it becomes tricky. We are not to have a fear of the Lord like we fear snakes, bees, etc. We are to have a reverential fear of the Lord. To fear God means we recognize him as supreme and absolute. This means we respect, honor, and we are to be in awe of the Lord. Why is this necessary? Well, first they state it in the above proverb. All things have their origin in God. Read Genesis Chapter 1. It states that God created the earth and everything in it. With that awesome power, we need to fear the Lord. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1
Proverbs 1:22
“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”
In this proverb, Solomon is addressing three types of people in a disparaging way. It is downright insulting. He refers to the simple ones (simplicity) which imply ignorance. It satisfies lazy people just eating, working, playing, and sleeping. Do you lead a very basic life? Are you content to leave the mental work to others? This will never give you wisdom.
Scorners are people who despise and reject the truth. These people don’t believe in building up others just tearing them down. These people live a lifestyle where they can offer nothing positive. They eventually become galling, people who are only concerned with their own desires who have nothing to offer anyone.
Finally, fools are people who lack good sense or judgment. I personally don’t believe anyone wants to be described in that fashion. How do we make sure we steer clear from being categorized in this fashion? We crave wisdom! In the same way, people crave ballpark food at a sporting event like baseball. Oh, and for those people who follow baseball remember three strikes you’re out so in this instance you would be called out by the home plate umpire and sent back to the dugout if you fall into these three categories. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1
Proverbs 1:26
“I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.”
Foolish people believe they know everything so if anyone tries to instruct them, they laugh. They go through life like it is a constant carnival or party and show contempt if anybody tries to take away their amusement and enjoyment. This is when God sits high in heaven and looks down below and laughs at them.
God is not someone to be mocked. He will have his day where the foolish are concerned. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”–Psalm 2:4. “The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.”–Psalm 37:13.
For, those of us who are mature enough to remember The Three Stooges show we know how happy Curly became once any bad thing or suffering happened to Moe. Unfortunately, Moe always thought he was better than Curly & Larry and so when he was deflated at any time, they both reveled in his bad fortune. Well, this is the same principle that this verse implies. Wisdom will laugh at your negative circumstances and make fun of your catastrophes because you felt you didn’t need wisdom. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1
Proverbs 1:31
“Therefore, shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”
The above verse is saying in plain terms you deserve what you get because of bad decisions. In today’s world, most people are reaping what they sowed because they made foolish choices. God has warned us in his word that we will be blessed if we do what he says and cursed if we don’t.
Unfortunately, people today worldwide look at God and his words with contempt feeling it is worthless. Many people are only interested in what feels good to them. Feelings, however, can get you in a world of trouble. When we operate out of our flesh, we make many mistakes and that drives us to do ungodly things. There are many deeds of the flesh some of which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, drunkenness and others.
A great example of making bad choices and then reaping the results would be this. If you are a person who has food allergies and is allergic to items like crabs, shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, and shellfish then you need to stay clear of these things unless you want to be diagnosed with Anaphylaxis. This is a hypersensitivity as to foreign proteins or drugs resulting from sensitization following prior contact with the causative agent. This can manifest as hives, itching, and watery eyes. A good example of this would be the movie “Hitch” with Will Smith. Wisdom will keep you away from making bad decisions. Book of Proverbs Summary & Quotes: Chapter 1