Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Lady Wisdom’s Proverbs - Proverbs 9:7-12

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Proverbs 9:7–12

[7] Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

[8] Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

[9] Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

[10] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

[11] For by me your days will be multiplied,

and years will be added to your life.

[12] If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

if you scoff, you alone will bear it. (ESV)

Lady Wisdom’s Proverbs

Proverbs 9:7-12 serves as a bridge between the earlier section on Wisdom's banquet and the section which comes after, which will be about Foolishness' banquet. These are words of wisdom, Wisdom's own proverbs, with which the gullible person may learn. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit works through Wisdom's words. Even the most ignorant and uneducated person can receive divine knowledge. It is a gift that enables anyone to decide to be wise and not foolish – to discern wisdom and embrace it over foolishness. Just as faith is not our decision or action but is accomplished by the Holy Spirit alone, our ability to choose to be wise and not foolish is not the product of our will but God working within us to produce God-pleasing decisions and works. Our free will and reason can only choose to ignore or contradict it (see Philippians 2:12-13).

Wisdom's first bit of counsel in this passage deals with correcting a fool. She says that when doing so, one should not expect success but rather resistance (v.7-8). One who is woefully ignorant of God and divine Wisdom will try to hurt the helper, hate and insult him. On the other hand, one who has gained divine Wisdom will listen to her counsel and receive it in Christian love. He will heed her advice and gain more knowledge and understanding of God, keeping him on the path leading to life (v.8-9).

We return to our ever-present theme in verse ten: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.” This verse mirrors Solomon's introduction in Proverbs 1:7. Here, the fear of the Lord is equivalent to "the knowledge of the Holy One (v.10). This is not the knowledge of ordinary, secular, and temporal things. Rather this is the knowledge that comes from God's revelation of Himself to human beings. These words of knowledge are received through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit as part of a relationship between God and believers by His grace. This blossoming of wisdom is connected to understanding. The one who is wise will understand the difference between wisdom and foolishness. True wisdom comes with discernment: the ability to see the difference between these two states, wisdom and foolishness, even though they may present with very subtle differences in our short human lives. The discernment of such nuance can only come through the enlightenment offered by Wisdom (Romans 2:12; 1 Corinthians 2:14-15). This type of discernment is not a native characteristic of sinful humans but purely a gift from God by faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh.

Lady Wisdom once again offers a promise to those who take her advice to heart (9:11). "For by me" in verse eleven can also be translated as "because through me." These words mean that this section of chapter nine means these words are not simply some arbitrary wise sayings inserted between the description of two banquets, but that these words are the words of Divine Wisdom herself. Through Wisdom comes the promise of "life" – eternal life for all who eat at her table. This Wisdom is Christ, and the table He sets in the wedding feast without end is the banquet, of which we receive a foretaste kneeling at His altar in the here and now (John 6:35). The wise benefit from the wisdom of God, but those who mock such wisdom cannot then blame God when they suffer for their sins, since they alone bear the blame (v.12).