Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 - Proverbs 4:1-9

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Proverbs 4:1–9

[1] Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,

and be attentive, that you may gain insight,

[2] for I give you good precepts;

do not forsake my teaching.

[3] When I was a son with my father,

tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,

[4] he taught me and said to me,

“Let your heart hold fast my words;

keep my commandments, and live.

[5] Get wisdom; get insight;

do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

[6] Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

love her, and she will guard you.

[7] The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever you get, get insight.

[8] Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

[9] She will place on your head a graceful garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” (ESV)

A Father’s Wise Instruction

Solomon begins this address to multiple sons, not a single son. But wisdom must be squired individually, even as many are taught together in a group. In this section, Solomon is passing down teachings of ages past – sound advice passed from generation to generation of God's people. How many of us have had that kind of conversation with a parent or mentor? "Hey, listen to me – I'm not just making this stuff up. My father taught me this. I thought he was a crazy old man, but he told me I would understand one day. He was right!" This is that sort of conversation.

Solomon summarizes the teaching he received from his father, King David, in the presence of his mother, Bathsheba. David told his son to hold fast to his teachings and not to turn away from them or abandon them. Above all else, he teaches, get wisdom and insight. These, then, will guard and protect you.

Now a somewhat enigmatic teaching: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” Sounds a little circular, doesn’t it? But remember Proverbs 1:7, which is thematic for the entire book: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Wisdom begins with the striving to attain wisdom. And the fear of the Lord is that from which all wisdom has its origin. No price is too high, and no sacrifice is too great to attain wisdom, which has the knowledge and fear of the Lord at its root.

What then is insight? Insight is nothing other than a deep understanding. Now, this does not mean that there is some hidden or secret knowledge of God that we must attain before we can truly call ourselves Christians or be assured of our salvation. That heresy, called Gnosticism, goes back to the earliest days of the faith and is a false teaching. Rather, insight is a deep understanding of God, our relationship to Him, and what He has done to fix it. Fear of the Lord means we cling to Him above all else. If you fear God, you do not have to be afraid of anything. When we love and trust God above all things, that is the beginning of wisdom. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 ESV). Knowledge and understanding, in turn, will focus us on Jesus, His gifts to us of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation through His death and resurrection. It will strengthen us to engage the world, clinging to God all the while. It will help us remain true to our faith and discern what is wise from what is foolish. The fool is the one who is seduced by the world's whims and the devil's trickery and ignores God's Word. One who is wise clings to the Word, and to the Word made Flesh and becomes strengthened to withstand the world. After all, Christ has already overcome the world. When we prize such wisdom highly (v.8), we are exalted in the knowledge that our sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. Embracing this gift by faith, the crown of eternal life is placed upon our heads.