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There are four types of people mentioned over and over again in the book of Proverbs. If you’ve read Proverbs 1, you know them all, but the first one—first mentioned in verse two of the first chapter— is The Wise.
To understand what it means to be wise, we need to understand who King Solomon was—he’s the author of the first part of Proverbs. Solomon was heir to the throne of David who ruled Israel. After he becomes king after his father’s death, he has a dream in which God asks him what he wants as new ruler over the kingdom.
He responds in complete humility to God’s question and says this: “Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.” If you continue reading in 1 Kings 3, you see that God is very pleased with Solomon’s response because it isn’t selfish—a long life or death of his enemies—but his request is focused on doing the thing God has called him to do: Rule Israel well. So God grants his request and gives him wisdom beyond his experience.
The truth is that experience is the only teacher. Everything you and I know, we have learned from experience—whether that’s multiplication tables or situational knowledge like don’t touch a hot stove. In both situations, you had to learn. You didn’t discover multiplication on your own like ancient civilizations did—it was taught in school. That knowledge was passed from the experience of others down to you. As for the stove, you learned from others’ experience, but maybe not. Regardless of how you learned about the hot stove, you now have the wisdom not to rest your palm on a red coil.
Experience may be the only teacher, but it doesn’t have to be YOUR experience. Wise people don’t have to learn how life works based on their own experience and dumb mistakes, they learn from the experience and dumb mistakes of others. That’s what the book of Proverbs is all about—passing down life experience and understanding from one person to another. Proverbs 1:3 gives both the purpose statement of the book of Proverbs and defines what it means to be wise: “Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.”
Why is it wise to be disciplined, to use your life to the fullest, to do what’s right, just, and fair? That’s actually a simple answer: Because God exists and one day you will have to give an account for your life. That’s why Solomon says in verse seven that the “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge . . . ” because if we are to truly be wise we must understand that all we are and all we have belongs to God and we will have to give account one day.
I use the word understand very intentionally. Not only is it used throughout Proverbs but also critical to what it means to be wise. You see, wisdom isn’t simply knowing something—it’s understanding it. It’s knowing something on a deeper level. It’s not simple book knowledge like cramming for a test; it’s full comprehension of something that’s so ingrained in you that it’s second nature.
So, as you read about The Wise in Proverbs, don’t see them as intellectually superior, commanding some knowledge you can never grasp but as people who have chosen to study life and learn how to live it the best without regret. They do what needs to be done even when they don’t feel like it and understand that our short life belongs to God.
How do we become wise? We seek it out and devote ourselves to finding it in God’s Word and through observing life around us. As you read Proverbs, you will find general principles that will give you insight into specific situations of your life. Apply them. Don’t make the same mistakes as billions of others—learn from them and live well.
God has given us so much wisdom from His Word. The second half of Proverbs 1 is “Wisdom” personified as if she is lamenting that people ignore her. Look, God wants you to walk in wisdom. James even says this: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” God isn’t distant and hoping you’ll fail in life so He can zap you with a cosmic lighting bolt. No, He’s willing to generously pour out wisdom to us if we will only ask and seek it out.
Again, if seeking wisdom is something you know you need to do, begin by reading through Proverbs
I hope you got some new understanding from this content. If you did, consider liking the video here on YouTube and sharing it with friends on social media—let’s help people find wisdom! And subscribe so you can catch the next video!
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See you next time—grace and peace.
Copyright © 2022 by Stephen Castleberry @https://www.youtube.com/c/StephenCastleberry No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org.