Proverbs 1:1-5 What is Wisdom?

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What is a Proverb?

Proverbs 1:1 NKJV
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
Proverbs 1:6 NKJV
To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.

Masal

Hebrew "Masal": "a poetic, terse, vivid, thought-provoking saying that conveys a world of truth in a few words." Keller
To get the full picture...put proverbs side-by-side with other proverbs.
No absolute commands nor promises, and often they are partial.
"A proverb is like hard candy: If you just bite down on it, you get little out of it and may even get a broken tooth. Instead you must meditate on it until the sweetness of insight comes."
Keller

Question

In what area of life do you most need to grow in wisdom?
Pray for understanding.

Not Just Moral

Proverbs 1:1–2 NKJV
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,
Mark 6:2 NKJV
And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!
Wisdom: Hebrew (hokma): Making the right choices even when there are no moral laws telling you explicitly what to do. Includes being moral but it's more than that.
Let's look at decisions.
Decisions that require knowledge: what medicine to take
Decisions that require only compliance with the rules: To commit adultery or not
What are some decisions that the bible doesn't address?
who to marry
where to go to school
what job/career to choose
what job/career to choose
How do you address character flaws that may destroy your life? There may be no clear moral law about that character flaw, but it still has great power to hurt your progress in life and in relationships.
Jesus is our ultimate example of true wisdom.
(NKJV)
2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!

Question

Have you ever seen an example of a good and moral person who was very unwise?
"Please bring into my life what is necessary for wisdom to grow, and then remind me that I received it from you." Keller

Discipline

Proverbs 1:1–2 NKJV
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,
Proverbs 27:5 NKJV
Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.
Proverbs 26:11 NKJV
As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.
Proverbs 3:11–12 NKJV
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
Proverbs 1:3 NKJV
To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity;
Synonyms for wisdom surrounding "hokma"
(NKJV)
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,
(NKJV)
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity;
Instruction (Hebrew: musar) - training with strong accountability. Being drilled under an instructor who often gets up in your face.
Example: Drill Sergeant

Implication: Wisdom often comes through painful experiences.

Examples?

Complications with friends:

(NKJV)
5 Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.

Learning from mistakes:

(NKJV)
11 As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.

Suffering that God allows:

(NKJV)
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
Wisdom is often hard won. It is attained through diligence.

Question

Question:
Can you see in your own life how God has used difficulty to make you wiser?

Discernment

Proverbs 1:1 NKJV
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
Proverbs 1:6 NKJV
To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.
Hebrew "Masal": "a poetic, terse, vivid, thought-provoking saying that conveys a world of truth in a few words." Keller
To get the full picture...put proverbs side-by-side with other proverbs.
No absolute commands nor promises, and often they are partial.
"A proverb is like hard candy: If you just bite down onit, you get little out of it and may even get a broken tooth. Instead you must meditate on it until the sweetness of insight comes."
Keller
Question:
In what area of life do you most need to grow in wisdom?
Pray for understanding.

Discernment

Proverbs 1:2 NKJV
To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,
Philippians 1:9 NKJV
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
(NIV)
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;
Insight/understanding (Hebrew: bina): The ability to notice distinctions and shades of difference where others see only a blur.
The skill of being able to recognise multiple options and possible courses of action where others can imagine only one or two.
People: Multiple dimensions to their motives and character.
Discernment is...Not just right/wrong, but good/better/best.
As the love of Christ grows so does our depth of insight.
(NKJV)
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
"His love heals the self-absorbed ego and enables us to notice and be sensitive to others around us." Keller
Pray that God would deliver you from legalism or relativism - Neither is wise.

Question

Where has God been enabling you to see fine distinctions that you didn't see before?

Discretion

Proverbs 1:3–4 NKJV
To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion—
Proverbs 27:14 NKJV
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.
Isaiah 52:13 NKJV
Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
Proverbs 22:3 NKJV
A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.
Discretion: a form of foresight, knowing what kinds of behavior will lead to what results.
(NKJV)
3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.
(Discernment is a form of insight into hearts)
(NIV)
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—
Hebrew:
Prudent behavior: haskel
Prudence: ormah
Discretion: mezimma
All the above words mean " to plan and live strategically."
Some people have vision, but little idea of the practical steps it takes to bring that goal into a reality.
To be wise...
Anticipate problems without overconfidence or over-cautiousness
Know not only what to do but also when to do it
Timing is vital:
(NKJV)
14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.
Basically...how to be successful at something.
Ultimate Wisdom in Jesus:
(NIV)
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Jesus successfully defeated death and Satan with perfect timing and wisdom.

Question

Remember a time when you had the discernment to know what to do but not the discretion to know how to accomplish it.
Remember a time when you had the discernment to know what to do but not the discretion to know how to accomplish it.
What did you learn from that?
What prevents as from growing in the area of discernment?
Pride and fear and selfishness (our definition of success)

Learning

Proverbs 1:5 NKJV
A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
Matthew 27:46 NKJV
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Psalm 22:1 NKJV
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
You can be very knowledgeable and yet be foolish.
(NIV)
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—
"You have to be knowledgeable about a subject before you can apply it with the discipline, discernment, and discretion of wisdom." Keller
Do you want to be wise?
Then add to your learning.
Learning (Hebrew: legah): extensive study
"To be wise we must understand human nature, how human relationships work, suffering and death, and the character of God Himself." Keller
Bringing thought and experience together.
True wisdom requires deep knowledge of the Scriptures.
Even Jesus based His every move on the Bible, quoting Scripture to face and explain His death.
(NKJV)
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
(NKJV)
1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

Question

Can you be wise without being immersed in the Word of God?
Can you be wise without being immersed in the Word of God?
How can you take steps to greatly increase your knowledge of the Bible?
In what other areas of life should you be reading now?
We always make time for the things we value most.
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