Thank you.
The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
For gaining wisdom and instruction.
For understanding words of insight.
For receiving instruction in prudent behavior.
Doing what is right and just and fair.
For giving prudence to those who are simple.
Knowledge and discretion to the young.
Let the wise listen and add to their learning.
And let the discerning get guidance.
For understanding Proverbs and parables.
The sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Thank you.
No, I don't hear.
That's fine.
I'm a stream, sir.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Nice to see you.
Please have your Bibles open there as we begin our new series in the book of Proverbs.
I'm looking forward to it because I've never taught from it before.
And I hope it will be encouraging and helpful for us all.
Need a drink?
Let's pray.
Father, thank you for your word.
For its truth and its wisdom.
We pray that you will be our teacher.
Father, so that we become wise, as you call us to be.
Amen.
Well, a few years back, some friends of mine, and we went off down to Kerry.
And we went walking the mountains.
And it was bad weather.
So we decided that we would take a professional guide with us.
And before we headed off, the guide gathered us around together and began to say,
Listen to my instructions.
Do what I say.
My job is to get you up and down the mountains safely.
Of course, as he spoke, and being a bunch of lads, everyone was joking and fooling about.
Everest, here we come.
And then he said something that got everyone's attention.
People have died up there.
And with that, he just marched off down the path.
So in that moment, we had a choice to make.
We had to decide, are we going to follow him?
Or are we going to go it alone?
Well, in a sense, we are all on a journey through life that it is fraught with danger.
Every day, we're faced with multiple choices and decisions.
What course am I going to take after my leaving cert?
Who am I going to marry?
What job will I apply for?
Where will I live?
How do I use my money?
What words will I say to that person?
How will I manage this difficult situation?
Make the right choice.
And life will be pleasant and good.
But if we make a wrong decision,
well, we know that life can end in misery.
So the question is,
how do we know what is the right choice or the right decision?
How do we navigate the journey of life
so that we do what is right?
Well, as if you've been listening to the songs and the teachings so far this morning,
we need wisdom.
And Proverbs is all about wisdom.
In fact, wisdom is our teacher who will guide us safely through life.
Look at verse 1,
the Proverbs of Solomon.
A proverb is a nugget of wisdom
to enable us to navigate all the twists and turns of life.
Have a look at chapter 13,
verse 14.
Chapter 13, verse 14.
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life
turning a person from the snares of death.
Or just go on a page further to chapter 15,
verse 24.
The path of life leads upward for the prudent
to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.
Let's go back to chapter 1.
You see, wisdom is not just about making right and good choices.
It's the difference between life and death.
So, as we begin Proverbs,
we must let wisdom be our teacher.
One writer put it like this.
Wisdom will give you understanding of the world in which we live
and the skills to navigate through it.
It'll give us understanding of the world we live in
and the skills to navigate through it.
So, as we look at this first little introduction
to the book of Proverbs,
we're going to see three things.
The source of wisdom,
the purpose of wisdom,
and the experience of wisdom.
So, the source.
Where do we get wisdom?
The purpose.
Why do I need it?
And the experience.
How can I get wisdom for myself?
So, first, the source of wisdom.
Verse 1.
The Proverbs of Solomon,
son of David,
king of Israel.
Solomon, the author and writer,
has many Proverbs,
all the way through to chapter 31.
Many wise sayings that can teach us.
But where did he get his wisdom from?
Well, we know from reading the book
where he got it from.
So, look at chapter 4.
Verse 1.
He gathered his wisdom,
first of all,
from his parents.
Yes, children,
parents are wise.
Chapter 4, verse 1.
Listen, my sons,
to a father's instruction.
Verse 3.
For I, too,
was a son to my father,
still tender,
and cherished by my mother.
Then he taught me.
So, he gathered wisdom
from his parents as he grew up.
We also know that he got wisdom
from other places,
from other nations.
In chapter 22 to 24,
there's a collection
of sayings
of the wise.
And scholars point out
that these sayings
more than likely
came from
surrounding nations.
Not just his parents
or from different places,
but from different people.
At the very end of the book,
chapters 30 to 31,
we have some wisdom
from a man called
Agur
and a king called
Lemuel.
We don't know anything else
about them
other than what
they've written
in Proverbs.
So, it seems
as he goes through life,
he gathers wisdom
from his parents,
from other places,
and from different people.
But that's not
the only source.
Turn with me
to 1 Kings chapter 4.
1 Kings,
you have to go backwards
in your Bible.
1 Kings chapter 4.
Anybody have a page number?
339.
1 Kings chapter 4.
Page 339.
So, remember,
Solomon was king
of Israel
and at the beginning
of his kingship,
God came to him
and said,
Solomon,
ask for whatever
you want
and I will give it
to you.
And Solomon
asked for wisdom.
Now, look at
verse 29.
Verse 29.
God gave Solomon
wisdom
and very great
insight
and a breadth
of understanding
as measureless
as the sand
on the seashore.
Solomon's wisdom
was greater
than the wisdom
of all the people
of the east.
He was a living,
talking Wikipedia.
Look at the end
of verse,
look at verse 34.
From all nations,
people came to listen
to Solomon's wisdom,
sent by all the kings
of the world
who had heard
of his wisdom.
So, forget about
asking Siri.
Ask Solomon.
He will have the answer.
Let's go back
to Proverbs.
You see,
Solomon is telling us
that the ultimate
source of wisdom
wisdom is God.
Yes,
parents have wisdom,
nations have wisdom,
other religions
have wisdom.
We can find wisdom
in all kinds of places
and people,
but the source
of wisdom
is God.
All truth
is God's truth
because God
is the creator
of the universe
and he is the one
who is the source
of all truth.
Go to your grocery stores
today,
pick up an item
of food
and you'll see
that they're very
concerned about
the origin
of the food
they sell.
It must be traceable.
You need to know
where it comes from.
Well,
all truth
has a sticker
and a label
on it
and it says
its origin
is God.
All wisdom
can be traced
back to God.
So Proverbs
chapter 2
verse 6
tells us
for the Lord
gives wisdom
and from his mouth
come understanding
and knowledge.
That's the message
of the Bible.
That wisdom
comes from God.
So in the New Testament,
the writer
James
tells us
if any of you
lacks wisdom
you should ask
God
who gives generously.
Need wisdom
over decisions?
Just pray out
and call out
to God.
So first,
God is the source
of all wisdom
and truth.
Second,
the purpose
of wisdom.
Why do we need it?
Well,
we need wisdom
because we need
to be wise
to help us
make the right
kinds of choices
that lead to life
rather than death.
If we look
at our introduction
verses 2 to 6,
we'll see there
that wisdom
teaches us
five core truths
that will come
again
and again
as we read
through the book
of Proverbs.
The first one,
wisdom teaches us
what is right.
Verse 2.
It's for gaining
wisdom
and instruction,
for understanding
words of insight.
Now,
if you are
insightful,
it means
you can see
the whole
big picture.
You don't just see it
from one angle,
but you can see it
from many angles.
What's the real issue
behind all the detail?
It enables us
to grasp
what is best
and what is
the right course
of action.
Wisdom teaches us
what is right.
It also teaches us
how to live.
Verse 3.
It's for receiving
instruction
in prudent
behaviour.
wisdom
instructs us
about how
we should live.
Not just
knowing in our
heads
lots of
information
about right
things,
but knowing
how to apply
that information
as it says
at the end
of verse 3
so that we
can do
what is
right
and just
and fair.
Wisdom
also teaches
us thirdly
who I
am.
Verse 4.
It's for giving
prudence
to those
who are
simple,
knowledge
and discretion
to the
young.
Now the
simple
and the
young
are not
two different
people.
When we
read poetry
and literature
like proverbs,
the second
half of the
sentence
often help
expand
and give
insight
for the
first part
of the
sentence.
So simple
and young
are the
same
person.
And we're
given a
definition
of who
the
simple
are.
If you
look down
at the
bottom
of your
Bible,
there's a
little
note.
It says
something like
this,
the Hebrew
word rendered
simple in
proverbs
denotes a
person who
is gullible,
without
moral direction,
and inclined
to evil.
Wisdom
is teaching
us, is
telling us
that we
are all
simple.
Well, that's
pretty offensive,
isn't it?
That we
choose our
own ways
in life,
we choose
what we
think is
right.
None of
us have
been born
wise.
In fact,
the other,
as we read
through the
book,
we'll discover
that we're
inclined to
foolishness.
So,
chapter 9
and verse
6 tells
us,
leave your
simple ways
and you
will live.
Walk in
the way
of insight.
So,
wisdom is a
great teacher.
It also
teaches us,
fourthly,
what we
need in
life.
what we
need.
So,
chapter 1
verse 5.
Let the
wise listen
and add
to their
learning and
let the
discerning
get
guidance.
You see,
wisdom is
not a
quick fix.
It's not
like we
sign up
to a
course and
we
graduate in
wisdom.
It's not
like come
along on
Sunday
morning and
listen to
a few
sermons and
go away
with your
certificate,
I'm
wise.
Now,
wisdom says
add to
your
learning.
So,
when you've
got a
bit of
wisdom,
learn a
little bit
more and
you will
have more
wisdom.
And when
you've done
that,
go and
learn some
more and
you will
have more
wisdom.
It also
tells us,
fifthly,
how to
mature.
Verse 6.
Wisdom
teaches us
understanding
for
proverbs
and
parables,
the
sayings
and
riddles
of the
wise.
You see,
wisdom comes
in all
shapes and
sizes.
It comes
in proverbs,
that distilled
word of
truth.
It comes
as a
parable,
stories which
contain a
truth with
an application
to our
lives within
the story.
Or
sayings,
short
comments on
life or
riddles,
truths that
we need to
think about
deeply to
be able to
get the
meaning.
So we
don't just
add
wisdom,
we develop
ways of
learning.
We use
all means
possible to
make us
wise.
You see,
wisdom is
our teacher.
But did
you notice
how we
are taught?
wisdom
is
God's
word.
Verse 2,
understanding
words of
insight.
Or verse 5,
listening to
the words
of the
wise.
Wisdom
comes from
God,
but it
comes through
his word.
Proverbs,
parables,
sayings,
riddles are
all communicated
by his word.
So wisdom
is found
in God's
word.
Without
God's
word,
we would
have no
understanding,
no insight,
and no
guidance.
So it
begs the
question,
how often
are we
reading
God's
word
so that
we can
be wise?
You see,
living
without
the word
would be
like trying
to put
up an
Ikea
wardrobe
without
the words
of
instructions.
I've
tried to
do it.
It's not
very helpful.
It would
be like
trying to
get to
a restaurant
that you've
never been
to before
without
the words
of Google
Maps
telling you
where to
get to
your
destination.
God's
word
will make
you wise.
Now,
God's
word is
good and
beautiful.
They're not
harsh words.
They're not
just a bunch
of rules
to corral us
into some
kind of
order or
some kind
of test
that we
have to
pass.
No,
God's
word is
wise.
It's
there for
our benefit.
One
author put
it like
this.
Proverbs
is practical
help
from
God
for weak
people like
us
stumbling
through
daily
life.
It is
his counsel
for the
perplexed,
his strength
for the
defeated,
his warning
to the
proud,
his mercy
for the
broken.
God's
word is
good.
So we
could
summarize
wisdom
like this.
God's
word
to live
God's
way
in
God's
world.
You
see,
we all
need
the
wisdom
of God's
word.
So we
see the
source,
we see
the
purpose,
and we
see the
experience.
So how do
we experience
this wisdom?
wisdom?
How can
I become
wise like
Solomon?
Well,
before we
rush into
the book of
Proverbs to
discover what
career I
should choose
or what I
should do
with my
money,
we just
need to
slow
down.
You
see,
if we
are to
experience
wisdom,
we need
to start
in the
right
place.
And if
we don't
start at
the right
place,
we're never
ever going
to be
wise.
So where's
the starting
place?
Where's
the door?
Well,
verse 7
is the
door to
the whole
book of
Proverbs.
Do you
see what
it says?
The fear
of the
Lord is
the beginning
of knowledge.
Or as it
says in
chapter 9
verse 10,
the fear
of the
Lord is
the beginning
of wisdom.
Now,
when we
think about
the fear
of the
Lord,
we think,
run,
hide,
God is
after me,
I haven't
done one
of these
Proverbs,
I've got
it wrong,
he's going
to punish
me.
But that's
not how
God
works.
Remember,
he's not
out to
crush us
or break
us,
but to
help us.
Did you
notice
something
different
about one
of the
words in
verse 7,
how it's
different to
all the
others?
It's the
word
Lord.
It comes
in capital
letters.
And whenever
we see that
phrase,
that word
Lord in
capital
letters,
it's
talking
about
God's
personal
name.
It's
the God
who
reveals
himself
to his
people
for the
purpose
of
rescuing
us so
that we
can be
in right
relationship
with him.
This is
the personal
God who
wants the
very best
for you.
So the
fear of
the Lord
is to
humble
yourself
under
his
loving
authority.
It's to
submit
yourself
to
his
gracious
rule.
It's a
desire that
I want
to please
this God.
I want
to know
him
better.
It's a
longing to
want
what he
wants
for me.
So the
fear of
the Lord
first of
all
leads
to
wisdom.
You see
you can't
have wisdom
without
God.
We all
want to
be wise.
We all
want to
know how
to make
good and
right choices
and decisions
but so
often we
want to
do it
without
God.
But
wisdom
without
God
will
always
mean I
will
always
choose
what I
want.
My
decisions
will
always
be
self
orientated.
What
pleases
me?
And not
only is
that selfish
living,
it's
downright
foolish
living.
Look at
the second
part of
verse 7.
But
fools
despise
wisdom
and
instruction.
You see
what he's
saying?
The fear
of the
Lord
is the
beginning
of
wisdom.
But if
we
reject
the
Lord,
well then
it's
the
end
of
wisdom.
We
cannot
have
wisdom
without
God.
It's
like me
saying
I want
Kirsty's
help
but I
don't
want
Kirsty.
I
need
her
for
doing
things
but not
in a
marriage.
The two
go
together.
So
the fear
of the
Lord leads
to
wisdom
and this
wisdom
leads
to
life.
If we
start
with
God
it means
I will
always be
desiring
what God
wants.
if I
start
with
self
it will
always
be
about
me.
And if
we
start
with
what
God
wants
it will
always
be
what
is
right
and
best
for
me.
Can
we
trust
that
the
creator
of
the
universe
will
only
do
what
is
right
and
best
for
his
creation?
Look
at
chapter
14
verse
27.
Wisdom
leads
to
life.
Chapter
14
verse
27.
The
fear
of
the
Lord
is
a
fountain
of
life
turning
a
person
from
the
snares
of
death.
Or
look
at
chapter
19
verse
23.
19
verse
23.
The
fear
of
the
Lord
leads
to
life.
Then
one
rests
content
untouched
by
trouble.
So
isn't
it
wonderful
how
wisdom
takes
us
from
death
into
life.
It's
the
fountain
of
life.
The
source
of
life.
But
there's
something
even
better
than
that.
The
fear
of
the
Lord
leads
to
wisdom.
It
leads
to
life.
And
ultimately
it
leads
to
Jesus.
Look
as we
read
through
the
book
of
Proverbs
we
will
discover
that
we're
not
just
simple
but
that
we're
more
foolish
than
we
ever
thought
we
were.
Rather
than
fear
the
Lord
we're
people
who
often
reject
the
Lord.
Rather
than
be
listening
to
his
words
we
so
often
listen
to
that
internal
word
in
our
hearts.
Or as
Proverbs
10
verse 8
tells us
the
wise
in
heart
accept
commands
but a
chattering
fool
comes
to
ruin.
in
other
words
I
know
what
is
best
for
me
don't
tell
me
how
to
live
my
life.
You
see
our
choices
may
be
wise
in
the
eyes
of
the
world
but
they
are
foolish
in
the
eyes
of
God.
What
we
need
is
not
just
advice
we
need
more
than
direction
about
the
career
we're
going
to
take
or
the
person
we're
going
to
marry
!
or
the
place
I'm
going
to
live
we
need
someone
who
will
come
to
us
who
will
save
us
from
our
self
centred
foolishness.
Let's
go to
1st
Corinthians
where
we
began
our
time
this
morning
1st
Corinthians
chapter
1
1st
Corinthians
chapter
1
starting
at
verse
26
you
see
the
fear
of
the
Lord
leads
to
wisdom
which
leads
to
life
which
leads
to
Jesus
he
alone
is
the
one
who
can
save
us
from
our
foolish
ways
and
make
us
truly
wise
let's
pick it
up in
verse
26
reflect
with me
on
these
words
he's
writing
to the
church
to
believers
brothers
and
sisters
think
of what
you were
when you
were
called
not
many
of
you
were
wise
by
human
standards
not
many
were
influential
not
many
were
of
noble
birth
in
the
words
of
proverbs
we
might
say
we
were
all
simple
verse
27
but
God
chose
the
foolish
things
of the
world
to
shame
the
wise
God
chose
the
weak
things
of the
world
to
shame
the
strong
God
chose
the
lowly
things
of
this
world
and
the
despised
things
and the
things
that are
not
to
nullify
the
things
that
are
so
that
no
one
may
boast
before
him
you
see
here
is
true
wisdom
we
do
not
come
saying
I'm
wise
I
have
my
life
all
together
no
wisdom
starts
by
saying
I'm
a
fool
I'm
weak
I'm
lowly
I
need
help
verse
30
it
is
because
of
him
that
you
are
in
Christ
Jesus
who
has
become
for
us
wisdom
from
God
that
is
our
righteousness
our
holiness
and
redemption
did
you see
that
little
phrase
there
in
verse
30
it
is
because
of
him
that
you
are
in
Christ
Jesus
who
has
become
for
us
the
wisdom
from
God
think
of
your
journey
through
life
as
crossing
a
large
sea
a
sea
that's
fraught
with
dangerous
storms
and
currents
there's
two
ways
for
you
to
cross
that
sea
either
you
can
swim
or
you
can
take
the
boat
well
in a
sense
Jesus
is
our
boat
the
boat
is
called
wisdom
and
as
our
captain
he
calls
us
on
board
to
be
in
Christ
who
is
our
wisdom
and
all
those
who
come
to
him
are
given
his
righteousness
so
that
we
may
be
accepted
before
him
we
are
given
his
holiness
so
that
we
might
be
treated
like
him
and
we
are
given
redemption
assured
that
we
will
make
it
to
the
other
side
even
if
we
should
fall
overboard
by
our
once
again
foolish
actions
he
will
grab
us
before
we
touch
those
stormy
waters
Christ
our
wisdom
Christ
our
life
Jesus
is
our
wisdom
who
will
see
us
through
to
our
final
destination
let
us
come
before
him
admit
who
we
are
and
know
his
strength
his
help
and
all
that
we
need
to
live
life
his
way
God's
words
to
live
God's
way
in
God's
world
let's
pray
together
we
sang at
the very
beginning
of our
service
a song
with the
line
that
you
are
God
and
we
are
not
father
help
us
that
we
might
humbly
come
before
you
that
we
would
submit
to
your
loving
gracious
rule
that
we
would
not
want
what
we
want
but
desire
the
things
of
God
help
us
that
we
would
not
listen
to
the
voices
inside
of
us
but
that
we
would
listen
to
your
wise
counsel
your
wise
word
the
truth
about
your
son
Jesus
Christ
who
takes
foolish
people
like
us
and
makes
us
wonderfully
wise
in
your
sight
be
our
teacher
through
this
day
and
through
this
coming
week
make
us
more
like
Christ
we
ask
in
Jesus
name
Amen
well
we're
going
to
sing
that
song
that
we
sang
earlier
it
is
a
new
one
not
only
does
it
help
us
get
to
know
it
but
it's
a
reminder
and
a
summary
of
all
that
we're
thinking
of
that
Christ
our
wisdom
let's
stand
together