Father reads the Scriptures from a scroll to his family as the mother prepares food to eat.

A quick plea – not for money (this site takes in no revenue, and NEVER will).  We appreciate SO MUCH the WordPress members who click the “Like” button on this blog!  And we certainly want that to continue!  But after finding out we had reached people in 122 countries last year, we decided to give Facebook a try.  We won’t go so far as to say you might help save a soul by clicking the “Like us on Facebook” button you now find on the right side-bar, but it will help our exposure, and who knows what ways God uses us…?

The assumption by some that these words from Solomon were ever intended solely for his own sons is completely shattered in verse one.  In the same sentence that he calls upon the reader (“O sons”) to hear, just exactly what they are to hear is said to be “a father’s instruction” – not your father’s instruction.  He then goes on to say how he received his own instruction from his father.  The Book of Proverbs is replete with the conveyance of the importance of the instruction given to children by a father and a mother.  But the message here is more than that.  It is the timeless wisdom passed on through generations both by earthly father to father, and by our heavenly Father.  God has made Himself known to all, both by His word and through the knowledge that He reveals to us daily in the world He created (Romans 1:18-20, Psalm 19:1-2).

Verse 7 may seem difficult to understand at first, but it simply means that in order to acquire wisdom, we have to work at it.  We have knowledge freely available to us, but wisdom only comes from searching through that knowledge for understanding – insight – and applying it to our lives.  This is true of worldly wisdom, and of the wisdom that comes to us by reverence for our Creator (“fear of the Lord”).  The wisdom and understanding both comes from, and leads to, the pursuit of a righteous and godly way of living, increasing its effectiveness in our lives as we gain it (verses 10-13).

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy

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some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.