The Book of Proverbs

Proverbs 1:31 "Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."


In his letter to the Galatian believers, Paul said, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”Here in Solomon’s letter to his son, wisdom is saying a very similar thing.Without wisdom, a man will continue to eat the fruit of his own ways.Without wisdom, a man will know no other fruit than the fruit of his own ways.Without wisdom, a man will never taste the sweet juice of virtue’s fruit because contrary to the popular belief of our society, virtue does not come from within.Virtue comes from without and more specifically, from above.

In plain words, you’ll be stuck with only your vices if you reject wisdom’s virtue.The consequence of rejecting wisdom is not just missing out on its enlightenment; it is being stuck with your own foolishness. The ultimate consequence for the simple is being permanently ignorant.The ultimate c…

Prov. 1:28-30 "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof."

Wisdom personified has made her plea.She has reached out to those in need of her companionship and virtue. Sadly, those in need of her in the scene denied her invitation.Because they denied her invitation, the simple, the scorner and the fool would proceed down the road of life without her companionship.Without her prudence, protection and guidance, certain trouble awaited them.Without wisdom - distress, anguish and fear are certain. In Solomon’s Script, wisdom would have no compassion on her rejecters in the day of their distress.
Verses 28-30 record another sentence of wisdom’s dialog. In this sentence however, she is not speaking to those she has invited to embrace her.She is speaking to a general audience who may hear her…

Proverbs 1:24-27 "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you."


In Proverbs 1, Solomon did more than present wisdom; he personified wisdom.He drew a picture of wisdom and gave it human life.Given his primary intended audience, he made wisdom a lovely lady and gave her a lovely voice.He crafted wisdom’s words very carefully and projected them in the streets, allies and meeting spaces of the city.In verse 22, wisdom urged those who lacked her companionship to take a good look at the dangers of their present companions: simplicity, scorning and foolishness. In verse 23, she extended a romantic invitation to those who lacked her companionship.Whoever did that would be showe…

Proverbs 1:23 "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."


Drawn as a strong woman, Solomon placed wisdom in the midst of man. Drawn as a fully accessible woman, Solomon painted wisdom appealing to men.In this passage, wisdom is appealing to a specific group of people – she is appealing to simple ones, to scorners and to fools.Wisdom doesn’t reserve herself for the intellectually elite.She doesn’t hide herself in the thick books and in the quiet halls of monasteries. Wisdom is not content to reside only in the minds of the wise.She is forever seeking new minds to enlighten; new lives to transform; new souls to advise.The virtue at the center of the Book of Proverbs is always looking to enable the simple, convert the fool and redirect the scorner.And so, she stands calling in the midst of these souls…
In an effort to expand her influence in the lives of men, wisdom’s first step is to create dissatisfaction for the vi…