Proverbs 1:2: Wisdom, Understanding, and Instruction

“To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,”
-Proverbs 1:2

I always wanted to be a D&D player. Seriously, I always found the concept rather fascinating, but I didn’t really hang out with many gamers when I was growing up, so I never got into it. As an adult I tried to start games a couple of times to varying degrees of success, but I never got into it like I wanted.

One of the things I really liked about the concept was the creation of a character. There are some really neat ideas that went into the character-building system, and one of those ideas as the division between “intelligence” and “wisdom.”

“Books smarts” and “street smarts” we may say. We’ve all experiences those people who are really intelligent, that is, they know a lot of stuff, but don’t seem that bright when dealing with people and situations. On the other hand, we’ve met people with almost no education, and yet they always seem aware of what is going on. “Wise,” we may call them.

Solomon begins this book with a paragraph to tell us his purpose in writing it, and the first purposes are listed here in verse 2. And we notice right away that he is using different words for things we may normally use interchangeably, much like Dungeons & Dragons may use intelligence and wisdom in different ways while the normal guy on the street may think of them as the same thing.

In the Bible, “wisdom” is often associated with the ability to do the right thing. A wise man will just know what to do in any situation. It’s very much like the “wisdom” from D&D. You just understand the situation and what you need to do.

What about “instruction”? This one is interesting, because the same Hebrew word can be used in several ways. It can be “instruction,” “reproof,” even “doctrine.”

But it also means “chastisement” or “discipline.”

Does he mean that reading Proverbs is punishment? Well, when I was a kid (and not a Christian), I may have thought so. But that’s not it at all. But we will find that Solomon fully believes that teaching truth and goodness will sometimes require more stern and forceful methods. He doesn’t joke around with this stuff; learning to follow God is a lesson of critical importance, and Solomon is not afraid to even use physical punishment to teach the lesson (we’ll get to that a bit later).

And certainly everyone can agree on this: If the Bible is true, then it is a lesson that should be sought before anything else, for nothing would matter more.

That’s why it strikes me as so strange that people do not seek God, but rather put off that journey until after that have “had their fun.” And I did it too! I have always believed in God (though not always a Christian), but did not seek Him for years. Why? Surely we must see that there is nothing more important we can do with our time. And yet we just assume that He will honor our own feeble attempts to be good people, no matter how often we fail at that.

Solomon does not simply assume that his readers will eventually come to the truth. Instead, he encourages discipline – now.

Finally, we come to the final phrase and purpose stated in verse 2: “to understand words of insight.” How wonderful it is that God desires us to “understand.” He wants us not to simply obey, but to understand what we are doing and even desire it.

I’ve heard the teachings of a lot of religions that simply make no sense. Even some Christians act without understanding, and they do not seek understanding. You ask any of these people, “Why do you do this in this manner?” and they will be completely lost for an answer.

God does not want us to go through motions of great mysteries without understanding. Yes, there are “mysteries” in the Bible, but rather few; most things are explained rather well. He has given us the Bible so that we would understand and to know Him better. This truth, to use another phrase from the Bible, will set us free. It is not that the motions set us free.

The Bible becomes our “words of insight,” and they should be sought for understanding. But how can we understand if we do not study? I think the primary reason so many Christians go through the motions without understanding the meaning of what they do is simply because they do not want to take the time to learn what they claim to believe. But again, if this Book is true, and surely it is, then there is no better use of your time than to study, pray, meditate, and seek after God.

Is there a difference here between wisdom, instruction, and understanding? Certainly there is. To know “instruction” is to simply know the moral teaching of the book. To “understand” is not only to know them, but to know the meaning and Source behind them. Lastly, with “wisdom,” we know how to apply these teachings to our lives.

You can know the teaching without understanding them or even following them. You can even understand, generally, without knowing the specific teachings. There have been many cases when, as I read the Bible, I come across a teaching I didn’t know was there, even though I have a basic understanding of Scripture and Christianity. But God desires for us to have all three, and more.

But I must reiterate what I have stated in a previous entry: We must come to this teaching through God, and not without Him. We can try to be moral out of force of will, try to understand God by our own reason, but it will not get us very far.

Christ tells us that He is the “way, the truth, and the life.” The path to God is not one we can make alone, but we must make through the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus called Himself “the
Wisdom of God” (Luke 11:49), and He tells us very clearly that as wonderful is Solomon’s wisdom is, that He is greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42). If we wish to be truly wise, we must follow after Wisdom.

Truly He is greater than Solomon. Obviously, I think there is value in learning from Solomon, but we must have our priorities straight. Repent of your futile efforts to do it all yourselves and submit to Christ. He can be your way to the Father.