Provérbios 1
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Provérbios 1
Constable - The two ways (paths) introduced in Pr 1:7-note stretch out before the reader (cf. Matt. 7:13-14-note). In this section Solomon spoke to his son guiding him into God’s way. “My son” was and is a customary way of addressing a disciple. “It derives from the idea that parents are primarily responsible for moral instruction (Pr 4:3-4; Dt 6:7).” The frequent recurrence of the phrase “my son” in this part of Proverbs indicates that the instruction specially suited a young person. This person’s life lay in front of him, and he faced major decisions that would set the course of his life from then on. Though the whole Book of Proverbs gives help to youths, Proverbs 1-7 can be of particular benefit to them. When Mother prayed, she found sweet rest, When Mother prayed, her soul was blest; Her heart and mind on Christ were stayed, And God was there when Mother prayed! —Anon. A thousand men may build a city, but it takes a mother to make a home. Children are a heritage, A gift from God above; He asks you to protect and care And nourish them with love. —Hess Tomorrow’s world will be shaped by what we teach our children today Think About It Do I resent being told what to do? Why? Who are some wise people I can learn from? When have I listened to someone's warning and avoided a problem? If you want to be wise, listen to wise people (Ed: And regularly read the Book of Proverbs!) Proverbs 1:9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. they Pr 3:22; 4:9; 6:20,21; 1 Timothy 2:9,10; 1 Peter 3:3,4 ornament Genesis 41:42; Song of Solomon 1:10; 4:9; Isaiah 3:19; Ezekiel 16:11; Daniel 5:7,16,29 NET - For they will be like an elegant garland on your head, and like pendants around your neck. They - instruction and teaching of Pr 1:8 are themselves the adornments! A graceful wreath (more literally a "garland of grace") is a metaphor which speaks of a victor’s wreath and in Pr 4:9 garland stands in parallel with “a crown of beauty." "A man’s wisdom makes his face to shine." {Eccl 8:1} Matthew
Provérbios 1:7
Constable - “Fear” includes not only a correct way of thinking about God but a correct relationship with Yahweh. It is an affectionate reverence that results in humbly bowing to the Father’s will. It is a desire not to sin against Him because His wrath is so awful and His love is so awesome. Richard Alleine - He who knows what it is to enjoy God will dread his loss. He who has seen his face will fear to see his back. The fear of the LORD ultimately expresses reverential submission to the Lord's will and thus characterizes a true worshiper. In this context it is the first and controlling principle of knowledge. In Proverbs the fear of the Lord is the foundation for wisdom (Pr 1:7 9:10) or the discipline leading to wisdom (Pr 15:33); it is expressed in hatred of evil (Pr 8:13), and it results in a prolonged life (Pr 10:27). Charles Bridges - Job had said this (the fear of the LORD) previously (Job 28:28). So had the wise man’s father (Psalm 111:10-note). This saying is so weighty that Solomon repeats it (Pr 9:10). All man’s happiness, all his duty, is dependent on his having reverence for God (Eccl 12:13). So as Solomon starts to instruct us from God’s mouth he begins at the beginning, with the principal matter. All heathen wisdom is but foolishness. Of all knowledge, knowledge of God is the basic principle. There is no genuine knowledge without godliness. But what is the fear of the LORD? It is that affectionate reverence by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his Father’s law. God’s wrath is so bitter and His love so sweet that we have this earnest desire to please Him and to fear him, so that we will not sin against him (Heb 12:28–29-note). C S Lewis while not directly using the term, nevertheless described the fear of the Lord in Mere Christianity (Mere Christianity - online without restrictions or here) when he said "In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that—and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison—you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you." As Ortlund pointed out how opposite was the pompous platitude of Rene Descartes who said "I think, therefore I am." Proverbs 1:7 is the antidote for Descartes' deadly, deceptive doctrine! Bruce Waltke - Fear of the LORD (yirat YHWH) involves both rational and non-rational aspects at the same time. Its rational aspect entails an objective revelation that can be taught (cf. Ps. 34:12ff-note) and memorized...“Fear of the LORD” also entails a nonrational aspect, an emotional response of fear, love, and trust. The unified psychological poles of fear and love come prominently to the fore in the surprisingly uniform way Deuteronomy treats “love of the LORD” and “fear of the LORD” as synonyms (cf. Dt 5:29 with Dt 6:2, and Dt 6:5 with Josh. 24:14; cf. Joshua 10:12, 20; 13:5). William Arnot - The fear of the Lord is an expression of frequent occurrence throughout the Scriptures. It has various shades of meaning, marked by the circumstances in which it is found; but in the main it implies a right state of heart toward God, as opposed to the alienation of an unconverted man. Though the word is “fear,” it does not exclude a filial confidence, and a conscious peace. There may be such love as shall cast all the torment out of the fear, and yet leave full bodied, in a human heart, the reverential awe which creatures owe to the Highest One. “There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” “Oh, fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there is no want to them that fear him!” “I am the Lord thy God;” behold the ground of submissive reverence: “which brought thee up from the land of Egypt;” behold the source of confiding love. What God is inspires awe; what God has done for his people commands affection. See here the centrifugal and centripetal forces of the moral world, holding the creature reverently distant from the Creator, yet compassing the child about with everlasting love, to keep him near a Father in heaven. The whole of this complicated and reciprocal relation is often indicated in Scripture by the brief expression, “The fear of God.”...What is the relation which subsists between the fear of the Lord and true wisdom? The one is the foundation, the other the imposed superstructure; the one is the sustaining root, the other the sustained branches; the one is the living fountain, the other the issuing stream. Ray Ortlund - The fear of the LORD "is not a cringing dread before the Lord. It is not a guilty “Oh no, here comes God. I’m in for it now.” The fear of the Lord is openness to him, eagerness to please him, humility to be instructed by him (Pr 15:33). The fear of the Lord is a willingness to turn from evil and change (Job 28:28). The fear of the Lord is surrender to his will (Ge 22:12). The fear of the Lord is one way we love him (Dt 6:2, 5)." Al Martin - The essential ingredients of the fear of God are correct concepts of the character of God, a pervasive sense of the presence of God and a constant awareness of our obligation to God. Jerry Bridges - If Jesus in His humanity delighted in the fear of God, surely we need to give serious thought to cultivating this attitude in our lives....Just as obedience to the Lord is an indication of our love for Him, so is it also a proof of our fear of God. John
Provérbios 1:7
Constable - “Beginning” does not mean that the fear of the Lord is where one starts learning wisdom, but then he or she can move away from it as from the starting line in a race. Rather the fear of the Lord is the controlling principle, the foundation, on which one must build a life of wisdom. Another source says that beginning speaks of that which is fundamental, primary and indispensable to true knowledge Bruce Waltke - Beginning of (rēšît) might mean, temporally, “first thing,” qualitatively, “chief thing” (i.e., the choice part), or, philosophically, “principal thing.” The second meaning ranks the fear of the LORD as just another wisdom teaching and allows that wisdom can be had apart from it. That notion hardly fits this context, which is not concerned as yet to state the specific content of wisdom but to prepare the way for it. The ambiguity of Pr 1:7 is resolved by the unambiguous word for “beginning of” (tehillat) in the parallel passage of Pr 9:10, pointing to the first meaning. Vine - The abstract word reshith corresponds to the temporal and estimative sense of rosh. Reshith connotes the “beginning” of a fixed period of time: “The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year” (Dt. 11:12). The “beginning” of one’s period of life is intended in Job 42:12. Reshith can represent a point of departure, as it does in Ge 1:1 (the first occurrence). Estimatively, reshith can mean the “first” or “choicest”: (Ex. 23:19). This nuance of reshith may appear in the comparative sense, meaning “choicest” or “best.” Da. 11:41 exhibits the nuance of “some”: “… But these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief [NASB, “foremost”] of the children of Ammon” (Dan. 11:41). Used substantively, reshith can mean “first fruits”: (Lev. 2:12). (Nu. 18:12). Sometimes this word represents the “first part” of an offering: (Nu 15:20). NAS renders reshith - beginning(19), choice(2), choicest(3), finest(2), first(16), first fruits(7), foremost(2). Reshith - 49 v - Gen. 1:1; 10:10; 49:3; Exod. 23:19; 34:26; Lev. 2:12; 23:10; Num. 15:20f; 18:12; 24:20; Deut. 11:12; 18:4; 21:17; 26:2, 10; 33:21; 1 Sam. 2:29; 15:21; 2 Chr. 31:5; Neh. 10:37; 12:44; Job 8:7; 40:19; 42:12; Ps. 78:51; 105:36; 111:10; Pr. 1:7; 3:9; 4:7; 8:22; 17:14; Eccl. 7:8; Isa. 46:10; Jer. 2:3; 26:1; 27:1; 28:1; 49:34f; Ezek. 20:40; 44:30; 48:14; Dan. 11:41; Hos. 9:10; Amos 6:1, 6; Mic. 1:13. Pr 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Pr 3:9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; Pr 4:7 “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Pr 8:22 “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. Pr 17:14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out. Charles Ryrie on "fear of the LORD" - a reverence for God expressed in submission to His will (cf. Job 28:28; Eccl. 12:13; Ps. 111:10; Pr. 9:10; 15:33). Wisdom is not acquired by a mechanical formula but through a right relationship with God. Derek Kidner - The beginning (i.e. the first and controlling principle, rather than a stage which one leaves behind; cf. Eccl 12:13) is not merely a right method of thought but a right relation: a worshipping submission (fear) to the God of the covenant, who has revealed himself by name (the Lord, i.e. Yahweh: Ex 3:13–15). Knowledge, then, in its full sense, is a relationship, dependent on revelation and inseparable from character (‘wisdom and training’, Pr 1:7b). When we fence off (as we must) limited fields of knowledge for special study, the missing context must be remembered, or our knowing is precocious and distorted, as at the fall, and we end by knowing less (cf. Pr 3:7; Ro 1:21, 22), not more. (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries – Proverbs) Stephen Olford: In this context, it (the fear of the Lord) means a penitential turning from sin. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (Pr 8:13). The Bible calls this repentance. We can never know God and hang on to our sins at the same time. But to know God, we must also trust Him. This calls for a reverential trusting in God...The second part of our text reveals the barrier to the knowledge of God. The word “fools” describes the unrepentant mindset that despises divine wisdom and instruction...synonymous with a wicked person. He or she aggressively flouts personal independence from God and His commandments. (Windows of Wisdom – Devotional Studies in Proverbs)
Provérbios 1:7
Constable - “Knowledge” is a relationship that depends on revelation and is inseparable from character. Even though many unbelievers have acquired much information without the fear of God, true knowledge rests on a relationship to God that revelation supports (Ed: cp Jn 17:3). We can learn the really important lessons in life only this way....The Hebrews believed people could acquire knowledge in three ways. One way was through observing nature and human behavior. Another way was by drawing analogies between traditional beliefs (e.g., creeds) and reality. A third way was through encounter with the transcendent God. NAS Usage: concern(1), know(3), knowledge(81), premeditation(2), skill(1), truth(1), unintentionally*(2), what(1). Daath - 89v - Ge. 2:9, 17; Ex. 31:3; 35:31; Num. 24:16; Deut. 4:42; 19:4; Jos. 20:3, 5; 1 Ki. 7:14; Job 10:7; 13:2; 15:2; 21:14, 22; 33:3; 34:35; 35:16; 36:12; 38:2; 42:3; Ps. 19:2; 94:10; 119:66; 139:6; Pr. 1:4, 7, 22, 29; 2:5f, 10; 3:20; 5:2; 8:9f, 12; 9:10; 10:14; 11:9; 12:1, 23; 13:16; 14:6f, 18; 15:2, 7, 14; 17:27; 18:15; 19:2, 25, 27; 20:15; 21:11; 22:12, 17, 20; 23:12; 24:4f; 29:7; 30:3; Eccl. 1:16, 18; 2:21, 26; 7:12; 9:10; 12:9; Isa. 5:13; 11:2; 32:4; 33:6; 40:14; 44:19, 25; 47:10; 53:11; 58:2; Jer. 10:14; 22:16; 51:17; Da 12:4; Hos. 4:1, 6; 6:6; Mal. 2:7 The knowledge of Proverbs is in contrast to the knowledge which God did not want man to possess (the first gives life, the second brings death!)... Genesis 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge (Lxx translates with ginosko) of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Knowledge is a key word in Proverbs found in 39 verses - Pr 1:4 To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion, Pr 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Pr 1:22 “How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? Pr 1:29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. Pr 2:5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. Pr 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Pr 2:10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; Pr 3:20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. Pr 5:2 That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. Pr 8:9 “They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. Pr 8:10 “Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold. Pr 8:12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion. Pr 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Pr 10:14 Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand. Pr 11:9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. Pr 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid. Pr 12:23 A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly. Pr 13:16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly. Pr 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding. Pr 14:7 Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge. Pr 14:18 The naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge. Pr 15:2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly. Pr 15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so. Pr 15:14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on folly. Pr 17:27 He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Pr 18:15 The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. Pr 19:2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And he who hurries his footsteps errs. Pr 19:25 Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd, But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge. Pr 19:27 Cease listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge. Pr 20:15 There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing. Pr 21:11 When the scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise; But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge. Pr 22:12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man. Pr 22:17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge; Pr 22:20 Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, Pr 23:12 Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge. Pr 24:4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. Pr 24:5 A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power. Pr 29:7 The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, The wicked does not understand such concern. Pr 30:3 Neither have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Fools despise wisdom and instruction - A fool is one who is both mentally naive and morally irresponsible. They express a contempt (by their words and/or their deeds) for God's wisdom and instruction. They treat that which is of priceless with contempt, treating the precious as if it were worthless! Now that's a foolish thing to do! Do I ever do that? Fools are like Esau who despised his birthright, thinking so little of it that he was willing to sell it for a bowl of lentil stew! (Ge 25:34). Waltke - Fools...are incapable of this prerequisite for understanding the sage’s teaching and knowing wisdom, for they willfully make the corrupt moral choice to refuse the sage’s moral teachings. These conceited fools, in contrast to the teachable wise, are fixed in the correctness of their own opinions—unlike the gullible—and so not educable. As Ray Ortlund says "we must forsake the fool within, named Self, decisively and endlessly. “Change of being, metanoia, is not brought about by straining and ‘will-power’ but by a long deep process of unselfing.” There is no other way....Getting down low before him—that is where we all belong. It is not degrading. It is profound....If you would like to experience God with that humility, here is how you can. You look at the cross. You see a wise man hanging there, dying in the place of fools like you, because he loves you. You may despise him, but he does not despise you. You may be above him, but he humbled himself for you. Look there at him. Look away from yourself. Look at him, and keep looking until your pride melts. You will not only worship, you will begin to grow wise." Hubbard says fools are "those who choose against God’s way, disrupt society, shame their families, and bear the dreadful consequences.... Their basic lack is not intelligence quotient, educational opportunity, or positive examples. They are not so much stupid as wicked." Someone has said that he who does not fear God has need to fear everything else, an apt description of and warning for the fool! John