Proverbs 8: 12 & 13

In today’s verses, “Wisdom” continues to speak, using words that show contrasts to bring out the differences between being wise and being foolish. They contrast knowledge, discretion and being prudent with pride, arrogance and a perverse mouth.

Proverbs 8: 12 & 13 (NKJV)
12 “ I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

And find out knowledge and discretion.

13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;

Pride and arrogance and the evil way

And the perverse mouth I hate.

The first of today’s verses, names three attributes of wisdom. Prudence, is an attribute that we looked at in our last study. Verse 12 also says that wisdom brings knowledge and discretion. In past studies, we noted that knowledge is NOT the same as wisdom, for many people have a lot of “knowledge” but they never put it into proper action. For example, we can “know” that peroxide can help to disinfect and heal wounds, but it would not be wise to treat all wounds with peroxide automatically.

We can “know” that a friend is doing something wrong, and we might even have a really good idea on how the problem can be fixed, BUT wisdom will act with discretion, and wait for God’s timing (through prayer) to give an opening for a gentle nudge in the proper direction instead of jumping in with both feet and making enemies that won’t listen anyway. We need to learn to control our tongues (one of MY big problems!!!)

Verse 13 speaks of the “Fear of the Lord,” and we have discussed in previous studies how this “fear” is more of a respectful, awe of His power, than a quaking terror of being hurt or injured by Him. If we respect His power and are in awe of His love for us, then we start to understand that His ways and rules are for our protection, and we will stay on His paths and not be drawn to evil ones.

If we are too prideful and arrogant to have respect and awe for God, (I will do it MYSELF, because I KNOW ME BEST) then we are putting ourselves above Him, and will tend listen to “our” friends that have “perverse lips” (peer pressure) that will, too often, lead us down wrong paths.

The Bible tells us to be very careful of who we choose to be close to for this reason. I leave you with these two verses: Proverbs 16:28 (NKJV) 28 A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends AND Proverbs 11:13 (NKJV) 13 A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

Proverbs 3: 25 & 26

We will look at the next 2 verses today from Proverbs 3. They speak of the Lord’s protection and of not having to live in fear. Here they are:

Proverbs 3: 25 & 26

25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

Verses 25 and 26 tell us that we don’t have to be afraid of “sudden terror.” This is would be things that happen unexpectedly. Many people today are living under a cloud of fear. They are afraid of a drive by, or of their child being harmed in some way. They fear for their future with the uncertain economy. They can’t sleep for fear, and their bodies are experiencing the toll that fear costs… lowered immunity, stress related problems that make them turn to drugs or alcohol, weight gain, anxiety attacks, etc.

Jesus tells us that in the last days, this is the way that so many people will live:

Luke 21:25-27 (NKJV)

The Coming of the Son of Man
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

We see so much of this happening today. The news is full of stories about the raise of heart attacks and stress related disorders.

Today’s verses, though, tell us that we don’t have to live in that kind of fear, or of fear of evil men causing us trouble. They may try to cause us trouble, but these verses tell us that “the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.” Remember, we have been talking about Godly wisdom, which is BASED on “seeking first the Kingdom of God and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS…”

If our lives are based on these principles, then we won’t “fear” for we will have confidence that God has it all in His LOVING hands, and will not give us more than we can bear, but will bring us through, or protect us from (depending on what He knows we need to build our faith) all the problems the evil one throws at us.

I leave you with this verse from 1 John 4:18:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Proverbs 2:1- 5

Today we will start on the second chapter of Proverbs. The first chapter told where the book came from and gave a very brief verses of the reasons why searching for wisdom was good. Most of the chapter really stressed the problems that turning away from Godly wisdom would cause.

Chapter 2, is just the opposite, and stresses the VALUE of Wisdom and the blessings that seeking it will offer. First, lets go over the text:

Proverbs 2:1- 5 (NKJV): The Value of Wisdom

1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,

2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

And apply your heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding,

4 If you seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hidden treasures;

5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,

And find the knowledge of God.

“My son” shows that the allegory (allegory: a story, poem, or picture with an underlying meaning) of a parent speaking to their child continues through this chapter. These words apply both to a male or female child. Verses 1-4 continue to instruct the "child" (read "child of God") that listening “with your heart and not just your ears” and then APPLYING the words of wisdom, will help you to understand the “fear of the LORD.”

James 1:23-25 (NIV)

23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

As we have studied before, this is speaking of the AWE or REVERENCE that a person gains of God when they truly SEEK His face… His character… His love, mercy, AND justice. A God that is fair, may be long-suffering (VERY patient) BUT there will come a time of justice. He paid the price of our sins, but if WE refuse to accept that gift, and turn from His ways of love, then justice is necessary. For some, that place of real fear, if they see the evil that comes from turning from Him, IS a place of mercy for they will turn to Him… Sort of the principle of “No atheists in a foxhole.”

God uses so many ways to turn people to Him, for He loves them all, and each is so different from the next. Some are saved through the whisper of love, others through the guidance of parents or mentors, others through “hitting the bottom” (drug, alcohol, sex, etc.). Some are saved through seeing the mighty, miracle power of God in their OR other’s lives. Some are saved through watching the faith of a saint who refuses to turn away from God though they are going through horrible suffering.

Those of you who have several children or have worked around many children know this very well. Each of those children are so different... a wise parent, teacher, or mentor will realize this and use the guidance, discipline and rewards that apply differently to each child/student. You may be the only "Jesus" they see...

This is what these verses are talking about in this section. Coming to the point of realization that there TRULY IS a Mighty, Awesome, ALL POWERFUL, LOVING God that created us and IS in ultimate charge of this world and of where we will spend eternity, IS the BEGINNING of wisdom. THIS is what will cause us to thirst, hunger, and seek after Him and His will. Godly wisdom to a person that understands this, IS like “silver” or “hidden treasure” for our lives.

Proverbs 1:28-32

Today we will finish the first chapter of this book. These last verses continue the message that this whole chapter has stressed. Those that seek wisdom will prosper, but those that have ignored and not sought wisdom in their lives will regret it. Let’s read them:

Proverbs 1:28-32 (NKJV)

28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the LORD,

30 They would have none of my counsel

And despised my every rebuke.

31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,

And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

Verses 28 thru 32 seems to say that God’s patience can be exhausted when we turn from Him and ignore Him CONTINUALLY, and I believe that this is verified by other verses in several books of the Bible. Think about the people that He brought out of Egypt… Time after time, He gave them a chance to see the miracles that He was willing to perform for them… He parted a sea, He caused water to flow from a rock, He gave them food (manna, quail, etc.) and still they grumbled instead of praising Him and worshipping Him… even WORSE, they kept on following other gods in their hearts and sometimes, blatantly.

Moses, Joshua and Caleb all kept their eyes on God and followed Him, praising, worshipping and BELIEVING in Him… having FAITH in Him, and they were brought through the years of wandering. Moses had other issues between him and God, but Joshua and Caleb entered the promised land. (Read also: Jude 5 – 6 and much of the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the other prophets)

Verse 29 talks about these foolish people who do “NOT choose the fear of the LORD…” Remember, that “fear” is used with the meaning of awe, respect, wonder, admiration or astonishment… sometimes parts of ALL of these words. They refused to hold Him in the highest regard in their lives… make HIM their God.

Verse 30 says that they wouldn’t listen to His advice (counsel) and “despised” His rebukes. Often people “got ticked” (angry, mad) when God “spanks” them, though He says that He disciplines all those that He loves, just as a parent will discipline a child that they love so that the child will learn the right things to do in this life (ways of righteousness).

Hebrews 12:5-11 (NIV)
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Verse 31, stated in another way, means that “what we reap, we will sow…” or “bad things in… bad things out.” The things in chapter one must be VERY IMPORTANT to God because it has said the same things over and over in several different ways to try to get the idea across to people that would know God’s wisdom.

Verse 32 warns again, that death and destruction lay in wait for those who shun God’s laws, teaching, discipline, etc. Those things that make us “simple” or “foolish” in His eyes, and Verse 33 finishes the chapter. We looked at this verse earlier, and you might want to go back and reread the notes on it. It pretty much boils down to the fact that God promises to take care of us when we put Him first in our lives.

Proverbs 1:24 - 27

The last time we studied together, we looked at this long passage about the pluses and minuses of seeking after wisdom. We studied the first and last verse of this passage, which had very encouraging words to say. This time, we will look at the verses in between which are about those who choose NOT to seek God’s Wisdom. Today, we will start by looking closely at Verses 24 thru 27:


Proverbs 1:24 - 27 (NKJV)
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,


26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you




Remember, we are talking about wisdom, which is portrayed as a woman in these passages. Verse 23, talks about being given God’s Spirit to guide us and help us understand when we DO seek His ways. In the rest of these verses, though, we see a picture of those that refuse to seek after God’s wisdom. Remember, too, the way Hebrew poetry works… the second line sometimes reinforces and strengthens the first. In Verse 24, we see this in that “Wisdom” called, and was refused… so she stretched out her hand, but was ignored. How often have we heard that “still, small voice” deep in our hearts and refused to listen, and then something else got our attention a little more forcefully, but we still ignored it, and ended up regretting it.


Verse 25 starts the explanation of what happens when we “disdain” (disdain - lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike) the wise things and ignore the “rebuke” or admonition (see last blog) we find when we seek Godly wisdom. Verse 26 indicates that once we have ignored wisdom and gotten ourselves into a “calamity,” (calamity - An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; a disaster 2. Dire distress resulting from loss or tragedy) and the problem starts to overwhelm us, then it will be to late, and we WILL experience “terror” (terror - 1. very great fear, panic, or dread). We won’t be able to back out of the problem… we will feel as though we are being laughed at or mocked.

Verse 27 is another of those examples of poetry where each line builds on the one before it to stress the “horror” that can come about from ignoring the wise path. It talks about the terror coming like a storm. Some storms come with a lot of forewarning, while others, like tornados or whirlwinds, suddenly appear and cause complete destruction. We have seen the effects of these horribly destructive winds on the news way to often. The “distress and anguish” brought about by them are clearly etched in the tears and horror-filled faces of those that have lost everything.



I am not saying that those that are hit by earthly storms aren't following God, because the scriptures tell us that everyone goes through problems in this life, but if we are following God and being wise, we will have been given "spiritual" help to get us THROUGH the storm or even to have been routed AROUND the storm area (or into a spiritual "cellar" or place of safety.)


These verses paint a devastating portrait of the life of those who don’t choose to follow a path of Godly wisdom.



LB NOTE: Many people who are blessed even if they aren’t following God, DO follow the general principles or "paths" of wisdom in their lives, and wisdom, in itself, usually leads to a more abundant life.