The Book of Proverbs, Chapter by Chapter

We want to take you through the book of Proverbs chapter by chapter. If you have read our study on Psalms you know the Psalms teach us how to talk to God. Proverbs teaches us how to walk with God in everyday life. How to talk. How to work. How to handle money. How to pick friends. How to raise children. How to stay away from sin. We will tell you what each chapter is about and how it fits into the message of the book. And how it points us to the one God that is revealed in Jesus Christ.

Proverbs is a book for the young. Over and over it says “My son.” A father is teaching his son how to live. But it is for everyone. “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning” (1:5). The whole book is built on one idea. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7). Wisdom does not start with being smart. It starts with fearing God.

There are three things we want you to take away from this study. Proverbs is about wisdom. And wisdom starts with the fear of the LORD. Proverbs is about two ways. The way of wisdom and the way of the fool. Every choice leads down one or the other. And Proverbs points us to Jesus Christ. Paul says Christ is “the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). And Jesus said “a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). We will explain these points as we go through the book. But we want you to keep them in mind as we begin.

“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” (1:1). We saw in our 1 Kings study that God gave Solomon wisdom. “And he spake three thousand proverbs” (1 Kings 4:32). Most of this book is from Solomon.¹ But not all of it. Some came from “the wise” (22:17; 24:23). Some were copied out by the men of king Hezekiah about 250 years later (25:1). Chapter 30 is from a man named Agur. And chapter 31 is from king Lemuel and his mother.

The Hebrew word for proverb is mashal.² It means a saying that compares one thing to another. A short wise saying that sticks in your mind. Proverbs uses the same parallelism we saw in the Psalms. Many of them say one thing and then the opposite. “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother” (10:1).

We need to understand one thing about how to read Proverbs.³ A proverb is a general truth. It tells you how life usually works. It is not a promise for every single case. “The hand of the diligent maketh rich” (10:4). That is true as a rule. But some hard working people are poor. Job was righteous and he suffered. Proverbs tells you the normal way God set things up. Job and Ecclesiastes tell you that sometimes life does not follow the rule. We need all three books.

The book has these parts. A father teaching his son (1–9). The proverbs of Solomon (10:1–22:16). The words of the wise (22:17–24:34).⁴ More proverbs of Solomon copied by Hezekiah’s men (25–29). The words of Agur (30). And the words of king Lemuel and the virtuous woman (31). Just like in our other studies we will be using the KJV for our scripture quotations. When we use Hebrew words we will transliterate them and give a brief explanation. And we will let you know where you can find the work of the scholars we reference.

Proverbs 1: The Fear of the LORD

The book starts by telling us why it was written. “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion” (vv.2–4). Then comes the key verse of the whole book.

The fear of the LORD is not being scared of God like you are scared of a dog.⁵ It is reverence. Respect. Knowing who God is and who you are. It is taking God seriously. That is where knowledge starts. Not with school. Not with being smart. With God. A man can know a lot and still be a fool if he does not fear God.

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (v.8). Then the first warning. Bad company. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (v.10). They will say come with us. Let us get rich quick. Let us take what is not ours. “My son, walk not thou in the way with them” (v.15). They set a trap and catch themselves (v.18).

Then Wisdom speaks like a woman calling out in the street. “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets” (v.20). She is not hidden. She is calling everyone. “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?” (v.22). “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you” (v.23). But if they refuse there will come a day when they call and she will not answer (v.28). “But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely” (v.33).

Proverbs 2: If Thou Seekest Her as Silver

“My son, if thou wilt receive my words … If thou criest after knowledge … If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (vv.1–5). Notice the ifs. Wisdom does not fall on you. You have to want it. You have to dig for it like treasure. Then notice where it comes from. “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding” (v.6). You seek. God gives. James says “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally” (James 1:5). Wisdom will keep you from evil men (v.12). And from the strange woman who flatters with her words and forgets the covenant of her God (vv.16–17).

Proverbs 3: Trust in the LORD

All thine heart. Not part of it. Lean not on your own understanding. You will not always understand what God is doing. Job did not. Trust him anyway. In all your ways. Not just at church. Your job. Your money. Your family. “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil” (v.7).

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” (v.9). Give God the first. Not what is left. “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (vv.11–12). Hebrews 12:5–6 quotes this. When God corrects you it is because he loves you.

Then the chapter says “The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens” (v.19). Notice that. God used his wisdom to make the world. Wisdom is God’s own. It is how God works. Keep that in mind for chapter 8. The chapter ends with practical advice. Do not hold back good from those who need it when you can help (v.27). Do not tell your neighbour to come back tomorrow when you have it now (v.28). “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly” (v.34). James and Peter both quote this (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

Proverbs 4: Keep Thy Heart

The father tells his son what his own father taught him. Wisdom passed down. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (v.7). If you get nothing else get wisdom. “Enter not into the path of the wicked” (v.14). “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (v.18). The way of the wicked is darkness. They do not even know what they trip over (v.19).

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (v.23). Everything starts in the heart. What you say. What you do. Where you go. Jesus said “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). So guard it. Then guard your mouth (v.24). Your eyes (v.25). And your feet (vv.26–27). “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil” (v.27).

Proverbs 5: Drink Waters Out of Thine Own Cistern

Chapter 5 is a warning against adultery. “For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood” (vv.3–4). It looks sweet. It ends bitter. “Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house” (v.8). Do not even get close. Then the father tells his son where to find love. “Drink waters out of thine own cistern” (v.15). “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth” (v.18). God made marriage good. Sin takes what God made good and twists it. “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD” (v.21). “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins” (v.22).

Proverbs 6: Go to the Ant

Do not sign for your neighbour’s debts. If you did go and get out of it fast (vv.1–5). Then the lazy man. “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise” (v.6). Nobody tells the ant what to do. It works in summer to have food in winter. “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come” (vv.10–11). Poverty does not come all at once. It comes a little at a time.

Then a list. “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him” (v.16). “A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (vv.17–19). Notice the first one. Pride. And the last one. Causing division among brothers. God hates that as much as murder.

Then back to adultery. “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?” (v.27). “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul” (v.32).

Proverbs 7: As an Ox Goeth to the Slaughter

The father tells a story. He looked out his window and saw a young man “void of understanding” (v.7). He walked near the corner of a strange woman’s house “In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night” (v.9). He went where temptation was. She met him dressed like a harlot. She kissed him and said she had offered her peace offerings that day (v.14). She was religious and sinful at the same time. Her husband was gone on a long trip (v.19). “He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter” (v.22). He did not know it would cost him his life. “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death” (v.27). The way to stay out of her house is to stay off her street.

Proverbs 8: The LORD Possessed Me

Now Wisdom speaks again. “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” (v.1). She stands at the gates and calls to everyone. “For my mouth shall speak truth” (v.7). “Receive my instruction, and not silver” (v.10). “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (v.13). “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice” (v.15). “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me” (v.17). Then Wisdom says this.

Some will say that Wisdom here is a second person. That this is the Son of God existing beside the Father before creation. Others go further. In the early church a man named Arius used the Greek translation of verse 22 to say that Christ was created. That he was the first thing God made.⁶ The Hebrew word for possessed is qanah. It can mean to get or to own.⁷ The Trinitarians answered Arius by saying Wisdom is an eternal Son. But both sides were reading a second person into this chapter.

But notice what Proverbs is doing. Wisdom is spoken of as a woman. “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” Wisdom is a she. In chapter 9 Folly is also a woman who calls out from her house with the same words Wisdom uses (9:4, 16). No one thinks Folly is a person in heaven. This is personification. A way of speaking about something as if it were a person. We saw in chapter 3 what wisdom is. “The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth” (3:19). Wisdom is God’s own. When God made the world his wisdom was there because God was there. God was never without his wisdom.

This points us to Jesus. Paul says “Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). And “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Jesus is the wisdom of God. Not because there was a second person beside God. But because God’s own wisdom was made flesh in him. Just like John says the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh (John 1:1, 14). The wisdom by which God made the world came and dwelt among us. “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD” (v.35). Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Proverbs 9: Two Invitations

Chapter 9 ends the first part of the book with two women giving two invitations. Wisdom has built her house with 7 pillars (v.1). She has prepared a feast. “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither” (v.4). “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live” (vv.5–6). Then the key verse again. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (v.10).

Then the foolish woman. She sits at the door of her house. She calls to the same people with the same words. “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither” (v.16). “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (v.17). “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell” (v.18). Two houses. Two feasts. Two invitations. One leads to life. One leads to death. That is the choice of the whole book. Just like Psalm 1. Jesus said “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). And “broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction” (Matthew 7:13).

Starting in chapter 10 the book changes. Instead of long speeches it has single sayings. Most are two lines. Each one stands by itself. They jump from subject to subject. We will give you some of the main proverbs from each chapter.

Proverbs 10: Love Covereth All Sins

“The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother” (v.1). “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (v.4). “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins” (v.12). Peter quotes this (1 Peter 4:8). “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” (v.19). The more you talk the more chance you will sin. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (v.22). “The fear of the LORD prolongeth days” (v.27).

Proverbs 11: He That Winneth Souls Is Wise

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight” (v.1). God cares about honest business. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom” (v.2). “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (v.14). “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth” (v.24). “The liberal soul shall be made fat” (v.25). Give and you will get. “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall” (v.28). “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (v.30).

Proverbs 12: Lying Lips

“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish” (v.1). If you cannot take correction you will not grow. “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband” (v.4). “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast” (v.10). Even how you treat animals shows your heart. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise” (v.15). “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight” (v.22). “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad” (v.25).

Proverbs 13: Hope Deferred

“He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life” (v.3). “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life” (v.12). “Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard” (v.15). Sin promises fun. It gives a hard road. “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (v.20). You become like the people you walk with. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes” (v.24). Discipline is love.

Proverbs 14: A Way That Seemeth Right

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands” (v.1). “Fools make a mock at sin” (v.9). “The heart knoweth his own bitterness” (v.10). Then one of the most important verses in the book. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (v.12). It is repeated word for word in 16:25. Just because it feels right does not make it right. Only God’s way leads to life. “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence” (v.26). “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker” (v.31). “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (v.34).

Proverbs 15: A Soft Answer

“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (v.1). How you say something matters. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (v.3). God sees everything. “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight” (v.8). “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance” (v.13). “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith” (v.16). “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith” (v.17). A little with love is better than a lot with fighting. “Without counsel purposes are disappointed” (v.22). “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility” (v.33).

Proverbs 16: Pride Goeth Before Destruction

Chapter 16 talks about God being in control more than any other chapter. “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (v.1). “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established” (v.3). “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps” (v.9). You make plans. God directs. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (v.18). “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (v.32). It is harder to control yourself than to win a war. “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD” (v.33). We saw this in our Esther study. Nothing is chance with God.

Proverbs 17: A Friend Loveth at All Times

“Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife” (v.1). “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts” (v.3). “The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water” (v.14). Stop a fight before it starts. “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (v.17). A real friend is there in the hard times. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (v.22). “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise” (v.28). Sometimes the wisest thing you can say is nothing.

Proverbs 18: The Name of the LORD Is a Strong Tower

Notice where safety is. In the name of the LORD. Not in our money. Verse 11 says the rich man thinks his wealth is his strong city. But the righteous run into the name. Peter said “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus. The name of the LORD revealed in the flesh.

“A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself” (v.2). A fool just wants to talk. “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him” (v.13). Listen first. “A man’s gift maketh room for him” (v.16). Verse 17 tells us the first one to tell his side always seems right until the other side is heard. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (v.21). “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD” (v.22). “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (v.24). Jesus said “Ye are my friends” (John 15:14).

Proverbs 19: He That Hath Pity Upon the Poor

“Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips” (v.1). “The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD” (v.3). People mess up their own lives and then blame God. “House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD” (v.14). “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (v.17). When you help the poor you are lending to God. And God always pays back. “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand” (v.21).

Proverbs 20: Wine Is a Mocker

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (v.1). “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (v.6). “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (v.9). No one. “Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty” (v.13). “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel” (v.17). “Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” (v.24). “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (v.27). God uses our conscience to show us what is inside.

Proverbs 21: The King’s Heart Is in the Hand of the LORD

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (v.1). We saw this with Cyrus in our Ezra study. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts” (v.2). “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice” (v.3). Just like Samuel told Saul. “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house” (v.9). “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard” (v.13). “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD. The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD” (vv.30–31).

Proverbs 22:1–16: Train Up a Child

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” (v.1). “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all” (v.2). “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life” (v.4). Then a verse many parents hold on to. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (v.6). Remember what we said about how to read proverbs.⁸ This is how it usually works. Children who are trained in God’s way usually stay in it. But every person makes their own choices. This verse is a reason to train our children well. Not a reason to blame every parent whose child walks away. Then “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (v.7). Debt makes you a servant. “He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity” (v.8).

Proverbs 22:17–29: Bow Down Thine Ear

“Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge” (22:17). Now the sayings are longer again. Notice why they were written. “That thy trust may be in the LORD” (22:19). Do not rob the poor (22:22). “Make no friendship with an angry man” (22:24). You will learn his ways. “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set” (22:28). Do not move your neighbour’s boundary. “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings” (22:29). Joseph and Daniel did.

Proverbs 23: As He Thinketh in His Heart

When you eat with a ruler watch yourself. “And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite” (v.2). “Labour not to be rich … For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (vv.4–5). Do not eat with a stingy man. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (v.7). He says eat but he does not mean it. “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long” (v.17). “Buy the truth, and sell it not” (v.23). “My son, give me thine heart” (v.26). Then a long warning about wine. “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? … They that tarry long at the wine” (vv.29–30). “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder” (v.32).

Proverbs 24: If Thou Faint

“Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established” (v.3). “A wise man is strong” (v.5). “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small” (v.10). “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth” (v.17). “Fret not thyself because of evil men” (v.19). Like Psalm 37. “My son, fear thou the LORD and the king” (v.21). Then more sayings of the wise (vv.23–34). Do not show favoritism in judgment. Do not say I will do to him as he did to me (v.29). Then the field of the lazy man. It was full of thorns and the wall was broken down. “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber … So shall thy poverty come” (vv.33–34). The same words as chapter 6.

Proverbs 25: A Word Fitly Spoken

“These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out” (v.1).⁹ We saw Hezekiah in our 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles studies. He brought revival. And part of that was gathering God’s word. “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter” (v.2). Do not put yourself forward in front of the king. Wait to be called up (vv.6–7). Jesus taught the same thing about taking the lowest seat (Luke 14:8–10). “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (v.11). “As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country” (v.25).

“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee” (vv.21–22). Paul quotes this in Romans 12:20. Then this. “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls” (v.28). We saw what a city without walls was like in our Nehemiah study. A man with no self control is open to every enemy.

Proverbs 26: Answer a Fool

Chapter 26 is about fools and lazy men and gossips. Notice verses 4 and 5. “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.”¹⁰ Critics will say these two verses contradict each other. But they are put side by side on purpose. Sometimes you should not argue with a fool. You will just sink to his level. Sometimes you should answer him. Or he will think he is right. Wisdom is knowing which one to do. That is the point. Proverbs are not rules to follow without thinking.

“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly” (v.11). Peter uses this (2 Peter 2:22). “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him” (v.12). “The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way” (v.13). Lazy people always have an excuse. “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth” (v.20). “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein” (v.27).

Proverbs 27: Iron Sharpeneth Iron

“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (v.1). James says the same (James 4:13–14). “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth” (v.2). “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (v.6). A real friend will tell you the truth even when it hurts. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (v.17). We need each other. “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever” (vv.23–24).

Proverbs 28: He That Covereth His Sins

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (v.1). A guilty conscience runs from nothing. “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (v.9). Then this.

Saul covered. David confessed. We saw the difference in our Samuel studies. Confess and forsake. Not just say sorry. Turn away from it. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye” (v.22). “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (v.26). “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack” (v.27).

Proverbs 29: Where There Is No Vision

“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (v.1). We saw that at the end of 2 Chronicles. “Till there was no remedy.” “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (v.2). “The rod and reproof give wisdom” (v.15). “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (v.18). The word vision here means revelation from God. When God’s word is not heard the people run wild. “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe” (v.25).

Proverbs 30: What Is His Name

“The words of Agur the son of Jakeh” (v.1). We do not know who Agur was. He was a humble man. “Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man” (v.2). Then he asked a set of questions.

The answer to the first questions is God. Only God made the earth and holds the wind. Then Agur asks what is his name. And what is his son’s name. Some will use this to say the Son is a second person who was beside the Father from eternity. But notice what Agur is asking. He is asking for a name.¹¹ He did not know it. In the Old Testament God was not yet fully revealed. Jesus answered this question. “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). The one who came down from heaven is the Son. And he was still in heaven while he stood on earth. Because he is God. And his name is Jesus. Jesus said “I am come in my Father’s name” (John 5:43). The name of the Father is the name of the Son. Jesus.

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (vv.5–6). Then Agur prayed. “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal” (vv.8–9). A wise prayer. Then he gives sayings by number. “There are three things … yea, four” (v.15). Things that are never satisfied. Things too wonderful to understand. “The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid” (v.19). Small creatures that are wise. The ant. The coney. The locust. The spider (vv.24–28).

Proverbs 31: Who Can Find a Virtuous Woman

“The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him” (v.1). A mother teaching her son how to be a king. Do not give your strength to women (v.3). “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine” (v.4). They will forget the law and hurt the poor. “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction” (v.8). Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Then the last 22 verses. The virtuous woman. It is an acrostic.¹² Each verse starts with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies” (v.10). Remember from our Ruth study that the word virtuous is chayil. And that Boaz called Ruth “a virtuous woman” (Ruth 3:11). In many Hebrew Bibles Ruth comes right after Proverbs. Here is what the virtuous woman is like. Her husband trusts her (v.11). She works with her hands (v.13). She gets up early (v.15). She buys a field and plants a vineyard (v.16). She helps the poor (v.20). She is not afraid of the snow (v.21). “Strength and honour are her clothing” (v.25). “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (v.26). Her children call her blessed (v.28).

Notice how the book ends. With the fear of the LORD. The book started “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7). And it ends “a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised” (31:30). The fear of the LORD is at the beginning and the end. It holds everything in between together. The book also started with Wisdom as a woman calling in the streets. It ends with a real woman living out wisdom in her home. Wisdom is not just something to know. It is something to live.

We have gone through Proverbs chapter by chapter. Here is what we can conclude. First Proverbs is about wisdom. And wisdom starts with the fear of the LORD (1:7; 9:10). It is not about how smart you are. It is about knowing God and doing what he says. Wisdom touches everything. Our words. Our work. Our money. Our marriage. Our children. Our friends. Our temper. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (3:5).

Second Proverbs is about two ways. Wisdom and folly. The righteous and the wicked. The diligent and the lazy. The humble and the proud. Two women calling from two houses (9). “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (14:12). Every day we choose which way to walk.

Third Proverbs teaches us about the one God. “The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth” (3:19). Wisdom is God’s own. Not a second person beside him. God was never without his wisdom. And Agur asked what is his name and what is his son’s name (30:4). The answer came in Jesus Christ. The one who came down from heaven and was still in heaven. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower” (18:10). And there is “none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

And Proverbs points to Jesus Christ. Solomon was wise. “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). Jesus “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). He is “the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). And God “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” in him (1 Corinthians 1:30). Proverbs tells us how life usually works. The next book asks what happens when it does not. When life under the sun seems to have no meaning. That is where Ecclesiastes begins.