#Oldtestament #proverbs #proverbs1 #bible #Biblestudy # Proverbs 01 > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts]] [[#🔗 Related Passages]] [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[Proverbs Overview]] --- ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) ### The Purpose of Proverbs 1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,     to help them understand the insights of the wise. 3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,     to help them do what is right, just, and fair. 4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,     knowledge and discernment to the young. 5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.     Let those with understanding receive guidance 6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,     the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,     but fools despise wisdom and discipline. ### A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom 8 My child, listen when your father corrects you.     Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace     and be a chain of honor around your neck. 10 My child, if sinners entice you,     turn your back on them! 11 They may say, “Come and join us.     Let’s hide and kill someone!     Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! 12 Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave;     let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. 13 Think of the great things we’ll get!     We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. 14 Come, throw in your lot with us;     we’ll all share the loot.” 15 My child, don’t go along with them!     Stay far away from their paths. 16 They rush to commit evil deeds.     They hurry to commit murder. 17 If a bird sees a trap being set,     it knows to stay away. 18 But these people set an ambush for themselves;     they are trying to get themselves killed. 19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;     it robs them of life. ### Wisdom Shouts in the Streets 20 Wisdom shouts in the streets.     She cries out in the public square. 21 She calls to the crowds along the main street,     to those gathered in front of the city gate: 22 “How long, you simpletons,     will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking?     How long will you fools hate knowledge? 23 Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you     and make you wise. 24 “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come.     I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. 25 You ignored my advice     and rejected the correction I offered. 26 So I will laugh when you are in trouble!     I will mock you when disaster overtakes you— 27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,     when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone,     and anguish and distress overwhelm you. 28 “When they cry for help, I will not answer.     Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. 29 For they hated knowledge     and chose not to fear the Lord. 30 They rejected my advice     and paid no attention when I corrected them. 31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way,     choking on their own schemes. 32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death.     Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. 33 But all who listen to me will live in peace,     untroubled by fear of harm.” --- ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary Each verse is important. --- ## 🤔 Interesting Facts - The book of Proverbs opens with a mission statement outlining its purpose: to teach wisdom, discipline, and understanding (Proverbs 1:2–4). - Verse 7 introduces the foundational theme of Proverbs—“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” - The chapter includes a dramatic warning against joining violent gangs, a timeless moral issue (vv. 10–19). - Lady Wisdom is personified and publicly calls out in the streets—unlike the hidden or esoteric wisdom of other ancient cultures. - Proverbs 1 is structured like a speech from a father to his son, a common ancient method of passing down instruction. --- ## 🧠 Chapter Summary **Main Teaching**: Proverbs 1 introduces the foundational principle that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (v.7). It warns against joining with sinners and sets the tone for a life of wisdom through parental instruction and reverence for God. **Book Context**: This chapter acts as the preface to the entire book, outlining its purpose—to teach wisdom, discipline, and understanding. It establishes a contrast between the wise and the foolish, a theme that runs throughout the book. **Apologetic Insight**: The chapter presents objective moral truth and universal consequences, countering the relativistic worldview. It shows that wisdom is not merely practical advice, but moral alignment with God’s design. --- ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application - 📌 The fear of the Lord is foundational to true knowledge and wisdom. - 📌 Parental instruction is presented as vital for a wise life. - 📌 Rejecting wisdom leads to calamity and moral ruin. #### Today, I can apply this chapter by: - ✅ Start your day with prayer asking God for wisdom before making decisions. - ✅ Avoid hanging out with people who pressure you to lie, cheat, or take shortcuts. - ✅ Write down one lesson an older, wiser person has taught you and apply it today. --- ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember **📖 Proverbs 1:7** “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - **Why it matters**: This is the foundational verse for the entire book of Proverbs. It reminds us that all true wisdom starts with a right relationship with God. --- ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 Job 28:28 – “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” - 🔗 James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” - 🔗 Deuteronomy 6:6–7 – “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children…” --- ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection Write 3–6 sentences reflecting on: - How this chapter encourages your faith, - Convicts your heart, - Reveals God's character. Optional format: "In light of this chapter, I am challenged to..." or "I am comforted by..." --- ## 📂 Tags