Starting this Sunday, we will spend four weeks looking at the first four chapters of Proverbs and the implications of the way of wisdom and the way of folly.

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, primarily written by King Solomon. 1 Kings 4 tells us that “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people…He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005…And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon…”

Chapter 1 introduces this entire collection of wise sayings. Verses 1-7 give us an overview of wisdom. Chapters 1:8 through 9:18 make up the first major section of Proverbs, which is characterized by a father’s invitation to his son to follow the way of wisdom, demonstrating that walking in the way of wisdom is far better than the way of folly. Not only that, but for God’s covenant people, walking in the way of wisdom is a natural response to his love for us.

We know that the wisdom bestowed on Solomon was wisdom from God. And in Matthew, Jesus tells us that in him, something greater than Solomon is here. We see in Jesus, the prototypical wise man who lives according to the will of the Father. And, it is in Jesus that we are able to live, act, and think for the glory of God. It is ultimately Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, who enables us to say yes to wisdom and no to folly.