A Study by Scott Sperling Proverbs 3:13-20 – The Value of Wisdom 13  Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14  for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15  She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18  She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.   19  By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20  by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. In this section, Solomon focuses on the value of wisdom.  He begins by comparing wisdom’s value to things that normally humans value:  “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.  She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her” (vss. 13-15).  Note first that Solomon pronounces a blessing on those who “find” wisdom, and who “gain” understanding.  “Saving wisdom is a thing to be ‘found’ and ‘gained’:  it is not required of us that we create it. We could not plan, we could not execute a way of righteous redemption for sinners. We could not bring God’s favour down to compass men about, and yet leave his holiness untainted as it is in heaven… Understanding is a thing to be gained. It comes not in sparks from our own intellect in collision with other human minds. It is a light from heaven, above the brightness of this world’s sun. The gift is free, and an unspeakable gift it is” [Arnot, 99]. Solomon favorably compares finding “wisdom” and gaining “understand”, to finding and gaining “silver”, “gold”, “rubies” and anything else we may “desire”.  Solomon demonstrated that he valued “wisdom” and “understanding” over everything else, for when God presented the offer to “ask for whatever you want me to give you”, Solomon answered, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people” (II Chron. 1:7,10).  God then commended Solomon’s choice, and told him that he would add to Solomon’s gift of wisdom, “wealth, possessions and honor” (II Chron. 1:12).  “It is not only a surer, but a more gainful merchandise to trade for wisdom, for Christ, and grace, and spiritual blessings, than for silver, and gold, and rubies… It is a true happiness, for it is inclusive of, and equivalent to, all those things which are supposed to make men happy” [Henry, 806].  “Earthly riches are for the body, wisdom is for the soul; the former may enrich a man for the space of threescore and ten years, the latter for numberless millions of ages.” [Lawson, 57]. Solomon continues to stress the value of wisdom:  “Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor” (vs. 16). Health, riches and honor:  what more could one ask for in life?  “True wisdom is the path to life, because it shuns perils and averts them, and provides advantages; controls the passions; teaches prudence and temperance; and especially because eternal life is its final issue” [JFB, 421].  “The man of pleasure utterly mistakes both his object and his pursuit. The only happiness worth seeking is found here; that which will live in all circumstances, and abide the ceaseless changes of this mortal life” [Bridges, 31]. “The world has no just conception of the real character of wisdom’s ways. Religion to them is associated with cold, heartless forms and irksome restraints — much to do, but nothing to enjoy. But they only see half the prospect. They see what religion takes away. But they see not what it gives. They cannot discern that, while it denies the sinful, it abounds in spiritual pleasures” [Bridges, 33]. For those who live in wisdom, the “long life”  promised is a life of quality:  “Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed” (vss. 17-18).  “Invoking the memory of Eden, she is identified with the tree of life, that tree whose fruit grants life” [Longman, 119].   “The pleasures of the world are like the gleams of a wintry sun: faint, and feeble, and transient. The pleasures of religion are satisfying and eternal” [Lawson, 60]. God himself utilized the value of wisdom in creating the universe:  “By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew” (vss. 19-20).  The universe is governed and run on the principles of God’s wisdom.  The laws of physics, chemistry, biology, etc., were devised and constructed according to God’s wisdom and knowledge.  The workings of the universe reflect the riches of God’s wisdom.  As the Psalmist so eloquently stated:  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge” (Ps. 19:1-2).  “Knowledge and wisdom belong to God in their highest perfection, and shine forth in all his works. By his wisdom he established the world, and formed every creature beautiful in its kind. By his knowledge, the heavens and the earth, and all their inhabitants, were formed into one universe, which incessantly proclaims the greatness of its Creator’s wisdom” [Lawson, 62].     Proverbs 3:21-26 – The Benefits of Wisdom 21  My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; 22  they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23  Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. 24  When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25  Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26  for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.   Solomon goes on to enumerate some benefits of living wisely:  “My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck” (vss. 21-22).  Solomon begins with an exhortation on carefully cultivating Godly wisdom and understanding:  we are not to let them “out of sight”; we are to “preserve sound judgment and discretion.”  The wording of these exhortations suggests having a motherly care, holding dear “wisdom and understanding.”  The first benefit mentioned here is that wisdom and understanding “will be life for you, and ornament to grace your neck.”  “True wisdom is real life, communicated from him who is the quickening Spirit, to them that were dead in trespasses and sins. It is an ornament of grace to the neck, which renders the meanest beggar who possesses it more noble than the mightiest monarch, who is acquainted with no brighter ornament than his regal crown” [Lawson, 63].  As an ornament, wisdom and understanding adorn the person, bestowing honor and good repute. Wisdom also brings safety:  “Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble”  (vs. 23).  “Wisdom will direct us into, and keep us in, the safe way, as far as may be from temptation, and will enable us to walk in it with a holy security.  The way of duty is the way of safety” [Henry, 807]. Wisdom also brings a sense of security:  “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (vs. 24).  In repose, often anxieties and threats of dangers are magnified in our minds.  Wisdom and understanding will mitigate these, bringing peaceful sleep.   “The way to have a good night is to keep a good conscience; and the sleep, as of the laboring man, so of the wise and godly man, is sweet” [Henry, 807].  This sense of security is a result of the awareness of God’s protection and providence:  “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared” (vss. 25-26).  God’s presence and protection should drive away fears of sudden disasters.  If they come, they come according to his will for us, and he will lead us through them.  Those living in Godly wisdom should not fear “the desolation which wicked men will be brought into in a moment.  It will come, and timorous saints may be apprehensive that they shall be involved in it; but let this be their comfort, that though judgments lay waste generally, at least promiscuously, yet God knows who are his and how to separate between the precious and the vile” [Henry, 808].   Proverbs 3:27-35 – Living Uprightly Towards Your Neighbor   27  Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 28  Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. 29  Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. 30  Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm.   31  Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. 32  For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. 33  The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. 34  He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. 35  The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.    An important component of true wisdom is treating your neighbor decently, showing love for your neighbor whenever possible.  “True wisdom consists in the due discharge of our duty towards man, as well as towards God, in honesty as well as piety, and therefore we have here divers excellent precepts of wisdom which relate to our neighbor” [Henry, 808].  Solomon gives us a set of five “do nots” concerning treating our neighbors decently. He begins:  “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (vs. 27).  “Either by the law of equity, or of charity. For there is a debt of love (see Rom. 13:8) that we must ever be owing and ever pay” [Trapp, 11].  This exhortation applies both to withholding good actions, as well as withholding financial help to those in need.  “Now if our receipts be found great, and our layings out small, God will cast such bills back in our faces, and turn us out of our stewardship. They are fools that fear to lose their wealth by giving, but fear not to lose themselves by keeping it” [Trapp, 11-12].  As cited above, we have a “continuing debt to love one another” (Rom. 13:8). Solomon continues:  “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’—when you already have it with you” (vs. 28).  “Your beneficence must be prompt and present” [Trapp, 12].  “He that gives speedily, gives twice; but he that gives with slow reluctance, gives in part a denial. Much of the benefit is often lost to the receiver, and much of the gratitude to the giver, by telling our neighbor to go and come again” [Lawson, 68]. “Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you” (vs. 29).  “After having praised beneficence, Solomon proceeds to forbid malevolence, especially towards neighbors living peaceably near. If you are to do positive good, much more are you to refrain from devising and doing evil to your neighbor” [JFB, 422].  “Devising evil against a friend is at any time reprehensible, but to do so whence confides in and is altogether unsuspicious of you, is an act of the greatest treachery, and an outrage on all law, human and Divine” [Pulpit Comm., 66]. “Do not accuse anyone for no reason—when they have done you no harm” (vs. 30).  Our litigious society would do well to heed this.  Liberal litigiousness is ungodly, as well as unwise.  Disputes should be solved face-to-face, with a charitable attitude, ready to compromise, in a calm and peaceful manner, where possible. “The lives of many are embittered by the quarrelsomeness of their neighbors. Offence, never intended, is taken, bitter words are spoken, a hostile attitude is assumed, all friendly relations are broken off, malicious insinuations are thrown out; in fact, there is war between the house of this man and that man, when there is positively nothing on which to found a complaint. A very small allowance of charity would cure this evil spirit, if only taken in time” [Pulpit Comm., 82]. “Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways” (vs. 31).  Enviousness towards those who do evil should never cross our minds.  Whatever ill-gotten gains achieved from evil and violent practices will be offset far more by the consequences of the evil ways. Verse 31 is a preface, of sorts, to verses 32 through 35, which delineate why the “violent” are not to be envied.  First, “For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence” (vs. 32).  Envy of those who do evil is a “perverse”ness; it’s backward from the way things ought to be.  As such, it is “detested” by God.  Envy of evildoers adversely affects our relationship with God. “The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous”   (vs. 33).  Evil actions, and even “envy” of the “violent”, can bring dire consequences, not only on one’s own person, but also on one’s entire house.  The whole family is affected:  through imitation, through corrupted values, through exposure to evil.  “Our interests are more closely connected with each other than we are able to observe, or willing to allow. The welfare of one is largely dependent on the well-doing of another. Let every wicked man learn here, that over and above the ruin of his own soul, his sins bring a curse on his wife and children, his neighbors and friends. Such is God’s government, that you cannot live in sin, any more than in smallpox or the plague, without involving others in the danger” [Arnot, 115].  Contrariwise, recall, that God “blesses the home of the righteous.”   “In the poor little cottage or tenement of the righteous, there is a blessing in it, there is contented godliness, which is greatest gain; the blessing of God which maketh rich” [Trapp, 12].  “By the blessing of the Lord, the meanest cottage is converted into a dwelling of joy and praise” [Lawson, 71]. “He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed” (vs. 34).  So prevalent is the sin of pride and conceitedness, that this verse is cited twice in the New Testament (see James 4:6, and I Peter 5:5).  “On no point is the mind of God more fully declared than against pride” [Bridges, 41]. “The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame”  (vs. 35).  “Saints are wise men, and act wisely for themselves; for though their religion now wraps them up in obscurity, and lays them open to reproach, yet they are sure to inherit glory at last, the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. They shall have it, and have it by inheritance” [Henry, 808].   Bibliography and Suggested Reading  Arnot, William.  Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth - Illustrations from the Book of Proverbs. London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1873. Bridges, Charles.  An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs.  New York:  Robert Carter, 1847. Garrett, Duane A.  Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (New American Commentary, v. 14).  Broadman Press, 1993. Henry, Matthew.  An Exposition of All the Books of the Old and New Testament.  Vol. III.  London: W. Baynes, 1806. (Originally published in 1710). Kidner, Derek.  Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries).  Downers Grove, IL:  Inter-Varsity Press, 2008.  (Originally published in 1964). Koptak, Paul E.  The NIV Application Commentary:  Proverbs.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2003. Lawson, George.  Exposition of the Book of Proverbs. Edinburgh:  David Brown, 1821. Longman III, Tremper.  Proverbs (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament:  Wisdom and Psalms).  Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Baker Academic, 2006 (Ebook edition 2012, 2015). Spence, Rev. H. D. M., and Joseph S. Exell.  The Pulpit Commentary: Proverbs.  London:  Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Co., Ltd, 1891. Trapp, John.  Exposition of the Whole Bible. Vol. 3. Originally published in c. 1660. Waltke, Bruce K.  The Book of Proverbs:  Chapters 1-15  (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament).  Grand Rapids, MI:  Eerdmans, 2004. Wardlaw, Ralph.  Lectures on the Book of Proverbs. Edinburgh:  A. Fullarton & Co., 1869. (Originally published in 1844). Yoder, Christine Elizabeth.  Proverbs:  Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries.  Nashville, TN:  Abingdon Press, 2009. Zöckler, Dr. Otto.  The Proverbs of Solomon (A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures:  Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical, edited by John Peter Lange, D.D.).  New York:  Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1898.   Many of these books (those in public domain) can be downloaded free of charge from:  http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com