A Father’s Instruction
Proverbs 4:8
I die daily devotional.
7 “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
8 “Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.
9 “She will place on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”
1 Kings 3:10 It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 13 I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.”
To prize her, wisdom—hmmm… I need to think about this more, how to articulate it, but—I think is experienced when implementing respect for the Lord. And she will exalt you.
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
By respecting the justice of God and Jesus our Lord, is to behave in a way that cooperates in and with His will, His domain. It is by His divine power that has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence…
2 Peter 1:4 …For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
And so she will honor us if we embrace her. To embrace wisdom is to escape the corruption that is in the world by lust. How I’ve made sense of that—without the idea of “removing” myself—is by actively putting to death the conscious elements of my fleshly being so desiring the freedoms of this world encapsulated by lust. To make practice of this is by no means an easy discipline considering the unseen and seen temptations constantly present for tasting, but only amounts to apostacy by committing such adultery against wisdom.
RESOURCE
Proverbs 4 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org | biblegateway.com
COMMENTARY
Chapter 4
Matthew Henry (P4-V8) Commentary
[3.] It would be much for his own advantage: “If thou be wise and good, thou shalt be so for thyself.”
First, “It will be thy life, thy comfort, thy happiness; it is what thou canst not live without:” Keep my commandments and live, v. 4. That of our Saviour agrees with this, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments, Mt. 19:17. It is upon pain of death, eternal death, and in prospect of life, eternal life, that we are required to be religious. “Receive wisdom’s sayings, and the years of thy life shall be many (v. 10), as many in this world as Infinite Wisdom sees fit, and in the other world thou shalt live that life the years of which shall never be numbered. Keep her therefore, whatever it cost thee, for she is thy life, v. 13. All thy satisfaction will be found in this;” and a soul without true wisdom and grace is really a dead soul.
Secondly, “It will be thy guard and guide, thy convoy and conductor, through all the dangers and difficulties of thy journey through this wilderness. Love wisdom, and cleave to her, and she shall preserve thee, she shall keep thee (v. 6) from sin, the worst of evils, the worst of enemies; she shall keep thee from hurting thyself, and then none else can hurt thee.” As we say, “Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee;” so, “Keep thy wisdom, and thy wisdom will keep thee.” It will keep us from straits and stumbling-blocks in the management of ourselves and our affairs, v. 12.
1. That our steps be not straitened when we go, that we bring not ourselves into such straits as David was in, 2 Sa. 24:14. Those that make God’s word their rule shall walk at liberty, and be at ease in themselves.
2. That our feet do not stumble when we run. If wise and good men be put upon sudden resolves, the certain rule of God’s word which they go by will keep them even then from stumbling upon any thing that may be pernicious. Integrity and uprightness will preserve us.
Thirdly, “It will be thy honour and reputation (v. 8): Exalt wisdom (do thou but show thy good-will to her advancement) and though she needs not thy service she will abundantly recompense it, she shall promote thee, she shall bring thee to honour.” Solomon was to be a king, but his wisdom and virtue would be more his honour than his crown or purple; it was that for which all his neighbours had him so much in veneration; and no doubt, in his reign and David’s, wise and good men stood fairest for preferment. However, religion will, first or last, bring all those to honour that cordially embrace her; they shall be accepted of God, respected by all wise men, owned in the great day, and shall inherit everlasting glory. This he insists on (v. 9): “She shall give to thy head an ornament of grace in this world, shall recommend thee both to God and man, and in the other world a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee, a crown that shall never totter, a crown of glory that shall never wither.” That is the true honour which attends religion. Nobilitas sola est atique unica virtus-Virtue is the only nobility! David having thus recommended wisdom to his son, no marvel that when God bade him ask what he would he prayed, Lord, give me a wise and an understanding heart. We should make it appear by our prayers how well we are taught.
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