Proverbs 1:8-33
Wisdom's Warning
8 Hear , my son , your father's instruction And do not forsake your mother's teaching ; 9 Indeed , they are a graceful wreath to your head And [1] ornaments about your neck .
10 My son , if sinners entice you, Do not consent . 11 If they say , "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood , Let us ambush the innocent without cause ; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol , Even whole , as those who go down to the pit ; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth , We will fill our houses with spoil ; 14 Throw in your lot [2]with us, We shall all have one purse ," 15 My son , do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path , 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood . 17 Indeed , it is [3]useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any [4]bird e ; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood ; They ambush their own lives . 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence ; It takes away the life of its possessors .
20 Wisdom shouts in the street , She [5]lifts her voice in the square ; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings : 22 "How long e , O [6] naive ones , will you love [7]being simple-minded ? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge ? 23 "Turn to my reproof , Behold , I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 "Because I called and you refused , I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention ; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof ; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your dread comes , 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind , When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer ; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because e they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord . 30 "They would not accept my counsel , They spurned all my reproof . 31 "So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices . 32 "For the waywardness of the [8]naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 "But he who listens to me shall [9]live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverbs 1:8-33
Commentary on Proverbs 1:7-9
(Read Proverbs 1:7-9)
Fools are persons who have no true wisdom, who follow their own devices, without regard to reason, or reverence for God. Children are reasonable creatures, and when we tell them what they must do, we must tell them why. But they are corrupt and wilful, therefore with the instruction there is need of a law. Let Divine truths and commands be to us most honourable; let us value them, and then they shall be so to us.
Commentary on Proverbs 1:10-19
(Read Proverbs 1:10-19)
Wicked people are zealous in seducing others into the paths of the destroyer: sinners love company in sin. But they have so much the more to answer for. How cautious young people should be! "Consent thou not." Do not say as they say, nor do as they do, or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them. Who could think that it should be a pleasure to one man to destroy another! See their idea of worldly wealth; but it is neither substance, nor precious. It is the ruinous mistake of thousands, that they overvalue the wealth of this world. Men promise themselves in vain that sin will turn to their advantage. The way of sin is down-hill; men cannot stop themselves. Would young people shun temporal and eternal ruin, let them refuse to take one step in these destructive paths. Men's greediness of gain hurries them upon practices which will not suffer them or others to live out half their days. What is a man profited, though he gain the world, if he lose his life? much less if he lose his soul?
Commentary on Proverbs 1:20-33
(Read Proverbs 1:20-33)
Solomon, having showed how dangerous it is to hearken to the temptations of Satan, here declares how dangerous it is not to hearken to the calls of God. Christ himself is Wisdom, is Wisdoms. Three sorts of persons are here called by Him: 1. Simple ones. Sinners are fond of their simple notions of good and evil, their simple prejudices against the ways of God, and flatter themselves in their wickedness. 2. Scorners. Proud, jovial people, that make a jest of every thing. Scoffers at religion, that run down every thing sacred and serious. 3. Fools. Those are the worst of fools that hate to be taught, and have a rooted dislike to serious godliness. The precept is plain; Turn you at my reproof. We do not make a right use of reproofs, if we do not turn from evil to that which is good. The promises are very encouraging. Men cannot turn by any power of their own; but God answers, Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. Special grace is needful to sincere conversion. But that grace shall never be denied to any who seek it. The love of Christ, and the promises mingled with his reproofs, surely should have the attention of every one. It may well be asked, how long men mean to proceed in such a perilous path, when the uncertainty of life and the consequences of dying without Christ are considered? Now sinners live at ease, and set sorrow at defiance; but their calamity will come. Now God is ready to hear their prayers; but then they shall cry in vain. Are we yet despisers of wisdom? Let us hearken diligently, and obey the Lord Jesus, that we may enjoy peace of conscience and confidence in God; be free from evil, in life, in death, and for ever.