Proverbs is a collection of sayings, stories, and metaphors that were used to train young men how to rule and govern themselves and others. Most proverbs are from Solomon teaching his sons and sharing wisdom from his father David.
Solomon wanted to develop young men into trying/trained men. He used language to help the reader of Proverbs develop a picture of what this man looks like, and this picture applies to women as well. Understanding, prudent, wise, righteous, just, equitable, giving, patient, caring, and discerning of riddles are all descriptions Solomon starts with. These are all characteristics of someone who is trying and training in righteousness.
In his intro to the book (Proverbs 1:1-7), Solomon also mentions other characters that will appear throughout the book. The first to show up is the “simple.” The simple is similar to the aimless—someone who is aiming at nothing, with no goals and no vision. The simple just don’t know. Maybe they don’t know there is a target. Maybe they are confused by so many targets, so they just don’t aim at all. Solomon says to offer prudence to them. The word “prudent” means to give thoughtful care for the future, and it also means to be cautious.
This would be like the white belts or beginners in martial arts. Anyone who has been in martial arts for a while will recognize the need to offer prudence to the beginner (the “simple”) as they learn to fight. They don’t know yet how to control their bodies, and they don’t know fully the damage they are capable of. They are unpredictable. They are hard to read because they don’t even know what they are going to do. Show care but be cautious because the simple can be unpredictable.
“Anyone who has been in martial arts for a while will recognize the need to offer prudence to the beginner (the ‘simple’) as they learn to fight.”
Another kind of person who needs prudence is the “youth.” This word in Proverbs can be paired with having “no sense” (Proverbs 7:7) and being foolish (Proverbs 22:15). Youth or immaturity can be found in every type of person. Regardless of perceived maturity level, are you open to “hear,” “increase learning,” and “obtain guidance”? Then the book of Proverbs is for you.
Another character mentioned in the book’s intro is the fool. The fool is obstinate or hardhearted. The fool knows there is a right way but continues to ignore it because it interferes with his desires. A fool despises wisdom and instruction because it gets in the way of what he wants. He is unwilling to aim at the target even though he knows it’s there.
A fourth character mentioned throughout Proverbs is the sinner/scoffer. This guy is dangerous:
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, ‘Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood . . . throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse.’” (Proverbs 1:10-11a, 14, ESV)
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”
Solomon warns of the path that sinners/scoffers invite you down: “My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood” (Proverbs 1:15-16, ESV). While the fool looks out for his selfish desires over what he knows to be right, the sinner/scoffer actively pursues what is wrong. In this example, the sinner/scoffer is seeking to hurt another image bearer for selfish gain. He speaks against what is good and true.
There’s another character we meet in Proverbs, although he isn’t given a specific name and most people aren’t aware when they are in this group. They are what I call the “wanderer” or the “floating.” I’m convinced that the majority of people find themselves in this group from time to time, wandering onto destructive paths. Sometimes they are unaware until it leads them somewhere bad, and then they wise up. Here’s a description of the wanderer:
“Her feet go down to death;
her steps follow the path to Sheol;
she does not ponder the path of life;
her ways wander, and she does not know it.” (Proverbs 5:5-6, ESV)
If you don’t regularly check where the path you are on is leading, you will end up on the wrong path toward a destructive destination.
“If you don’t regularly check where the path you are on is leading, you will end up on the wrong path toward a destructive destination.”
There is something scarier than the wanderer. When somebody is on the wrong path yet, instead of drifting mindlessly, they actually believe they’re on the right path, I call them the “misaligned.”
“There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12, ESV)
“The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13, ESV)
Perhaps the most succinct word for the summation of these verses is “hubris.” Since we don’t often use that word, I have chosen the “misaligned.” Now, the wanderer is also misaligned, as are all the other characters to a point. The danger inherent to the misaligned’s pride and arrogance is always thinking you are right. The clearest distinction between the wanderer and the misaligned is a heart that is hardened to rebuke. The misaligned is the fool who thinks he is on the path of God when he is practically living on the path of the flesh. Proverbs 14:12 (quoted above) tells us where this path leads. Do you have a heart open to correction and a mind open to personal fallibility?
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15, ESV)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5, ESV)
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
It’s worth taking a minute and asking yourself, truthfully, which of these people best describes you: trying/trained, simple, youthful/immature, fool, sinner/scoffer, wanderer, or misaligned? There can indeed be overlap here (e.g., a simpleminded person can certainly be foolish and wander down destructive paths). But there may be one of these that describes you better than the others. How can you know who you might be? Ultimately, which character in Proverbs you are depends on how you respond to the book’s main character: wisdom. Wisdom is seen when a person embodies and lives out the truth. Proverbs often personifies wisdom as a woman. For example,
“Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.'” (Proverbs 1:20-23, ESV)
The good news is that you can grow from simplicity, immaturity, and foolishness to wisdom through time and training with a fellow believer. The adverse is unfortunately also true. Wisdom is not permanent. You can reject the faith that you once held closely. Sometimes it is due to a traumatic event that calls your beliefs into question. But more often it is due to a slow fade away from the desires of God into the desires of the flesh or into the current of the surrounding culture.
“The good news is that you can grow from simplicity, immaturity, and foolishness to wisdom through time and training with a fellow believer. The adverse is unfortunately also true.”
The best news of all about wisdom is that wisdom is not just an abstract concept but a person. When we meet Jesus in the New Testament, we begin to realize that he is the actual embodiment of wisdom. So, as long as your eyes are fixed on Jesus, you will increasingly become all those things mentioned by Solomon: understanding, prudent, wise, righteous, just, equitable, giving, patient, caring, discerning of riddles, open to rebuke, and self-reflective. Lean into the founder of your faith and keep a teachable spirit. Fixing your eyes on Jesus, you will grow into a trying and trained person of wisdom.
Adapted from Nick Koogler’s discipling resources at www.beministries.net.
