Posted on 01/01/2022 10:30:45 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” (Proverbs 1:1 KJV).
Solomon was king for forty years. A lot of the kings reigned for that period of time.
The Proverbs of Solomon are to accomplish nine things found in verse 2 to verse 4:
1. “To know wisdom and instruction.” 2. “To perceive the words of understanding.” 3. “To receive the instruction of wisdom.” 4. “To receive the instruction of justice.” 5. “To receive the instruction of judgment.” 6. “To receive the instruction of equity.” 7. “To give subtilty to the simple.” 8. “To give the young man knowledge.” 9. “To give the young man discretion.”
Nine things. The number nine just happens to be the number of the ‘fruit of the Spirit.” And in I Corinthians 12 you’ll find that there are nine gifts of the Holy Ghost. Nine is connected with the Holy Ghost—that is a good number. There are nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, nine gifts of the Holy Spirit for the ministry in I Corinthians 12, and here are nine purposes for the Book of Proverbs.
The Book of Proverbs is written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and of course, “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (1 Peter 1:21).
To “know wisdom and instruction.”
To “perceive” is to see a thing, to see it “as it is,” “the words of understanding.” Or “about understanding.” Sometimes the word “of” goes one direction, depending on the object, and sometimes the other direction depending on which one is the subject. It’s a strange little word to deal with. Take the expression, “The love of God.” What is the subject? You don’t know. That’s the problem, you see. In one verse, the subject may be love. In other words, the object may be God . . . the subject is you loving God. “The love of God,” in some other cases, could be reversed—and only the context can give you the differences. And in some places, it can be both.
In Romans 5 we are told that the “love of God is shed abroad in our hearts.” Well, God loves us, but not only that—but God gives you the ability to love. And you won’t really love Him until the “Holy Ghost is shed abroad in [your] hearts.” So, it can run both ways. In some other phrases, it may not. It may have to go in one direction; only one can be the subject, only one can be the object. And there you just have to search the context for the answer for it.
If anyone would like to be added to the ping list, please let me know either by post or by p.m.
For more books on all topics of the Bible, visit my web site at:
Pilgrim’s Progress, thank you for your work in providing us with a year of insights and commentaries in 2021.
Here’s to a 2022 with more of the wonders of Proverbs.
Happy New Year to all here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.