The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1: 1-7, NIV.
Merciful Father and Gracious God, Please be very near to us as we study Your Word this day, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
“[F]or giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young[.]” Two days ago we came upon the adjective prudent. Today, we will deal with the noun – prudence. It is a gift. The intention of the proverbs are to provide the simple with the gift of prudence.” A simple person is one who might consider uneducated. The term sophisticated, would not apply to them. They are oftentimes considered ignorant. Sometimes we refer to such a person as, a pure soul. They are not touched by the treachery, that surrounds them.
In order to protect, or alert, or educate such a one, many of the proverbs were written. A modern day proverb that could be considered helpful for such a person would be, “Everything that glitters is not gold.” In other words, do not take everything at face value. Things are not always what they appear to be! The proverbs, were to serve as an eye-opener for the simple, or innocent.
Although we cannot refer to all the youth as simple, in many ways, some of them have a lot in common with these people. They still preserve much of their childhood innocence. They consider themselves invincible, and therefore run risks that oftentimes cause them irreparable damage, much regret, and many times, even their lives! It is for these youth, that the proverbs were intended to provide, “knowledge and discretion[.]”
It is wonderful how these nouns are paired together. Because knowing is not enough, a good dose of discretion is very helpful to the young. A discreet person weighs the cost of their actions, much like the prudent person. There is modesty in their behavior. They do not seek to make the headlines. They seek instead, to make right choices. They are mindful of the fact that our decisions of today are going to return to bless us, or, bite us, tomorrow. They know how to separate issues adequately. Their decisions are made, based on what is right, not what feels right.
Happy are the simple who are blessed with the gift of prudence! Happy are the youth who learn to apply knowledge wisely; and who, early on, experience the benefits of being discreet!