Proverbs (Part 040) - Pro 4:6-9
Submitted by Pastor Chad Wagner on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
6. Pro 4:6 - "Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee." A. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: i. Wisdom is not to be forsaken. a. Forsake v. - 1. trans. To deny (an accusation, an alleged fact, etc.). Obs. b. To deny knowledge of (a person). Obs. c. To deny, renounce, or repudiate allegiance to (God, a lord, etc.). 2. To decline or refuse (something offered). 3. To give up, renounce. a. To give up, part with, surrender (esp. something dear or valued). Passing into sense 4. b. To break off from, renounce (an employment, design, esp. an evil practice or sin; also, a belief, doctrine). 4. To abandon, leave entirely, withdraw from; esp. to withdraw one's presence and help or companionship from; to desert. b. In other words, don't deny wisdom's commandments, give up on her, or leave her. c. Be steadfast and stablished in the faith (1Co 15:58). ii. If wisdom is not forsaken, she will preserve us. a. Preserve v. - 1. trans. To keep safe from harm or injury; to keep in safety, save, take care of, guard. b. God will providentially protect us when we are following Him. c. Wisdom will also keep us safe from harm by enabling us to make good decisions such as: (i) Staying away from wicked men and strange women. (ii) Abstaining from fornication and adultery. (iii) Abstaining from drunkenness and drug use. (iv) Staying out of debt. (v) Saving for the future so that we don't have to depend on others. (vi) Saying "no" to people and things that are a waste of our time. B. love her, and she shall keep thee. i. Love v. - 1. a. trans. With personal obj. or one capable of personification: To bear love to; to entertain a great affection or regard for; to hold dear. ii. We should love the word of God from which wisdom comes (Psa 119:97). iii. If we have a great affection and regard for wisdom, she will reciprocate and protect us, just like a husband does his wife. iv. Those that love God's word will be kept in peace (Psa 119:165; Isa 26:3). 7. Pro 4:7 - "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." A. Wisdom is the principal thing; i. Wisdom n. - 1. a. Capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct; soundness of judgement in the choice of means and ends; sometimes, less strictly, sound sense, esp. in practical affairs: opp. to folly. ii. Principal adj. - 1. First or highest in rank or importance; that is at the head of all the rest; of the greatest account or value; foremost: = chief a. iii. Wisdom (the ability to make sound judgments, choices, and decisions) is the most important thing that we can obtain in life. a. This makes sense because life is an accumulation of decisions. b. If a man makes the best decisions possible throughout his life, he will have the best life possible. iv. This is why the scripture exalts wisdom so highly (Pro 3:15; Pro 8:11; Pro 16:16). B. therefore get wisdom: i. Therefore adv. - II. (Now always spelt therefore, and stressed) 2. In consequence of that; that being so; as a result or inference from what has been stated; consequently. Formerly sometimes unemphatic (esp. in versions of N.T.) = THEN 5. ii. Because wisdom is the most important thing, we are commanded to get wisdom. iii. Get v. - I. trans. To obtain, procure. 1. a. To obtain possession of (property, etc.) as the result of effort or contrivance. iv. Notice that this is an imperative, not a suggestive, statement. v. This is the second time we are commanded to "get wisdom" in the book of Proverbs which demonstrates its importance (Pro 4:5). C. and with all thy getting get understanding. i. To get something requires effort. ii. Thus the Lord is telling us to use as much effort as we can muster to get understanding. iii. Understanding is the intelligence that gives a man the ability to comprehend the meaning and idea of things by knowing the meaning of words. a. Understanding n. - 1. a. (Without article.) Power or ability to understand; intellect, intelligence. b. Understand v. - 1. To comprehend; to apprehend the meaning or import of; to grasp the idea of. b. To be thoroughly acquainted or familiar with (an art, profession, etc.); to be able to practise or deal with properly. 2. To comprehend by knowing the meaning of the words employed; to be acquainted with (a language) to this extent. iv. In other words, the Lord is telling us to use all the energy we have to get smart through understanding His word by learning the meaning of His words. a. Getting understanding allows us to get knowledge (Pro 15:14) and get wisdom (Pro 14:33; Pro 17:24). b. Hence the reason that "with all thy getting" we should "get understanding." 8. Pro 4:8 - "Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her." A. Exalt her, i. Exalt v. - 1. trans. To raise or set up on high; to lift up, elevate. 2. In various fig. or non-material senses: a. To raise in rank, honour, estimation, power, or wealth. d. To praise, extol, magnify. e. To raise to a higher class, a higher degree of value or excellence; to dignify, ennoble. ii. Since wisdom is the principal (highest in rank or importance) thing, we should exalt her by elevating her to the highest place of importance in our life and praise her virtues. iii. This verse shows us the exceeding value of wisdom. a. Wisdom is the only thing outside of God Himself that the scripture records righteous people exalting. b. Every other place in the Bible where the righteous are said to exalt something, it is always God (Exo 15:2; Psa 34:3; Psa 99:5, 9; Psa 107:32; Psa 118:28; Isa 25:1; etc.). B. and she shall promote thee: i. Promote v. - I. 1. a. trans. To advance (a person) to a position of honour, dignity, or emolument; esp. to raise to a higher grade or office; to prefer. ii. When we exalt wisdom instead of ourselves and our own ideas, God will promote us. iii. The wicked do not exalt God or wisdom (Hos 11:7), but always themselves (Psa 66:7; Psa 140:8; Dan 11:36; Oba 1:4; etc.). iv. Those that exalt themselves will be abased (Mat 23:12). v. The key to promotion in this life is prizing wisdom above all else. vi. Those that highly value wisdom and practice it will be promoted at work, in church, in school, in society, and in live in general. C. she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. i. Those that humble themselves and exalt God and wisdom will be exalted by God (1Pe 5:6). ii. In addition to being exalted, wisdom should also be embraced. a. Embrace v. - 1. trans. To clasp in the arms, usually as a sign of fondness or friendship. 2. In various figurative uses. d. To accept gladly or eagerly; also, in weaker sense, to accept; now chiefly, to avail oneself of (an offer, opportunity, etc.). f. To take to one's heart, cultivate (a virtue, disposition, etc.). g. To adopt (a course of action, profession or calling, mode of life). Formerly also, to take (a road or course in travelling). h. To adopt (a doctrine, opinions, religion, etc.); often with the notion ‘to accept joyfully’. Also, to attach oneself to (a party, cause, etc.). b. Wisdom should be accepted joyfully, adopted into our lives, and held onto. iii. When we embrace wisdom, she will being us to honour. a. Honour n. - 1. High respect, esteem, or reverence, accorded to exalted worth or rank; deferential admiration or approbation. a. As felt or entertained in the mind for some person or thing. b. If we want to be highly respected and esteemed, we must first embrace wisdom. c. Nobody highly respects and esteems a man who rejects wisdom and makes foolish choices. 9. Pro 4:9 - "She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee." A. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: i. Ornament n. - 1. a. Any adjunct or accessory (primarily for use, but not excluding decoration or embellishment); equipment, furniture, attire, trappings. Obs. 2. a. Something employed to adorn, beautify, or embellish, or that naturally does this; a decoration, embellishment. ii. Grace n. - I. Pleasing quality, gracefulness. 1. The quality of producing favourable impressions; attractiveness, charm. Now usually with more restricted application: The attractiveness or charm belonging to elegance of proportions, or (especially) ease and refinement of movement, action, or expression. In 16–17th c. occas. Pleasantness of flavour. 2. a. An attractive or pleasing quality or feature. b. quasi-concr. Something that imparts beauty; an ornament; the part in which the beauty of a thing consists. iii. When wisdom is exalted and embraced, she makes the possessor attractive to others like a woman adorned with fine clothing and jewelry. iv. Wisdom resides in the mind (the head), so it is fitting that the ornament is placed on the head. B. a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. i. Crown n. - 1. a. An ornamental fillet, wreath, or similar encircling ornament for the head, worn for personal adornment, or as a mark of honour or achievement; a coronal or wreath of leaves or flowers. ii. Glory n. - 1. subjectively. a. The disposition to claim honour for oneself; boastful spirit. Obs. exc. in the combination vainglory. 2. objectively. a. Exalted (and, in mod. use, merited) praise, honour, or admiration accorded by common consent to a person or thing; honourable fame, renown. iii. A crown of glory is a figurative encircling ornament on the head which is a display of honour and achievement. a. This crown will be delivered by wisdom. b. In other words it comes via wisdom. iv. The hoary (white) head is a crown of glory (Pro 16:31). a. The gray head of old men is their beauty (Pro 20:29). b. A white/gray head is a sign of age. (i) Wisdom should come with age (Job 32:7). (ii) Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't (Job 32:9). (iii) This is sadly the case far too often today. c. In other words an aged person's white head should signify wisdom. d. But white hair and age alone do not make a man wise. e. A man's decisions make him wise: the hoary head is a crown of glory, IF it be found in the way of righteousness (Pro 16:31).
