Proverbs 9:10-12 We come to a contrast between wisdom and foolishness. Our text today deals with wisdom, and we will find some similarities between this and another Proverbs text we have covered before. Notice what Proverbs 9:10 sounds like? If we are thinking Proverbs 1:7, we would be correct. There is a difference though and that is found in the second part. Unlike Proverbs 1:7, this verse contains two positives. The first is the beginning of wisdom. The second speaks to the knowledge of the Holy One.

This knowledge is a knowledge based on different ways we come to know about God. There is the personal, experimental way, There is the knowledge that is given by God to us. There is a knowledge we gain from morality, and finally, there is prophetic knowledge based on what we know from God in the past. Each of these are used throughout the Old Testament around 93 times. This knowledge reveals God the Father to us in multiple ways, and one that brings about a deeper understanding of who He is and what He can do and has done. Notice what the text says. This knowledge brings about understanding.

In this verse, understanding is the outworking of that knowledge that we receive. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says,

It is also used as the object of knowledge. Job inquired concerning the place of understanding and then partially answered the question that to depart from evil is understanding.

We will notice what this text tells us. If we have knowledge of the Holy One, we will also have understanding. We can look at our society today with how we see our own people of America being treated, and how it seems our leadership is more than happy to sell out Americans and America, and we may wonder why. If we look at all of our politics through the eyes of the Scripture, and the knowledge of God, we will start to have answers that are beyond the view of those who are around us.

If we look at the hurt, pain, sorrow, grief around us. We may be bogged down by how much there is going on until we realize the root of those issues. What we see is the symptom. The root is deeper. It is therefore vital we have true understanding that comes from our knowledge of God. If we fail to have that, we will fail to understand more important things as they come along.

Then we see Proverbs 9:11, and wisdom offers an amazing gift to those who follow and heed it. The first thing offered is longer days, and longer years. The wisdom of God, as Matthew Henry, in his commentary once said that this increase in years will carry forward to even the day we stand before God Himself, and we will forever be with Him. This is an increase that no other thing can give. Wisdom and understanding brings us to God who can forgive us our sins and save us from them. But we must come to Him in the way the Bible tells us, through Jesus Christ only. In Jesus there is the length of days given to us.

What have we covered throughout Proverbs already?

Length of days – Proverbs 3:2

Riches and honor – Proverbs 3:16

More will be seen in Proverbs 10:27. However, this wisdom, in order to understand God and to see this growth of life, Deuteronomy 6:2 really shows us great wisdom. Obedience to God and His commands. In the New Testament, it is the desire of God for all to come to salvation and to find freedom in Jesus (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

Proverbs 9:12, in closing, there is the reality of wisdom vs foolishness. If we obey wisdom, then that wisdom is gained for us. We grow by it, we thrive with it. It moves us and makes us. This wisdom is for us, and we can then share this wisdom. Remember, the Bible tells us to not walk in our own wisdom but in God’s wisdom (Proverbs 28:26). Yet there are many, as this verse ends, who will scoff. In scoffing, they are alone. They will stand alone, fall alone, and will stand before God’s judgment alone.

Scoffing is, from the view of mankind, never good in the Scripture. To scoff is to deride, mock, make fun of. Sadly, many do so against God and that only leads to death. Therefore, heed wisdom’s call. Obey what we find in the Scripture. Turn to the Lord and be saved!