a trip to the beginning

Proverbs 1:1-7

These verses are an unusual introduction to a book of Proverbs. The first six verses lay out five two-word phrases that bring a reader on a journey to “the beginning.”

• The first two are “to know” and “to perceive”. These words describe things that one would pick up from normal observation. You see something and it registers in your mind. You think through an idea and come to a conclusion.
• The third phrase is “to receive…instruction, justice, judgment, and equity.” The word “instruction” is literally “chastening”. This third step is being able to accept correction when your own thinking is wrong.
• Once this is accomplished, you are expected “to give” what you have received to the next spiritual generation. It’s a step that cannot be ignored. One must pass on what he has heard.
• Finally one is able “to understand” the deeper and darker sayings.

The goal described in verse 7 is not to come to a pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment as some spiritual guru, but rather to realize that one is merely beginning a journey. The true fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.

I have never really understood the responsibility of understanding Proverbs before. Every one of these “to” statements are important. I must realize the importance of “giving” what I have learned to others. Passing on the Truth we have been taught is just as important as learning in the first place. I must also remember to begin every endeavor the same way: “The fear of the Lord.” Without this base, our journey results in nothing but that of Confucius, or Buddha, or Rush Limbaugh: a witty, worldly wise stroll that foolishly ends nowhere.