The first seven verses of the book of Proverbs give us a lot of insight. The goal of the Proverbs is to produce wisdom, discipline, and understanding to those who are naive. The naive are those who are on the brink of adulthood. The Proverbs are designed to be a boot camp for wisdom. The word for 'Proverb' (mashal) is basically the same word as parable. The Proverbs require deep reflection as did the parables of Jesus. On a side note, there could be a connection to Jesus from these verses. Jesus and Solomon both descended from David and both enjoyed same style of instruction. But Jesus told his listeners that he was greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42).
The purpose statement for proverbs is given in 1:7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. What does it mean to fear the Lord? Do we fear offending him and ultimately being punished? Do we simply respect and revere him? Might I suggest we look to David for the answer to this question.
Psa. 51 is David's response to his sin with Bathsheba. In verse 11 and 12, David begged that the Lord not leave him. This plea is really powerful when we consider that David witnessed God abandon Saul. This context offers a powerful definition for fearing the Lord. Fearing the Lord is not fear the Lord's coming but fear of his leaving!!! This is where the road to godly wisdom begins!
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