Proverb 1.1
“The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction.”
Wisdom in Proverbs is practical knowledge that helps us know how to respond to the many different situations we experience in life. In that regard, the book of Proverbs is teaching and instruction on how to apply E+R=O. Wisdom is the ability to manage your R Factor skillfully.
The first verse of Proverbs says that the purpose of the book is wisdom and instruction. As we learned in our 2 ½ year study of Proverbs, the Hebrew word for instruction is musar. It means learning and building skill through focused and disciplined training. It refers to coming under another’s tutorship for the purpose of being trained in wisdom.
Musar means learning to be discipline-driven. It is the process of getting wiser and more skillful every day by learning to consistently apply God’s principles to your life. It is the process by which wisdom is acquired and skill is built.
The opposite of musar is to be default-driven, which is the absence of discipline. Being default-driven means being impulsive, on autopilot, and resistant to learning and growth.
The disciplined process of instruction and training must be fully embraced if the wisdom of Proverbs is to benefit you. In order to be wise and live skillfully (hokma), you must learn and be trained (musar).
Consider just a few of the verses in Proverbs that emphasize the priority of musar in the learning process:
“Keep hold of instruction (musar); do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” (Proverbs 4.13)
“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction (musar), and forsake not your mother’s teaching.” (Proverbs 1.8)
“Take my instruction (musar) instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.” (Proverbs 8.10-11)
“Listen to advice and accept instruction (musar), that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (Proverbs 18.20)
To ignore or dismiss musar is foolishness of the highest order, and the consequences can be devastating. The great prophet Jeremiah lamented that the people of Israel rejected musar and suffered because of it.
“O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction (musar). They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.” (Jeremiah 5.3)
We are called to respond to God in faith and do the work required for spiritual growth and skill-building. This is the very meaning and purpose of musar. In response to God’s grace in our life, we must walk in the Spirit, exercise self-control, and commit to the disciplined process of learning wisdom and building skill.
