Proverbs 1:1-7 | The Beginning of Knowledge

Proverbs 1:1-7

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

For my Personal Devotional this new year for as long as this format lasts, I would like to study the book of Proverbs by sections (subheaders). I feel like Proverbs will be the most straightforward for me to hunt for truths to apply to my life, which is something I need as I explore my faith once again. I also need to develop an appreciation and reverence for God's word and this would be fundamental to that endeavor.

God, as I read through this passage and all the rest in this series, and seek to glean some nuggets of truth and wisdom from Your Word, may you give me the grace to understand what is written and the discernment to find out what areas I am lacking in or need improvement on, and be able to apply these truths to my life so that I may be more like you the way I think and in everything I do!

Verse 1: I'd like to pay attention to who is writing the Psalms, and the reason why they're writing it. I will be using the MacArthur Study Bible (ESV) to help me out with these trivia and context information.
Verse 2: Wisdom and instruction. One complements and accompanies the other. Knowing why I do something and how to do it is beneficial. Being wise involves using good judgement, applying past information and knowledge, and being shrewd in my decisions.
In what areas am I not practicing good judgement? Perhaps it's in my time and money, basically stuff I'm investing in.
How can I change my behavior to be more wise? I should be investing my time and money in the things of God, being involved at church, using my funds wisely to help the church out as well as ministering to people.
Verse 3: Using the Word of God, I can make good decisions. In what areas? Righteousness, justice, and equity (fairness). Righteousness means to be morally right or justifiable. I can't do this on my own, it's something I can claim because of Jesus' sacrifice that washes me clean and clears my standing before God. His righteousness is mine and I am able to have a relationship with God because of this.
How can I practice being Righteous? It's a character of Christ. I should live in a manner worthy of Righteousness, being Christ-like and avoiding sin.
How can I practice being Just? Being morally upright takes a lot of decisions to not sin. Ignoring the sinful nature. Being right before God should I give an account of what I thought, or did. Choosing to do what God would do or want me to do in the situation, based on the words of wisdom from His Word.
How can I practice equity? I'm slightly confused why this character quality is in this list. Perhaps it is for the rulers like Solomon. However, it reminds me to not be excessive nor insufficient in the things I do or the way I commit to things, such as doing this blog and devotional. Don't let it take over all my time but also give it the proper respect it deserves. In my relationships with people, to not be overly angry at them or their actions, nor let them get away with ungodly behavior if they're a fellow believer.
Verse 4: The words used here all relate to being cautious in what I do and decide. I may be a simple one, running head-on into stuff I know will destroy me. But having God's Word, and also Proverbs, I should be making decisions that benefit me and my faith. I have seen evidence of this now as I actively try to turn away from sin and seeking God.
Verses 5-6: May I never stop seeking wisdom even when I grow to know a lot. That I will continue looking to God's word for instruction, to compare myself to it, to test my holiness. That it will guide me, always, towards God.
Verse 7: The fear of the Lord. Here is a helpful article from Ligonier Ministries. Filial fear -- the adoration and respect given to God, and the desire to not do anything that might displease Him. I experience this in my normal life, I don't want to disappoint my parents or do something that is wrong. It's a bit easier for me to picture how it would work out in my faith. It's a practice I'm excited to work on as I seek to understand my faith more deeply.

Memorize: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7