The Paradox In Proverbs 1:1
Proverbs 1:1
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
What are proverbs in the Bible? They are wise words. They teach
us wisdom and self-control. They give us understanding and
instruction. They will teach us how to be wise and self-controlled.
And they will teach us what is honest and fair and right.
But there is a paradox existent in Proverbs 1:1. While Solomon the
son of David, king of Israel had great wisdom attributed to him by
God, he also was notoriously foolish and disobedient to God. His
personal life was almost disastrous!
1 Kings 3:11-14
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and
have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for
yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked
for yourself understanding to discern justice,
12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given
you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been
anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches
and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the
kings all your days.
14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My
commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your
days.”
Solomon was gifted by God with unrivaled wisdom. He was capable of
composing thousands of proverbs and discerning good from evil. He
was a very wise king.
1 Kings 11:6
Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow
the Lord, as did his father David.
But Solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred
concubines. And his wives turned away his heart away from God. When
Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods.
His heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of
his father David. He became foolish, doing evil in the sight
of the Lord as he turned away from God to worship idols.
The paradox is this: How can the Bible be trusted if the inspired
wise words of an author was not ultimately lived out by that same wisdom?
The answer is this. Though Solomon was inspired by the Spirit of God
to write those words, he was not the Author! The authority and the
authorship of the Book of Proverbs do not originate from Solomon but the Holy
Spirit as He inspires the king to write!
Upon the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, Solomon was divinely empowered and used to communicate
divine wisdom. He was simply a vessel or a vehicle used by God to
convey His Word! The true Author is God Himself!
God uses imperfect human instruments to deliver perfect divine
truth and wisdom. The Book of Proverbs is not a biography of a perfect man. It
is simply a collection of wisdom delivered from God in heaven to us
on earth. It will prevent us from making the same foolish mistakes
Solomon made.
Proverbs, and particularly Ecclesiastes, are the reflections of an
older and wiser Solomon as he was looking back
on his own life and sharing lessons learned from his own failures.
Whether he had repented before God was not explicitly written in the
Bible. There were no detailed accounts of his repentance compared to
his father David.
But Solomon’s life serves as a perfect illustration that God uses
imperfect vessels. The best warning he gave is the life he lived! Having the
knowledge of what is good is not good enough. Knowing good is
useless unless it is done
accordingly. Having understanding is not good enough unless its
instructions are properly followed and carried out. Knowing is one
thing, but doing and becoming is another!
| The tree of the knowledge of good and evil |
The tree of life
|
| Know |
Live |
| Having knowledge of good and evil |
Applying wisdom by doing good and becoming good |
True wisdom from God will begin with respect for the Lord. In doing
what He says is essential. It goes beyond just knowing! Knowing His
will is one thing, but doing His will is another. A lot of people
become foolish, thinking that they are wise but in true reality,
they are fools. What they say and know does not match what they do
and become!
James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves.
May the life of Solomon be a warning to us that we will not
become presumptuous, thinking that we are wise when we are not! Our
life will be a testimony! Not what we know but how we live!
Written on 4 February 2026