Proverbs 2:20-22 “Wisdom Blessing #5: Righteous Living”

 (20) So you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness. (21) For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; (22) but the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.

At the beginning of the chapter, the father tells the son how to gain wisdom. Desire, diligence, and effort exerted over time are some of the keys to gaining wisdom. It is not gained quickly or easily. Now, the father describes wisdom’s fifth reward. Wisdom will keep you in the way of goodness and to the paths of righteousness. This is no doubt the best path to be on throughout life as this path will allow you to dwell and remain in the land.

However, this speaks about more than just your life, it speaks toward the inheritance which the righteous will pass on. Wisdom’s enduring nature is seen as being passed on from generation to generation. This is what is happening in the book of Proverbs. The father who has wisdom is teaching his son wisdom so that it will be passed on to the next generation. The effort put forth to gain wisdom produces a more than a lifetime of fruit. It reaches into the next generation so they can receive its blessings.

However, the other path – the path of the fool, the one who rejects God and His ways – leads to death (see v. 18-19). These wicked men will be cut off and uprooted from the earth. There will be no enduring blessings, no lasting happiness, and no bright future.

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Related Scriptures: Psalm 37:9-34; Matthew 5:5

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He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. – Psalms 25:13-14

Proverbs 2:16-19 “Wisdom Blessing #4: Protection from the Evil Woman”

(16) To deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, (17) who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. (18) For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; (19) none who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life

She’s beautiful. She’s giving you a lot of attention. She wants more. A lot more.

You have desires. You have needs. You want more. A lot more.

How will you resist her temptation? You probably won’t. You’ve already gone far. You’ve already let your mind go down the wrong path. You have given into lust and it is now controlling your thoughts. You have already put yourself in a compromising position.

How does wisdom deliver you from the immoral woman? When the seductress begins to flatter you, wisdom sends up the red flags. You never allow your mind to dwell on her, her words, or her physical beauty. Wisdom is stopping it before it gets started. Wisdom allows you to recognize that she does not have your best interest in mind. She wants what she can get out of you. Wisdom allows you to recognize the consequences of going down this path before you ever set foot on this path. Momentary pleasure = Lifetime of suffering.

She has abandon previous lovers. She has abandon God. She will derail you from the right path, causing you to leave God. In the end, she will bring you more misery than you ever thought possible. You will never recover. Momentary pleasure = Lifetime of suffering. Is it really worth it?

Proverbs provides two lengthy descriptions of the immoral woman and the results of giving in to her words. They are listed below and worthy of your time to read and understand them. Inoculate yourself now so that when the temptation comes, you will be able to flee.

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Related Scriptures: Proverbs 5:3-20; 7:5-23; 1 Corinthians 6:18

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What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don't want to discourage it completely.

Proverbs 2:12-15 “Wisdom Blessing #3: Protection from the Evil Man”

(12) To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things,  (13) from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness;  (14) who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked;  (15) whose ways are crooked, and who are devious in their paths. 


The first two blessings of wisdom are knowing God & discernment for living. Wisdom now provides its third blessing: protection from evil men and their perverse paths. If the young man has heeded his fathers exhortation to learn wisdom, when the wicked, perverse man comes, the wisdom the young man has stored up will recognize the wicked man and guide the son away.

Who is this wicked man? When you read this, you may picture a hunched over, gangly, old man. I don’t think that is who this wise father is warning his son about. The son is young and is making friends. The wise father is most likely warning his son to be careful of his peers, those who are his own age. Those are the ones he is most likely to be tempted by. They pose the greatest danger as the young man begins to make friends that will influence the course of his life. Wicked men don't come with a warning sign around their neck stating that they are wicked, will ruin your life, and you need to avoid them. They come, sound enticing, and offer fun. However, wisdom learned in earlier times will send the warning so that you are not lured away. These are the type of young men that you must avoid and not associate with. This is one of the ways wisdom will preserve you (see v. 11).
These are the wicked men that come and offer their version of ‘fun.’ This ‘fun’ is at the expense of others. Their speech is wicked, a sure indication of what is in their heart. These wicked men have no interest in walking rightly, only in darkness. The delight in doing evil and in the perversity of others. They follow the path that leads to destruction. They have no interest in or fear of the Lord. They enjoy their wickedness and desire to bring others to join  their wickedness. Their paths are in direct contrast to the right paths wisdom will guide you in (see v. 9).
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Related Scriptures: Acts 20:30
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Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” - 1 Corinthians 15:33

Proverbs 2:9-11 “Wisdom Blessing #2: Discernment for Living”

(9) Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. (10) When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, (11) discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.

These three verses give the next progressive blessing for the young man pursuing wisdom: discernment for living. Verse 9 starts off with the word ‘then’ indicating that this does not occur until what was previously stated occurs. Only after you gain a fear of the Lord and God grants your desires for more wisdom (v. 5-8), will you develop discernment for living your life. It is important not to reverse the order of the fear of the Lord and wise living. A person may live a good life, but without the fear of the Lord, without salvation, his good decisions will be limited to this world and his eternity will be spent separated from his Creator in the eternal fires of hell. So true is the Scripture “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Wisdom must begin with the fear of the Lord.

The parts of this blessing include an understanding of righteousness, justice, equity, viz., every good path. (If you will recall, this is one of the objectives of the book of Proverbs - see 1:2-6). The word ‘path’ is used metaphorically for the course a person chooses for his life. Wisdom provides the insight to choose every good path, thus developing a lifestyle that follows a course, i.e. consistently chooses, of what is morally correct.

The wise father now explains the reason for this understanding. As you put wisdom in your heart (v. 1-4), this knowledge becomes ‘pleasant to your soul.’ Choosing every good path becomes natural and pleasant because you (1) know what is right, (2) understand the advantage of doing right, and (3) discern the consequences of not choosing the right path. This discretion protects you from evil because it keeps you on the good path.

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Related Scriptures: Psalm 32:8; 119:105; Jeremiah 6:16; Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6

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“[Wisdom] saves the good man from the consequences of naiveté.” - William McKane

Proverbs 2:5-8 “Wisdom Blessing #1: Knowledge of God & His Protection”

(5) Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. (6) For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; (7) He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; (8) He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.

In the first four verses of the chapter, the wise father has appealed to the son to receive wisdom, meditate on wisdom, cry out for wisdom, and pursue wisdom. He now moves into the blessings that wisdom bestows on those who seek her. Here is a summary of the 5 Wisdom Blessings given in this chapter.

1.   Knowledge of God & God’s protection (v. 5-8)

2.   Discernment for Living (v. 9-11)

3.   Protection from Evil Men (v. 12-14)

4.   Protection from Evil Women (v. 16-19)

5.   Righteous Living (v. 20-22)

The blessings are given in the order a young man would need them. Wisdom’s first blessing is knowing God, which has several parts. The parts include the fear of the Lord, the knowledge of God, receiving additional wisdom, protection and preservation.

This blessing is the foundation of all the other blessings. In fact, this blessing is actually the foundation of wisdom itself. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7 & 9:10) The first realization that you are becoming wise is when you realize that you are beginning to fear the Lord.

What is the “fear of the Lord?” First and foremost, understand that the fear of the Lord is a positive quality. We typically think of fear in negative terms, but this is a different kind of fear. Exodus 20:20 states that this fear recognizes God’s good intentions and prevents sin. It provides confidence (Proverbs 14:26) and a good night’s sleep (Proverbs 19:23). C. I. Scofield called the fear of the Lord “Old Testament piety, meaning reverential trust, with hatred of evil.” (See Job 28:28) To distinguish the ‘fear’ in “fear of the Lord” from ‘fear’ as in afraid or terror, think of it as ‘holy fear.’ Two verses lend to this concept. “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” (Psalm 2:11) & “But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.” (Psalm 5:7) As you begin to recognize Who God is, you gain the fear of the Lord and tremble at His greatness which leads to rejoicing and worship! Wow! This is the beginning of wisdom and is the first benefit of having wisdom: a right relationship with the Most High God, your Creator.

Note that the Lord Himself gives wisdom. God wants you to know Him. he wants you to see His glory and rejoice in Him. He reveals Himself to you. He gives you more wisdom, helping you come to greater knowledge and understanding of Him, so that you will rejoice in Him even more. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” (Psalm 34:8) God has actually stored up sound wisdom for you so that you can know Him even better. That is why the father exhorts his son to seek wisdom as silver and search for her as for hidden treasure. That is how you receive the wonderful wisdom God has stored up for you.

But this first blessing of wisdom doesn’t end with knowing God, or fearing the Lord, or even with receiving God’s stores of wisdom. It continues with the promise that God will protect you as you walk uprightly. He guards your just paths. He preserves your way.

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Related Scriptures: Daniel 1:17; Jeremiah 9:24; James 3:17

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And to man He said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” - Job 28:28