Proverbs 1:1-4
Purpose of Proverbs
These are three-fold: knowing, receiving and giving [Prov. 1:2-4]
The act of knowing Wisdom
Prov 1:2 2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
To fully grasp a proverb in your spirit man, there is the knowing part, the receiving part and the giving path. All three are important. The knowing part is the easiest of the three, the receiving part is the next and the giving part is the hardest. If you master all three, it is spiritually very rewarding.
To “know” something means you are “familiar with” or “thoroughly acquainted with” something. It means you can “discern”. Knowing something is in the mind realm. It doesn’t mean it is a part of you yet. You may not be practicing what you know yet but this stage is important because you need to store the knowledge in your mind. The mind is the treasure house of knowledge so you need to know or store good things in it.
The act of receiving Wisdom
Prov. 1:3 3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To “receive” means to receive or “get” something. It also means to “accept” something. It is the Lord that gives us or we receive something from that is meaningful to our spirit man. When the word of God transcends the soul man into your spirit man, then you are operating in the realm of receiving. For example, we receive grace for our salvation from God. The grace is there as it is already given by God but except you accept it you cannot receive it and even if you have accepted it there are different measures that a man can walk in of the grace of God. God gave Solomon wisdom that was exceedingly much. It was beyond what the capacity of the human mind can hold, yet it was all locked up in the mind of Solomon. His mind was sharp.
The act of giving Wisdom
Prov. 1:4 4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. The “giving” part is the operating aspect of knowing a proverb or proverbs. At this third stage, not only have you known it but it begins to direct you. You become guided by what you know. The word of God becomes your compass and directs your spirit man on what to do even when you are boxed in a tight corner which no other person thought you could get out from. You can ask God in prayer to expand the capacity of your mind to receive His word and let His word transcend into your spirit man in the name of Jesus.