Proverbs is a text composed by the wisest man ever to live (sans Jesus), and yet the wisdom he provides in his book is deceptively simple. When you read the pithy statements that make up each verse, you might be tempted to say: “Well duh, everyone knows that…” Take this text for an example…
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
(Proverbs 13:20)
What is the wise man telling us? A person who keeps company with wise people will have wisdom rub off on them, and a person who hangs around with fools will end up destroyed along with them. Seems obvious right? Makes you wanna say “duh,” right? And yet, look around: See how many people are keeping foolish company. See how many people are refusing to keep company with wise ones. I won’t disagree that Solomon’s words seem obvious, but the point of Proverbs is not to be cryptic; it’s to share the wisdom of God that too many refuse to heed, despite how obviously good the advice is.
Solomon’s words are wise, not because they are hard to understand, but because doing the right thing is easy to understand… it’s just that our pride and selfish will often keep us from doing what is, otherwise, so obvious.
~Matthew