We come now to the end of the beginning. Proverbs 9 is the last chapter of the long introduction to Proverbs.

Solomon began by telling us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). Then he warned us about two key dangers to young men: violent companions (Prov. 1:10-19, Prov. 2:12-15, etc.) and loose women (Prov. 2:16-19, Prov. 5, Prov. 7, etc.). Along with these two main warnings, he sprinkled some other key principles: Love faithfully (3:3-4), honor the Lord with your wealth (3:9-10), accept the Lord's discipline (3:11-12), don't be lazy (6:6-11), and so on.

But the lesson he keeps hammering home is simply this: Choose wisdom. Read more . . .