Proverbs 25:1
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These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
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Here is a reminder we are studying the proverbs of Solomon. We have the personal counsel of a king, whom the LORD inspired with His wisdom. And the proverbs we have were selected from many by the careful work of men appointed by Hezekiah the king.
There is value in this verse of Scripture, or the LORD would not have given it to us. There are two intermissions in the book of Proverbs, one at 10:1 and one here. He is giving us a break to consider again what special words we are reading. Let us consider it closely, and we will see that here also is wisdom for our learning.
God gave Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, much wisdom and a large heart (I Kgs 3:10-15). He immediately showed Israel his great sense of judgment by dealing with two harlots in a wonderful way (I Kgs 3:16-28). He was wiser than all men, and wise men and kings came from all nations to hear him speak on any subject (I Kgs 4:29-34).
God also gave Solomon the other things needed for a full experiment in discovering the purpose and pleasure for life. He was a very attractive man (I Sam 16:12; II Sam 11:2); he had unlimited capital (Eccl 2:10), he had no wars or disturbances (I Kgs 4:24-25), and he was an absolute ruler at the height of the power of the Israelite nation (I Kgs 4:20-21)!
Consider! He was incredibly skilled and desirable socially; he could afford anything he wanted; he had no opposition or wars to distract him; and everyone would do exactly what he wanted. His great laboratory for experimenting about life was exceptional. No man or group of men, before or since, can even approach his research opportunities or ability in analyzing and summarizing the results. Surveying the homeless doesn't cut it!
Solomon committed his life to discovering man's purpose and pleasure in life (Eccl 1:3,12-13). He tried it all, and then some. Wealth? Silver was as common as gravel (I Kgs 10:14-29)! Women? He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, many of whom he loved with his extra large heart (I Kgs 11:1-3)! Entertainment? He tried everything there was to try, in staggering excess (Eccl 2:1-10)! Prestige? The wise men and kings of the earth came with presents annually to hear him talk (I Kgs 10:1-25)!
At the end of his grand and glorious experiment of life, he carefully sought out good words to teach his people the truth about what he had learned. He summarized his vast learning in 3000 meticulously devised and acceptable proverbs - short, substantial, and powerful sayings of truth and wisdom for the people to learn his knowledge (Eccl 12:9-10). And the proverbs were further refined by divine inspiration (Eccl 12:11)! Can you hear from heaven, "These are the true sayings of God" (Rev 19:9)?
Where does Hezekiah fit in? He was a glorious king in his own right, a descendant of David and Solomon (II Chron 32:27-30). He was exceptionally wise and zealous in the reformation and revival of true religion in Israel, like in the days of David and Solomon (II Chron 29:2; 30:21-27; 31:1-21). He appointed men, under the direct guidance of God, to select the proverbs used from this point to the end of the book of Proverbs.
What an incredible gift! Can you believe it? You have a book of about 500 of the choicest proverbs of Solomon's learning, revised to perfection by the Creator God, and carefully selected by the appointment of another great king. Here is the wisdom of the greatest king and of God Himself for you to live prosperously. Glory! Thank you, Lord.
Now, dear reader, what will you do with these short, pithy statements of wisdom called proverbs? Will you read them as quaint sayings of ancient religious literature? Will you marvel at their brevity and variety? Or will you humble yourself before them with a trembling heart and beg the Lord to teach you in your soul all the wisdom each contains?
All the wisdom of all authors, even with our information and learning explosion, cannot compare to one of his proverbs (II Tim 3:7). Why read the tome on anthropology of a God-hating, marijuana-smoking, same-sex-loving professor who teaches classes about deviant sexual behavior of one-legged penguins in Madagascar?
The verse does have value! It serves as the second intermission, after 10:1, for us to realize once again that we are reading the most glorious words in the universe (along with the rest of Scripture). See the comments on 1:1. Dear reader, you are very blessed! What will you do with this book? How can you put it down for anything else?
Can you see the Lord Jesus Christ in this verse? You must, for all of Scripture testifies of Him (John 5:39), especially those parts written by another son of David! The Holy Spirit designed the verse to further whet our appetite for Solomon's proverbs, but with the words of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ we must say, "A greater than Solomon is here"!
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