Being Able to Perceive Understanding...

Proverbs 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

The author of Proverbs (The Holy Spirit not Solomon) wants us to know wisdom and instruction. This book is going to plead with the reader to listen to wisdom and be instructed by her; therefore wisdom and instruction are an integral part of this wonderful book. Proverbs will aggressively appeal to the reader to heed the instructions wisdom has to offer. Concerning understanding, to know what is the right thing to do in the eyes of the Lord is to know righteousness but to also know why it is the right thing to do is understanding. In other words it is one thing to be told what to do, it is another thing all together to know why you should do it. You know why you should do an activity when you understand the outcome of that activity. Many live a life without passion for the right things because they do not understand how important it is to do them. Righteousness is doing the right thing in the eyes of the Lord and wisdom is to choose the fear of the Lord but to choose the fear of the Lord because you know the outcome of that choice is understanding.

We also have this phrase "To perceive the words of understanding" – One should cry out to God for the ability to even grasp wisdom, sad as it is there are some who no matter how hard they try they simply cannot grasp it (Proverbs 17:16 – “Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?”). One must have “A heart for wisdom” in order to grasp it and be able to benefit from it