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THIMBEFUL OF WISDOM
ABOUT PROVERBS INTRODUCTION AND TITLE DATE AND SETTING THEME AND PURPOSE KEYS TO PROVERBS CHRIST IN PROVERBS CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE SURVEY OF PROVERBS OUTLINE OF PROVERBS FAMOUS VERSES COMMENTS |
About
Proverbs-
Introduction and Title—The key word in Proverbs is wisdom, “the ability to live life skillfully.” A godly life in an ungodly world, however, is no simple assignment. Proverbs provides God’s detailed instructions for His people to deal successfully with the practical affairs of everyday life: how to relate to God, parents, children, neighbors, and government. Solomon, the principal author, uses a combination of poetry, parables, pithy questions, short stories, and wise maxims to give in strikingly memorable form the common sense and divine perspective necessary to handle life’s issues. Because Solomon, the pinnacle of Israel’s wise men, was the principal contributor, the Hebrew title of this book is Mishle Shelomoh, “Proverbs of Solomon.” (1:1). The Greek title is Paroimiai Salomontos, “Proverbs of Solomon.” The Latin title Liber Proverbiorum, “Book of Proverbs,” combines the words pro “for” and verba “words” to describe the way the proverbs concentrate many words into a few. The rabbinical writings called Proverbs Sepher Hokhmah, “Book of Wisdom.” Date and Setting—Proverbs is a collection of topical maxims and is not a historical book. It is a product of the wisdom school in Israel. According to Jeremiah 18:18 and Ezekiel 7:26, three groups communicated to the people on behalf of God: the priests imparted the Law; the prophets communicated the divine word and visions; and the sages, or elders, gave counsel to the people. The sages provided the practical application of godly wisdom to specific problems and decisions. The “Preacher” of Ecclesiastes is a good example of the wisdom school (see Eccl. 1:1, 12; 7:27; 12:8–10). Qoheleth, or “Preacher,” meant “one who addresses an assembly”: he presided over a “school” of wise men and “taught the people knowledge” (Eccl. 12:9). “My son” in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes evidently refers to the pupil. This was parallel to Samuel’s role of heading Israel’s school of prophets. Wisdom literature is also found in other countries of the ancient Near East. In Egypt, written examples can be found as early as 2700 b.c. Although the style was similar to Israel’s Wisdom Literature, the proverbs and sayings of these countries differed from those of Israel in content because they lacked the character of the righteous standards of the Lord. Solomon’s proverbs were written by 931 b.c., and his proverbs in chapters 25–29 were collected by Hezekiah about 230 years later (Hezekiah reigned from 715 to 686 b.c.). Under Solomon Israel was at its spiritual, political, and economic summit. Solomon probably wrote his proverbs in his middle years, before his character began to decline into carnality, materialism, and idolatry. Theme and Purpose—Proverbs is one of the few biblical books that clearly spells out its purpose. The purpose statement in chapter 1, verses 2–6 is twofold: (1) To impart moral discernment and discretion (1:2a,3–5); and (2) to develop mental clarity and perception (1:2b,6). The words “wisdom and instruction” (1:2a) complement each other because wisdom (hokhmah) means “skill,” and instruction (musar) means “discipline.” No skill is perfected without discipline, and when a person has skill he has freedom to create something beautiful. Proverbs deals with the most fundamental skill of all: practical righteousness before God in every area of life. This requires knowledge, experience, and a willingness to put God first (3:5–7). Chapters 1–9 are designed to create a felt need for wisdom and Proverbs as a whole is designed both to prevent and to remedy ungodly life-styles. The book served as a manual to impart the legacy of wisdom, prudence, understanding, discretion, knowledge, guidance, competence, correction, counsel, and truth from generation to generation. The theme of Proverbs is: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7a). To fear God is to stand in awe of His righteousness, majesty, and power and to trust Him by humbly depending upon Him. There is a reciprocal relationship here, because “the fear of the Lord is the beginning [foundation] of wisdom” (9:10), but wisdom leads to the knowledge and fear of God (2:1–5). Keys to Proverbs— Key Word: Wisdom Key Verses (1:5–7; 3:5–6)—“A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, to understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:5–7). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (3:5–6). Key Chapter (31)—The last chapter of Proverbs is unique in ancient literature, as it reveals a very high and noble view of women. The woman in these verses is: (1) A good woman (31:13, 15–16, 19, 25); (2) a good wife (31:11–12, 23–24); (3) a good mother (31:14–15, 18, 21, 27); and (4) a good neighbor (31:20–26). Her conduct, concern, speech, and life stand in sharp contrast to the woman pictured in chapter 7. Christ in Proverbs—In chapter 8, wisdom is personified and seen in its perfection. It is divine (8:22–31), it is the source of biological and spiritual life (3:18; 8:35–36), it is righteous and moral (8:8–9), and it is available to all who will receive it (8:1–6, 32–35). This wisdom became incarnate in Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30; cf. 1 Cor. 1:22–24). Contribution to the Bible—Proverbs along with Job and Ecclesiastes is the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. It is built upon the fear of Yahweh as the basis for practical holiness and skill in life. There is a universal and comprehensive tone in this book because it talks to everyone. The proverbs are generalized statements that are true to life even though individual cases may differ. Psalms emphasizes a walk before God and the devotional life, but Proverbs concentrates on a walk before men and the daily life. The proverbs are practical, moral, and concise—they should be read very slowly in small sections. Some are humorous as well (see 11:22; 19:24; 23:13,35; 24:33; 25:24; 26:13–16; 27:15–16; 30:15,21–23). There are at least fourteen New Testament quotations or allusions to the Proverbs. James has a number of similarities to the Book of Proverbs. Compare Proverbs and James on the tongue: (a) Prov. 12:18–19 and James 1:26; (b) Prov. 15:1–2 and James 3:5; (c) Prov. 18:21; 21:6 and James 3:6; (d) Prov. 21:23 and James 1:19; 3:8; (e) Prov. 25:15 and James 3:3; and (f) Prov. 25:23 and James 4:1. The comparison of earthly and divine wisdom in James also resembles Proverbs. Man’s wisdom in James 3:15–16 is: (1) earthly (Prov. 14:2); (2) natural (Prov. 7:18); (3) demonic (Prov. 27:20); (4) jealous (Prov. 6:34); (5) selfish (Prov. 28:25); (6) disorderly (Prov. 11:29); and (7) evil (Prov. 8:13). God’s wisdom in James 3:17 is: (1) pure (Prov. 15:26); (2) peaceable (Prov. 3:1–2); (3) gentle (Prov. 11:2); (4) reasonable (Prov. 14:15); (5) full of mercy and good fruits (Prov. 11:17; 3:18), (6) unwavering (Prov. 21:6); and (7) without hypocrisy (Prov. 28:13). Survey of Proverbs—Proverbs is the most intensely practical book in the Old Testament because it teaches skillful living in the multiple aspects of everyday life. Its specific precepts include instruction on wisdom and folly, the righteous and the wicked, the tongue, pride and humility, justice and vengeance, the family, laziness and work, poverty and wealth, friends and neighbors, love and lust, anger and strife, masters and servants, life and death. Proverbs touches upon every facet of human relationships, and its principles transcend the bounds of time and culture. The Hebrew word for proverb (mashal) means “comparison, similar, parallel.” A proverb uses a comparison or figure of speech to make a pithy and poignant observation. Proverbs have been defined as simple illustrations that expose fundamental realities about life. These maxims are not theoretical but practical; they are easily memorized, based on real-life experience, and designed for use in the mainstream of life. The proverbs are general statements and illustrations of timeless truth, which allow for, but do not condone, exceptions to the rule. The key word is hokhmah, “wisdom”: it literally means “skill” (in living). Wisdom is more than shrewdness or intelligence. Instead, it relates to practical righteousness and moral acumen. The Book of Proverbs may be divided into six segments: (1) the purpose of Proverbs (1:1–7); (2) the proverbs to the youth (1:8–9:18); (3) the proverbs of Solomon (10:1–24:34); (4) the proverbs of Solomon copied by Hezekiah’s men (25:1–29:27); (5) the words of Agur (30:1–33); and (6) the words of King Lemuel (31:1–31). Outline of Proverbs I The Purpose
of Proverbs 1:1–7
B Avoid Bad Company 1:10–19 C Seek Wisdom 1:20–2:22 D Benefits of Wisdom 3:1–26 E Be Kind to Others 3:27–35 F Father Says Get Wisdom 4:1–13 G Avoid the Wicked 4:14–22 H Keep Your Heart 4:23–27 I Do Not Commit Adultery 5:1–14 J Do Be Faithful to Your Spouse 5:15–23 K Avoid Surety 6:1–5 L Do Not Be Lazy 6:6–19 M Do Not Commit Adultery 6:20–7:27 N Praise of Wisdom 8:1–9:12 O Foolish Woman 9:13–18
B Proverbs Encouraging Godly Lives 16:1–22:16 C Proverbs Concerning Various Situations 22:17–24:34
2 Relationships with Neighbors 25:8–20 3 Relationships with Enemies 25:21–24 4 Relationships with Yourself 25:25–28 5 Relationships with Fools 26:1–12 6 Relationships with Sluggards 26:13–16 7 Relationships with Gossips 26:17–28 VI The Words of King Lemuel 31:1–31
B Wise Woman Famous Sayings from Proverbs
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