Introduction

 How do you go about making decisions in your life?  We all make thousands of decisions in the course of our life.  Many of those decisions are moral decisions  But the vast majority of the decisions we make are amoral - neither moral nor immoral.  Some of those decisions are obviously very significant  Many amoral decisions seem rather trivial  But often a seemingly insignificant decision can end up becoming very significant !

 The book of Proverbs is a treasure chest of practical, godly wisdom that will equip you to make good decisions as you face life’s challenges.  In order to use the wisdom that God has made available to us in this book, it’s important that you understand how the book of Proverbs is put together and how to read it properly.

 The text of Proverbs mentions three authors :  Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1) – Chapters 1-29  Agur son of Jakeh (30:1) – Chapter 30  King Lemuel (31:1) – Chapter 31

 About the Authors:  Solomon –  Son of King David  Reigned as King during the “Golden Age” of Israel (971 – 931 B.C.)  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt… He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005…. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. (1Kings 4:)  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt… He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005…. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. (1Kings 4: 29-30, 32, 34)

 About the Authors:  Agur son of Jakeh – is unknown (the name occurs nowhere else in the Bible). Some scholars suggest he may have been a court official.  King Lemuel – no one knows who Lemuel was or where he was king. Many scholars think he was not an Israelite because the section he wrote contains a number of Aramaic (non-Hebrew) spellings.

 The book of Proverbs was originally designed to be used by parents as an instruction manual to teach their children wisdom:  Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching. (1:8)  Hear, O sons, a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight. (4:1)  My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching. (6:20)

 Proverbs is written in Hebrew poetry.  Unlike a lot of English poetry, Hebrew does not rhyme and does not have a set meter.  But Hebrew poetry is like English poetry in that is uses vivid imagery and figures of speech to draw comparisons and paint a mental picture:  Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. (25:25)  Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. (11:22)  The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life… (13:14a)  Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. (16:24)

 Hebrew poetry often uses comparisons to get across an idea to the reader.  There are synonymous comparisons:  A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape. (19:5)  There are explanatory comparisons:  Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. (14:7)  There are contrasting comparisons:  The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. (15:9)

 The type of literature that we find in Proverbs is referred to by scholars as wisdom literature.  We find wisdom literature in a number of other places in the Old Testament:  Ecclesiastes  Job  Some of the Psalms (e.g., Psalm 37 and 49)  Wisdom literature can also be found in many other works that were written in the ancient Near East (besides the Old Testament).

 Description of Ancient Wisdom Literature:  Practical instruction designed to impart understanding about how things (especially relationships ) in this world work so that the reader will be able to avoid life’s pitfalls and live a satisfying, successful, and (in Biblical wisdom literature) righteous life.  Frequently, in order to explain how things work, wisdom literature will explore some of the deeper philosophical issues of life.

 After the introductory section (chapters 1-9) which emphasizes the importance of learning wisdom, the remainder of the book of Proverbs (chapters 10-31) consists mostly of short, pithy sayings or statements designed to teach principles of Biblical wisdom.  These short pithy sayings are designed to have “punch” because they get right to the point and they don’t bog the mind down with a lot of detail.  For the most part, these short sayings each stand alone and seem to have little connection to the surrounding context.

 Wisdom literature tends to focus on:  The extremes – presenting things in terms of polar opposites – e.g. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (13:4)  The way things normally work – leaving out the qualifiers and exceptions – e.g. The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. (13:25)  The truth as it applies in a particular situation rather than giving all the truth about a topic – e.g. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. (26:4-5)

 Therefore you mustn’t read the proverbs as though they are prophesies or promises.  For example, it is a mistake to read the proverb that says, “ Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. ” (22:6) as an absolute promise!  There other truths recorded in Proverbs which also determine how a child will turn out, for example much of the book consists of instructions to youth to listen to and obey their parents (1:8, 3:1, etc.)  “ If parental training were the whole truth about a child’s rearing, why is the book addressed to youth instead of to parents ?” (Bruce Waltke)  To avoid coming to oversimplified conclusions it is important that you read all of the Proverbs on a given subject and compare them.

 Tim Keller makes these observations about learning the wisdom taught in Proverbs:  There are two things you must know:  There is a pattern to how life works. Become wise by leaning that pattern and you will generally do well and prosper.  There are exceptions to how things customarily work. Some people seem to do things “right” and still don’t end up with the result they hoped for.  If you think there is no pattern, you are a fool  If you think you can see and understand the whole pattern, that there are no exceptions, you are a fool (like Job’s friends)

 The purpose of the Book of Proverbs is given to us in the opening verses:  These are the proverbs of Solomon, David's son, king of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance. (Proverbs 1:1-5 NLT)

 If you will study and apply what you learn from the book of Proverbs:  You will become wise – that is you will develop a skillful understanding of how life works and how you should best respond to challenges that you face in everyday life.  As a result of attaining this wisdom you will be able to live a disciplined and successful life.  It doesn’t matter who you are – whether you are young and naïve or a wise old sage – everyone can grow in their wisdom and understanding by studying the book of Proverbs.

 Rather than teaching through the book of Proverbs verse by verse, I plan to teach through the book topic by topic.  Each week I will pick a topic and read a number of the verses in Proverbs that speak to that topic (I may occasionally include a few verses from outside of Proverbs as well).  I will then spend time developing what the verses we read teach us about our topic.

 True Wisdom  Training in Wisdom  The Wellspring of Wisdom  Strangeness and the Order of God  Knowing God  The Healing of Anger  The Temptation of Beauty  Scattering Gathers; Gathering Scatters  The Evil of Envy  Haughty Eyes  Sluggardliness  A Broken Wall  The Wounded Spirit  Your Plans; God's Plans  Grace and Glory  What Kind of Fool are You?  Creation, Care, and Justice  The Two Great Tests  Words  Friendship  Repairing Relationships  Family