Introduction to Proverbs

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings stated in a poetic form.  Hebrew poetry is not like modern poetry that rimes.  In Hebrew poetry there is a repetition or completion of meaning instead of a repletion of similar sounds.  As we read the Proverbs, it is important to remember that they are sayings that are generally true about life.  They should not be interpreted as unfailing promises from God that are without exception.  The majority of the Proverbs were written by Solomon, the son of David and king of Israel.  When God offered him a request, Solomon asked God for wisdom.  The book of Proverbs is clearly a result of that request.  Unfortunately Solomon did not always live by the Proverbs he wrote.  It is very hard to look for an organizational structure in the various chapters.  Instead there are various recurring themes throughout the book.  Instead of looking at Proverbs like an organized course notebook on wisdom as if it would be taught in a seminary class; Proverbs should be understood as real like instruction from a father to a son.  In classes we organize our thoughts, teach them sequentially and move from one topic to another.  In real life we tend to repeat the same lessons over and over again in different settings along the way.  So instead of looking for some sort of structure in the Proverbs we will look at some of the recurring themes that appear in the book.

LISTEN TO THE WISDOM OF THE LORD: It is important to know what you don’t know.  One of the most foolish things we can do is think that we “know it all” and do not need instruction.  Solomon makes repeated pleas for his reader “son” to pay attention to his words of wisdom in order to keep from the ways of the world.  All of us are born foolish because of the blight of sin on the face of humanity.  The only way that we can become wise is by listening to the wisdom of the Lord and then applying it to our lives.  There are many voices that cry out for our attention.  The voice of the world calls us to live for ourselves and our own comfort.  The voice of the fool calls us to take pleasure in sin. The voice of the wicked calls us to take pleasure at the expense of others.  We need to make sure that we are listening to God’s voice of wisdom which calls us to live for His glory.  Pride will lead us to close our years to God’s instruction but if we will be humble we will recognize our need for God’s wisdom and make every effort to listen to it often.  God’s Word and godly people are tremendous sources of wisdom and we would do well to lend them our ears so that they can transform our foolish hearts.

LIVE IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD:  The fear of the Lord is repeatedly stated to be the beginning of wisdom in Proverbs.  This expression can be easily misunderstood to mean that we must be terrified of the Lord.  That seems to contradict God’s character of mercy, grace and love.  The fear of the Lord and our love for the Lord should walk hand in hand.  We love God because He loved us first.  We respond to His love by having a deep desire to please Him and we dread the thought of displeasing Him.  This seems to be a more consistent understanding of what it means to live in the fear of the Lord.  God is greater than us and higher than us.  We are to stand in awe of His greatness, revere His holiness and worship Him.  The fool will ignore God, treat Him flippantly and ends up living for his own pleasure.  The wise man loves God, has a deep respect for God and lives to please the Lord.  Another danger that distracts us from the fear of the Lord is a fear of man.  All of us want to be well-liked and respected by others but that desire can easily turn into the fear of man.  Proverbs calls this kind of fear a snare or a trap.  Living to please people instead of pleasing God is a common form of idolatry that is widely practiced by many men.  We are called to love and serve others as a demonstration of our love for the Lord; but we must be careful not to make the approval of others an idol in our lives.  To live in the fear of the Lord means to strive to live for His pleasure instead of my own and instead of living to please people. 

LEARN THE WAY OF THE LORD: There are many ways that are available for us to follow in our lives.  There is the way of the world that leads to destruction.  There is the way of the sluggard that leads to poverty.  The way of the drunkard that leads to misery.  There is the way of the adulteress that leads to enslavement.  There is the way of the fool that leads to shame.  There is the way of the violent that leads to death.  There is the way of the Lord that leads to eternal life.  We all must make a choice about which way we will walk.  All of the different ways have their attractions along the way especially at the beginning of the path.  However, only the way of the Lord leads to a place that we want to go in the end.  Proverbs presents all of these different ways in such a way that we can see where they lead in the end.  The book is very clear about there being attractions that call to our hearts and appeal to our flesh on each of these paths; but it is also very clear about the final destination.  Any time we choose a way we must choose it with the end in mind.  The way of the Lord may seem like the most difficult and the least attractive of all the ways at beginning, but it is the only way with a happy ending.  The way of the Lord is the way of wisdom, the way of diligence, the way of purity, the way of peace, the way of joy and the way to life everlasting.  The wise person learns all about the way he chooses and where it leads before he starts walking on it.

LOVE TO OBEY THE LORD: Much about our lives will be determined by our affections or that which we love.  Proverbs calls for us to love the Lord and obey His commandments.  Our hearts can be very deceptive and are easily deceived.  We must be very careful about where we set our affections and whom or what we love.  If we love pleasure, violence, sin, money, comfort, immorality, fame and dishonesty we are fools and will never be satisfied.  Our lives will be marked by a continual craving for more and more of these things until they enslave and ruin us.  If we love the Lord, wisdom, obedience, God’s Word, instruction, good, purity and honesty we will be wise and experience complete satisfaction.  Our lives will be full of joy and the longings of our hearts will be completely met in the Lord.  We are controlled by that which we love.  Unfortunately, our sinful hearts will naturally love those things that can never satisfy.  The things that bring true and lasting satisfaction to us do not naturally attract our attentions and our affections.  This is way it is vital that we guard our hearts.  We must be very careful about what we love.  We must learn to love the Lord and obeying the Lord.