The Book of Proverbs

Book Review- Proverbs

Author: The majority of the Book of Proverbs (not all) is attributed to Solomon, son of King David:

• Wisest man in the history of the world, next to Jesus
• Wealthiest man in the history of the world
• Allowed by God to oversee construction of the Temple

Date: 700-900 BC

Key Memory Verse & primary message: Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge/Wisdom, but fools despise wisdom & discipline.

What is a Proverb?

Jewish Wisdom Literature- Proverbs along with Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, & Psalms are often classified as part of the Bible’s Wisdom Literature, likened to philosophy; it is awesome to see that Proverbs pre-dates the early Western philosophy of Plato, Socrates, & Aristotle.

Definitions of a Proverb- Hebrew: masal, root = “parallel, similar”; hence, “a description by comparison”

• Illustrations which expose fundamental realities of life.
• Distilled Wisdom
• Compressed Experience
• Great truths expressed in few words in such a way as to hold attention
• Models held up to teach certain things about life

Purpose of a Proverb- To teach, not to argue or debate, to provoke thought thru vivid pictures (Proverbs 11:22), thru sharp brevity (Proverbs 18:13), & by an annoying refusal to explain themselves requiring careful meditation and reflection

Types of Proverbs- consists of two lines rather than one, based on parallelism of thought:

• Synonymous: the second line repeats the thought of the first with different words (16:18).
• Antithetical: the second line states the same principle of the first, only from the opposite standpoint (17:22).
• Synthetic: the second line amplifies and expands the meaning of the first (10:18).
• Comparative: the second line draws a comparison between some basic ethical or theological truth and some illustration, often nature (25:12, 25).

What I discovered & had significant meaning to me:

• The Proverbs are practical not theoretical, (friendship, work, money, sleep, food, helpful for young children) and not about arguing theology.
• The Proverbs are truisms NOT promises- Proverbs 22:6-“Train a child in the way they should go, and they will not depart from it”, this is generally true for most people, most of the time, but there are exceptions.
• The Proverbs are principles NOT methods- gives principles which we can then prayerfully consider what methods can be used for implementing those principles. A good example is that Proverbs says parents need to oversee the instruction & education of their children. So what kind of schooling is the answer? home, private, public, or Christian?? Proverbs does not give you the answer and leaves it up to the parents to determine which method. This is a great source for small group bible study.

The easiest way to study Proverbs is to think in terms of categories; otherwise it can look like a bunch of fortune cookie statements. Put together a keyword directory, e.g. define symbols for reoccurring categories like the tongue, conversation, money, friendship, parenting, tithing etc, choose the categories yourself & mark the verses in your bible with a symbol, so when you need to draw on some aspect of life, for example money, you can go to those Proverbs marked with a $.

Proverbs is all about Wisdom & Instruction and how to walk with God practically in day to day life.

“Fear of Lord is the beginning” (verse 7) is the really big idea in the book, there are people who are wise and those who are fools, the difference is the Fear of the Lord. Wise people Fear the Lord, fools do not, they fear men. Fear is not terror; it is reverence, honor, respect, humility, submission, teachability, and obedience. I.e. trusting that God is God and I am not. It boils down to whom you want to Fear, who you hold in honor, who do you want to please, who do you want to emulate? Is it Jesus? Are you mastered by people, do you worship them; do you put your trust and need in people? Fear of man is only solved by Fear of the Lord.

meet the reviewer: Rick Gigante

Rick is an elder at theAlley. He has been married to Denise for 36 yrs and is father of 2. The eldest Mindy & her husband Andrew are parents to our 3 grandsons, 2 of which are twins. Paul is single and in surgical residency at Columbia in NY, living the fast life in Manhattan. All are such gifts and a great blessing! Rick works at Medtronic as a Sr. Engineering Mgr. involved in product development & product launch. In his spare time he enjoys time with the grandsons, runs 5-6 days a week and participates in a couple 10 milers and half marathons per year.