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.

Blue Letter Bible

www.blueletterbible.org

In the process of prepping for the recovery message a few weeks back I ran into this website. I began to use it yesterday for the same purpose and realized that this is something we should all have at our fingertips, when searching the scriptures. Blue Letter Bible is a mish mash of resources devoted to, you guessed it, the Bible. However, the depth of these resources is astonishing. Whether you wish to do a strong’s word study on your favorite translation of the Bible, or read a commentary by Martin Luther this site is for you.

The best part about Blue Letter Bible is that it is a free resource. There are amazing commentaries, audio visual, maps, devotionals, and a wealth of other resources all for free. Of course like most things there is an opportunity to donate but these resources are not a pay per use sort of service.

In the process of going to college I have kicked the idea around about purchasing a Bible software program. While I will probably still do so someday free in depth Bible resources like this make it easy not to be in a hurry. Whether you are prepping for a teaching or you are just trying to sort out a piece of scripture for yourself or your kids, this resource is for you.

Within the Blue Letter Bible site is an institute of which you can take up to 12 courses that were designed to give a rich theological education for what I can tell is free. BLB is a ministry of Sowing Circle.  [ http://sowingcircle.org/]

Sowing circle seems to be doing some amazing work with these ministries. It is my hope that this resource is one that you will find helpful in understanding the Word of God.

meet the reviewer: dustin barnes

Dustin Barnes is from Cambridge, MN and currently lives with his wife Kelly and his two sons Grant and Austin in Burnsville. After a serious addiction to drugs and alcohol Dustin was saved and has been seeking the life saving Power of Christ. Dustin works for a treatment center West of the Twin Cities called New Beginnings at Waverly, as the coordinator of the non-profit alumni association. When he is not at work or being of service Dustin enjoys hunting, camping, and fishing.

Book Review: The Christian Atheist

THE CHRISTIAN ATHEIST, Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn’t Exist

Craig Groeschel
Published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI (2010)

Click here to purchase from Amazon.com

Pastor Craig Groeschel uses the term “Christian Atheism” to describe those of us who believe in God but live as if He doesn’t exist.

In this book, Christian Atheism is described as:

When You Believe in God but

• don’t really know Him
• are ashamed of your past
• aren’t sure He loves you
• not in prayer
• don’t think He’s fair
• won’t forgive
• don’t think you can change
• still worry all the time
• pursue happiness at any cost
• trust more in money
• don’t share your faith
• not in His church (body of Christ).

Pastor Groeschel points out that many Christians believe in God and the gospel of Christ only to win God’s favor and avoid going to hell. Or, perhaps, some of us may be willing to follow Christ as long as it doesn’t cost too much. However, being a follower of Christ requires us to give our whole life to Him. That means that nothing in this world is more important than our treasure in heaven. No fear in our heart is greater than our fear in God. We desire nothing more than we desire all of God. We are called to a wholly surrendered, Spirit-filled, kingdom-driven life.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” Matthew 16:25-26.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel.” Acts 20:24

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8

meet the reviewer: jon schommer

Jon Schommer grew up in Calumetville, Wisconsin (dairy farm country) and currently lives in Woodbury, Minnesota. He has been married for 21 years to Lisa and they have two children; Dave aged 16 and Emily 14. Jon’s hobbies include gardening and hiking. During the summer, he enjoys golfing once or twice and during the winter he enjoys ice fishing a few times. Jon earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and currently is a professor at the University of Minnesota.

The Book of Jonah

A personal reflection about The Book of JONAH

The 32^nd book of the Old Testament

Can you remember the first book you ever read from cover-to-cover? I sure can. I was eight years old and the book was Crackerjack Halfback, by Matt Christopher. The main character (Freddie) loved football, but he was afraid to tackle. In the story he and his football coach went to a football movie, but on their way home they had to swerve out of the way of an oncoming truck and skidded into a river. This experience taught Freddie some lessons and helped him overcome his fears. It was a great book. I even skipped dinner so that I could finish it. I believe that from this point onward, I developed a love of reading books.

A short time after this delightful experience, I decided that I wanted to read a whole book of the Bible in one sitting. I systematically paged through my Bible looking for one that wasn’t too long and stumbled across the book of JONAH. In this book of the Bible, I read about a person who also was afraid, learned a lesson in the water, and ultimately accomplished a victorious feat. As a young boy, I was cut to the heart by the story of Jonah. Reading all four chapters in one sitting was not easy for a child, but it revealed to me the power of God’s Word if I was just willing to read it. I believe that from this point onward, I developed a love of God’s Word.

As an adult, I still love to read the Book of JONAH. It teaches about how our disobedience to God results in consequences. It also shows how God listens to our prayer of repentance and is ready to deliver us from sin and its consequences. Furthermore, it reveals how quickly we forget God’s goodness after He works in our lives and yet He is willing to show us loving kindness.

Whether you are eight or eighty years of age, I encourage you to read the Book of JONAH all in one sitting. May God richly bless you as you do.

“I cried out the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me.”  – Jonah 2:2

meet the reviewer: jon schommer

Jon Schommer grew up in Calumetville, Wisconsin (dairy farm country) and currently lives in Woodbury, Minnesota. He has been married for 21 years to Lisa and they have two children; Dave aged 16 and Emily 14. Jon’s hobbies include gardening and hiking. During the summer, he enjoys golfing once or twice and during the winter he enjoys ice fishing a few times. Jon earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and currently is a professor at the University of Minnesota.

Movie Review: How To Train Your Dragon

Story Overview (no spoilers):

“How to Train Your Dragon” tells the tail of Hiccup the not-so-viking, Viking.  He lacks in every area: no muscle, no beard, no hard head and no heart for killing dragons.  And this reality is not lost on the rest of the Vikings.  More than once when someone mentions his flaws Hiccup observes sadly, “You’re pointing to every part of me.”

Everything changes for Hiccup when he’s given the chance to kill the most mysterious and dangerous dragon of them all, the Night Fury.  How he acts in this moment will change forever the way all the other Vikings see him.  But how that all comes about is not at all what he would have expected.

Rating and Content Review:

The PG rating had me a bit concerned about bringing my 3 small children.  However, I was pleasantly surprised.  From my observation it garnered that rating primarily for its “intense action” sequences and fierce fire breathing dragons.  Some of which my 4 and 5 year old covered their eyes for.  None of which turned out to be “over the top.”  The language was clean and the “adult” humor was thankfully lacking from most of the movie.  Though, there was one scene involving Hiccup’s Viking helmet that slightly crossed that line.

The level of intense action and fighting would be on par with movies like “Kung Fu Panda”.  Though, any parent taking their children to this movie needs to know that the background of the story is a war between the Vikings and dragons and subsequently there are many battle type scenes including one ginormous and intimidating dragon.

Any religious undertones were minimal.  I was pleased to see that this was not a “new age” movie.  It did not appear to have any underlying messages about your inner power or other such empty philosophies.  Occasionally a Viking would say something about the gods or use a nordic god’s name.

Summary:

Overall: the story line was engaging, the message was positive and the 3D movie experience was fun.  On theAlley scale I give it 4 out of 5 bricks.

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