| Proverbs
BOOK
: Proverbs
Description
:
Teaching and Proverbs of King Solomon (mostly)
Author:
Various – see below
Date
written : sometimes mostly
in Solomon's reign, probably somewhere about 950BC
Chapters
:
31
Brief
Synopsis:
•
Gets its name very obviously from the
fact that it is made up of Proverbs written by King Solomon
•
The first 9 chapters tend to be personal
speaking to his sons but thereafter every chapter is made up of a number
of proverbs from the different writers
Ch.1-9
Father to Son(s) : The Superiority of the Way of Wisdom
Ch.10-22
The Main Collection of Solomon's Proverbs
Ch.22-24
Sayings of the Wise
Ch.25-29
Hezekiah's Collection of Solomon's Proverbs
Ch.30
The Sayings of Agur
31:1-9
The Sayings of King Lemuel
31:10-31
Epilogue: The Ideal Wife
Key
Verses :
The
purpose of the book
1:1-7
The
proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel :
•
for attaining wisdom
and discipline;
•
for understanding
words of insight;
•
for acquiring a
disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;
•
for giving prudence
to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young - let the wise
listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance
•
for understanding
proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
A
basic teaching of wisdom
3:5-10
Trust
in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and
he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear
the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment
to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits
of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and
your vats will brim over with new wine.
Impartation
from Fathers to sons
4:3-6
When
I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of
my mother, he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all
your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get
wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will
watch over you.
Wisdom
personified – a beautiful picture of the Son with the Father at Creation
8:22-31
"The
LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of
old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world
began. When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were
no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in
place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth
or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set
the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of
the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the
fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters
would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations
of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with
delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in
his whole world and delighting in mankind.
An
almost random selection to show styles
a)
where one half is the opposite of the other half (most are like this)
10:4
Lazy
hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
10:23
A
fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding
delights in wisdom.
11:6
The
righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful
are trapped by evil desires.
12:1
Whoever
loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction
is stupid.
b)
where one half matches the other half
10:10
He
who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes
to ruin.
10:18
He
who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads
slander is a fool.
11:22
Like
a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows
no discretion.
12:28
In
the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.
16:28
A
perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close
friends.
c)
Instructive Proverbs, i.e. you should do this (they come in different
forms)
16:15
How
much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather
than silver!
17:14
Starting
a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute
breaks out .
20:19
A
gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.
22:28
Do
not move an ancient boundary stone set
up by your forefathers.
(NB>
These are rare until you come to the ‘wise sayings' in chapter 22, and
they make us realise that most ‘proverbs' are basically principles of
life and obviously there is implied, in Solomon's mind, that you would
do well to heed these things)
d)
where one half declares a consequence of the other
16:3
Commit
to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
19:20
Listen
to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
21:16
A
man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company
of the dead.
23:9
Do
not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.
Some
subjects to check out:
The
Fool: 10:8,10,14,18,23,
11:29, 12:15,16, 13:16, 14:16, 15:2,5,14, 17:7,10,12,16,21,28, 18:2,
19:1, 20:3, 23:9, 24:7, 26:1,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, 27:3,22, 28:26, 29:9,11,20,
30:22,32
The
Wise: 1:5,6, 3:7,35, 6:6,
8:33, 9:8,9,12, 10:1,5,8,14,19, 11:29,30, 12:15,18, 13:1,14,20, 14:1,3,16,24,35,
15:2,7,12,20,24,31, 16:14,21,23, 17:2,28, ,18:15, 19:20, 20:1,26, etc.
etc.
The
Righteous : 2:20, 3:33,
4:18, 9:9, 10:3,6,7,11,16,20,21,24,25,28,,29,30,31,32, 11:8,9,10,19,21,23,28,30,31,
12:3,5,7,10,12,13,21,26, 13:5,9,21,22,25 etc. etc.
The
Tongue: 6:17,24, 10:19,20,31,
11:12, 12:18,19, 15:2,4, 16:1, 17:1,4,20,28, 18:21, 21:6,23, 25:15,23,
26:28, 28:23, 31:26
Look
yourself to see what words come up often.
Concluding
Comments
•
Proverbs is an unusual book in that although
it is teaching it isn't easily absorbed teaching.
•
Yes, it can be read straight through (esp.
passages like Ch.1-9 or Ch.31) and in some measure individual proverbs
are good for meditation purposes.
•
Proverbs is a book that is either loved
or hated – but you'll have to read it before you know which person you
are.
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