The Book of Proverbs

At the end of this month, those of us who have been faithfully following the daily Bible reading would have completed the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. Keep up the readings and you'd have wisdom beyond your years! May I congratulate you on your perseverance and diligence in reading God's Word.

The Book of Proverbs has many brief, pithy sayings that reflect the experiences of Solomon and other wise men of that time. Someone has said that proverbs are "short sentences drawn from long experience." Every culture has proverbs, some unique to a particular group, others similar to those of other people. Both the OT and NT contain many proverbs that grew out of the experiences of the Jewish people, which the Holy Spirit has recorded and preserved for our instruction.

Proverbs is not organised as a sequence of ideas that flow from one to the next. It is rather a patchwork with a variety of segments that can be studied independently. The first nine chapters contain the closest approach to an extended discussion of a theme. Following the introduction (1:1-7), comes a series of 12 parental admonitions introduced by "my son" (1:8,10, 2:1, etc.) These were designed to strengthen a young man's resolve not to fall for wicked companions and beguiling women, but to whet his appetite for the pursuit of wisdom.

The heart of the book, and the source of its name, begins with chapter 10 right up to 22:16. This contains the major portion of Solomon's recorded proverbs, consisting of 374 of the 3000 proverbs he is said to have spoken (1 Kg 4:32). Next comes two collections called "the sayings of the wise" (22:17-24:22; 24:23-34). They are given by other men known for their wisdom and tend to be more extended. Then comes another collection of Solomon's proverbs (25:1-29:17), collected and transcribed at a later time by scholars working under King Hezekiah. Many are expressed as similes or comparisons here. Ch 30 contains the words of Augur; Ch 31 is ascribed to King Lemuel, both personages we know nothing much about other that what was stated.

There are different types of proverbs (similar to what was mentioned about psalms):
1. Contrast: second line says something in opposition or contrast to the first. When read as an entity, the two lines reflect different dimensions of the same truth. Contrasting proverbs predominate in Ch 10-15. eg. "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." (15:29, NASB)

2. Parallelism: the same thing is stated in two different ways so as to reinforce or bring out additional aspects of the main idea; found mostly in Ch 16-20. eg. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling." (16:18)

3. Addition: the second line completes and enlarges the meaning of the first, which cannot be properly understood by itself. Appears frequently in Ch 17, 20-21. eg. "He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house." (17:13)

4. Comparison: usually in the form of a simile; found in the second collection of Solomon's proverbs beginning at Ch 25. eg. "Like apples of gold in the settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." (25:11)

5. Extension: basic proverb consists of two lines but some are longer, which occurs mostly in "the sayings of the wise". eg. Pr 22:17-21

As you read the Book of Proverbs, let the wisdom of the wise guide you in your everyday living. "Strike while the iron is hot" - a contemporary proverb reminding us to seize the day whenever opportunity presents itself, to do good rather than evil. Many proverbs give us practical advice as to what we ought to do. For instance, Pr 1:10ff counsels us not to follow the ways of sinners but to walk away from them. Of course, sinners here could also be the tempter who comes to put evil thoughts into our minds, in order that we may accomplish his plans and purposes. Do not consent has to do with resisting the devil (Ja 4:7) that he may flee from you. Seize each moment to live for God.

Carpe Diem!