Introduction to Proverbs
Introduction to Proverbs
One Word: Wisdom
What is the major theme of the book of Proverbs? One word answers the question: wisdom. In Proverbs, the words wise and wisdom are used at least 125 times, because the aim of the book is to help us acquire and apply God’s wisdom to the decisions and activities of daily life.
The book of Proverbs belongs to what scholars call the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, which also includes Job and Ecclesiastes. The writers of these books wrestled with some of the most difficult questions of life as they sought to understand life’s problems from God’s point of view.
Wisdom was an important commodity in the ancient Near East; every ruler had his council of “wise men” whom he consulted when making important decisions. We also need wisdom in order to smartly use our knowledge as well as to listen to others and, of course, to God.
What Wisdom Does
Biblical wisdom begins with a right relationship with the Lord. The wise person believes that there is a God, that He is the Creator and Ruler of all things, and that He has put within His creation a divine order that, if obeyed, leads ultimately to success.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for wise (hakam) is used to describe people skillful in working with their hands, such as the artisans who helped build the tabernacle. Wisdom isn’t something theoretical; it’s something very practical that affects every area of life. It gives order and purpose to life, it gives discernment in making decisions, and it provides a sense of fulfillment in life to the glory of God. Wisdom keeps us in harmony with the principles and purposes that the Lord has built into His world so that as we obey God, everything works for us and not against us.
The Author
In Proverbs 1:1; 10:1; and 25:1, we’re told that King Solomon is the author of the proverbs in this book. God gave Solomon great wisdom (1 Kings 3:5–15) so that people came from the ends of the earth to listen to him and returned home amazed (1 Kings 4:29–34; Matt. 12:42). He spoke three thousand proverbs, most of which are not included in this book. The Holy Spirit selected only those proverbs that the people of God should understand and obey in every age.
A Note about How This Study Is Arranged
The first nine chapters of Proverbs form a unit in which the emphasis is on “wisdom” and “folly,” personified as two women. Chapters 10—15 form the next unit and present a series of contrasts between the life of wisdom and the life of folly. The closing chapters of the book (16—31) contain a variety of proverbs that gives us counsel about many important areas of life.
In the first three lessons of this study, we’ll look at specific sections of Proverbs from the first nine chapters of the book—largely treating the passages in order. However, in the seven lessons that follow, we’ll examine a variety of passages in Proverbs arranged by topic.
It will be helpful for you to read through the entire book of Proverbs before beginning this study.
—Warren W. Wiersbe