Proverbs: An introduction

04/03/24 • 14 min

Proverbs: An introduction

Proverbs is all about pursuing harmony with God and others through the pursuit of wisdom. Ultimately this harmony
is found only through the work of Jesus Christ. Proverbs is all about becoming wise in the everyday stuff of life
through a relationship with Jesus through the gospel. Because Proverbs is written in a different style than other books
such as the Epistles and Gospels, it is important to understand some basic principals for understanding and applying
the wisdom it contains.
Guiding Principles for Wisdom-
Integration with Life: The principles of Proverbs are to be integrated into your life (for the long view of life, not
overnight solutions).
Gender specific: There are different principles given to both genders based on the biblical definition of
complementarian gender roles.
Repetition required: Proverbs repeats itself in order to make a point; in the same way, we are to repeatedly practice
the principles given to us.
Practical theology: Proverbs is “practical theology” meaning what God has to say “practically” about your life. God
is active in the details of His people’s lives.
Truisms not promises: Proverbs are truisms, meaning that they are things that under normal circumstances are
always true, but are not promised outcomes.
Principles not methods: Proverbs are principles to put into practice in order to achieve a godly outcome, not
methods like “how to get rich” or “how to raise a good son”, and are often as equally about heart attitudes as they are
the practice.
Early parenting shapes life course: Parenting matters. Preparing, instructing, modeling, and depending on
the grace of God for the raising of children in the covenant community matters!
Wisdom is a person. The word for proverb in vs. 1 in the septuagent is the a word sometimes used for the parables of
Jesus (John 10:6). Jesus is the “greater than Solomon” who instructs in the wisdom of the Kingdom. Empowering
grace from God to those already in covenant with Him is the only means by which the wisdom of Proverbs can be
profitably heeded.
Summation of the Book:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7, ESV

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Proverbs 1:1-7

Book Background and Proverbs 1:1-7 Preamble
Author and Purpose:
Proverbs tells us that King Solomon was not only the author, but more importantly the collector of the
wisdom contained in Proverbs. Because God used the most powerful man of the time, it’s accuracy and
completeness is ensured. It is also why the Book of Proverbs is generally attributed to him. Some of the
many sources that Solomon gathered from include Hezekiah’s men (25:1) as well as the collection of
sayings from those known as “the wise” (22:17-24:24) and from the oracles of Agur (30:1-33) as well as
Lemuel (31:10-31)
Solomon 1 :
Solomon, King of Israel (שְׁלֹמֹה, shelomoh). Son of David and Bathsheba. King of Israel. Reigned in the 10th century
bc (ca. 970/60–930/20).

Overview
Solomon was the third king of the Israelite monarchy, after Saul and David. His reign probably began in
approximately 960 bc (Sweeney, 1 & 2 Kings, 1). Second Samuel 12:24–25 indicates that he is the son of Bathsheba,
though she is not mentioned by this name in Chronicles (1 Chr 3:5 lists a Bathshua, who was likely the same person).
In 1 Chr 22:9, Solomon’s name is said to have derived from שָׁלוֹם (shalom), translated as “peace.” However, this is not
mentioned in the account of Solomon’s birth in 2 Sam. Solomon’s name may have derived instead from שִׁלֵּם (shillem),
meaning “to replace, restore,” indicating that Solomon is a replacement for the child David and Bathsheba lost
(McCarter, 2 Samuel, 303
Preamble: Proverbs 1:1-7
Proverbs 1:1–7 (ESV)
1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.
1 Grafius, B. (2016). Solomon, King of Israel. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, ... W.
Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
What is Wisdom?
Wisdom is Royal 1:1
Wisdom is Correction & Understanding 1:2
Wisdom is knowledge of good and evil 1:3
Wisdom is discernment 1:4
Wisdom is obtaining guidance 1:5-6
How do you get Wisdom?
You get wisdom by reverent trust in the Lord (1:7)