Wisdom's Pathway (Proverbs)
In terms of number of words, Proverbs is somewhere in between Nehemiah and Daniel in size. Like psalms, it is poetry and is best read as lines. Think about the relationship between the two lines in a verse in order to understand the truth the verse is communicating. Much of Proverbs is antithetical parallelism, contrasting the path of wisdom with that of the foolish. The Hebrew word “proverb” comes from a verb that means “to represent” or “to be like.” Thus, the proverbs in Proverbs often employ comparisons or contrasts in order to make their point.
The book of Proverbs has six sections.
Section One - Proverbs 1:1-7
Proverbs' brief preface explains the purpose of the entire book and emphasizes that the fear of the Lord is necessary to the acquisition of any true knowledge (v. 7). The fear of the Lord is a central theme in Proverbs (1:7; 2:5; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26-27; 15:16, 33; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4). Proverbs classifies people’s attitude towards the wisdom of fearing God as essentially threefold: the simple, the wise, and the fool. The wise are the most responsive to a book like Proverbs, even though they are already wise. The fool is most in need of Proverbs but it is high unlikely he or she will listen. The simple is the person not yet fully decided as to whether they will choose the path of wisdom or the path of the fool.
Section Two - Proverbs 1:8-9:18
The next nine chapters (1:8-9:18) extol wisdom with the goal of convincing the reader to make wisdom a chief pursuit in his or her life. If the simple will heed these chapters, they have a chance of becoming wise. What emerges in these chapters is that walking in the path of wisdom is a protection, a shield from the evil that can so easily destroy you. These nine chapters are also full of words for way, path, or road. Underline every such word you come to as you read these chapters. I count 52 occurrences. How many do you come up with? Proverbs 9 sets forth clearly the two ways, each with a woman beckoning the traveler. The traveler must choose between Lady Wisdom or Lady Folly. Which will be your choice?
Section Three - Proverbs 10:1-22:16
The remaining chapters of Proverbs set forth what the path of wisdom and the path of folly look like in everyday life. These chapters contain the short, pithy, true-to-life maxims for which Proverbs is primarily known. Proverbs 10:1-22:16 contain 375 proverbs, virtually all one-verse in length. Even in these chapters we see the word way or path repeated. There is a way to life and a way to death, as different from each other as Cain from Abel. The way you think is right may actually be the way to death. You cannot “follow your heart”; you must follow the pathway Proverbs maps out as wisdom. Every aspect of life is impacted by which pathway you choose: your speech, work ethic, choice of companions, business ethics, spending practices, behavior toward kings, treatment of the poor, discipline of children, and response to insults. Wisdom is the skill of choosing what pleases God in all of these areas and more, and the consequences for making the wrong choices are severe (14:12).
Section Four - Proverbs 22:17-24:34
The next section of Proverbs is two collections of wise sayings, probably compiled and edited by Solomon (22:17-24:34), that break out of the one-verse proverb pattern of Proverbs 10:1-22:16.
Section Five - Proverbs 25-29
Proverbs 25-29 is another collection of Solomon’s proverbs, put together in Hezekiah’s day. (Remember that Solomon composed and/or amassed some 3,000 proverbs.) Note the repeated use of picturesque similes in chapters 25-26. Reflect on the simile to catch the point being conveyed.
Section Five - Proverbs 30-31
Two appendices (chs. 30-31) close the book, each written by an unknown figure. Our assumption is that Solomon recognized the merits of their respective wisdom and chose, under inspiration, to include it with his other proverbs. Proverbs 31:10-31 is an acrostic—the virtuous woman from A to Z.
So . . . are you wise? Test yourself as you read through Proverbs. Where you see a weakness in a certain area of your life, do a topical study of all that Proverbs says on that topic. Proverbs should challenge you, not discourage you. One key difference between the righteous and the wicked is not that the former never falls but that he gets back up again when he does (24:16). After all, wisdom is a skill, and a skill improves with experience, knowledge, effort, and a teachable spirit. The willingness to be corrected (in order to improve) is a sign of a wise person. Teach a wise man and he acquires knowledge (21:11). Proverbs will make you wiser if you will heed it.
The book of Proverbs has six sections.
Section One - Proverbs 1:1-7
Proverbs' brief preface explains the purpose of the entire book and emphasizes that the fear of the Lord is necessary to the acquisition of any true knowledge (v. 7). The fear of the Lord is a central theme in Proverbs (1:7; 2:5; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26-27; 15:16, 33; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4). Proverbs classifies people’s attitude towards the wisdom of fearing God as essentially threefold: the simple, the wise, and the fool. The wise are the most responsive to a book like Proverbs, even though they are already wise. The fool is most in need of Proverbs but it is high unlikely he or she will listen. The simple is the person not yet fully decided as to whether they will choose the path of wisdom or the path of the fool.
Section Two - Proverbs 1:8-9:18
The next nine chapters (1:8-9:18) extol wisdom with the goal of convincing the reader to make wisdom a chief pursuit in his or her life. If the simple will heed these chapters, they have a chance of becoming wise. What emerges in these chapters is that walking in the path of wisdom is a protection, a shield from the evil that can so easily destroy you. These nine chapters are also full of words for way, path, or road. Underline every such word you come to as you read these chapters. I count 52 occurrences. How many do you come up with? Proverbs 9 sets forth clearly the two ways, each with a woman beckoning the traveler. The traveler must choose between Lady Wisdom or Lady Folly. Which will be your choice?
Section Three - Proverbs 10:1-22:16
The remaining chapters of Proverbs set forth what the path of wisdom and the path of folly look like in everyday life. These chapters contain the short, pithy, true-to-life maxims for which Proverbs is primarily known. Proverbs 10:1-22:16 contain 375 proverbs, virtually all one-verse in length. Even in these chapters we see the word way or path repeated. There is a way to life and a way to death, as different from each other as Cain from Abel. The way you think is right may actually be the way to death. You cannot “follow your heart”; you must follow the pathway Proverbs maps out as wisdom. Every aspect of life is impacted by which pathway you choose: your speech, work ethic, choice of companions, business ethics, spending practices, behavior toward kings, treatment of the poor, discipline of children, and response to insults. Wisdom is the skill of choosing what pleases God in all of these areas and more, and the consequences for making the wrong choices are severe (14:12).
Section Four - Proverbs 22:17-24:34
The next section of Proverbs is two collections of wise sayings, probably compiled and edited by Solomon (22:17-24:34), that break out of the one-verse proverb pattern of Proverbs 10:1-22:16.
Section Five - Proverbs 25-29
Proverbs 25-29 is another collection of Solomon’s proverbs, put together in Hezekiah’s day. (Remember that Solomon composed and/or amassed some 3,000 proverbs.) Note the repeated use of picturesque similes in chapters 25-26. Reflect on the simile to catch the point being conveyed.
Section Five - Proverbs 30-31
Two appendices (chs. 30-31) close the book, each written by an unknown figure. Our assumption is that Solomon recognized the merits of their respective wisdom and chose, under inspiration, to include it with his other proverbs. Proverbs 31:10-31 is an acrostic—the virtuous woman from A to Z.
So . . . are you wise? Test yourself as you read through Proverbs. Where you see a weakness in a certain area of your life, do a topical study of all that Proverbs says on that topic. Proverbs should challenge you, not discourage you. One key difference between the righteous and the wicked is not that the former never falls but that he gets back up again when he does (24:16). After all, wisdom is a skill, and a skill improves with experience, knowledge, effort, and a teachable spirit. The willingness to be corrected (in order to improve) is a sign of a wise person. Teach a wise man and he acquires knowledge (21:11). Proverbs will make you wiser if you will heed it.
RSS Feed
