Proverbs Study – Lesson 1
When you come to study the book of Proverbs, many find it a difficult decision as to how to approach their study of this book. The book of Proverbs is a collection of pithy sayings (see definition below) that were meant to be practically applied to everyday life and life situations. Because of their structural nature, being typically brief and to the point, they were easily remembered and readily available when a life application needed their particular wisdom. You often find people quoting a proverb verbally that would apply when met with a particular life challenge or situation fitting that proverb.
These sayings are typically short, frequently being one to two sentences long, and are generally well contained. When they written down and recorded in their day they were not necessarily grouped in topical order. We, in our day, would have compiled them topically listing them by topic, compiling an exhaustive listing of all the proverbs of a particular topic and grouping them all together under one heading. Many study guides recommend the topical approach when doing a study on the book of Proverbs.
However, each proverb, although they may be similar to other like topic proverbs, each proverb usually has its own personality and application, not being identical to other related proverbs. In other words, a particular proverb can be correlated to other proverbs, but in really is meant to find its own particular practical application to our life.
Proverbs in all cultures have their origin from the needs and problems encountered in daily living. A particular challenge in life or a potential danger in life needed a proverb to help remember what to do, or not to do, in that particular situation. Solomon had the keen gift of observation. This gift of observation was part of his great wisdom. And, the wonderful thing about Solomon’s observation and his wisdom was that in formulating a proverb its application was extremely practical. His proverbs were easy to apply to life situations, if one chose to do so, and if applied had incredible results.
When we come to study the book of Proverbs these points may be helpful in the type of study approach that you choose, whether the chapter by chapter approach or the topic approach. It is my view that the chapter approach is usually more beneficial to those beginning a study of Proverbs, where as the topical approach should be saved for a more in depth study after a foundational understanding of Proverbs has been formed. Our study will for the most part follow the chapter order that they were written in.
All ancient cultures had their collection of proverbs which were passed down from generation to generation. And, even though, the collection of the Jewish nation‘s Proverbs and writings of wisdom were unique, other nations had sayings that were often also valuable to man and his particular needs. In the ancient world, the strength of a nation was often measured by the collective wisdom of its culture. Its proverbs were a part, usually the major part of that collective wisdom. Its proverbs were often quoted by other nations out of respect for that nation. We find that this is still done today. We quote a Chinese or Asian proverb. In the ancient world, a nation would respect the technological advances of another nation, but they seemed to be more impressed by that nation’s wisdom and approach to daily life often found in proverbs.
However, the collection of proverbs in the Bible is unique. Solomon seemed to have something special. It is good to remember that ALL true wisdom is from God, no matter what culture it is found in. Some cultures appear to have sayings similar to some of the proverbs found in the Bible. Men in different cultures often face similar challenges and would search for answers. But, the proverbs attributed to Solomon had a special God Presence in them, and their application and their outcome was unusual.
There is a reason for this. We read in I King’s chapter 3 that Solomon had an encounter with God and that this encounter was the result of his unusual wisdom. It is said that over 3000 proverbs were attributed to Solomon and that his wisdom far surpassed those of the ancients, ancient civilizations and their leaders and wise men. We read in I Kings chapter 3 verse 3-4 (READ verses 3-9) that Solomon loved the Lord and sought Him and His will for his life. He was a relatively young man at this time his heart was tender, v. 7. He had not yet become old and hard as the heart of a man can be. He had seen God work in his father’s life. He was looking for answers. He was a young king and was beginning his reign and began to realize that in himself he did not have what it took to do the job that was placed before him. He was being honest with himself, and being honest with God. Something we all should do more often.
Sometimes we come to a passage like this one in I Kings and focus just on the conversation between God and man. But, it is interesting to note the posture of Solomon’s heart prior to his encounter with God. Solomon had been in this place seeking God and had offered a thousand sacrifices, I Kings 3:4. We do not know the exact details of what happened during this time of worship. It is assumed that the nation was with him during this worship time and that the sacrifices were probably spread out over several days. Yet, the context of this passage gives the impression that his seeking God had not become a routine act of worship. He was sincere and needed something from God. God seeing Solomon’s heart appeared to him in a dream one night and asked what he, Solomon, wanted…What could He, God, give him?
Think of it!!! It appears that God had literally given him a BLANK CHECK! The God Who is IMMUTABLE JUST MADE AN OFFER! An offer that He can not go back on. READ Heb. 6:13-9 Also, READ Esther 4:11 and 5:1-3. God held out the golden scepter to Solomon. But, unlike the King of Persia, God did not put a limit on Solomon’s request. God told Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you” in verse 5. V. 11 gives just some of the options of what Solomon could have asked for.
· What did Solomon ask for? I Kings 3:6-9
· V. 9 says that he, Solomon, felt inadequate in the ability to discern between good and evil or wrong when making a judgment between two people. How do you feel sometimes…do you feel inadequate in making life’s decisions?
· READ V. 10-1 says that God was “Pleased” with Solomon’s request. I like the term “Impressed” …with his request.
· READ V. 12 God’s Promise to Solomon…a wise and understanding heart like unto none before or none after!
· Extra blessings! V. 14-5
· READ I Kings 3:16-28 The practical use of Solomon’s wisdom begins.
God had blessed Solomon with special wisdom. It was God given. God had Promised that no king or man before or after him would be blessed with wisdom like God gave Solomon.
The Wisdom of Proverbs are TIMELESS and have been found beneficial to many over the history of time. Many have applied these principles to their life and quite frankly have had a better life because of them. We need to remember that these Proverbs were written in approx. the 10th century B.C., approx. 1000 years before Christ. So they have been around a long time and still provide REAL ANSWERS to life’s problems. Many businessmen have used proverbs as a means to order there life, becoming diligent and honest in their business practices only to find that business works better and is easier with their application. History would not be the same without them.
When I think of the book of Proverbs and the REAL VALUE or benefit to one’s life, I think of the parable of the man that built his house upon a ROCK vs. the man who built his house on sand. READ Matt. 7:24-7 and Lk. 6:46-49. In these parables we have two approaches to life. One is a life built with intention and purpose. The other is the approach of ease and no foresight or planning. When you look at this parable told in two different ways, you see the main difference between the two approaches to life is that it takes little more time, a little more effort and a little more planning or intention to get the substantial benefit of building on the ROCK. The second approach is some easier up front, BUT can be much more work, sometimes hundreds of times more work downstream. Sometimes the results of the easy way out can be irreversible no matter how hard you try to regain the lost ground. The results of poor planning can even be deadly, not to be dramatic. PROVERBS WAS WRITTEN AND COMPILED TO HELP US IN LIFE, not to make our life more work. It is important to note that the main components of the success of Proverbs is heeding the advice of that proverb and applying its wisdom to one’s life, …letting time and God’s Blessing have its FULL effect on the area applied . Wisdom unapplied does nothing. Faith and Patience are also primary players in the application and benefits of Proverbs.
Not all so called proverbs have the life application and impact that the Proverbs of the Bible have. Some sayings passed off as proverbs have little impact on real life situations, sounding more like “wives tales” and having little if any value. The difference between the Proverbs and other wise sayings is that God Himself is behind the Proverb, making them good.
So, we begin our study by coming to the first chapter of the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 1:1-6 lay down the basic framework of the PURPOSE if this book. READ Prov. 1:1-6 Read down through this section again LISTING KEY WORDS (not phrases) that stand out to you:
· V.2 know, perceive
· V.3 Receive
· V. 4 prudence, knowledge, discretion
· V. 5 hear, learning (increase), attain, wise councils
· V.6 understand, interpretation, words of the wise.
In the first six verses in chapter one, we see some words that REQUIRES SOMETHING FROM US . They require us to DO SOMETHING, TOTAKE ACTION. PROCESS. CONTEMPLATE. APPLY. These first six verses require INTERACTION. It makes the point that reading these Proverbs having a passive attitude is just reading with little possibility for benefit. Words like know, receive, perceive, prudence, discretion, knowledge, interpretation imply some effort in processing what we are reading and learning. They require that we heed the advise of Solomon and APPLY IT. Just knowing something does not actually benefit us. It is the application of knowledge that makes the difference. Application of knowledge and TIME pay BIG benefits.
Proverbs 1:2-3 implies that wisdom is often taught. Some have an inherent ability for wisdom. But, in reality most of wisdom is a learned skill. (We need to make a mental note of this.) And, learning the skill of wisdom begins much earlier in our life than we think. Pv. 1:8 tells us to hear the instruction of our father and mother. That is assuming that our father and mother were taught …by their parents, and their parents were taught by their parents and so on and so on. Much of the problem with wisdom is that we were never taught wisdom. It is possible that entire nations and cultures are found devoid of any depth of true wisdom making that nation vulnerable to whatever calamity or threat that may come its way. In the ancient Jewish culture they were required to teach their children. So Solomon makes this statement in Prov. 1:8 concerning listening to your father and mothers instruction. Many of us had to pick up our own broken and shattered and fragmented pieces of wisdom as we travel through life, getting bits and pieces of wisdom, and not the FULL picture. There is the problem. Wisdom, or the lack thereof, is transferred or not transferred from generation to generation.
If we are fortunate to have good and wise parents, hopefully they have taken the time to be sure to PASS IT ON to us. But, in reality, many of us were not so fortunate. We either had parents that were not taught wisdom from their parents or our parents did not TAKE THE TIME to TEACH US wisdom. Even if you were fortunate to have wise parents, their methods of passing on this wisdom may not have been the best and therefore hard to catch or understand. It is hard to receive from a parent what they may not have and we need to remember that we are also part of the learning equation, meaning that, we may not be the best student, not listening when they were talking. In reality, the responsibility for obtaining wisdom really lies with US. The book of Proverbs says that Wisdom is there for us if we want it.
V.7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. After laying down the basic explanation of the purpose of proverbs, he begins with a foundational TRUTH. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. What does that mean?
We talked about this during our Hebrews study. Does man fear God, especially today in our current society? What does it mean when the Bible talks about “the fear of the Lord”. How does our “reverential trust” in God affect our ability to acquire true wisdom? And, how does this acquisition of wisdom affect our life and understanding of God?
Man generally walks in PRIDE and self-confidence. Give us one good day and we are hard to live with for days. All of a sudden we are the expert and have become almost instantly all wise. It is not wrong to believe in the abilities that God gave us, but the question we need to ask is, “Do I really give God credit for my strengths and gifts, or is my confidence in my own abilities.”
In the case of God we should be intimidated/fearful initially by the beginning relationship with the Living God. Wisdom has its work in a heart that has the ability to be timid and fearful because of what they have just encountered. Any time we begin something GREAT or something DARING that we have never done before fear had better be there, otherwise, we are sure to not adequately respect the power or potential danger that we are about to encounter. They say that a healthy dose of fear is good when going into uncharted waters. This is particularly true when coming to the source of Wisdom which is God.
There is a FEAR or AWE when we stand on the edge of a cliff, or on the bank of the great ocean, or on a dark night when the universe is so plainly in view. It is the fool that just passes by these things not realizing the POWER that they just encountered. The fool wants to grab the tail of a power much greater than him, not knowing what he has just done. Such are the foolish that pass by the Source of Wisdom without giving some reverence to the Creator God who made wisdom and stands behind it making it work. In V. 7 it says that fools cast off wisdom as if it had no value. Oh, foolish heart! Some are so foolish and have no idea what lies ahead of them proceeding on their own!
READ Prov. 1:8-9 When you are young it is natural to at least occasionally think that older peoples wisdom and ways are outdated. It is true that new technology and new advances have their benefit over older ways. But, true wisdom works for ever. It is always useful. It always has a benefit. And, it is never outdated. The writer of Proverbs says that it will be an ornament of grace to your head. In other words, wisdom will decorate you so that others will see you and respect you. The “chains about your neck” probably refers to an adornment such as fine jewelry. Wisdom makes us look good if we are willing to wear it.
READ Prov. 1:10-9 This section deals with the temptation to cast in our lot with evil men typically for gain, or to go down the road in life compromising God’s principles to get something that we think that we want. In the days of Solomon the gain referred to here could have been anything that one would want that someone else had. The temptation here was to get rich quick, or get what you wanted fast. Little to no waiting. You do not have to pay your dues. You can have it NOW…JUST TAKE IT. However, acquiring it will be at someone else’s expense. You may have to shed some blood, their blood, to get it. Or, in acquiring it they may go hungry. But, don’t worry. It’s them, not you. V. 13 says that we can have a good living this way. The sad part is that for a season it is true. For a season you can live well. A short season.
This section of scripture gives me the impression or picture of a bunch of pirates. These guys are serious. Seriously out for themselves. Eventually, they will grow to be so bad that they will stop at NOTHING to get what they want. It says that those living this way are in danger of getting caught in their own devises or trap, v. 17-9. Be careful, what you apply to life will come back…good or bad. This section gives the impression that this relationship starts off slow, but quickly becomes a lifestyle that you cannot easily quit or get out of. V. 19 says that greed is the driving force.
READ Prov. 1:20-33 V. 20-21 tells us that Wisdom is not hidden! It is found in the open, in plain view, in public places. We usually think of wise things as being hidden or secret. This passage tells us that this is not true. We often think of the “secrets of success” or “the hidden secrets of living a good and prosperous life.” However, Proverbs tells us that this is not the case. Wisdom with all its benefits are in plain view. It is READILY AVAILIBLE. It does not cost as much as you expect. Just look around. It is in before you …in God’s Word!
Ps 111:10, Prov. 1:7, 9:10
pith·y/ˈpiTHē/Adjective
1. (of language or style) Concise and forcefully expressive.
2. (of a fruit or plant) Containing much pith. More »
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1. Pithy | Define Pithy at Dictionary.com
brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible: a pithy observation. 2. of, like, or abounding in pith ...
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