Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Proverbs are wisdom sayings, and when we think of the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, we tend to think of it as a collection of wise sayings. But there is a lot more to Proverbs than spiritual one-liners.
The Authors of Proverbs
Proverbs was not written by one author, Solomon, but by several different authors. Proverbs 1:1 shows that chapters 1-29 were originally written by Solomon (though some copying was done by King Hezekiah’s scholars seen in 25:1). Chapter 30 contains the “Sayings of Agur, Son of Jakeh.” Chapter 31 contains the “Sayings of King Lemuel.” So there are at least three human authors of Proverbs, with more people involved in copying the text.
The Purpose of Proverbs
The purpose of Proverbs is highlighted from the get-go: to provide a host of practical skills for living well in God’s world.
Proverbs 1:2-6 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.
A pivotal verse is Proverbs 1:7, which reads, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” What does it mean that the fear of the Lord is the “beginning of knowledge?” “Knowledge” and “wisdom” are likely synonyms in 1:7, each referring to a life of value characterized by godly living. The “fools” who despise this wisdom are not just “stupid” as we might think. The Hebrew indicates these people spurn wisdom more than they lack it. They are choosing to live an unwise life that is characterized by not putting discernment of God’s will into action. They are “foolishly” choosing to live ungodly lives.
The “beginning” is the “foundation” of all other wisdom. The first real “proverb” in Proverbs is that reverencing God is the first and most important step toward true wisdom. It is the proverb by which all other proverbs are defined, the lens through which we should understand everything following it in the book. Reverencing God is the first step on the path toward living a life characterized by applying godly principles.
The Structure of Proverbs
Proverbs 1-9 is a series of ten speeches about the value of wisdom and a life lived for God. It pictures wisdom as a righteous woman (“lady wisdom”) calling out in the streets, much like the Old Testament (OT) prophets (1:20; 3:13; chs.8-9). Folly – unwise, unrighteous living – is pictured as an adulteress who leads “the son” (us as readers) away from God (2:16).
In Proverbs 10-29, we read actual “proverbs” that are based on the framework outlined in chapters 1-9. It’s designed as a reference work addressing topics like money, family, work, relationships, and many other parts of life.
Proverbs 30 is written by Agur. He is a “model reader” of Proverbs who realizes that in and of himself, he is unwise, but by accessing God’s eternal wisdom, he can learn to live rightly.
Proverbs 31 was written by King Lemuel (who was not an Israelite), but this wisdom actually comes from his mother. The wisdom is guidance for being a good leader. The final portion is a poem about a “woman of noble character,” who lives according to the wisdom of Proverbs and stands as a model of someone who lives a life influenced by Proverbs. A “Proverbs 31 Woman” is a wise woman indeed!
The Themes of Proverbs
Wisdom is not the same as law or as prophecy. Wisdom literature contains the accumulated insight of God’s people over the generations. These human words in Proverbs have been assembled as God’s word and wisdom to his people.
We live in God’s moral universe. Goodness and justice are objective realities we ignore to our own peril. The invitation of Proverbs is not to catch a few pithy statements, but to learn God’s wisdom from previous generations of his people who have seen firsthand how bad life and society get when people ignore God and discard his principles. That is why the “fools” of Proverbs are not primarily unintelligent, but primarily disdainful of God and his word. Some of the world’s most intelligent people are “fools” in God’s eyes for this reason.
Proverbs Are Not Promises
Proverbs by nature are based on probabilities. It is not a guarantee that everything in life will go well for you if you work at living righteously or that God will instantly strike down every evildoer. Jesus says this isn’t the case in John 9:1-3 when his disciples assume that a man born blind is being punished by God for his sins or for his parents’ sins:
John 9:1-3 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.
Likewise, Jesus earlier said,
Matthew 5:45 [God] gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
So while many Proverbs instruct us to follow God, live wisely, care for the poor, etc., they are not guarantees that life will always go well for us if we practice goodness, or ill for us if we practice wickedness. Some wicked people are quite successful by the world’s standards.
Proverbs and the other biblical wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) focus on general rules and principles. Job and Ecclesiastes are all about the exceptions to the rules and principles.
Proverbs is about a life of applying God’s wisdom. It is not just about discernment, but discernment in action. As you study Proverbs, don’t just read them or memorize them. Let their wisdom seep into your heart and transform you. To only read the Proverbs without applying their truths is to miss the point of them entirely.
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- In your own words, describe what “the fear of the LORD” means.
- Have you ever known someone who lives life on their own terms rather than on God’s? Or was/is this a big part of your story? Explain.
- Of all the sins “folly” could have been associated with, it is pictured as “adultery.” What message is this communicating to the audience of Proverbs?
- “Goodness and justice are objective realities.” Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.
- “Proverbs are not promises.” Give an example of how you have seen this to be true.
- “Life is too complex for simple formulas.” Give an example of how you have seen this to be true.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
