A Glimpse Into the Book of Proverbs

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THEME – The beginning & end of wisdom is to fear God and avoid evil.

 What is a proverb?

  • The Hebrew word is “mashal” – which means “comparison”
  • Webster’s Dictionary – “A short, pithy saying in frequent use, expressing a well-known truth.”
  • Bible Dictionary – “A self-contained unit that presents a capsule truth about life, the world, the way God works.” 
  • Other definitions – “A shrewd concentration of truth.”   “Reliable counsel for right living.”
  • Synonyms  –  Adage, aphorism, axiom, maxim, precept, saying

Purposes for the PROVERBS:

  • Incentive to take God seriously – “to fear God”
  • Create a desire for wisdom, understanding and discipline
  • Help differentiate between good & evil, between wisdom & foolishness
  • Give us truths that shape our thinking, attitudes, and behavior
  • Perspective on God’s character and nature as revealed through His design for right relationships and personal integrity

Guidelines for studying the wisdom literature in the book of PROVERBS

  • They are memorable & transferable – through the ages for all ages
  • They are generalizations, not promises or predictions.
  • They are not legally binding promises from God.
  • They are the likely outcome of our choices, not a guarantee.
  • Their final outcome maybe in eternity.
  • They are a guideline of regularly repeated actions
  • They use hyperbole – a deliberate exaggeration in order to make a point
  • No individual proverb should be taken as whole truth on any subject.
  • They provide insight on the consequences that certain choices will bring.
  • They reveal God’s design for human relationships
  • Be careful not to misuse a proverb!

 Who wrote the book of PROVERBS?

  • The Egyptians had proverbs as early as 2700 B.C.
  • Solomon wrote almost the entire book – over 900 proverbs – about 950 B.C.
  • King Hezekiah’s scribes wrote, complied, edited the proverbs in Chapters 25 – 29
  • Agur and Lemuel wrote the last 2 chapters.  The book was probably edited between 715 – 686 B.C.

Hebrew Poetry – Proverbs – Focused on the development of an idea – repetition, recapitulation, balance, reinforcement, contrast, comparison. (Nor sound, rhyme, or rhythm)

  1. Synonymous parallelism – repeats or restates 22: 1
  2. Antithetical parallelism – opposite or negative 22: 3
  3. Climatic parallelism – completion of thought 22: 2
  4. Comparison of thought– “better than” 16: 8

Outline:

  1. Ch.   1: 1 – 1: 6 – Introduction
  2. Ch.   1: 7 – Ch. 9 Father to Son Discourses on Wisdom
  3. Ch. 10 – 24 – Solomon’s Proverbs
  4. Ch. 25 – 29 – Hezekiah’s scribes –
  5. Ch. 30 – 31 – Agur & Lemuel   (Numerical Sayings and Acrostic Poem on Wife) 

 Bibliography

          Proverbs, Learning to Live Wisely, Mouser, William, InterVarsity Press.

          Proverbs, Life Change Series, NavPress.

          Nelson Study Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

 

©2012 by Marilyn Miller

 

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