THE PURPOSE OF PROVERBS

Proverbs 1:1-4New Living Translation 

1 “These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdomand discipline, to help them    

    understand the insights of the wise.

3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,

    to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and 

    discernmentto the young.

            In Thursday’s post we established how & when Solomon was granted great wisdom to rule the people of Israel. That is my lead in to a look at the Book of Proverbs. The purpose of all the proverbial writings Solomon penned was to teach the people of Israel. He wasn’t attempting to teach God’s people just anything, he was teaching them about wisdom, discipline, understanding, insight, knowledge and discernment. These characteristics are important to the follower of Christ and therefore make Proverbs valuable reading.

            Our reading habits can reveal a lack of self-discipline. The things we choose to read often fill our mind with worthless drivel that will have no eternal value in the end. That isn’t to say you must read scripture 24/7, nor does it mean you must resist any and all non-church related activities. Frankly, according to Paul’s response to the believers in Corinth, we can do anything we want to do. However, not everything is beneficial or productive for our lives. _{(1 Corinthians 6:12 & 1 Corinthians 10:23)}  It’s God’s desire that we pay attention to what his word says and live by the standards he has set forth. 

            Proverbs says its’ purpose is to teach us, but we have to be willing to be taught. He will not force feed us information. Our focus must be on him and his way of living. Our wandering eye too often drifts off its target as it follows this and that diversion. The diversion itself isn’t the problem. If we allow the diversion to monopolize our thoughts, words and actions, then it has replaced God, just as the Jews sought to replace God with an earthly king. We must take the time to cultivate our relationship with the Lord. It takes years of discipline and spiritual food to strengthen that key relationship with our Heavenly Father. Proverbs is a wondering feeding ground to learn many lessons for life. We shall take a walk with the Proverbs, stopping and taking a deeper look at a verse or two along the way. Keep checking in each day to see what the Lord, thru Solomon, has to say to us. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources:www.biblegateway.com; the Life Application Study Bible; www.biblestudy.org and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

Proverb (def.)- A short meaningful and/or forceful saying that expresses a basic truth or practical guide. It can be a rule for morals or a principle for action. [American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language]

àProverbs 1:5-7“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. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

NOTE:“Who wrote the book of Proverbs? The author who wrote the most for it is Solomon, who composed his sayings during his reign from 970 to 930 B.C. (Proverbs 1:1).

                  It is highly likely that Solomon penned chapters 1 to 29 of Proverbs. A man named Agur¹wrote chapter thirty. King Lemuel ²wrote chapter thirty-one. The author tells us right in the first chapter the nine sets of reasons why the book was written.

                  Solomon wrote Proverbs to offer instruction, wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 1:2). He also recorded the book to help others gain an understanding of judgment and equity (verse 3), to acquire simple prudence and to offer discretion and knowledge to the young (verse 4).

                  The king additionally states, in verses 5 and 6 of Proverbs 1, he recorded his words to increase the wisdom of somebody already wise, to offer advice on wise counsel, and to give understanding regarding the enigmas and riddles given by those who have attained wisdom. Although Proverbs was written with Solomon's descendants in mind, as well as the young men of Israel, it is a wise read for anyone!” – www.biblestudy.org

¹  Chapter 30:1 “Thesayings of Agur son of Jakehfrom Massa; or son of Jakeh, an oracle.

²No one really knows who King Lemuel was. Scholars note that Proverbs 31:1 & 4 are the only two places in scripture where his name is mentioned. Some say it could even be Solomon using a pseudonym (or fictitious name).