TPT The Book of Proverbs

LESSON 1

Proverbs

A Wisdom Primer

You are about to encounter a book offering ancient Hebrew wisdom straight from the heart of God, the book of Proverbs. It offers powerful insight from the very throne room of God that will guide your steps and direct your life.

Wisdom guides us along life's way by offering signposts of God's abundant life for a myriad of challenges that can be confusing to navigate. Need help overcoming anger, pride, or greed-or perhaps you'd like to be a more controlled, generous, joy-filled person? There's counsel from Proverbs for all the above. Are you a parent desperate for advice on training your child or a friend seeking guidance to foster peaceful relationships? Turn to Proverbs. From questions about truth and deceit, wealth and poverty, living an ordered and disordered life, and finding joy instead of despair, God generously pours out his wisdom through this book for all who seek it.

Whether religious or not, anyone seeking practical advice for human flourishing and a fulfilling life will find what they are longing for in this book. This isn't to say there is no theological value in Proverbs. Because as Solomon insists straight away: "We cross the threshold of true knowledge when we live in obedient devotion to God" (Proverbs 1:7). Although it may appear that many of the words of wisdom have no theological value on their own, every word of the book signals the way to God's abundant life envisioned for humanity. This wisdom can be valued for wisdom's sake, not merely for the sake of religious commitment, and yet Proverbs makes it clear that God is wisdom's source. You will find insight into the heart of God and his way of life in these words.

The book of Proverbs offers "a new way of writing," explained John Wesley, the great English Methodist evangelist, "wherein Divine wisdom is taught us in Proverbs...And these Proverbs of Solomon are not merely a collection of the wise sayings which had been formerly delivered, but were the dictates of the Spirit of God in Solomon: so that it is God by Solomon that here speaks to us." In other words: these words of Solomon are God's words! And the scope of every word is "to direct us so to order our conversation, that we may see the salvation of God."2

What you learn from this book will change your life and launch you into your destiny. Listening to its words means listening to the very voice of God himself. His words never return unfulfilled whether in your life or in the lives of those you know, for "[Yahweh's] word performs my purpose and fulfills the mission I sent it out to accomplish" (Isaiah 55:11).

Authorship

One could make the case that Proverbs is the greatest book of wisdom ever written, penned mostly by the wisest man who ever lived. God gave Solomon this wisdom to pass along to us, God's servants, who continue the ministry of Jesus, the embodiment of wisdom, until he returns in full glory. While Solomon penned most of these words of wisdom, it is believed others had a hand too, including advisers to King Hezekiah and the unknown men Agur and Lemuel-which could be pseudonyms for Solomon. Regardless, the one who edited the final version of Proverbs brought together the wisest teachings from the wisest person ever to have lived, writing a book that contains some of the deepest revelation-insights into God's way of wisdom in the Bible. When Solomon pens a proverb, there is more to it than meets the eye.

Do you have someone in your life whom you consider wise? Who is it? And what have you received from him or her that you find wise?

Date of Composition

The book of Proverbs was composed during the tenth to fifth centuries BC. It was meant as a sort of manual for practically living out the moral law of Israel, directing the hearts of its readers back to Yahweh in worship while offering insights into living a useful and effective life.

The genre of this book is known as Wisdom Literature, something that was common during the time period of ancient Israel, ranging from the Egyptians to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia as well as the Assyrians. Many of the specific topics covered in this book share parallels with these words of wisdom from different ancient peoples. However, what we find in this biblical book is quite different, the special ingredient that is the key to opening up God's wisdom: a personal relationship through faith with the very personal God of the Israelites, Yahweh, is the foundation of living the kind of life reflected in these wise words.

God opened his loving heart of wisdom to Solomon and other authors of Proverbs in order to empower you to experience his heart to its fullest in the most personal of ways: living the abundant life he intended through wisdom, driven by faith in and a holy awe of Yahweh.

What might it tell you about the nature of wisdom that it appears so universally, spanning the known world during the time Proverbs was composed?

What is the special "ingredient" that opens up the wisdom of God found in the biblical book of Proverbs? How does it differ from the wisdom of the world?

Why might this difference be so crucial to reigning in life and succeeding in our divine destiny?

Recipients of Proverbs

These nuggets of the choicest of wisdom were written from God's heart to yours. Throughout the book we find words like "Listen, my sons. Listen, my daughters." The book of Proverbs is written to us as sons and daughters of the living God with the same loving care that an earthly father might provide when sharing words of wisdom with his children. The teaching we receive is not from a distant god who tells us we'd better live right or else. These are personal words of love and tenderness from our wise heavenly Father, the Father of all eternity, who speaks right into our hearts with radiant words of healing, power, and dominion. You are invited to receive deeply these words of our kind Father as though he were speaking directly to you-because he is!

As a recipient of these wise words from above, consider what sort of godly counsel you currently desire for your life. Make a list of topics for which you hope to glean insights over the course of this study.

Setting and Purpose

The book of Proverbs was gifted from God's heart to each of ours to help all people gain wisdom and knowledge, to avoid folly, and discover the abundant life of God. It serves as a collection of ancient Hebrew wisdom, guiding us out of foolishness and into prudent living and exhorting us to embrace the fear of the Lord. As the opening verse explains: Proverbs contains "words to live by, and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life."

Read Proverbs 1:1-7, arguably the purpose statement from the author himself. What do you learn there about the purpose of Proverbs? You may find more than one purpose for these wise sayings.

These proverbs can be interpreted in their most literal and practical sense, following their guidance for everyday living. However, we cannot tap into the wisdom contained in them through a casual, surface reading. The Spirit has breathed upon every verse illuminations that offer a deeper meaning of practical insight to guide our steps into the lives God meant for us to live. Since there is often both a literal and a practical sense along with a deeper meaning of insight embedded in these proverbs, it is important to let this principle guide your approach to this book.

For example, a surface reading of Proverbs 6:6-7 would tell us that ants are self-sufficient and self-starters. How might a deeper reading encourage your walk?

Similarly, consider 5:15-18. What does a deeper reading have to say about issues of purity and pleasure?

What Is a Proverb?

The nature of Hebrew poetry is quite different from that of English poetry. There is a pleasure found in Hebrew poetry that transcends rhyme and meter. The Hebrew verses come in a poetic package, a form of meaning that imparts an understanding that is deeper than mere logic. True revelation unfolds an encounter, an experience of knowing God often as he is revealed through the mysterious vocabulary of riddle, proverb, and parable.

WORD WEALTH

The Hebrew word for "proverb," mashal, has two meanings. The first is "parable, byword, metaphor, a pithy saying that expresses wisdom." But the second meaning is overlooked by many. The homonym mashal can also mean "to rule, to take dominion" or "to reign with power."3

In your own words, how would you explain the meaning of a proverb, according to the original Hebrew?

What makes it different from the way God gave us revelation-insight in the Pentateuch, the Gospels, or Paul's letters?

Why do you suppose God gave us these nuggets of truth in this sort of poetic manner in Proverbs?

DIGGING DEEPER

The ancients had a keener sense of what a proverb was. Consider how the early church writer Didymus the Blind explained the meaning of "proverb":

A proverb is a saying such as, "War is pleasant to the inexperienced," or "A drop constantly falling hollows a stone." The name proverb derived from the fact that once roads were marked off with no signs. Now...