Bible: 5 Poetic Books

Lesson 5: The Book of Proverbs: Teach Me, Grasshopper!

Develop your mind. Proverbs is not just a collection of facts and figures--it is knowledge applied to life. Following the advice found here will help you walk closely with your Maker!

Just whose words are these anyway?

What's a proverb, and who wrote them down?

Proverbs are "wise sayings" that are included in the Bible as guidelines for life. They are short and to the point, and according to the first chapter of Proverbs, they are:

2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young- 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance- 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

In other words, if you hear some good advice don't be too proud or too foolish to take it. Follow the guidelines set out by the wise, and cling to what is “just and fair”. Encourage the young and immature to take wise counsel as well, as they may not be ready to guide their own way through life.

Now, just who is giving this advice in the Bible?

God? No.

David? No.

Moses, author of the Pentateuch? No.

These proverbs primarily come from King Solomon (David's son) and a scattering of others. They are not exactly words dictated by God, but rather a collection of wisdom by one main follower (too bad he didn't always practice what he preached). Of course all of the Bible is inspired by God. Though Solomon made some poor choices in his own life, we can still learn from the wise sayings he records in Proverbs. God gave him the gift of wisdom; Solomon chose to move away from it to fulfill his own desires. Sometimes, knowing what we should do is not the same as what we actually choose to do…

What is most striking about these messages is their universality. They apply to rich and poor, black, white, yellow, and red--there are messages here that ANYONE can apply to life.

And no matter how technologically advanced our society becomes, the lessons here still apply today, and will likely continue to do so. Most books cannot stand the test of time; they soon become dated. Not so with the Bible—it is written to apply to all lives for all time. Amazing, and one-of-a-kind!

While entire books have been written on the Proverbs alone, we will narrow our focus to include life instructions in a variety of areas: discipline, family, gossip, the heart, and judgment and direction.

Albert Einstein once said, "I want to know God's thoughts. The rest are details." In other words, he knew he would be a student forever; no one could ever learn what God knows. If we take that same attitude as we move into our glimpse at Proverbs, we'll learn a lot about life!

Obviously, there is much for us to learn here...let's get started!

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