“My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments . . . (Proverbs 3:1 WEB). Much of the Book of Proverbs is presented as a father imparting wise advice to his son. Fathers are intended to pass on wise advice to their children, but to do so, we first need wise advice. This is where a study of the Proverbs becomes essential to fatherhood. It is the Proverbs that help us to see some of the common pitfalls and inadequacies of man’s ways and help us to see life as God sees it. There can be no greater wisdom. In this study, we will go through the book of Proverbs verse by verse. Today, we will examine the first six verses which serve as a great introduction to the Book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 1:1— “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel”
The first verse in our study tells us of the wisdom we will learn and its source. The wisdom it teaches is contained in proverbs (thus the name of the book). In English, a proverb is defined as “a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice” (New Oxford American Dictionary). While they are short, they are more poetic than pithy. The truths they state are usually by making comparisons between two ways or actions. They encourage us to think and dig into why we do what we do, they help us see the consequences of our actions, and they implant themselves into our memory. As such, they are tremendously effective and powerful for shaping our thoughts which will shape our actions. They help us to choose the wisest course of action in our lives.
Solomon is identified as a key contributor to this book. Proverbs 1:1 may be a title for the entire book, but seems more likely to be the title for the first section (chapters 1-9). Chapters 10:1 and 25:1 have similar titles attributing those sections to Solomon as well. There were other wise men (unnamed) that wrote from 22:17-24:22 and 24:23-24. In addition, chapter 30 contains the proverbs of Agur Ben Jakeh (30:1) and chapter 31 contains the proverbs of King Lemuel (31:1). (Lemuel might actually be a reference to Solomon instead of another king. Lemuel means: one belonging or dedicated to God).
The source of the wisdom found in Proverbs comes from God. Solomon is known as a man of great wisdom, but his wisdom came from God. In 1 Kings 3:5-9 Solomon displays enough wisdom to ask God for wisdom. This pleased God and God granted him great wisdom and discernment (1 Kings 3:10-12, 4:29). Solomon wrote over 3,000 proverbs (1 Kings 4:32), but not all of them are recorded for us. What has been recorded has been recorded for a purpose which see recorded for us in the next several verses.
Proverbs 1:2— “to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;”
Proverbs 1:2-6 sets the tone and tells us the goals the Book of Proverbs seeks to achieve in our lives. This verse gives us the first two goals.
The First Goal: to know wisdom and instruction. We sometimes do not see the value of wisdom. We see the value of money, we see the value of our home, and even an education, but we do not concern ourselves with seeking and acquiring wisdom. Perhaps we assume it will come with age or the only way we can learn wisdom is through experience. The goal of this book, however, is to help us recognize wisdom. It can be learned and this book will help us to know what is wise and see the value of instruction.
The Second Goal: to discern the words of understanding. Not only will this book help us to recognize what is wise, it will help us to comprehend or understand what “sayings of the wise” mean and how they apply to our lives.
Proverbs 1:3— “to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;”
This verse gives us a third goal the Book of Proverbs seeks to achieve: to receive instruction. This means more than just having the knowledge in our heads, it means to know and change our behavior accordingly. He gives four areas in which we need to receive instruction: 1) wise behavior—this is having prudence, insight, and good common sense; 2) righteousness—this is knowing the right or godly thing to do in a given situation and doing it; 3) justice—making sure you are making decisions fairly; and 4) equity—treating people fairly and equally (i.e., without prejudice).
Proverbs 1:4—“to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man”
Here we have the fourth and fifth goals of the Book of Proverbs:
The fourth goal: to give prudence to the simple. The word “simple” is also translated “naïve.” It refers to one who lacks experience or knowledge, not intelligence. Typically, we learn from our own experiences or the experience of others. It can take many years to build up wisdom and prudence. The Book of Proverbs, however, gives us a short cut. We can learn years of wisdom by studying it.
The fifth goal: to give the youth knowledge and discretion. A study of the Book of Proverbs can make one wise beyond their years if only we will pay attention and dig deep. It is a book that should be taught to our children. We should begin training them in wisdom and righteousness from an early age.
Proverbs 1:5—“that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel;”
Just as this book has something for the naïve and the youth (cf. 1:4), it also has something for the wise. Being wise does not mean knowing everything. The wise are reminded of their need to grow in wisdom. We need to recognize we do not have the solution for everything and seek wise counsel for the answers. The Book of Proverbs seeks to provide us with opportunities to learn and gives us wise counsel. If you want to be wise, you will hear the words and the counsel of this book.
Proverbs 1:6—“to understand a proverb and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.
This verse contains a sixth goal for the Proverbs. Understanding is at the root of this book, the goals began with understanding (Proverbs 1:2) and are ending with understanding. He tells us what we need to understand.
Proverbs—Proverbs are often (but not always) a method of teaching by means of comparison. These will employ what is often called Hebrew Parallelism—a balanced thought where one line is compared with another, both meaning the same things. It is a teaching technique using repetition, comparison and contrast. Sometimes these parallels will be obvious, sometimes they will take a little work to understand, but by understanding the parallels, we understand the proverb.
Parables—This word has also been translated “figures, enigma, and interpretations.” It refers to teachings which require interpretation for proper understanding. The truth they presents will not be readily available. Only through contemplating the figure and deep thought we will understand it and its application to our lives. The shortness of proverbs lets us take those sayings that are hard to understand and put them in our mind so we can work them out like a puzzle as we go through our day.
The words of the wise—Ancient teachers of wisdom often taught with obscure sayings. Again, they require us to think and figure out the meanings. It takes work and practice to understand not only wisdom, but the teaching of wisdom.
The riddles of the wise—“Riddle” literally means a “dark, obscure utterance” (BDB). It is speech that is not readily understood without some speculation. This word is used of Samson’s riddle in Judges 14:12-19 and of the hard questions the Queen of Sheba asked Solomon (1 Kings 10:1 and 2 Chronicles 9:1). They are like a game of words that contain obscure clues that invite us to discover their hidden meaning.
The Book of Proverbs promises to greatly enhance our lives and it delivers. It is valuable book for anyone to study and especially fathers. It will help us to lead and guide our families wisely.
By Jeremy Sprouse
Jeremy has been married to Erynn since August 1999. They are blessed with six children: Jaden, Isaiah, Isaac, Ean, Joseph, and Evelyn. Jeremy preaches for the Patrick St. church of Christ in Dublin, TX and is the author of To Train Up a Knight.
Works Referenced:
Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon 1977 : 295. Print.
Knights of The Father 