Delve Into The WritingsSample

DAY 7 – PROVERBS

The people of Israel understood that God would speak to them through a variety of means. They expected to hear from God as their priests taught and interpreted the law of Moses, and as their prophets brought the “word of the Lord” to warn and exhort them. But they also recognized that God would speak to them through the lessons of everyday experience, particularly as these lessons were captured in compact, memorable sayings, or “proverbs,” passed down from the wisest among their elders. A collection of such sayings is found among Israel’s sacred books. We know it today as the book of Proverbs. 

Solomon, the son of David and the third king of Israel, was renowned for his wisdom. He’s named at the beginning of this book as the source of its proverbs, and he’s indeed responsible for most of them. But the book also contains collected sayings from several other wise and godly teachers of the ancient world. 

The book begins with a short explanation of its contents and purpose: its proverbs and parables and sayings and riddles are all designed to help those who are starting out in life avoid the most common pitfalls and find the path that leads to prosperity, health, and security. The book insists that we start on this path by embracing “the fear of the Lord.” This means not daring to do anything that we know God wouldn’t approve, knowing that God has set up the world in such a way that, sooner or later, there are serious consequences for doing wrong. 

The book then presents a series of exhortations, which are spoken as if from father to son, but which are clearly intended to impart the wisdom of preceding generations to the rising one. These exhortations warn against dangers such as banditry, adultery, and laziness and commend the benefits of wisdom. After the first and last exhortations, wisdom itself, personified as a woman, calls out to the “simple,” inviting them to grow in knowledge. This section ends by presenting a contrast between two banquets, one hosted by Wisdom and the other by Folly. This illustrates that each person must choose one of these “banquets” in life. 

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for sharing the wisdom of the Proverbs with us. Help me to incorporate Your Word in my life.