A Journey through the Bible with Tiglath

83. The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1 – 4

The 31 chapters of this book are very interesting, consisting of pithy sayings and moral advice for the young. Much of the Book is attributed to Solomon, who was noted for his wisdom, and some of the Book was written after the exile, 593 BCE. The Book is in poetic form and tells us how to manage our lives and also tells us the purpose of life and the wisdom of Godly living.

The Book has five main themes: wisdom, relationships, speech, work and success. We shall travel through the Book chapter by chapter and I will point out and perhaps comment on sayings which interest me.

Chapter 1. Verses 1, 2 tell us the purpose of the Proverbs, namely 'to know wisdom and instruction and to perceive the words of understanding.' Verse 7 is very famous: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (wisdom).' Verses 10 to 18 advise young people not to be led astray by sinners. Verses 25 to 33 tell what happens when we hate knowledge and do not choose the fear of the Lord. The word 'fear' here means reverence.

Chapter 2. Verses 2 to 12 advise us to seek after wisdom: Thou shalt understand righteousness and judgement and every good path'. Verses 13 to 19, 22 tell what happens to us when we rejoice and do evil. Chapter 3. Verse 3 has this beautiful instruction: 'Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.' How often do we find a lack of mercy e.g.

among terrorists. Do read and ponder on verses 13 to 26 which stress the joy

of seeking wisdom. Verse 35: The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be

the promotion of fools.'

Chapter 4. In the beginning of this chapter Solomon tells us how his father

instructed him: 'he taught me also and said unto me: Let thine heart retain my

words; keep my commandments and live.' As we read through Proverbs we

realise what a recipe it is for living a really worthwhile life, whether we are

Christians or not. When I was a housemaster I did a lot of work on careers

with my pupils. Some police officers came from London who were seeking to

recruit pupils who had some '0 levels in common sense.' I knew exactly what

they meant. One can often substitute the words 'common sense' for wisdom.

Now that we have learned some of the teaching and advice of the Book of

Proverbs I hope you will join me next time.