"Introduction to Proverbs - Part 1"

Today we begin a study of one of the most unique Books in the Bible. A book that has become one of my favorites. The Book of Proverbs

WHAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS?

WHAT KIND OF A BOOK IS IT?

WHO IS ITS AUTHOR?

Solomon is the primary writer. Later we will discuss the various other writers. Let's learn what we are told about this man.

WHO WAS SOLOMON?

Solomon was the 3rd King of Israel. He reigned about 40 years. (970 - 930 B.C.) Solomon was the son of David.

WHO WAS THE MOTHER OF SOLOMON?

Bathsheba.

Solomon was not David's oldest son, why may cause one to wonder how he became the successor to the throne. Actually, Solomon was probably David's 10th son. 2 Samuel 3:2-5 lists the first 6 sons of David. All of these sons were born in Hebron, prior to David's moving to Jerusalem. He didn't meet Bathsheba until he was living in Jerusalem. 1 Chronicles 3:5 lists Solomon as the 4th son of Bathsheba.

WHAT KIND OF A PERSON WAS SOLOMON?

He was noted for his wisdom.

While he was indeed the wisest man who ever lived, one could certainly question his wisdom in ever thinking he needed 700 wives and 300 concubines, as we read in 1 Kings 4:31; 11:3.

And why did so many of his 700 wives never bear a child for him. Or, if they did, why are they not recorded in the Bible?

The name "Solomon" is derived from the root word which means: "to be peaceful" or "quiet."

Most of you are probably aware of the Hebrew word "Shalom." It means "peace." The name Solomon is the English transliteration of the Hebrew. In Hebrew, the name is Shlomo, which has its roots in Shalom - Peace. Solomon was certainly the least warlike of all the kings of Judah and Israel. And in that respect, he was a remarkable contrast to his father.

1 Chronicles 22:9 NKJV

9 Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days.

This verse makes Solomon one of the 7 men in the Bible who were named prior to their birth. Do you recall the other six?

Ishmael, Isaac, Josiah, Cyrus, John the Baptist and Jesus.

So, we see that God had chosen a particular son of David to follow him as the King, and this is conveyed to David prior to this son's birth. Actually, when Solomon was born, God also gave him another name as well.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THAT NAME WAS?

2 Samuel 12:25 (NIV)

25 And because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.

Both names were appropriate, at least at the time. Jedidiah means "beloved of the LORD" These two names clearly indicate God's love of Solomon, and indicated God had great purposes in store for him. Considering Bathsheba's background, this was surely an act of loving grace on God's part. An adulterous wife was chosen to be the mother of the great King Solomon.

While David was the king of Israel, he had the dream of building a house for the Lord. But, because of all the military battles, David didn't have time for the project. So the assignment to build the first temple was passed to Solomon.

1 Kings 5:2-5 (NIV)

2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:
3 "You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet.
4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.
5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD told my father David, when he said, 'Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.'

WHAT OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE DID SOLOMON WRITE?

o Song of Solomon - written when he was young and in love.

o Ecclesiastes - written when he was older.

Solomon must have been a prolific writer. He was very knowledgeable and considered an expert in many fields.

1 Kings 4:32-34

32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.
34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

1 Kings 10:23-25 (NIV) adds:

23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift-articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

One of those who came to have an audience with Solomon was the Queen of Sheba.

1 Kings 10:6-10 (NIV)

6 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.
7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.
8 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
9 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."
10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

This man, Solomon, was an amazing man. And only a few hundred of all his proverbs have been retained in the Book we are beginning to study. Of the 1,005 songs Solomon wrote, only one is in the Bible. That's the book of Song of Solomon. Others have proposed that Ecclesiastes is another of his songs.

HOW DID SOLOMON COME TO HAVE SUCH A KEEN UNDERSTANDING OVER SUCH A WIDE VARIETY OF SUBJECTS?

Solomon is one of the more perplexing characters in the entire Bible. At the beginning of his reign he already lived a life of contradiction. According to the unknown author of the Books of Kings, we are told, Shlomo [Solomon] loved Adonai, living according to the regulations set forth by David his father, nevertheless, he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. (1 Kings 3:3)

Ironically, Solomon, the one who would build the Temple, failed to obey God's command to sacrifice only in the place of God's choosing (See Deut. 12:4-6). Solomon is said to have loved God, even though he routinely disobeyed him. This kind of ironic pattern would continue throughout Solomon's life, or at least the part of his life made known to us in the books of Kings. He had multiple wives (See 1 Kings 3:1; 11:1), he amassed chariots and horsemen (see 10:26), and he even turned to idol worship in his old age (see 11:5-6). Many of these, of course were violations of the Torah.

How is it that a man of such God-given wisdom and blessing, a man who truly loved the Lord, would have his heart partially turned away from God by his pagan wives? So far as we know, none of the other writers of the books in the Bible ever later wavered in their commitment to God as Solomon did. Yet, even the Lord Jesus spoke of the wisdom of Solomon and the glory of Solomon, with no hint that these had been compromised by his later failures. And yet, ADONAI appeared to Solomon early in his reign and highly favored him. God made to Solomon an unprecedented offer, an unconditional offer of a gift. (See 1Kings 3:5)

Solomon's Request

1 Kings 3:5-10 (NIV)

5 At Gibeon (6 miles northwest of Jerusalem) the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.
8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.
9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

God's Answer

Not only was God pleased with this humble request, He answered it above and beyond what Solomon expected.

1 Kings 3:12-13

12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.
13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor - so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

1 Kings 4:29 adds:

29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.

Solomon's wisdom certainly was not his own natural ability -- but was given him by God.

Did Solomon repent and return to the Lord in his latter years? If so, why does the biblical record no say so? This is part of the enigma of this man. However, the Lord Jesus referred to Solomon on two occasions, both of which speak of him in a positive light. Christ never mentions his apostate years. One of these reference to Solomon speak of him in relation to our anxieties about suitable clothing.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE THIS REFERENCE IS?

Matthew 6:28-29 (NIV)

28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

The other reference to Solomon by Christ was in the context of a rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees after they rejected the teachings of Christ.

Matthew 12:42 (NIV)

42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.

The most common title to the Book we are beginning to study today is "Proverbs."

Proverbs 1:1 (NIV)

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

This title is very likely the original title once the final edition was in place. The Septuagint (LXX) has a slightly different title: "Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who ruled in Israel." The Latin Vulgate has it simply: "Liber Proverbiorum." - The Book of Proverbs.

WHAT IS A PROVERB?

Halley's Bible Handbook:

"A proverb is a short, pithy, axiomatic saying, the life of which is antithesis, or comparison."

The word "proverb" comes from the Latin proverba.

> o Pro means "for" or "before."

o Verba means "words."

This implies a short, concise statement that in few words expresses the thought of many words. It is a thought capsule --- many words compressed into a few.

Webster's Dictionary defines a proverb as….

….. "a short saying in common use that strikingly expresses some obvious truth or familiar experience; an adage, a maxim."

While most of the proverbs in the Book of Proverbs are indeed proverbs in this modern English sense if the word, the Hebrew word translated "proverbs," - mashal or its root mishlei, is much broader in scope than our English or Latin words.

MASHAL or MISHLEI, in a literal sense, means "similar" or "parallel." In other words, it means "to be like" or "to be compared to." Proverbs, in this sense, are sayings using similes and comparisons. It seeks to reveal the true nature of one thing, by comparing it to something else. It expresses a general principle or gives advice that has general application.

A proverb may be generally defined as a terse expression of some generally accepted truth couched in a form that makes it easy to remember. And because they are easy to remember, they become a part of the ordinary conversation of the people.

There are many types of proverbs:

o riddles, condensed parables, perplexing sayings, taunts,…..

Miguel de Cervantes said: "Proverbs are short sentences drawn from long experiences." The Book of Proverbs tells us how to wise up and live.

Proverbs have been used by people of all nations and cultures since the beginning of time. And they are very much evident today.

"To many cooks spoil the broth" is a very familiar proverbs. Many other cultures have proverbs which carry the same thought.

Iranians: "Two midwives will deliver a baby with a crooked head."

Italians: "With so many roosters crowing, the sun never comes up."

Russians: "With seven nurses, the child goes blind."

Japanese: "Too many boatmen run the boat up to the top of the mountain."

All of these proverbs express the same thought, that too much help causes confusion.

In the not-to-distant past, Ben Franklin used proverbs to get his opinions on life in colonial American across to the settlers. The Reader's Digest has some potential proverbs in a section each month, entitled "Quotable Quotes."

But there is a difference between the Book of Proverbs and proverbs contained in other writings. More than observations about life are to be found in the Book of Proverbs. Many verses present straightforward admonitions, hard-hitting commands on how to get the most out of life and how to avoid troublesome consequences.

One way ordinary proverbs are different is that proverbs of the Bible do not contradict themselves, while man's proverbs are often in opposition to each other. Here are a few examples:

Contrast the proverb, "Look before you leap," with "He who hesitates is lost."

Or compare: "A man gets no more than he pays for," with "The best things in life are free."

Contrast: "Leave well enough along," with "Progress never stands still."

The proverbs of man contradict each other. But, the Book of Proverbs is inspired by God. The advice given in the book of Proverbs transcends cultures and dispensations. Whether one lives in Old Testament times or New Testament times, the proverbs in the Bible still can be applied to everyday life. Whether one lives in the old Jerusalem or looking forward to the New Jerusalem, the statements in the Book of Proverbs are still true. Proverbs is a Book for everybody.

Another difference may be seen in the fact that man's proverbs do not have the deep spiritual message that the Book of Proverbs has. The appeal of this down-to-earth book stems from its breadth of subject matter. It discusses everything from training a child to ruling a nation, from eating too much to talking too much, from how to succeed in life to how to live for God.

The Bible has two main themes running through its pages.

1. It shows the way TO God.

2. It shows how to walk WITH God.

The second is spoken of far more often than the first. Writings with show the way to God, covering the doctrine of salvation and restored fellowship, are found to be the prominent portions of some of the Books in the Bible - like Roman and Galatians.

The Bible also has many passages or entire Books written to show the transformed sinner how to please God, now that they have come to God. Proverbs is one of them. It shows us how to walk with God. But in showing us how to walk with God, the Book of Proverbs shows how that walk affects our relationship with each other.

Whereas a document like the 10-commandments puts the vertical dimension first (our relationship to God.) and then addresses the horizontal dimension second (man's relation to others.) the Book of Proverbs capitalizes upon the practical implications of the horizontal perspective.

How does one go from the spiritual high in worship that we feel on Sunday, and carry it over into everyday living on Monday? Or, better yet, what does it take to bring your worship across to become a vital part of your life down where the rubber meets the road?

What we all need, for this to happen, is the wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.

Last Updated: Wednesday September 07 2011
©2001 John's Notes