Purpose of Proverbs

The book of Proverbs contains sayings and riddles featuring wisdom, applied knowledge that helps every person develop practical skills to live well in God's world.

Fear of the Lord

The journey to wisdom begins with fear of the Lord, a reverential and healthy respect of Him. Only then can we embrace a moral mindset.

Generational Insight

Ten speeches from a father and four poems from lady wisdom show us that Proverbs is God's own invitation to learn wisdom from previous generations.

The Good Life

Read hundreds of sayings that apply wisdom and fear of the Lord to every subject imaginable. They offer formulas for success but are not promises.

Godly Woman

A woman of noble character models someone who takes God's wisdom found in Proverbs and translates it into practical decisions for success in everyday life.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

OT/NT: Old Testament

SECTION: Poetry (3 of 5)

TRADITIONAL AUTHOR:  Solomon

KEY PEOPLE:  Agur, King Lemuel, King Solomon.

SUMMARY:  Canonically, Proverbs is the twentieth book of the Holy Bible (1), the twentieth book of the Old Testament (2), and the  third of the five Poetry Books (3).  This book is the accumulation of wisdom from generations of godly insightful people. It promotes a life of virtue and “fear of the Lord,” so that you can truly experience the good life. Proverbs is one of the three books that explore these themes of biblical wisdom (the others being Job (4) and Ecclesiastes (5).

Linked to Solomon and other wise men, the book of Proverbs includes hundreds of short, clever sayings designed to teach every person how to live and act wisely. Each saying touches on a common area of life and shows us what kind of world we live in and what it looks like to live well before God and toward others.

The wisdom in Proverbs is often described as a lady, but it's not an impersonal force. It's an attribute of God Himself. By fearing or respecting God and reading and obeying the wise, practical counsel found in this book, we develop the important skills and moral mindset we need to live successful, good and goodly lives in God's world.

For a printer friendly version of this narrative (and more!), please explore the PDF documents offered above.

COMING UP: Next up is the Book of Ecclesiastes. Click HERE to explore!

FOOTNOTES:

(1)  http://www.downriverdisciples.com/the-good-news

(2)  http://www.downriverdisciples.com/old-testament

(3)  http://www.downriverdisciples.com/poetry-books

(4)  http://www.downriverdisciples.com/job

(5)  http://www.downriverdisciples.com/ecclesiastes

SOURCES:

(a) The Bible Project https://thebibleproject.com/explore/proverbs/