I am allowing te posts to go to Facebook again.  You can always choose not to read them, but Proverbs is a little less R rated than Song of Songs, which I stopped from going to Facebook.

Proverbs are defined many ways.  In general they are words of wisdom which reflect true observations about reality.  Greek proverbs tend to be written in Syllogisms:  If A then B.  I have A so B.  Hebrew proverbs are often written in contrasting couplets.  This is A.  This is B.  So Greeks might say, “A nagging wife will make life miserable.  You have a nagging wife, so you are miserable.”  A Hebrew proverb might say, “Nagging wives destroy families; Wise women suffer in silence.”  Of course, Proverbs is a Hebrew book.  The central section is a series of couplets, but the opening is quite different.  Proverbs opens with a poetic appeal to the heart.  The author tries to establish how wisdom is a way of life that is better than folly.  Thus the book is not just pithy sayings to throw out at cocktail parties, it is a complete book that observes and understands reality in right relationship with God.

So, in summary, Proverbs is a course of study where the pupil learns to discern wisdom from folly in the nature of the universe.

Questions

1. What is a proverb?
2. Why was Proverbs written?
3. Why would a person need Proverbs today?
4. Why might a person be disappointed if they think the proverbs will gaurantee results?
5. What do you expect to gain from a study of Proverbs?