Well. .
If it was God's will. .
I arrived in Boston on Saturday afternoon with my mom and her friend. .
And they have been probably been living it up. .
While I have been slaving away. .
learning, learning, learning!!
I am finishing my classes today. .
And then we will fly home later. .
Prayers of safety are appreciated!
Hope your
reading is going well so far. .and you are finding a lot of food for your
thoughts throughout the day!
Here’s a little information on the book of Proverbs written by John
MacArthur. .Hope it is helpful!
Title
The title in the Hebrew Bible is “The Proverbs of Solomon“ (1:1), as also in
the Greek Septuagint (LXX). Proverbs pulls together the most important 513 of
the over 3,000 proverbs pondered by Solomon (1 Kin. 4:32; Eccl. 12:9), along with some proverbs of
others whom Solomon likely influenced. The word “proverb” means “to be like,”
thus Proverbs is a book of comparisons between common, concrete images and
life’s most profound truths. Proverbs are simple, moral statements (or
illustrations) that highlight and teach fundamental realities about life.
Solomon sought God’s wisdom (2 Chr. 1:8–12) and offered “pithy sayings”
designed to make men contemplate 1) the fear of God and 2) living by His wisdom
(1:7; 9:10). The sum of this wisdom is personified in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:30).
Author and Date
The phrase “Proverbs of Solomon” is more a title than an absolute statement
of authorship (1:1). While King Solomon, who ruled Israel from 971–931 B.C. and
was granted great wisdom by God (see 1 Kin. 4:29–34), is the author of the
didactic section (chaps. 1–9) and the proverbs of 10:1–22:16, he is likely only
the compiler of the “sayings of the wise” in 22:17–24:34, which are of an
uncertain date before Solomon’s reign. The collection in chaps. 25–29 was
originally composed by Solomon (25:1) but copied and included later by Judah’s
king Hezekiah (ca. 715–686 B.C.). Chapter 30 reflects the words of Agur and
chap. 31 the words of Lemuel, who perhaps was Solomon. Proverbs was not
assembled in its final form until Hezekiah’s day or after. Solomon authored his
proverbs before his heart was turned away from God (1 Kin. 11:1–11), since the book reveals a
godly perspective and is addressed to the “naive” and “young” who need to learn
the fear of God. Solomon also wrote Psalms 72 and 127, Ecclesiastes, and Song
of Solomon. See Introduction: Author and Date for Ecclesiastes and Song of
Solomon.
Background and Setting
The book reflects a 3-fold setting as: 1) general wisdom literature; 2)
insights from the royal court; and 3) instruction offered in the tender
relationship of a father and mother with their children, all designed to
produce meditation on God. Since Proverbs is Wisdom literature, by nature it is
sometimes difficult to understand (1:6). Wisdom literature is part of the whole
of OT truth; the Priest gave the Law, the Prophet gave a Word
from the Lord, and the Sage (or wise man) gave his wise Counsel (Jer. 18:18; Ezek. 7:26). In Proverbs, Solomon the Sage
gives insight into the “knotty” issues of life (1:6) which are not directly
addressed in the Law or the Prophets. Though it is practical, Proverbs is not
superficial or external because it contains moral and ethical elements
stressing upright living which flow out of a right relationship with God. In
4:1–4, Solomon connected 3 generations as he entrusted to his son Rehoboam what
he learned at the feet of David and Bathsheba. Proverbs is both a pattern for
the tender impartation of truth from generation to generation, as well as a
vast resource for the content of the truth to be imparted. Proverbs contains
the principles and applications of Scripture which the godly characters of the
Bible illustrate in their lives.
Historical and Theological Themes
Solomon came to the throne with great promise, privilege, and opportunity.
God had granted his request for understanding (1 Kin. 3:9–12; 1 Chr. 1:10, 11), and his wisdom exceeded all others (1 Kin. 4:29–31). However, the shocking
reality is that he failed to live out the truth that he knew and even taught
his son Rehoboam (1 Kin. 11:1, 4, 6, 7–11), who subsequently rejected his
father’s teaching (1 Kin. 12:6–11).
Proverbs contains a gold mine of biblical theology, reflecting themes of
Scripture brought to the level of practical righteousness (1:3), by addressing
man’s ethical choices, calling into question how he thinks, lives, and manages
his daily life in light of divine truth. More specifically, Proverbs calls man
to live as the Creator intended him to live when He made man (Ps. 90:1, 2, 12).
The recurring promise of Proverbs is that generally the wise (the righteous
who obey God) live longer (9:11), prosper (2:20–22), experience joy (3:13–18)
and the goodness of God temporally (12:21), while fools suffer shame (3:35) and
death (10:21). On the other hand, it must be remembered that this general
principle is balanced by the reality that the wicked sometimes prosper (Ps. 73:3, 12), though only temporarily (Ps. 73:17–19). Job illustrates that there
are occasions when the godly wise are struck with disaster and suffering.
There are a number of important themes addressed in Proverbs, which are
offered in random order and address different topics, so that it is helpful to
study the proverbs thematically as illustrated.
I. Man’s Relationship to God
II. Man’s Relationship to Himself
III. Man’s Relationship to Others
The two major themes which are interwoven and overlapping throughout
Proverbs are wisdom and folly. Wisdom, which includes knowledge, understanding,
instruction, discretion, and obedience, is built on the fear of the Lord and
the Word of God. Folly is everything opposite to wisdom.
Interpretive Challenges
The first challenge is the generally elusive nature of Wisdom literature
itself. Like the parables, the intended truths are often veiled from
understanding if given only a cursory glance, and thus must be pondered in the
heart (1:6; 2:1–4; 4:4–9).
Another challenge is the extensive use of parallelism, which is the placing
of truths side by side so that the second line expands, completes, defines,
emphasizes, or reaches the logical conclusion, the ultimate end, or, in some
cases, the contrasting point of view. Often the actual parallel is only
implied. For example, 12:13 contains an unstated, but clearly implied parallel,
in that the righteous one comes through trouble because of his virtuous speech
(cf. 28:7). In interpreting the Proverbs, one must: 1) determine the
parallelism and often complete what is assumed and not stated by the author; 2)
identify the figures of speech and rephrase the thought without those figures;
3) summarize the lesson or principle of the proverb in a few words; 4) describe
the behavior that is taught; and 5) find examples inside Scripture.
Challenges are also found in the various contexts of Proverbs, all of which
affect interpretation and understanding. First, there is the setting in which
they were spoken; this is largely the context of the young men in the royal
court of the king. Second, there is the setting of the book as a whole and how
its teachings are to be understood in light of the rest of Scripture. For
example, there is much to be gained by comparing the wisdom Solomon taught with
the wisdom Christ personified. Third, there is the historical context in which
the principles and truths draw on illustrations from their own day.
A final area of challenge comes in understanding that proverbs are divine
guidelines and wise observations, i.e., teaching underlying principles (24:3,
4) which are not always inflexible laws or absolute promises. These expressions
of general truth (cf. 10:27; 22:4) generally do have “exceptions,” due to the
uncertainty of life and unpredictable behavior of fallen men. God does not
guarantee uniform outcome or application for each proverb, but in studying them
and applying them, one comes to contemplate the mind of God, His character, His
attributes, His works, and His blessings. All of the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge expressed in Proverbs are hidden in Christ (Col. 2:3).
SO. .
Time for the fast fact of the week. .
What is the most beautiful thing you have seen in nature. .
Mel. .I think the most beautiful thing that I have seen in nature. .is the VAST assortment of flowers!! I am a gardener at heart. .and the beauty. .and details. .and differences in the thousands of varieties just astonishes me!! I just have to think. .What an AMAZING God. .to be so thorough in decorating our world!!
I remember days when living in Colorado, waking up after it had snowed during the night and seeing the freshly fallen snow (lots of it) sparkling so brightly you had to squint…the mountains covered in snow
ReplyDeleteor from living in California the sunset over the ocean with the seagulls and the smells of the ocean….
or the birth of a kitten in our garage...
You had me until you had to bring up the kitten midwifery thing!! That pretty much ruined the whole winter wonderland scene I had going on!! :-)
ReplyDeletehaha… me and my animals, you and your flowers/plants, our God blesses us both!!
ReplyDelete