SURVEY OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

I.      lntroductory Remarks:

         A.    Name of Book:  "Proverbs" is the title derived from 1:1 and also from the poetic format in which the book is written. A proverb is a rule of life, developed from God's Word, and placed in two lines of poetry.  A few words are chosen instead of many, with the intent to condense God's truth into a brief form, to aid the memory, to stimulate study, and to arouse interest.

         B.    Author: Solomon is the author of most of the Proverbs (1:1; 10:1; 25:1).

         C.    Date: This book was arranged substantially in its present form during the reign of Hezekiah, at which time the 30th chapter, 'the sayings of Agur, and the 31st chapter, the sayings of Lemuel were added (Proverb 25:1).

         D.    Style: Didactic Poetry

II.     Outline:

                     A.    Introduction

                                 1.     Title (1)

                                 2.     Statement of Purpose (1:2-5)

                                 3.     Awe of the Lord (1:6,7)

                     B.    The Commendation of Wisdom (1-9)

                     These Proverbs show the greatness and benefits of divine wisdom.

                                 1.     Parental Counsel (1:8-19)

                                 2      The Call Of Wisdom (1:20-33)

                                 3.     The Values Of Wisdom (Ch. 2-4)

                                 4.     Wisdom's Strength Against Temptation (Ch. 5-7)

                                 5.     Wisdom's Identification With The Lord (Ch.8)

                                 6.     Wisdom And Folly Contrasted (Ch.9)

                      C.    The Proverbs of Solomon (10 - 22:16)

                     These contain no common topic but a great variety of wise sayings. They deal mainly with ideas of personal conduct, contrasts between the wise and the fool, rich and the poor, and the ungodly with the godly.

                     D.    The Sayings of the Wise (22:17-24)

                     They have no common topic, but rather center around the teacher's instruction to his students, ones destined for a very responsible position.

                     E.    Hezekiah's Collection of Solomon's Proverbs (ch.25-29)

                     F.     The Words of Agur (Ch. 30)

                     G.    The Words of Lemuel (ch. 31)

III.     LESSONS

Proverbs are for the people of God; they are for those who have personally accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. Proverbs teaches the one who possesses everlasting life how to live before the Lord. These contain a multitude of simple yet profound lessons on almost every aspect of life. Note a few of the topics:

         A.    The Importance Of God's Word.

         Is God's Word more important than the air you breathe, the clothing you wear, the food you eat? According to Proverbs, it should be (Proverbs  4:7; 6:21-23; 8:11).

         B.    Sexual Sins:

         Warnings against fornication and adultery (Proverbs 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27).

         C.    Sins Of The Mental Attitude: Proverbs 6:1-19; 10:26; 12:27; 2O:4; 26:13-16).

         D.    Sins Of The Tongue:  Proverbs 13:3; 15:2; 15:4; 15:28; 16:24; 16:32;

         E.    The True Riches: Proverbs 10:22; 11:28; 13:7; 15:16; 28:6.

         F.     The Wisdom Of Soul-Wining:  Proverbs 11:30 cp. James 5:2.

               G.    The Advantages Of A Peaceful Home:  Proverbs 15:17; 17:1; 21:9; 21:19;

               H.    True Friendship:  Proverbs 17:17; 18:24.

              I.      The Curse Of Strong Drink:  Proverbs 20:1; 23:31.

         J.     The Godly Wife And Mother:  Proverbs 31.

         K.    The Uncertainty Of Life:  Proverbs 27:1; 29:1.

IV.    TYPES OF PROVERBS

         A.    Synonymous Proverbs

The first line contains the doctrine and the second line repeats essentially the same thoughts of the first line using synonymous words.

          Proverbs 11:25

         1st]  The generous man will be prosperous,

         2nd]  And he who waters will himself be watered.

         The idea of sharing with others with what you have.  It is more blessed to give than to receive 2 Corinthians 9:6.

          B.    Antithetical Proverbs

         Usually, the point of doctrine is stated in the first line, then restated I the second line from a negative viewpoint.

         Proverbs 14:30

         Ist] A tranquil heart is life to the body,

         2nd] But passion is rottenness to the bones.

The negative accentuates the positive.

In the Proverbs, the physical aspects of life are metaphors of the spiritual life.  So the tranquil heart is not talking about the organ that is pumping blood but about the person's inner spiritual life.  Specifically,  the mental attitude or the mentality of the soul is the teaching.  A tranquil heart is not referring to a person having a robust cardiovascular system but a relaxed mental attitude.  So is the common idiom in the Proverbs, "life to the body."   It refers to good health, but remember, this is about true spirituality.  So in the first line, we have a picture of someone in good health, but we now know we are to see these are points of doctrine. 

In contrast, passion is the word envy, which is a mental attitude sin. Now we have another idiom to contend with, "rottenness to the bones." This is a picture of poor health.  What is the point of doctrine?

Mental attitude sins such as envy, fear, anger, worry, and many others destroy health (spirituality).  What was noted by the author of this proverb is that people whose lives are filled with mental attitude sins are going to be physically sick.  We call this psychosomatic illness.  Negative pressures in the mind overflow into the body causes hypertension, headaches, rashes, ulcers, etc.  He observed this as he studied people.  His purpose was not to provide us with a psychology book but to help us to adapt these principles of life to the spiritual realm.

Obviously, believers filled with mental attitude sins (physically sick) will never have the peace of mind and heart (physically healthy), that passes all understanding, that is potentially ours at salvation.

Here is another famous antithetical proverb, Proverb 17:22.

         1st]  A joyful heart is [like] good medicine,

         2nd] But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

 The "merry heart" is a reference to the inner mental state of the believer. You are rejoicing on the inside.  So if you are sick and someone administers "good medicine," you get better.  What is the opposite?  A person has a "broken spirit." They are characterized by frustration, always upset, anxious, depressed and downhearted, etc.  Notice that this "drys up the bones," an idiom that means losses their health. The same point of doctrine throughout the Proverbs, mental attitude sins will ruin your health and shipwreck your walk with God.

In this antithetical 2 line Proverb, we see a reversal of the norm.  The negative is first, and the point of doctrine is last.

Proverbs 15:5

         1st]  A fool rejects his father's discipline,

         2nd]  But he who regards reproof is sensible [prudent = a wise person].

The wise son or daughter, opposite of the fool, understands that when they are discipline it is for their good, they gain knowledge.  They accept it by understanding their parent's authority over them.  When the fool get's chewed out, they reject authority.  They become angry and seeth on the inside or throw a hissy fit, a tantrum. 

         C.    Synthetic Proverb

Two lines expressing a truth of doctrine whereby each line has something in  common, they teach the same subject.   The two lines have something in common, which is neither antithetical or synonymous. They are merely developing the same subject or speaking about the same thing.

         Proverbs 10:18

         1st]  He who conceals hatred has lying lips,

         2nd]  And he who spreads slander is a fool.

Here is a proverb about the sins of the tongue.  The first line talks about a person's hatred of another is hidden by hypocrisy, lying lips.  The second line talks about the sins of the tongue but from a different point of view.  The first line is done behind your back, while the second line is spreading a public lie.

         Proverbs 29:18

         1st]  Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,

         2nd] But happy is he who keeps the law.

In the first line, people without the Word of God have no control over their sinful nature, which destroys all possibility of true happiness. The second line explains that Bible doctrine provides guidance into a way of life that brings happiness. Same subject but different viewpoints. 

         D.    Integral Proverbs

                The first line gives the thought; the second line completes it.

         Proverbs 13:14

         1st]  The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

         2nd] To turn aside from the snares of death.

The first line says that Bible doctrine is the fountain of life.  The second line completes the thought by exclaiming that Bible doctrine warns you about the snares of death.  Death is temporal death.  Bible doctrine keeps you in fellowship with the Lord.  It warns you about those things that will hinder your walk with God.        

        Proverbs 19:20

         1st]  Listen to counsel and accept discipline,

         2nd]  That you may be wise the rest of your days.

The second line is a purpose line.  It finishes the thought of the first line.

         Others:  Proverbs 22: 6,10, 15.

          E.    Parabolic Proverbs:

The first line illustrates the second line by using the comparative conjunction “as.”  The second line contains the doctrine.

          Proverbs 11:22

         1st]  As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout

         2nd]  So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

This illustrates how hilarious the proverbs are at times.  Great way to make a point f doctrine memorable.  Here the warning is to stay away from a beautiful woman who is dumb.

          Proverbs 25:11

         1st]  Like apples of gold in settings of silver

         2nd]  Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

          Proverbs 27:15

         1st]  A constant dripping on a day of steady rain

         2nd]  And a contentious woman are alike;

Have you ever gone to bed at night and you hear the facet, drip, drip, drip.  With each drip, the volume seems to get louder and louder and more annoying.

         Proverbs 26:9

         1st]  Like a thorn which falls into the hand of a drunkard,

         2nd] So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

          F.     Comparative Proverbs

 The first line expresses something better than you have in the second line.

          Proverbs 15:17

         1st]  Better is a dish of vegetables where love is

         2nd] Than a fattened ox served with hatred.

          Proverbs 21:19

         1st]  It is better to live in a desert land

         2nd]  Than with a contentious and vexing woman.

          G.    Other types of organization

                      1.     Tetrastich – a four-line proverb

                      Synomous tetrastich Proverbs 24:3,4

                     Intregal tetrastich Proverbs 30:17

                      2.     Pentastich – a five-line proverb.

                     Proverbs 25:6,7.

                     The first two lines introduce the subject, and the remaining line amplifies it.

                      3.     Hexastich – a six-line proverb

                      Proverbs 23:12-14

                     The first two lines introduce the subject, and the remaining line amplifies it.

                        4.     Hepastich – a seven-line proverb

                      Proverbs 23:6-8

                     The first two lines introduce the subject, and the remaining line amplifies it.

                      5.     Octastich – (only one) an eight-line proverb

                        Proverbs 6:16-19

                     The first two lines introduce the subject, and the remaining line amplifies it.