Over the years I’ve gone from struggling with the book of Proverbs to really enjoying it. The key was a commentary and a preaching series; the commentary was the Proverbs edition of the New International Version Application Commentary by Paul Koptak and the preaching series was to the folks at Prettygate Baptist church and was supposed to be a short summer series but lasted till October. We focussed on the first nine chapters but kept getting tempted by more and more of the book. The general approach has been to look at the individual proverbs topically but Koptak helpfully shows that whilst they can stand alone the original compilers didn’t group them together randomly but linked them around key words and ideas not always obvious if you don’t speak Hebrew. I tend to rush reading these chapters where they demand time; this is an attempt to give them some time. Take a year maybe; let’s get to know Lady Wisdom, lets get some of her skill for living.
As we begin our look at Proverbs it’s worth stating the obvious that a proverb is a proverb; it’s not a doctrinal statement neither is it a truth for all situations at all times, rather it’s an honest observation of how life works. The early bird might catch the worm but it’s the early worm that gets eaten! We can describe them as tools to pull out of a box when needed, or skillful lessons for navigating life successfully.
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