Proverbs - Wisdom

At a Glance
The Big Picture
Two Paths, One Choice
The Fear of the Lord
Structure Overview
Key Themes
How to Read Proverbs
Reading Progress

At a Glance


Author	Solomon (mostly), Agur, Lemuel
Audience	”My son” - anyone seeking wisdom
Theme	Skill for living aligned with reality
Key Phrase	”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”
Chapters	31 (one per day of the month)
Reading Hack	Read chapter matching today’s date

The Big Picture

PROVERBS' QUESTION
    │
    └─► "How do I live skillfully in God's world?"
        │
        ├─ Ch 1-9:    FOUNDATION   → Why wisdom matters
        ├─ Ch 10-22:  SOLOMON I    → 375 proverbs (contrasts)
        ├─ Ch 22-24:  THIRTY       → "Sayings of the wise"
        ├─ Ch 25-29:  SOLOMON II   → Hezekiah's collection
        └─ Ch 30-31:  APPENDIX     → Agur + Lemuel (Prov 31 woman)

Two Paths, One Choice

THE FUNDAMENTAL DECISION
    │
    ├─ WISDOM (חָכְמָה / chokmah)
    │   ├─ Personified as a woman calling in the streets
    │   ├─ Leads to: life, honor, riches, peace
    │   ├─ Source: Fear of the Lord
    │   └─► "She is a tree of life" (3:18)
    │
    └─ FOLLY (אִוֶּלֶת / ivveleth)
        ├─ Also personified as a woman calling
        ├─ Leads to: death, shame, poverty, chaos
        ├─ Source: Rejecting God's order
        └─► "Her house leads down to death" (9:18)

Wisdom	Folly
Accepts correction	Hates rebuke
Plans ahead	Lives for now
Controls tongue	Speaks rashly
Works diligently	Loves sleep
Fears the Lord	Trusts self

The Fear of the Lord

THE FOUNDATION (1:7)
    │
    └─► "The FEAR of the LORD
         is the BEGINNING of knowledge"
            │
            ├─ Not terror → reverent awe
            ├─ Not start → foundation/essence
            │
            └─► Without this, wisdom is just cleverness
                With this, wisdom becomes life

One-liner: Wisdom isn’t IQ - it’s knowing who’s actually in charge.

Structure Overview

Part 1: The Call to Wisdom (Ch. 1-9)

Extended discourses - a father teaching his son WHY wisdom matters.

Chapter	Theme
1	Wisdom’s warning cry
2	The search for wisdom
3	Trust in the Lord
4	Guard your heart
5	Warning against adultery
6	Practical warnings (laziness, lying, etc.)
7	The seduction of folly
8	Wisdom’s eternal nature
9	Two invitations (Wisdom vs Folly)

Part 2: Solomon’s Proverbs I (Ch. 10-22:16)

375 individual proverbs. Mostly antithetical parallelism:

Line A: The wise/righteous do X
Line B: The fool/wicked do opposite

EXAMPLE PATTERN
    │
    ├─ "A wise son brings joy to his father,
    │   but a foolish son brings grief to his mother" (10:1)
    │
    └─► Contrast reveals truth
        Choose which line you want to be

Part 3: Sayings of the Wise (Ch. 22:17-24:34)

“Thirty sayings” - longer, more developed teachings.

Part 4: Solomon’s Proverbs II (Ch. 25-29)

Collected by Hezekiah’s scribes ~250 years later. More comparative proverbs (“Like X, so is Y”).

Part 5: The Appendix (Ch. 30-31)

Chapter	Author	Content
30	Agur	Humility, numerical sayings
31:1-9	Lemuel	A mother’s advice to a king
31:10-31	(Acrostic)	The valiant woman

Key Themes

MAJOR TOPICS IN PROVERBS
    │
    ├─ SPEECH
    │   └─► Tongue has power of life and death (18:21)
    │
    ├─ WEALTH
    │   └─► Diligence → provision, laziness → poverty
    │
    ├─ RELATIONSHIPS
    │   └─► Marriage, friendship, enemies
    │
    ├─ WORK
    │   └─► The ant vs the sluggard
    │
    ├─ ANGER
    │   └─► Slow to anger = great understanding
    │
    └─ HUMILITY
        └─► Pride → destruction, humility → honor

How to Read Proverbs

READING STRATEGY
    │
    ├─ DAILY: Read chapter matching date
    │   └─► Dec 12 = Proverbs 12
    │
    ├─ DON'T: Read like promises
    │   └─► These are principles, not guarantees
    │       "Train up a child..." = generally true
    │       Not: "This formula always works"
    │
    └─ DO: Let each proverb examine you
        │
        └─► "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
             but only in expressing his opinion" (18:2)
            │
            └─► Ouch. That's me in meetings.

Part 1: The Call (Ch. 1-9)

Ch	Theme	One-Line Summary
1	The Beginning	Fear of the Lord = wisdom’s foundation
2	The Search	Seek wisdom like silver
3	The Trust	Lean not on your own understanding
4	The Guard	Above all else, guard your heart
5	The Warning	Adultery destroys
6	The Traps	Six things the Lord hates
7	The Seduction	Folly’s deadly invitation
8	The Eternal	Wisdom was there at creation
9	The Choice	Two women, two paths, one decision

Reading Progress

Chapters Completed: 0/31
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Why This Book

“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.” (4:7 NLT)

Proverbs isn’t philosophy. It’s skill for living - the accumulated observations of those who watched how God’s world actually works.

Matthew shows you the King. Proverbs teaches you to walk in His kingdom.

Overview 01