Introduction to Proverbs

As it has become customary for me to do, I will start this book with a bit of an overview.

Back in 1992, I was struggling with HSC Physics, mainly owing to the fact that I wouldn’t work in an iron lung (it pays to be honest!). I’m not sure if my parents realized at that point that my problem was technically known as “bone laziness”. Maybe they did, and the Tutor was intended to try and get me to do some work occasionally. Or maybe they simply thought School wasn’t teaching me properly or something.

In any case, they hired a tutor to help me with Physics. I can’t remember his name, and to tell the truth he didn’t help me much with Physics (mainly, it has to be said, because you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink). But he DID have one lasting impact.

The first time he came over to our home, he sat with me at my desk. He noticed the Bible sitting there, and asked me “Are you a Christian mate?”

I replied that yes, I was. In fact, it was my mother’s Bible there – I didn’t have much of a habit of reading it in those days! But I didn’t want this stranger to know that.

He grabbed the Bible, and turned to the pages of Proverbs. He then turned to me and said “Tell me, do you want to become wise?”

I don’t know why he asked this. Was I such a fool that it showed through? Quite possibly. Anyway, who doesn’t want to be wise? I certainly did, and I agreed at once.

He pointed at the first chapter of Proverbs.

“There are 31 chapters of Proverbs,” he said, “And there are 31 days in the month. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day, and you WILL become wise.”

I thought this tutor was a little odd. But I followed his advice.

I don’t know if you’d say I became wise, but you could definitely agree on WISER. I did, after all, have a long way to go.

Well, that was nearly 20 years ago. Cutting to today, I still have a way to go, but life has forced me a little farther down that road to wisdom (which, for all you Maths types out there, is an asymptote. For all the non-Mathematicians, that means something you can approach but never actually reach!).

It has, however, been a while since I read this book, and I don’t think I have EVER given it a comprehensive study. That’s why I decided it was time for me to turn our attentions in this direction.

So what do we know about this book?

Most of the proverbs are attributed to Solomon. Presumably there’d be a lot of discussion as to whether or not he actually wrote them. In some ways, though, it doesn’t matter much. Whoever wrote them had a decent claim to being very wise.

A recent article by Christopher Hitchens, the world-famous atheist, actually praised the King James Bible as a far-reaching and influential piece of English Literature. He pointed out that many sayings and idioms have their roots in the King James Bible. Not a few of these are in Proverbs, and as we read it over the next 31 days, we’re going to see if we can spot them (although we’re in the Message paraphrase rather than the King James).

I am praying that God will use these 31 days to add to my wisdom. How about you take time right now, gentle reader, to pray the same for yourself?