I have been amazed at how helpful the book of Proverbs has been in raising our four children. No other book in the Bible has brought as many fruitful discussions to our family devotions. We keep coming back to its thought-provoking chapters and profound moral puzzles because they help our sons and daughters learn how to navigate the difficulties of life. Some of the wise sayings are straight-forward and simple to understand, but many of them make you stop and think through the implications of their ancient wisdom.
I have lost count of the times I have told my family, “A Proverb a day keeps temptation away.” Studying the book of Proverbs does not guarantee an end to temptation, but it does provide a Biblically approved path that avoids the minefield of sin and dangers that lie on either side of the road of righteousness. Proverbs 10:9-10 puts it like this, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (English Standard Version) The book of Proverbs also makes it clear that it would be foolish to try to learn from its pages without first submitting yourself to God. Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” There is a right way to read the book of Proverbs. It is to come with the attitude of a submissive learner, ready to learn from its ancient deposit of truth.
After studying the Bible for more than two decades, I have come to the conclusion that the book of Proverbs is an indispensable manual for gaining the practical wisdom needed to live the way God intended. It is an ancient book that was compiled by wise men during the reign of the Jewish king Hezekiah (circa 715-686 BC). The book of Proverbs is made up of 915 verses, which were written by at least four authors, of whom King Solomon is by far the most well-known. The fame of his wisdom is not surprising if one realizes that the Bible claims he was the wisest man to ever live (1 Kings 3:12, 28). During his lifetime, men and women of renown traveled great distances to listen to his teaching on a wide range of subjects, including biology, philosophy, and theology. 1 Kings 4:34 gives the following historical account, “And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.”
I am often convicted by how easy it is to take God’s word. Imagine what people who lived during king Solomon’s time would have thought if they could own a personal copy of a book that had almost a thousand of the wisest sayings in the world? They would have considered it one of their most valuable possessions. One way to not take Proverbs for granted has been by reading a chapter or a portion of a chapter every day. This is easy to do because the book of Proverbs is divided into thirty-one chapters, one for every day of the month. Whenever I meet someone who wants to read the Bible consistently, I encourage them to read a Proverb a day. This makes it easy to keep track of the reading assignment and it keeps the topic interesting because the topics often change from verse to verse.
Some people find it difficult to read through Proverbs because the topics change so often. That is one reason why I recommend Dr. Richard Mayhue’s book Practicing Proverbs: Wise Living for Foolish Times. It is an excellent guide that takes a thematic approach to the book. This helps the reader dive into different themes such as Family, the Marketplace, Personal, and Spiritual wisdom. Dr. Mayhue encourages people to take an entire year to read through the Proverbs, reading through the chapters repeatedly in order to soak up the wisdom of each passage.
Personally, I have found it is helpful to ask the following questions with each Proverb: 1) How is this principle shown to be true in the rest of Scripture? 2) How is the truth of this proverb illustrated in modern life? These two questions have helped our family delve into hundreds of proverbs. This approach is helpful because the discussion can be adapted to the age of the children, whether they are young or teenagers.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of reading the Proverbs with our family has come from seeing our children grow in wisdom and in stature with God and man. I am not saying that they have arrived at wisdom, I am saying that I have been able to see how God has used His word to convict them of sin and bring them to repentance. He has helped them to see their own tendency to be immature and that has helped give them a desire to grow in spiritual maturity. He has used the book of Proverbs to give them priceless warnings about the dangers of life, so they will be prepared when the difficulties of life and the temptations of the world try to disrupt their path. My prayer is that they would develop a habit of reading the Proverbs that will serve them the rest of their lives.
Proverbs 8:35-36 provides a classic summary for why we should all pursue wisdom, “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
