VII.
The Purpose of Proverbs
D.
An In-Depth Exegesis of () Will Give Us a Summary By Which We Can Understand the Purpose of the Book.
1.
We are told that by reading this book we are to know wisdom and instruction. Cont.
c.
Hókmah means to have a skill. It is to have a skill, which you are able to perform by yourself (without any supporting tools ). Hóchmah is used of the tailor in () . Garments were to be woven . God selected certain individuals to perform these tasks and gave them a special wisdom (hóchmah). Now the tailor could go and get flax, spin linen from it, make broadcloth, and from the broadcloth, measure, sew and cut a beautiful garment . After the garment was made, he could find berries and roots, then dye it, and tailor it to fit. The result was Aaron’s high-priestly garment , called an ephod. One individual with hóchmah produced the ephod. Others with hochmah
2.
As we live our lives by the book of Proverbs, we look back on our life when it is completed and see it as a beautiful garment , woven day by day because of our personal relationship with God, whom we see with awe and reverence, based on these principles of wise, skillful living.
VIII.
The Addressees of Proverbs
A.
The Frequent Occurrence of the Address: “My Son” and “My Sons”
a.
( ) Fifteen times in Book 1 and once each in Books 2 and 4 by Solomon.
b.
(; ) Five times in the sayings by the wise men.
c.
() Once by King Lemuel’s mother.
a.
(; ; ; ) Four times by Solomon in Book 1
B.
These Verses with “My Son(s)” Were Addressed by Solomon Either to:
1.
His students or sons and other students in his royal court
a.
Favoring the school environment view is the fact that male learners were sometimes called “ sons ” of their instructors.
b.
(; ; ) Favoring the home environment view is the fact that instruction was given by mothers as well as fathers .
c.
It appears that Solomon was focusing this training on his successor and other princes. Frequently he mentioned things his successor needed to know. Rehoboam, the crown prince, would have been one of his students.
C.
Proverbs Is a Textbook for Students of Solomon, the Queen Mother, and the Wise Men.
IX.
Proverbs As a Ruler’s Manual
A.
Proverbs Is a Ruler’s Manual from God.
1.
It contains a series of lessons (Books 1-3 and 5) from a king to his sons .
2.
It is a ruler’s manual (king to princes). The king passes on the rules for good leadership and wisdom to his sons, one who will rule in his stead.
B.
We Need to Read This Book and It Needs to Become Part of Our Lives.
1.
Because we may experience the Second Advent of Christ to earth, which ends the history of the world.
2.
Because if we have any leadership role as Christians, then we must study leadership principles in the book of Proverbs to be leaders with divine wisdom. Read Supplementary Text: (#7)
Proverbs Topics
I.
The Book of Proverbs Is a Topic Book.
A.
Its Topics Include: Mocker, Friend, Fool, Quarreling, Pride, Laziness, Gossip, Among Others . We will look at many topics because this is a major part of the book of Proverbs. 71% of Proverbs deals with topics comparing fools and the wise or single statements of prescribed conduct (antithetic and synonymous parallelism).
1.
With the aid of a concordance, we need to isolate each topic in Proverbs, look up Scripture references on each. Then we need to study each reference in a Bible dictionary, organizing all references in Proverbs by their topics.
2.
In this way, we learn what God wants us to know about each topic. We avoid sinful behavior and practice righteous behavior .
II.
The Topic of the Fool (Called “Simple,” “Fool,” and “Scoffer”), a Sinner We get many different features in this topic about unbelievers.
A.
The Simple (One Who Is Gullible, Silly, and Easily Led)
1.
( popular . Anyone you know who takes his moral and ethical bearings from what is popular, not what is right?
2.
( complacent .
3.
( prudent behavior. It doesn’t mean he will practice it.
4.
( foolish behavior.
a.
Folly is fun to him ( vanities (). Nothing is better for him than to waste time.
5.
() Chapter 7 pictures him aimless , inexperienced, drifting into moral temptation. A naïve youth seeks to please self.
6.
() He prefers not to accept discipline in the school of wisdom.
B.
The Fool (Three Hebrew Words Are Translated “Fool”):
1.
One meaning dull and obstinate (occurs 50 times): This occurs more than any other word for “fool.” This is what we often think of when we consider this word.
a.
( fantasies .
b.
( wisdom . He wants to make good money but do so with as little effort as possible.
c.
He laps up his opinions without reflection (
d.
((outwardly wise) remarks are either useless or damaging to himself and others. and 9 are emblematic parallelism (statement/emblem [picture word or words])
e.
( mistake if anyone rebukes him.
f.
( vomit .
g.
( ruin .
h.
( fear the Lord.
i.
( wastes your time. When a fool does his best, he wastes time.
j.
( folly .
k.
( evil behavior. Criminals are fools.
l.
He likes to start a quarrel ( add fuel to it (Interpersonal relationships mean nothing to a fool.
m.
( harmed .
n.
( futility .
o.
To his parents, he brings sorrow (; ), bitterness (), and calamity (
p.
( despises his mother’s advice.
2.
One meaning stupidity and stubbornness (13 times) #2 in the “fool” hit parade.
a.
( wisdom .
b.
He knows no restraint ( temper (; ) .
c.
( despises (intense dislike and contempt) wisdom and discipline.
d.
( mocks the confession ever of his misdeeds.
e.
His folly, unless knocked out of him as a child ( always be part of him (
3.
One meaning boorish (occurs 3 times only) “Boorish” means “ rudeness of manner due to insensitivity to the feelings of others and unwillingness to be agreeable.”
a.
( unpleasant ; however, he is not arrogant.
b.
() He exalts himself, not God. Read Supplementary Text: (#8)
C.
The Scoffer (He makes 17 appearances in the book, and is either contrasted with the wise or coupled with the foolish.) This person is a critic of God.
1.
(; ) He, like the simple and fool, has no liking for discipline ; in fact, he absolutely resents it.
2.
( eludes him.
3.
( ) He is a deliberate troublemaker and stirs up dissension.
4.
(; ) He learns prudence, but doesn’t practice what he learns, after mockers are publicly punished.
5.
() His schemes are sinful .
6.
( contempt to him).
III.
The Topic of Laziness
A.
The Lazy Person (Sluggard)’s Character
1.
He will not begin things. When asked (), “How long?” or “When?” he doesn’t know. All he knows is his delicious drowsiness. By inches and minutes, his opportunities slip away. Read Supplementary Text: (#9)