How to Read Proverbs
People love to quote proverbs. Often the express truth about life in an elegant, witty kernel. You’ll find more humour in Proverbs than anywhere else in the Bible.
Yet Proverbs may as well be the most abused books in the Bible. People often quote the proverbs as though they were absolute promises from God or rigid rules for living. In fact, few of the proverbs should be read that way. And some proverbs, read alone, would give you a distorted point of view.
To understand Proverbs, you should no hunt through it for proverbs you like. You should study the whole book to get its overall point of view. This takes time, for Proverbs covers dozens of subjects in subtle detail.
Each oif the more than 500 proverbs is a tough but you have to crack before you get the inner meat. Read Proverbs slowly, but not for too long as one sitting.
Some people like to read a small number of proverbs each day in addition to their regular Bible readings. Others concentrate on memorizing proverbs, so they can run them through their heads as they goon about their day. Whatever technique you use, keep two things in mind: Think carefully about each proverb, and try to put each into the bigger context of the teachings of all of Proverbs. To help you see the total picture of Proverbs’s teaching on some key subjects, ten insights scattered throughout Proverbs briefly introduce ten subjects and list relevant proverbs.
The book of Proverbs is divided into two main parts: an introduction in the first nine chapters and the proverbs themselves in the remaining 22 chapters. If you skip the introduction, you won't understand the point of Proverbs as a book. It introduces “Lady Wisdom,” and explains what she can do for you.
Yet Proverbs may as well be the most abused books in the Bible. People often quote the proverbs as though they were absolute promises from God or rigid rules for living. In fact, few of the proverbs should be read that way. And some proverbs, read alone, would give you a distorted point of view.
To understand Proverbs, you should no hunt through it for proverbs you like. You should study the whole book to get its overall point of view. This takes time, for Proverbs covers dozens of subjects in subtle detail.
Each oif the more than 500 proverbs is a tough but you have to crack before you get the inner meat. Read Proverbs slowly, but not for too long as one sitting.
Some people like to read a small number of proverbs each day in addition to their regular Bible readings. Others concentrate on memorizing proverbs, so they can run them through their heads as they goon about their day. Whatever technique you use, keep two things in mind: Think carefully about each proverb, and try to put each into the bigger context of the teachings of all of Proverbs. To help you see the total picture of Proverbs’s teaching on some key subjects, ten insights scattered throughout Proverbs briefly introduce ten subjects and list relevant proverbs.
The book of Proverbs is divided into two main parts: an introduction in the first nine chapters and the proverbs themselves in the remaining 22 chapters. If you skip the introduction, you won't understand the point of Proverbs as a book. It introduces “Lady Wisdom,” and explains what she can do for you.
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