SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
12/26/2012 5:07 PM
My Worship Time Focus: More Intro.
On Proverbs.
Bible Reading & Mediation Reference: Various Proverbs Verses
Message of the
verses: We will look at the second
part of “Who Wrote the Book of Proverbs and How is it Written?”
Here is what my
Hebrew/English dictionary says in reference to the word proverb which is seen
in the very first verse of the book of Proverbs: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David,
king of Israel.” Here is the definition
of the word “proverbs” “04912 לשׁמ mashal maw-shawl’
apparently from 04910 in some original sense of
superiority in mental action; n m; {See TWOT on 1258 @@ "1258a" }
AV-proverb 19, parable 18, byword 1, like 1; 39
1) proverb, parable
1a) proverb, proverbial saying, aphorism
1b) byword
1c) similitude, parable
1d) poem
1e) sentences of ethical wisdom,
ethical maxims
There have been different books
written by humans that contain what we would call proverbs, but the book of
Proverbs in the Bible has been inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and because
of that this book is part of the divine revelation and it relates the concerns
of human life to God and the eternal.
The book of proverbs is quoted in the New Testament and therefore it
makes it practical to us in the Church age.
Paul writes to Timothy with these words, “All Scripture is inspired by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work (2Tim. 3:16).” Paul writes four
ways in which the Word of God is profitable in verse sixteen and all of those
ways are found in the book of Proverbs. Dr. Wiersbe writes, “These proverbs
rebuke and reprove sinners for their lying, laziness, drunkenness, sexual sins,
and other personal failures. But
Proverbs doesn’t stop with conviction; the book also administers correction,
telling us how to turn from sin and men our ways. It shows us how to stay on the path of wisdom
and not to stray.”
I have heard this before and
practiced it before also, and that is that there are thirty-one chapters in the
book of Proverbs and that means that one can read one chapter a day and get
through it in a month, and then begin the next month doing the same thing.
Question: Why did Solomon use proverbs and not some
other kind of literary approach as he recorded these divine truths? Things were much different when Solomon was
alive than they are today, and one of the things that was different was that
common people did not have the Word of God in their homes like we do
today. Every year the Bible is the
number one printed book and now we can have it on computers, cell phones,
I-pads, IPods, and other digital devices.
Solomon wrote these words in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before
destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.” A person can easily memorize this verse and
learn a lot about pride. Dr. Wiersbe writes “Believers who learn the key
proverbs in this book will have at their disposal the wisdom they need of making right decisions day after
day. The truths found in Proverbs touch
upon every important area of human life, such as acquiring and using wealth,
making and keeping friends, building a happy home, avoiding temptations and
trouble, controlling our feelings, disciplining the tongue, and building godly
character.”
We will and look at the “Analysis:” As one reads through the book of Proverbs one
may wonder why it was not written in some sort of topical fashion in order for
us to more easily find out what we need to know? Derek Kidner writes, “The book of Proverbs is
no anthology, but a course of education in the life of wisdom.” This is one of the benefits of reading a
chapter of Proverbs each day so that the Holy Spirit has the freedom to teach
us about the many subjects that are found in the book. When you think about it the Bible is not
arranged like a systematic theology and so neither is the book of
Proverbs. Proverbs could be described as
a kaleidoscope and not a stain glassed window.
Dr. Wiersbe writes, “The first nine
chapters of Proverbs form a unit in which the emphasis is on ‘wisdom’ and
‘folly,’ personified as two women. (The
Hebrew word for wisdom is in the feminine gender.) In chapters 1, 8, and 9 Wisdom calls to men
and women to follow her and enjoy salvation, wealth, and life. In chapters 5, 6, and 7, Folly calls to the
same people and offers them immediate satisfaction, but doesn’t warn them of
the tragic consequences of rejection Wisdom:
condemnation, poverty, and death.
Chapters 10-15 form the next unit and present a series of contrasts between the life of wisdom and
the life of folly. The closing chapters
of the book 16-31 contain a variety of proverbs that give us counsel about many important areas of
life.”
He goes on to state, “As you survey
Solomon’s approach, you can see how wise God was in arranging the book this
way. Wisdom isn’t some abstract treasure
that’s so far away we can’t grasp it.
Through His Word and by His Spirit, God is every day calling us to the
life of wisdom. If we want to live
wisely, we must begin with commitment to
Jesus Christ, who is ‘the wisdom of God’ (1Cor. 1:30). Wisdom and Folly each want to control our
lives, and we must make the choice.
“After we have committed ourselves to
the Lord and His wisdom, we must recognize that there are consequences to the
decisions we make. The proverbs in
chapters 10-15 depict so vividly the contrasts that exist between the life of
wisdom and the life of folly, between faith and unbelief, obedience and
disobedience. We can’t compromise and
expect God to bless. The final section
of the book (chapters 16-31) contains the further counsels we need for
developing spiritual discernment and making wise decisions.”
On more through about how this book
is written and that is it is written in Hebrew Poetry and when we began the
book of Psalms we did learn something about Hebrew Poetry. The following quote comes from my Spiritual
Diary from December 10, 2011: ““Hebrew poetry is based on ‘thought lines’ and not
rhymes. If the second line repeats the
first line in different words, as in Psalm 24:1-3 (“The earth is the LORD’S,
and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas And
established it upon the rivers.3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And
who may stand in His holy place?”) If
the second line contrasts with the first, as in Psalm 1:6 (“For the LORD knows
the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”) and also
Psalm 37:9, it is antithetic parallelism. Psalm 19:7-9 (“7 ¶ The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the
soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple 8 The
precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the
LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous
altogether.”) But when the second line completes the first, it is climatic parallelism (Psalm 29:1
“Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and
strength.”). With iterative parallelism, the second line repeats the thought of the
first as seen in Psalm 93, and in alternate
parallelism, the lines carry the same thought as in (Psalm 103:8-13 “8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow
to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. 9
He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to
our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the
earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far
has He removed our transgressions from us. 13
Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has
compassion on those who fear Him.”). You
don’t bring these technical terms into the pulpit, but knowing what they mean
can give you great help when you study.
To interpret Psalm 103:3 “3 Who
pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;” as God’s promise to
heal every sickness is to ignore the synonymous parallelism of the verse: the forgiveness of sins is like the healing
of disease (see Psalm 41:4). “4 As for
me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned
against You.’”
12/26/2012 6:13 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment