I was never the biggest fan of the book of Proverbs. The 31 chapters packed full of aphorisms felt a little too self-helpy for my taste. I struggled with what felt like the lack of grace in the book, the apparent void of the need of the redeeming work of Christ. I was challenged by the fact that it felt like there wasn’t enough nuance. I found myself scratching my head in response to verses like “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Prov 10:4), and asking, “But what about the diligent born in Venezuela?”[i]
But now I get it!
As so often happens, when you’re forced to sit in a book in prayer, the book comes to life in fresh ways. We’ve had the gift of preaching through the book of Proverbs over the past month. You can check out the series here, if you want to follow our journey through the book of Proverbs. I’ve felt the book coming to life in ways I never have before.
I want to proclaim the joy and power of Proverbs from the rooftops. Who doesn’t want to be wise? I long for wisdom, and Proverbs has made me thirst for wisdom and the author of wisdom all the more.
If you long for wisdom, I encourage you to sink your teeth into Proverbs. If, like me, you need some companions along the way to help you appreciate the book more, I encourage you to check out these two great introductions to the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs: Pathways to Wisdom by Dominick Hernandez
The book of Proverbs can be challenging for all sorts of reasons. First, most of us don’t often read wisdom books. Outside of “quote for the day” calendars, wisdom books are not published much. Proverbs has the additional challenge that the book can feel disconnected from the challenges of suffering and perhaps even divorced from the work of Christ. Is Proverbs nothing more than an ancient self-help book?
In Proverbs: Pathways to Wisdom Dominick Hernandez brings the book of Proverbs to life. Hernandez argues that “’Hearing’ is one of the primary ways in which learning correct information is described in Proverbs.” In Proverbs, “the wise hear with their eyes. The eyes guide the readers on their pathway to increasingly attaining more wisdom…” This hearing only comes from a posture of humility.
From this posture of humility comes the fear of the Lord, another “corner piece” of the book of Proverbs. Choosing the path of wisdom means fleeing the pathway of our own desires.
The book of Proverbs fleshes out what the pathway of wisdom and the fear of the Lord looks like. It looks like turning from pride and anger. It looks like controlling one’s tongue. It looks like honoring one’s parents. It looks like disciplining one’s children. It looks like working hard and making an honest living. It looks like caring for the poor.
All of this culminates in Proverbs 31, where we meet the “warrior woman” (Hernandez’s translation of the phrase often translated “the virtuous woman.” This woman represents what a life following the pathway of wisdom looks like in the flesh.
Hernandez concludes with a final chapter asking the question: but what if the Proverbs don’t work? Hernandez masterfully examines how the book answers the question itself. The answer is here: “Proverbs is just as clear in asserting that the all-knowing Lord, who desires all to walk in the way to wisdom, is ultimately in control of all pathways to wisdom.” The Proverbs teaches us to trust our Heavenly Father who loves us and is working to shape our character and for his good.
I commend Proverbs: Pathways to Wisdom to you. I don’t know of a clearer explanation of the themes of Proverbs. Hernandez fills his book with Proverbs themselves (he doesn’t just talk about Proverbs), and he brings clarity to a reader of any level. Hernandez brings the book to life with anecdotes of his own life and writes in a winsome and easy-to-understand way. I hope this book is widely used by churches for series and book studies on Proverbs and by many colleges as well. It’s the perfect introduction to a deep well. Pick it up!
How to Read Proverbs by Tremper Longman III
I'm a big fan of Tremper Longman III. Longman manages to communicate nuanced academic material in a very accessible way. How to Read Proverbs is an excellent introduction to the book of Proverbs.
Longman breaks up How to Read Proverbs into three sections: 1) Understanding Proverbs; 2) Reading Proverbs in Context; 3) Following the Themes in Proverbs. If you're expecting Longman to give you a verse-by-verse exposition of Proverbs or even delve into all of the themes, this isn't the book for you. Two-thirds of the book is devoted to clarifying what Proverbs are, comparing the book to other ancient collections of proverbs, and comparing the book to other biblical wisdom.
Longman is very successful with his objective. Longman does a masterful job of framing what Proverbs are, clarifying the central intent of the book, and putting the book in its context. If you want to dig into the text itself, I would point you to Hernandez’s book first.
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[i] The answer to this question is found in Proverbs’s perspective, which doesn’t seek to address all circumstances, but rather speaks of what generally happens in most circumstances. The book is meant to be read in the context of other wisdom literature (such as Job) and the canon as a whole.