Why The Proverbs?

“That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” (Pr 22:19-21 AV)

When we teach and preach the book of Proverbs, we often teach it apart from faith.  Or, put another way, we expound the principles of the book of Proverbs as general rules of life meant to protect us and bless us.  Here, Solomon says his reason is to build trust in the LORD.  As his children see the principles play out in life, they can grow in the knowledge there are absolutes set forth by God that do not change.  Their reasoning will lead them to conclude if the principles of practical life as taught by their father’s proverbs are true, then all of the word of God is true.  Life’s experiences are pointing us to faith in the LORD.  This is Solomon’s point here.  As the certainty of the words of truth is proven, the Creator who revealed them all is also made certain.  Then, having realized the nature of truth, the child comes to a conclusion God exists and He can be trusted.  Just as the absolute nature of wisdom can be trusted, so too can the God who is wisdom Himself.  This is the greatest truth of the book of Proverbs.

Learning to drive in inclement weather was an adventure.  I grew up in one of the snowiest areas of the contiguous United States.  I grew up in Western New York.  I grew up where we don’t bother measuring snowfall in inches.  Only feet.  Learning to drive is as much about learning your vehicle’s abilities and limitations as it is the conditions in which you are driving.  Driving a rear-wheel-drive standard transmission quarter ton pick up is much different than driving a full-size station wagon.  There were practical things to consider.  I prefer driving a manual transmission or the new automatic transmission with the ability to downshift than I did the older automatic transmission vehicles.  On slippery conditions, downshifting helps tremendously in coming to a safe stop.  The weight of the vehicle can be a plus or minus depending on the amount of snowfall.  Getting unstuck is always an adventure and a skill one must learn.  At the beginning of my learning curve, it was white knuckles most of the time.  However, as I gained more experience, I learned to trust the vehicle and what it was capable of doing.  Learning the practical aspects of one’s journey goes a long way in trusting the means of getting there.

Solomon desires for his children to have the most blessed life possible.  That would depend on the choices they make.  However, as his next book will try to teach, even if we do everything right, if there is no relationship with God, then it is still pointless.  Wisdom is for our benefit.  Wisdom is truth applied.  Because God is truth, one cannot escape the conclusion that learning and applying truth in the form of wisdom naturally results in a relationship with God based on reasoned faith.  This is the great lesson of the book of Proverbs.  It is not enough to make good choices if those good choices don’t also result in increased faith.  Like learning to drive in inclement weather, once a set of circumstances is mastered, another comes along.  One must learn to trust what one has experienced and apply more wisdom.  God gives wisdom.  Not so that we can hoard it and enjoy life to its fullest.  Rather, so that we can grow and learn to trust in more truth.  Or better yet, learn to trust in the God of truth.