An Outline of the Book of Proverbs for Personal Study or as A Teaching Guide.

 

The book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings and maxims dating from various periods of the history of Israel and originating from various life settings from the family to the royal court and formally organized during the monarchy. Although the book of Proverbs is intimately linked to Solomon (1:1), the book itself indicates that many of these collections came from a variety of authors or compilors (“Words of Wise Men”: 22:17-24:34; “Words of Agur”: 30:1-33; “Words of King Lemuel”: 31:1-9).While the apparent disconnectedness of many of the proverbs may lead some to believe that there is no overall agenda, nothing could be further from the truth. Proverbs, faithful to the Wisdom tradition it represents, evokes life in all of its dimensions. The book targets an audience that has much in common with our contemporaries.

 

Many observers claim that we are entering into what is called the “post-modern age,” i.e., an age characterized by the rejection of the old absolutes and the absence of consensus, particularly as it relates to metaphysical categories--morality, religion, and meaning.

 

I believe Hebrew wisdom literature can make a very significant contribution to the understanding of the Christian faith for our contemporaries.

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The reason is simple: The Wisdom books are specifically designed to address an audience which is faced with options, but will not accept to be coerced by tradition. The Wisdom writers thus do not dictate a point of view, but simply ask that their perspective on faith receive a fair hearing. To such an audience, then, the wise do not propose dogma, but extend an invitation to consider what gives true significance to human life from a perspective of faith.

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