HOW TO READ PROVERBS – Proverbs 30 – 4-21-24

Providence Community Church

I Kings 3:9-12 documents Solomon’s famous request from God for wisdom to rule the kingdom of Israel after the death of his father David. Recognizing the weight of his calling: “your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or accounted for multitude.” ...and recognizing his own inadequacy: “I am but a little child, I do not know how to go out or come in.“, Solomon beseeched the Lord for anointing to rule. The next chapter records many fruits of Solomon’s answered prayer including: (I Kings 4:29-34) some 3000 proverbs or wise sayings and 1005 songs. Many of these proverbs are preserved in the book of the Bible so named. In this collection largely attributed to king Solomon, the theme of Proverbs is clear. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (worship text), the purpose of the book is also evident from its 1st pages: To provide a handbook for all of life on how to glorify God. The book of Proverbs introduces us to a form/genre of literature less familiar to our modern age, namely: wisdom literature. This genre features several distinctive elements (see handout), among them: practical instructions/observations, clever literary devices, and character types. This 3rd element uses personification to illustrate concepts. This explains why a sermon series on Proverbs might begin with the 2nd to the last chapter (30). Here we read the words of Agur, son of Jakeh. Agur represents the model student of wisdom. His chapter presents a character sketch example for anyone who would seek to benefit from the book. Agur teaches us how to read the proverbs.