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Apple PodcastsLSFAB0151: Proverbs 1
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Executive Producer
This episode is brought to you in part by Executive Producer, John Anonymous.
Today’s Bible Translation
Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1 ERV
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Thoughts
One of my good friends is a fellow by the name of Ron Ploof. Ron is a guy with many talents, but his passion is story telling. As a matter of fact, he created one of the the first story telling podcasts. It’s called Griddlecakes Radio in case you’re interested. I recommend it highly.
Ron wrote a book not long ago called the Proverb Effect. I’m going to steal a bit from the description of his book on Amazon. (If you’re someone who speaks in front of people, you should check it out.)
What do the following statements have in common?
- Slow and steady wins the race (Aesop, ~550 BC)
- Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today (Chaucer, late 1300s)
- Stupid is as stupid does (Gump, 1994)
They’re all proverbs—the ultimate long-stories short that convey more meaning than the words used to construct them. They’re universally human, independent of time, culture, and language. They’re policies for making better life decisions, passed from the experienced to the inexperienced. And while it’s tempting to dismiss them as droll or trite, doing so just underestimates the roles they play in both human understanding and teaching.
Of course, we know that proverbs have been around for thousands of years, which is a testament to their effectiveness. I am very much looking forward to sharing the book of Proverbs with you.
The book of Proverbs in the Bible was written by King David’s son, Solomon. Solomon is commonly thought of as the wisest man, and the richest man who ever lived. His wisdom was a gift given to him by God as a result of the prayer he made upon his ascension to the throne at the death of his father, David. Instead of asking for wealth or victory over his enemies, or power, he prayed a simple prayer asking for wisdom to lead God’s people. God was so pleased by Solomon’s prayer that He not only granted him great wisdom, but He gave Solomon the things he could have asked for but didn’t.
The book of Proverbs is primarily a collection of short, often just single sentence teachings, or nuggets of truth. They are thoughts and ideas that God revealed to Solomon. Remember, it has long been the belief by orthodox Christianity that the Bible was written by men as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. So these are not merely the thoughts of a wise man, but they are from the mind of God Himself.
The first chapter’s introduction tells us that these proverbs will benefit anyone who heeds their teachings, and anyone who does not is a fool who will come to destruction. It tells us that we will learn wisdom if we put them into practice in our own lives.
It also introduces a character who will be recurring throughout the book. And that is the personification of wisdom as a woman. In verse 20 we see Wisdom shouting in the streets and marketplace, chiding those who refuse to listen to her teaching and encouraging those who will, to listen.
Much of the teaching is directed at one of Solomon’s sons, so the teaching is especially applicable to a young person just starting out in life, but the lessons (as noted earlier) are good for everyone.