Solomon is the writer of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Proverbs is the book on wisdom; Ecclesiastes is the book on folly; Song of Solomon is the book on love. Solomon is an authority on all 3 subjects.
A proverb is a truth couched in a form that is easy to remember, a philosophy based on experience, and a rule for conduct.
Proverbs bear no unscientific statement or inaccurate observation. The Proverbs are on a high moral plane. The Proverbs do not contradict one another, while man’s proverbs are often in opposition to each other. An example would be: “Look before you leap” and “He who hesitates is lost.”
The book of Proverbs is not a hodgepodge of unrelated statements, nor is it a discourse of cabbages and kings (Ecclesiastes 12:9). The book tells a story. It is a picture of a young man starting out in life. His first lesson is given in 1:7. Two schools bid for him and both send their literature. One is the school of Wisdom, the other is the school for fools. Wisdom is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). In chapter 8, the young man goes to the academy of Wisdom where he is taught in proverbs. From chapters 10 through 24, the young man is in the classroom of
Wisdom.
The literary form of these proverbs is mostly in the form of couplets. The two clauses of the couplet are generally related to each other by what has been termed parallelism. There are three kinds of parallelism have been pointed out:
1. Synonymous Parallelism. Here the second clause restates what is given in the first clause. Judgments are prepared for scoffers, and stripes for the back of fools. (Proverbs 19:29)
2. Antithetic (Contrast) Parallelism. Here a truth is stated in the first clause and made stronger in the second clause by contrast with an opposite truth. The light of the righteous rejoiceth, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. (Proverbs 13:9)
3. Synthetic Parallelism. The second clause develops the thought of the first. The fear of a king is like the roaring of a lion; whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. (Proverbs 20:2)
In chapters 1-9, wisdom and folly are contrasted. Chapters 10-24 were written and put in order by Solomon. Hezekiah is the one who ordered Chapters 25-29.
The Bible is about Jesus. If you can’t find Jesus, you probably are not interpreting the passage or book correctly. There are five connections between Proverbs and Jesus.
1. The earthly ministry of Jesus. During his earthly ministry Jesus revealed that he was a man of wisdom. In other words, Jesus lived out and fulfilled the book of Proverbs. He was the wise man par excellence.
2. Jesus is the embodiment and personification of wisdom as the second person of the Trinity
3. The book of Proverbs sets before its reader a choice between two different paths: the path of wisdom and the path of folly. A similar choice arises as a consequence of the gospel. In the New Testament context, the choice is between the wisdom of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and the folly offered by the world (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).
4. The fourth connection between Jesus and the book of Proverbs is that the risen Jesus provides wisdom to his people. For example, during his earthly ministry Jesus promised his disciples that he would give them wisdom after his resurrection, "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict," (Luke 21:15).
5. There is a practical benefit to recognizing that Proverbs speaks of Jesus. Once we recognize that Jesus is the wise man of Proverbs we find a deeper impetus for embracing the life of wisdom outlined in Proverbs.
For we know that when we live wisely according to Proverbs, we are in fact living like Christ.
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