Proverbs (A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition)
Overview
The primary purpose for the book of Proverbs is to help people become wise through fearing the Lord. This fear is a reverence for God that determines how we live. And this reverence for God should occur because of our relationship with Him. The phrase, "the fear of the Lord," occurs more times in Proverbs than anywhere else in the Old Testament. Through its major parts, through its sections and subsections and through its various authors, Proverbs carries this common theme. We can learn a great deal about human nature from Proverbs. But the observations we read are not intended to provide information alone. They are intended to produce a wise response. Much of Proverbs promises retribution; but the book also reminds us that things are not as simple as they appear, and that life is full of mysteries.
Out of his knowledge of Scriptures, author Stephen J. Lennox presents to us the helpful principles for living found in Proverbs. He shows us that God wants us to meet him in these pages. How can we learn about God? By understanding how he designed this world to operate—both in nature and human interaction—we learn something about the Designer. As we understand God, we find an unchanging moral compass to guide us.
Top Highlights
“‘Fear’ describes not terror, but a reverence for God that determines how one lives. Awe that does not alter behavior is not ‘godly fear.’ The other part of this important phrase, ‘of the Lord,’ describes the object of our fear—the Lord (Yahweh17). That we are instructed to fear the Lord is significant, for this is the name by which God made himself known to the Israelites. To fear the Lord meant showing reverence to this God with whom they had a relationship. A proper understanding of ‘the fear of the Lord’ requires this combination of both reverence and relationship. Without reverence, one loses the proper motivation for obedience. Without relationship, one is too frightened to come to God. When we revere the One whom we know, we begin to become wise (see 1:7).” (Page 15)
“‘Head’ here suggests a fountain from which wisdom flows, a posture that enables true wisdom to be obtained. Only with such fear can the thirst for wisdom be satisfied. This is the only lens through which reality can be seen. While many pursue knowledge as an end in itself, this verse suggests that God designed wisdom as a by-product of our relationship with Him.” (Pages 44–45)
“Reverence for the Lord implies the humility to choose God’s way over our own, thereby shunning evil” (Page 54)
“A third guideline for interpretation is this: Let common sense guide you.” (Page 21)
“A closer look at Proverbs reveals that not all of Solomon’s three thousand proverbs are included, and that Solomon is not responsible for everything contained within these 31 chapters. Anonymous wise men are credited with 22:17 through 24:34, Agur wrote all or part of 30, and King Lemuel gave us 31:1–9 from the mouth of his mother. Nor was Solomon the person who compiled the book into its final form. According to 25:1, the book could not have been arranged until the time of Hezekiah (715–686 b.c.) and may have even changed shape from that time until it reached its present form in about 100 b.c. We would do better to see Solomon as the patron of Proverbs, rather than as its author. He wrote, collected, and inspired this book, which was then credited to him in tribute.” (Page 10)
- Title: Proverbs: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition
- Author: Stephen Lennox
- Series: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition
- Publisher: WPH
- Print Publication Date: 1998
- Logos Release Date: 2009
- Pages: 436
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. O.T. Proverbs › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780898271973, 0898271975
- Resource ID: LLS:WESCOM20PR
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-10-04T17:42:44Z