WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

PREACHING
PROVERBS

DAN PHILLIPS

ADAPTED FROM GODS WISDOM IN PROVERBS

Introduction

The primary audience is pastors and others involved in teaching or leading

church Bible studies and fellowship groups. However, anyone involved in personal study, or in leading their children through Proverbs, should find helpful
guidelines here as well.
I can only be brief and suggestive in dipping into a topic that itself would warrant part or all of the main body of a book. We shall consider some guiding
principles in approaching Proverbs in a teaching/preaching context, as well as
various ways of approaching the text.

Proceed with Caution:

4 Things to Remember

1) PROVERBS IS THE WORD OF GOD

When our Lord asserted that Scripture could not be broken (John 10:35), He
meant all of the Old Testament, and each part of the Old Testament. He meant
Proverbs, as well as every other portion. And so, Christs authorized representatives were guided by the Holy Spirit to quote from Proverbs, as we see when
we compare the following:
Proverbs 3:1112 with Hebrews 12:56.
Proverbs 3:34 with James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5.
Proverbs 11:31 with 1 Peter 4:18.
Proverbs 25:2122 with Romans 12:20.
Proverbs 26:11 with 2 Peter 2:22.
This being the case, we must treat Proverbs with as much reverence as any
other portion of Scripture. It is not a mere book of maxims, such as portions of
Readers Digest or popular books of daily advice. Nor is Proverbs a collection of
human-viewpoint, experiential observations. It is Gods Word to us, written by
authors who were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).
Further, we must treat what Proverbs says about itself as befits a revelation
of God. A student of Christ is not free to wave aside what the text of Proverbs
says about its own composition, formation, and meaning. Rather, all those revealed and inscripturated facts are determinative for us.
An additional implication is that we mustnt dismiss any proverb as banal or

trivial. Or, to put it positively, we must approach each verse with the conviction that it brims with revelation from Gods heart to ours. When we approach
the text itself in the fear of Yahweh (Prov. 1:7; 9:10; 31:30), we embrace the
stance of students, not critics. If the text seems shallow or banal, what that
means is that we have missed something. We must allow the text to challenge
us, and never the reverse.

2) PROVERBS HAS A PARTICULAR LOCATION IN THE WORD OF

GOD
As we read in Hebrews 1:1, God spoke of old in many portions ...to the fathers
in the prophets (DJP, emphasis added). Revelation unfolds, it develops not,
to be sure, in Gods mind, to which all truth is simultaneously and intuitively
apparent; but to our minds. God did not explain baptism nor church order to
Adam... or, for that matter, to Abraham, or to Moses, or to Isaiah, or to Malachi. God unfolded His plan and His revelation stage by stage.
Our reading, preaching and teaching of the Word must respect that order. We
must treat each portion of revelation as appropriate to the stage in which God
set it. While (as I will argue in a moment) we mustnt forget later revelation,
equally we must not try to jam Solomon into a Christian church pew or pulpit.
The wise king lived under the law of Moses, in the context of its rules and rituals, its promises and threats. We should teach his proverbs in such a way that
Solomon would own the gist of what we say. If an English-speaking Solomon
were forced to exclaim, I have no idea how you got that out of what I wrote,
then we have misunderstood him.
And if we have misunderstood Solomon, we have misunderstood God.

3) PROVERBS HAS A PARTICULAR SHAPE IN THE WORD OF

GOD
Again, Hebrews 1:1 tells us that God spoke of old ...in many manners to the
fathers in the prophets (Heb. 1:1 DJP, emphasis added). Scripture is not all
stories, nor all sermons, nor all correspondence. It is not uniformly prose or
poetry. As there are many kinds of flowers and birds, God laid open His heart
through many styles of literature. We must recognize, understand and respect
the significance of the shapes and forms He chose to use.
Proverbs was crafted in a distinctive genre by design. To ignore that fact and

its implications is to fail to show sufficient respect to God, whose Spirit moved
Solomon to select proverbic poetry over all the other colors available on his
palette.
We should never forget this significance in our own study and preparation.
But that is not all. Our audience most likely is not at all aware of the specific
shape of Hebrew poetry in general, or of proverbs in particular. We must labor
to ensure that they know what they are reading and hearing, so that they can
receive this portion of revelation as God intended.

4) PROVERBS MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN LIGHT OF THE

WHOLE WORD OF GOD
While Solomon had no idea what Jesus would preach, or what Paul would
write, God did have that knowledge.
To see Proverbs in a larger portrait, is simply to apply what Christ taught.
Schooled by Christ, we expect to find all of Scripture pointing to Him in some
way or other (Luke 24:27, 4447). When Paul said that the sacred writings
had abiding power to make wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15), Proverbs would
have been part of his referent.
This understanding bars us from isolating any proverb from the whole, and
finding teachings at variance with the whole. Too many Christians have taught
Proverbs as if it were a moralistic collection of ethical maxims or spiritual
rules, by the keeping of which we can please God and secure a successful life
(i.e., a life that goes the way we want it to). We can be rich, well-respected, and
healthy and have terrific kids!if we only work the formula correctly.
Such a message not only is untrue to the genre and content of Proverbs, but it
would jar hopelessly with the whole of Scripture, and with the truth as it is in
Jesus.

The Challenge of
Teaching Proverbs

As I explain in detail in my book, Gods Wisdom in Proverbs, No master-outline of Proverbs has convinced me, beyond this rudimentary skeleton:
1. Introduction and Motto (Prov. 1:17)
2. Proverb Discourses (Prov. 1:79:18)
3. Classic Proverbs (Prov. 1029)
4. Guest Appendices (Prov. 3031)
Such an outline, I understand, is hardly a preachers delight! The divisions do
not start with the same letter, and they are hopelessly lopsided. The first is but
seven verses long, followed by nearly nine full chapters, followed by twenty full
chapters, followed by two.
Of course it would be readily possible to make further subdivisions. Clearly,
the discourses of the opening chapters subdivide into distinct sections, such as
1:819, 2033, and so forth. But even within that section, there is no full unanimity among students of Proverbs as to where the divisions fall. The preacher
must study and decide for himself.
Then when one reaches the tenth through twenty-ninth chapters, however,
one abandons all hope of structure. It is, as Ive said, possible to find groupings
within those chapters, but they are only such as can be explained by association in Solomons mind. There is no grand outline, however, tracing a flow of
thought through every verse from the first to the last.

This presents anyone with a challenge. It means that the vast bulk of the book
defies division.
How does one approach it?
How can one break it down into preachable sections?
Must one envision hundreds of sermons, devoted to a verse at a time?
What do we find?
The answer is that, for the most part, one finds that Proverbs simply is not
preached, not fully. It may well be that Proverbs is one of the least-preached
books in the Canonor, to be more precise, one of the least preached-through
books.
While understandable, this isnt preferable, given that Proverbs no less than
Romans is part of that whole of Scripture, which is God-breathed and profitable (2 Tim. 3:1617).
So how do we do it? In the remaining section I will suggest several approaches
to Proverbs that will allow the teacher in Christs church to expose believers to
the wisdom of God in Proverbs.

Approaches to
Teaching Proverbs
1) OVERVIEW APPROACH
It is hard for me to imagine teaching Proverbs in less than one class, unless
one were conducting a whirlwind Old Testament Survey serieswhich Ive
done. It would be possible, however, to teach Proverbs in overview, offering
just enough to get folks feet wet in the book, and spark their own individual
studies. One might sketch out a three-part series at minimum, thus:
Introduction to Proverbs: This would cover authorship and date, principles
for reading and understanding Hebrew poetry in general and Proverbs in particular, and a survey of major kinds of proverbs (evaluation, etc.). I cover these
introductory issues extensively in Gods Wisdom in Proverbs.
The fear of Yahweh: Rooting the concept in the entire Bible, and showing
how the concept frames the entire book (1:7; 31:30).
Selected subject studies: One could isolate the use of the tongue, marriage,
or work. Survey the texts, show how to combine them to form a fuller picture.

2) SUBJECT STUDIES APPROACH

With each of these major approaches, there will be repetition. But if one
planned an extended series in Proverbs, he could select as many subjects as
he wished, and develop them as fully as he thought profitable. Ive listed seven
examples here. Refer to Gods Wisdom in Proverbs for a full treament of each
of these themes.
Who wrote Proverbs? Introduce Solomon and expound Gods gift of wisdom.

Show how that wisdom blessed the kingdom he ruled, in practical ways. Expose how Solomons wisdom failed him, and suggest its recovery in Ecclesiastes. Tie all this into the text of Proverbs.
The fear of Yahweh: its OT background. Trace the many passages dealing
with the fear of Yahweh in the Old Testament. Take time to show the doctrinal, religious, and intellectual meaning and implications of this central Biblical theme.
The fear of Yahweh in Proverbs and beyond: Show how this concept
frames the entire book (1:7; 31:30). Discuss what this means for the interpretation of the book. Then go into the New Testament to demonstrate its abiding
relevance to believers today.
Marriage: its meaning, potential, and hazards. Develop the proverbs that
warn of adultery and, in the process, define marriage. Lift out the blessed life
of the woman of strength in Proverbs 31:1031. Warn against the miseries of
life with the foolish wife.
Mate-selection in Proverbs: Sketch out the foolish man and woman, and
apply the lesson to principles for evaluating prospective spouses.
Gods will in Proverbs: Show Gods sovereign control over everything, and
His intent that we make our decisions freely, wisely, and responsibly within
the bounds of His Word.
Labor and employment in Proverbs: Ground this in Genesis 1 and 3, and
show Solomons championing of hard work, discipline, and excellence.

Obviously, many other topics could be singled out and opened up. See the introductory section of Derek Kidners commentary (3156), the appendix to
Longmans commentary (549578), or the topical index in Ross commentary
(897903).

3) WHOLE BOOK APPROACH

Of course, this is a challenging approach. But done rightly, it could be a gateway to all of Scripture.
I would recommend always starting with introductory classes, dealing with

authorship, poetry, principles of interpreting proverbs. Then simply dig into

the text and dont come up until youve called for the excellent womans works
to praise her in the gates.
A mens fellowship I participated in once took the approach of going through a
chapter a week, with a different man leading each time. Many of those attending were avid Bible students, and most weeks were rich times of fellowship and
learning. I still carry marginal notes in my Bible program, sharp observations
from laymen, taken from this class.
This approach could work with single or multiple teachers. One could set a goal
of a chapter a week and hit the highlights. Alternately, it would be possible to
touch lightly on some verses, but camp on others.
If one were not afraid of a very, very long series, approach it this way:
1. Chapters 19: find the divisions that convince you, using the text and the
commentaries, and teach each discourse as a single class.
2. Chapters 1030: Do a verse or (if you see a theme) a collection of verses
each class. Tie them in with all of Scripture. Charles Bridges commentary will
help particularly in finding illustrations in Scripture. In this way, Proverbs
could serve as a sort of catalog for the whole Canon.

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How does Proverbs

legitimately point to Christ?

Many fault a certain approach to Proverbs as differing in no way from Jewish exposition. A rabbi could teach it that way, is the criticism. Since Jesus
showed that all Scripture points to Him (Luke 24:27, 4447), many preachers
feel driven to find Him everywhere, and to distinguish their preaching from
rabbinic instruction.
Is this valid?
No, and yes.
It would be illegitimate to force Christ into the text in any way not intended
by God. How do we know what God intended? By the words, grammatically, in
their context. What the authors meant is what God meant.
However, at the same time we mustnt forget the end of the story. Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets in His person and work (Matt. 5:17). He is the
culmination of the law (Rom. 10:4).
So Proverbs does legitimately point us to Christ. But how? The answer to that
could fill a book itself. Let me just suggest a few ways:

1. CHRIST IS THE WISDOM OF GOD (1 COR. 1:24, 30)

In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and understanding (Col. 2:3).
Thus, only Christ embodies the ideal of the Wise Man of Proverbs. Otherwise,
they really are either banal maxims or unattainable ideals. Solomons words,
taken to their fullest meaning (as we do with the royal Psalms), form a glorious portrait, pointing us to the excellence of Christ. Only Jesus could perfectly
balance Proverbs virtues-in-tension, knowing (for instance) to be abrupt with

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the Rich Young Ruler, teasing with the Canaanite mother, and persistently
patient with the Samaritan woman. We would have been lost at sea.

2. CHRIST IS THE WAY (JOHN 14:6) AND THE LIFE LIVED IN BELIEVING UNION WITH HIM IS THE WAY (ACTS 9:2; 19:9, 23;
22:4; 24:14, 22).
Proverbs constantly confronts us with two ways: the ways of wisdom and of
folly, of death and of life, of cursing and of blessing, of joy and of sorrow. Taken
in isolation, one might suppose that Solomon was a moralist, urging readers
to cherish values and build a life on them. However, he tells us at the outset
that everything hinges on fear of Yahweh (1:7), which he (or the final editor)
reminds us of as we walk out the door (31:30). As I wrote in Gods Wisdom
in Proverbs this fear of Yahweh is a contentful relationship. That relationship comes to full fruition in the incarnation of Yahweh in the person of Jesus
Christ, who embodies both the way and those values which characterize it,
such as truth and life (John 14:6). In this way, Proverbs points us to Christ,
the very embodiment of the way of God, of wisdom, of life, of truth, of blessing
and joy.

3. THE WISE AND UPRIGHT LIFE IN ITS PERFECTION IS UNATTAINABLE BY US BECAUSE, AS SOLOMON SAYS, THERE IS
NO ONE WHO DOES NOT SIN (1 KINGS 8:46).
Taken as an expression of Gods holy and lofty standards, the dictums and
principles of Proverbs stand over against us, and they condemn us. We need
more than sage advice and pithy observations. We need atonement, we need
forgiveness, we need reconciliation with God, we need a wisdom and a righteousness we do not natively possess. We need a Savior. And so in this way, as
with the Law of Moses, Proverbs points us to our need of Christ as our Savior.

4. CHRIST IS THE VINDICATION OF GODS JUSTICE (DAN. 7:13

14, 22; JOHN 5:22; ROM. 3:26).
There is a tension throughout Proverbs, though it mostly simmers beneath
the surface. By literary definition, generally speaking the proverbs depict reality as black and white: there are wise people and fools; there are righteous
people and wicked. The wise/righteous are blessed, the fools/wicked are cursed.
However, none of this is universally true in the strict sense. By that, I mean
no man in himself is perfectly righteous, and godly behavior is not always

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instantly and pleasantly rewarded. All of this ultimately is squared away in

Christ, whose perfect righteousness is imputed to believers, who will perfectly
and finally judge the living and the dead, and who will usher in a new world
in which righteousness will be at home, justice will rule, and the knowledge
of God will fill the earth as water fills the seas (Isa. 11:9; 2 Tim. 4:1; 2 Peter
3:13; Rev. 2022). All the tensions in proverbs are fully and finally resolved in
Christ, and in Christ alone.

5. BOTH CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES CALL CONVERTED BELIEVERS TO BE WISE AS SERPENTS (MATT. 10:16), AND TO
WALK IN A WISE MANNER (EPH. 5:15; COL. 4:5).
But what is wisdom? What is it to be a wise Christian? What is it, more specifically, to be a wise Christian husband, wife, father, child, employee, employer,
citizen? Where can a Christian find details, principles, directions, instruction?
We find this instruction in the Bible of Christ and the apostles: in the book of
Proverbs.

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ADAPTED FROM

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