Unlocking The Old Testament

Proverbs 1

David Pawson says, when you first read the book of Proverbs, it seems to be a jumble of folk sayings or just common sense - except that sense isn’t all that common. Solomon collected most of the proverbs, some of them Arabic and some Egyptian which he put in a context of God, as well as many he wrote himself. They don’t deal with spirituality, but they focus on day to day life and many of them are still used today though people often don’t realize where they originated. The key to reading these proverbs is to recognize yourself in them. The book is really saying godliness is worked out in real life – it’s not just something you do on Sundays in church. As David Pawson says, there is nothing secular except sin in God’s sight. Every job is sacred to God whether you’re a computer operator, taxi driver or preacher. David sees this book as ‘the key to the good life’. The Bible talks about the good life in moral terms rather than material terms. Proverbs is about what we are saved for, not what we are saved by. Salvation is a process - God is saving us to be sensible people who can make the most of life and be useful to him again. A proverb is not a promise.

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Proverbs 2

David discusses the decisions we have to make in life and the advice given in Proverbs relates to making wise choices in the large and small aspects of everyday life. David says, wisdom is what’s best for you, not what’s profitable. It’s based on knowledge of God, not knowledge of the world. Proverbs deals with subjects such as laziness, the company you keep, being faithful, relating to neighbours, even taking out loans. Being a good wife is also discussed, though the book as a whole is addressed to a young man from his father. There are over 70 proverbs on what a fool is like and they seem to describe some modern people. Another key subject is the tongue and the danger it can be. Relationships, family and otherwise, are discussed. Proverbs shows how to be a good friend. David says that the Bible view is that we are basically bad and can do good things in contrast to the humanist view that we are basically good and can do bad things. Unfortunately, the Israelis did not follow the wisdom of King Solomon and Israel spiraled downwards. David points out that the word ‘wisdom’ goes right through the New Testament and Proverbs is frequently quoted. ‘Christ has become for us wisdom from God.’

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