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Study Lesson 10: Proverbs

10.1 Connect

Solomon wrote most of Proverbs (1:1). He was well known for his “wisdom and very great
insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand of the seashore (1 Kings
4:29)”. His method was to observe the natural life of plants and animals and make lessons
for humans (1 Kings 4:33). In an age that valued such use of wisdom, he was sought after by
the surrounding kings of the world (4:31, 34).

The Queen of Sheba was a ruler who heard and came to test Solomon. He “answered all her questions;
nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her (1 Kings 10:3).” After seeing his arrangements for
governing, she expressed her surprise. The truth exceeded the reports. Whether her observations led to
faith in the God behind Solomon’s wisdom, we cannot tell (Matt. 12:42). She was filled with praise for
Yahweh. “Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of
Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain… righteousness (1
Kings 10:9-10).” She recognized the source of wisdom and the unique love that flowed from Yahweh.

The testimony of the Queen of Sheba recognizes a different kind of wisdom in Israel stemming from the
nation’s God. His character led to “justice and righteousness.” Historical documents outside of the Bible
show the key difference. The Babylonians, for example, “had no god whose holiness was such that his
worshippers must conform to his standards. Not even Shamash is extolled for his own virtues, though he
was certainly conceived as having them. In the O.T., however, the concept of the holiness of Yahweh
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results in a deeper moral tone, and more penetrating exhortations.”

After we turn from the introduction in 1:1-7, we find a series of instructions given by a father to his son.
In them the father recognizes the stakes involved in choice. Sinful men will entice. They will suggest a life
that takes advantage of the innocent. Plunder is their goal. The son is warned about the end of such
activities. Instead of lying in wait for others, they lie in wait for their own souls. “Such are the paths of all
who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life [soul] of those who get it (1:19).”

One outline of this section suggests a chiasm (X) structure for the unit:

A Rival invitations of the father and the gang to the son 1:8-19
B Wisdom’s rebuke of the gullible 1:20-33
C The father’s command to heed teaching as a
safeguard against evil men and the unchaste wife 2:1-22
D The father’s commands to heed teaching 3:1-4:27
D’ The father’s warnings against the unchaste wife 5:1-6:35
C’ The father’s warnings against Wisdom’s rival 7:1-27
B’ Wisdom’s invitation to the gullible 8:1-36

152 W. G. Lambert, “Babylonian Moral Teachings”, in Documents from Old Testament Times, ed. D. Thomas Winton
(New York: Harper & Row, 1958), p. 104.
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