The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, ...
Proverbs 1:1-2, Modern English Version (MEV)
Why should we bother with Proverbs? It is, after all, the Old Testament, and aside from its cutesy and folksy sayings, it doesn't have any real applicability to our lives today since we are under the New Covenant, not the Old, right? On the contrary, Proverbs is very relevant to our lives today and we would do well to study it closely. Proverbs is unique in that its stated purpose is to provide us with moral instruction and skills to be able to tell the difference between good advice and bad, to tell the difference between what is morally right and morally wrong. Take heed, listen, and learn.
As we are studying Proverbs, we would save ourselves a lot of grief if we’d remember that more than a few years have passed since these proverbs were first collected and committed to writing. People have changed, society has changed, beliefs have changed, even language has changed. We have to avoid any thoughts that we can fully understand what is being said simply from an initial cursory glance.
Despite these difficulties, it is still worth our time to study these proverbs in some detail. There is much for us to learn, much wisdom for us to attain if only we apply ourselves honestly, and with an open mind. It is also helpful for us to remember that, as with most of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, the words are directed to, and are about, the people of God, not to those who do not believe.
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