Introduction: Orderly Wisdom

Index
Over the years, most of us have been humbled by the Wisdom of Solomon to condense a thought and capture a truth in just a few words when we might have overdone it with many. How sweet it must have been to have excelled in knowledge and wisdom, yet found reserve in the simplicity of explanation. Through our overcomplicated and sometimes destructive nature, we often jump at the opportunity to answer confusion or correct someone's error while displaying our own insecurities of ignorance. Ageless Wisdom is being written that we might return to the practical application of a life that thirsts and drinks of knowledge. Lest we appear as a piano with nothing to play, this study is meant to restore and kindle our passion for the proper handling of God's Word.

Most of us have a tendency to use the One-Liner approach with the Book of Proverbs. We find that it is so filled with insight that each line is distinct enough to stand alone from the rest. On many levels this is true and we do well to utilize Solomon in our attempts at provoking thought from our listeners. However, the entire book is designed with an order and a structure that is not merely a cluster of random convictions.

"And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea he gave good heed, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs." Ecclesiastes 12:9

Just as we learn the importance of understanding Biblical context through the practice of right division (II Timothy 2:15), so should we also bear in mind that Solomon is writing from a particular vantage point. Each phrase will receive its due attention and we will not shy from powerful sayings as they arise, but there is a larger purpose behind all such statements when held together by the inspiration and organization of God.

You are encouraged to observe the 31 chapter divisions that set a convenient possibility for going through the book (chapter by chapter) approximately once a month. Although this verse-by-verse structure was not established until 15th Century England, it is most helpful in our modern workday when it seems almost impossible to take even a few minutes with the Word of God. You will not find that this study is preset with a commonly accepted outline, for if any such pattern was set in stone, it is inevitable that one of you might find different ideas elsewhere and bring into question the unimportant. It is therefore the responsibility of the reader to keep these studies accountable to a higher order that shall be discovered from verse to verse and proverb to proverb. My accountability will be better held in check among those who read ahead in anticipation, for it is they who hunger after the proper handling of truth.

Before we begin this process, it is essential to remember that these proverbs are, in and of themselves a form of scholarly and intellectual poetry. Rather than being driven by emotion and experience (as much of poetry is prepared), they are designed to stir the mind as a challenge to the heart's intent. A single proverb standing alone can sometimes be like an instrument without its song or a song without its instrument. Thus, each passage from the Book of Proverbs ought to be pondered, considered, examined, and enjoyed for its order and its beauty by the handiwork of our Almighty God.