In these brief seven verses, we are given the author, theme, and purpose of the book.:
Author: Verse 1 “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel”
Purpose: Verses 2-6 is fivefold:
•Verse 2 To know wisdom and instruction
•Verse 2 To perceivethe words of understanding
•Verse 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity
•Verse 4-5 To give prudence to the simple: a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.
•To the young man knowledge and discretion—
•A wise man will hear and increase learning
Verse 6; To understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles.
Theme: Verse 7 is to bring the reader to a place where they understand that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” In other words, this is a collection of wisdom designed to meet the needs of people of all ages and stages in life, this is a practical guidebook for the understanding of what life is all about. It is a user-friendly, “Godly living for dummies” kind of book to unlock the mysteries of living righteously in an unrighteous world. Someone
• Reading a Proverb takes seconds
• Memorizing a Proverb takes minutes
• Applying a Proverb takes a lifetime
The seventh verse is the “Password” of proverbs is the door by which one must enter into a pursuit of wisdom. Once you have learned that a relationship with God is described by way of the healthy fear that our behavior as seen in attitudes and actions can grieve our loving Father, we can now enter into the practical application of this in every area of our life.