Proverbs in 31 DaysSample

Introduction to Proverbs

The book of Proverbs, similar to Psalms and Ecclesiastes, is categorized as wisdom literature in the Bible. Written (mostly) by King Solomon, the son of King David, this book is full of sayings, instructions, and principles meant to tell its readers how to live. While other books might focus on deep theological truths (like Romans) or outline a historical narrative (like Genesis or Acts), this book is full of practical guidance. While Proverbs doesn’t necessarily give us an exhaustive list of what to do and not to do, it does give us principles to live by.

The origin of this book takes place in 1 Kings 3 when Solomon, with humility, asked God for wisdom in leading the Kingdom of Israel. God ultimately granted Solomon wisdom (along with more wealth and material possessions than anyone on earth—but for more on that, read Ecclesiastes). As this book unfolds, you’ll see that wisdom on display through practical sayings and entire chapters overflowing with images and metaphors.

Chuck Swindoll, a pastor and theologian, said this about understanding Proverbs:

“Proverbs contains some of the most applicable nuggets of truth in all of the Bible. Most of the proverbs are pithy statements brimming over with imagery from the real world. This approach allows us to see very clearly how any particular proverb might be applied to any number of everyday situations we encounter—from getting out of bed in the morning to building a strong foundation in our relationships with others.”

As we read this book to begin a new year, note that we are going to go straight through with new readings each day, skipping our normal Sunday rest day format. Some days we’ll focus on the whole of what’s happening in a chapter, while other days it may be as simple as a sentence or two that we can all apply to our lives. As you read, take notes. Highlight the proverbs that stick out most to you. Commit some of them to memory. Most importantly, ask God to grow your understanding of Him through these words that we will read together over the next 31 days.

The book of Proverbs begins with an explanation for why the book was written in the first place. Solomon begins in verses 2-6 explaining some of the practical purposes of understanding the following proverbs, then He gets to the thesis statement of the book in verse 7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Fearing the Lord means having a reverence and humility for who God is and an understanding that He holds all things together. If we will humbly submit and follow Him, wisdom and knowledge will follow. The foolish, however, reject God’s ways and live as the world does.

The second section of this chapter (v. 8-19) continues to set up the book by warning against the enticement of sin. Solomon, as we know from other Old Testament narrative books, at times throughout His life rejected wise and righteous living to chase what the world had to offer Him. He chased pleasure and every other worldly desire. In the same way, we too can look to the world to fulfill our desires when we feel like God is moving too slowly or that sin is more enticing than pursuing the life God has called us to live. The wise, however, flee sin because they know that it ultimately leads to death.

The final section of this chapter (v. 20-33) introduces a metaphor that is used throughout this book. Wisdom is personified as a beautiful woman, shouting loud enough for anyone to hear. But we know that not everyone listens to wisdom, and we know that not everyone heeds her instructions. Let that be a reminder to us as we begin this study of Proverbs: We can choose to grow in wisdom this year. We can read these 31 chapters and find the principles that we need to learn and apply them to our lives, or we can choose to foolishly reject wisdom and chase after the world. Which will you choose?