Fear Sermon (4) The Book of Proverbs

Proverbs 29:25 AMP

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.

I see fear addressed directly and head on

fear bringing on more fears or doubts on who or what God can do

God active in them all with his presence as to what HE ask me to do

Trust HIM; Believe HIM;

The Book of Proverbs

Book of Proverbs: 4242

The Name

The book of Proverbs derives its name from the first two words in the first chapter: “The Proverbs.” The word “proverbs” is derived from the Hebrew word mashal, meaning “a comparison of one thing to another.”

In the Hebrew canon the poetical book of Proverbs is listed in the category of the Writings (Heb. kethubim; Gr. hagiographa).

Authorship and Date

Internal evidence links “Solomon the Son of David, king of Israel” with the authorship of Proverbs (Pr. 1:1). Tradition credits Solomon with writing most of the book of Proverbs; however, it is apparent that some other authors participated in the compilation of this book. Among those mentioned in the book are “the men of Hezekiah,” who copied out and compiled some proverbs which apparently were written by Solomon (Pr. 25:1). The name Agur appears as a caption at the head of chapter 30. Lemuel is credited with chapter 31.

Solomon: 3414

Hezekiah: 1585

A careful study of the Proverbs indicates that these wise sayings were collected over the years and that Solomon was one of the wise men who collected, compiled, added to, and edited these sayings of wisdom. That there is repetition would indicate that several men shared in the compilation, all possibly drawing materials from the same general source. Presumably these sayings were preserved in oral and written form by many different people and ultimately recorded by a Spirit-filled editor, as they now appear.

Solomon: 4297

It is thought that the proverbs were finally compiled by Solomon in about 950 B.C. The proverbs copied by Hezekiah’s men and those written by Agur and Lemuel were probably added in about 700 B.C.

“Spirit” Filled: 1125

Proverbs: 2904

Background, Purpose and Content

The book of Proverbs contains aphoristic literature, duplicated in other parts of Scripture but only on a fragmentary basis (Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Job). The entire book is made up of short epigrams (wise sayings) which are concise and easy to memorize. It is possible that in Israel maxims constituted a large part of the early childhood training. Parents probably instilled them in their children, and the proverbs may have formed the basis for the earliest educational curriculum. Likewise the proverbs were recited by men and women in all strata of life—from the learned and rich to the poor and ignorant. They were repeated while men worked in the fields, in shops and on the roads, as well as in the schools.1

1 Hanke, H. A. (1981). Thompson Chain Reference Bible Companion: A Handbook for the Classic Chain-Reference Bible (p. 182). Kirkbride Bible Co.