Weekly Devotional 5th of September, 2025
by Bruce Billington
Weekly Devotional 5th of September, 2025
Having finished the book of Psalms, we will now enter into a study of the book of Proverbs. This book, which is part of the Old Testament wisdom literature, offers guidance on living a wise and successful life using a collection of sayings, proverbs, and poetic verses. It emphasises the importance of the fear of the Lord, which is not about being scared but rather having a deep respect and desire to align with God’s will. Life cannot be fully understood by human effort alone, so we are encouraged to trust in the Lord, for it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
The book provides practical guidance on various aspects of life, ranging from personal conduct to relationships and business transactions. It is designed to help readers navigate daily challenges and make informed choices. It is believed that Solomon compiled the book, sharing his own insights and incorporating contributions from others, such as Hezekiah’s men, Agur, Lemuel, and others not specifically mentioned.
The goal of the book is stated right at the beginning (1:1–7): to describe what wisdom is and to help God’s people become wise. This wisdom is founded on the “fear or reverence of the Lord,” and enables believers to express it in the practical details of their everyday lives. Proverbs encourages its readers to be wise, which means embracing God’s covenant and applying it in everyday situations. It describes those who constantly oppose God’s covenant as fools and refers to a simple person as someone who is not firmly committed to either wisdom or foolishness; and so, they are easily misled (14:15).
Proverbs offers wisdom on a wide array of topics from daily life: diligence and laziness (6:6–11); friendship (3:27–28; 18:24); speech (10:19–21); marriage (18:22; 19:14); child rearing (22:6); domestic peace (15:17; 17:1); work (11:1); getting along and good manners (23:1–2; 25:16–17; 26:17–19; 27:14); eternity (14:32; 23:17–18); and much more. It shows that “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
Hubbard rightly states that the fear of the Lord “sees each moment as the Lord’s time, each relationship as the Lord’s opportunity, each duty as the Lord’s command and each blessing as the Lord’s gift.” Therefore, we should regard the book of Proverbs as a valuable pearl of wisdom, blessing, and insight for living in accordance with His design in the years of life we are given.
My aim is not to cover every verse; instead, I want to focus on some key ones, some familiar and others less known, but all containing valuable insights and wisdom for living our daily lives in Christ. Come and join in this journey, which is intended to help us grow in wisdom, grace and understanding of the ways of the Lord.
A useful outline for Proverbs that I copied is as follows.
- Title, Goal, and Motto (1:1–7)
- A Father’s Invitation to Wisdom (1:8–9:18)
- Proverbs of Solomon (10:1–22:16)
- The Thirty Sayings of “the Wise” (22:17–24:22)
- Further Sayings of “the Wise” (24:23–34)
- Hezekiah’s Collection of Solomonic Proverbs (25:1–29:27)
- The Sayings of Agur (30:1–33)
- The Sayings of King Lemuel (31:1–9)
- An Alphabet of Womanly Excellence (31:10–31)
May God bless you.