9/16/2023 0 Comments Proverbs 8 bible study![]() ![]() "What has the voice of wisdom to say concerning the integration debate in Christian counseling? The wisdom literature of the Old Testament invites the study of human nature, behavior, and change from sources outside the canon of Scripture as well as in Scripture itself. Therefore it is very important that we obtain it. Wisdom leads to joy because creation produces joy ( Proverbs 8:30-31) both for the Creator and for the creature. Nothing came into existence without wisdom. Wisdom is older than the universe, and it was essential in its creation. "The principles articulated throughout the book are as helpful for living the Christian life as they were for providing guidance to the ancient theocratic community of Israel." Īs Creator, God counted wisdom most important. ![]() Probably when Solomon recorded his counsel to his son, he adapted it to a more general reading audience, namely: all the people of Israel. This suggests that what we have in Proverbs is not atypical. This suggests that even though the teaching took place in the home, the teachers preserved their instructions in writing, with a view to sharing them with people outside the family circle. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that this feature is an example of the adaptation of the Egyptian tradition to the peculiar situation in which the Israelite instructions were composed: a domestic situation in which the father and mother together shared the responsibility for the education of the child." Īrchaeologists have found most of the documents that contain extrabiblical instruction of the "my son" type in excavated scribal schools. and this throws into greater relief the one feature which is entirely unique in them: the mention of the mother. The phraseology of these sentences corresponds almost exactly to that of their Egyptian counterparts. "Here the father and mother are placed on exactly the same footing as teachers of their children. Proverbs 1:8 Proverbs 4:3 Proverbs 6:20 Proverbs 31:1 Proverbs 31:26). In some parts of the ancient world, the mother shared the duty of instructing the son with the father (cf. Consequently, there seems to be no reason to take these references to "my son" as anything other than what they appear at face value to be (cf. These matters included the administration of justice, leadership, behavior, as well as urban and agricultural concerns. In the teaching that follows, there is advice for many situations a king would encounter and have to deal with effectively. Proverbs isn’t a sexist book, but it was written in the context of a strongly male-oriented society." For the most part, when you read ’man’ in Proverbs, interpret it generically and read ’person,’ whether male or female. Most of them were kept secluded and prepared for marriage and motherhood. the Book of Proverbs has a definite masculine focus because in the ancient Jewish society daughters usually weren’t educated for the affairs of life. ![]() In Proverbs, we have the record of what Solomon told his son Rehoboam, and probably also his other sons. Other evidence exists that it was common throughout the ancient Near East for high officials to pass on this special instruction to their heirs. This suggests that we are to construe the text as being in the form of admonitions of some worthy to his son who will succeed him as vizier to the ruler." ![]() "The advice given in the section ’My son’ can have had relevance for very few people. They appear as aged officials at the end of active and successful careers, desirous to let their children profit by their experience." Įarlier, Akkadian officials evidently practiced the same custom. In Egypt, for example, "The authors of the ’teachings’ do not present themselves as priests and prophets. This instruction did not replace a formal education but supplemented it. This seems to have been a traditional form of ancient Near Eastern education, especially among the ruling classes. The instruction that follows was originally the type of counsel a courtier father gave his son or sons in his home. Though the whole Book of Proverbs gives help to youths, chapters 1-7 address them specifically and can be of particular benefit to them. This person’s life lay in front of him, and he faced major decisions that would set the course of his life from then on. The frequent recurrence of the phrase "my son" in this part of Proverbs indicates that the instruction specially suited a young person. "It derives from the idea that parents are primarily responsible for moral instruction ( Proverbs 4:3-4 Deuteronomy 6:7)." "My son" was and is a customary way of addressing a disciple. In this section Solomon spoke to his son, guiding him into God’s way. The two ways (paths, worldviews) introduced in Proverbs 1:7 stretch out before the reader (cf. ![]()
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