Proverbs
“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” Proverbs 1:1
Proverbs – What thought comes to mind when you see this word “proverb”? Do you think of a short saying, filled with meaning? Do you think of a statement about some important element of life? Do you think of practical wisdom? You would be right, of course, but the Hebrew word mishle actually has a much broader meaning, a meaning that will help us understand the purpose of all the proverbs in the Bible (they are not restricted to the book of Proverbs).
Mishle is the word for instruction. You will find the same word used in 1 Kings 9:7-9 and Ezekiel 17:2-24. The purpose of a misle is to give you truthful guidance. Sometimes it takes only a sentence. But sometimes it takes almost an entire book. After all, Deuteronomy is a book of truthful instruction. You might think of it as the official owner’s manual. If you want to know how life really works, don’t ask someone’s opinion. Go to the manufacturer and get the official manual.
There is a lot of guidance in the world today. Just cruise the aisle of any bookstore. You will see the “self-help” sections are overflowing. Pick up any newspaper of magazine. There is always an “advice” column. And the Internet is stuffed full of advice and instruction. Yes, if you want lots of opinions about life, you have a very wide choice. The only problem is this: until you consult the manufacturer, you won’t get true instruction. You’ll only get someone else’s guess.
God never intended you to live in the dark. He never suggested that you to live by trial and error. He never wanted you to get confused and lost along the way. So He provided a manual filled with true instruction. Everything that you need to know about living is found in this manual. There isn’t one single important part left out. In addition, God provided you with a 24 hot line that is always answered personally. No voice mail. No busy signals.
If you don’t know what to do, it’s not God’s fault. When all else fails, read the instruction manual.
