Table Of ContentThe Bible Speaks Today
J.
Scries Editors: A. Motyer ( OT)
John R W. Stott (NT)
The Message of Proverbs
Wisdom for life
THE BIBLE SPEAKS TODAY
Proverbs
The Message of
Wisdom for Lite
DAVID ATKINSON
'N
IVP Academic
An imprint of InterVarsily Press
Downers Grove, Illinois
InterVarsity Press, USA
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426, USA
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©1996 by David Atkinson
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New
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ISBN 978-0-8308-8309-7 (digital)
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Contents
General preface 7
Authoes preface 9
Bibliography 13
The wisdom of God 15
Part 1: Wisdom's portrait (1:1 - 9:18) 30
The town crier (1:20-33) 31
Wisdom needs to be searched for {2:1-9} 32
A winsome personality (2:10-15) 34
Wisdom celebrates life (3:13-18) 35
Wisdom likes to explore (4:1-9) 38
Wisdom stands for justice 39
Wisdom likes things ordered 40
Wisdom illustrates the pattern of creation (3:19-20) 41
The full-colour portrait (8:1-31) 43
Wisdom: her main features 52
Part 2: W"tsdom's instructors and Wisdom's detracton
(1:1 - 9:18) 60
Ten fatherly talks 61
Wisdom's detractors 70
Gang violence (1:10-19) 71
Sexual prorniscuity 72
Laziness 77
Rejection of parental values 78
Problem pupils 79
The way of Wisdom or the way of Folly? 80
Part 3: W1Sdom's methods 83
The theology of lived expericnce 83
'An anthology of gnomes' 85
Fourfold structure 86
Wisdom's imagination 89
Appendix: A brief note on practical thcology, philosophy
and education 95
Part 4: Wisdom's values: Foundations (10:1 - 22:16) 99
The wise sayings of Solomon 1O O
The fear of the LORD 101
L~ 100
Justice 111
Character: a summary 118
Part 5: Wisdom's values: The practical dimension
(10:1 - 22:16) 120
Family, marriage and parenthood 121
Diligence, creativity and hard work 124
Health 125
Security and safety 128
Material sufficiency 130
The importance of appropriate speech 133
The king's glory and the national honour 136
Animal welfare 137
Life, freedom and hope 138
Knowledge and understanding 139
Part 6: Wisdom's values: The words of the wise 144
Sayings of the Wise (22:17 -24:22; 24:23-34) 144
Proverbs of Solomon: Hezekiah's edition (25:1 - 29:27) 151
Sayings of Agur (30:1-33) 161
Thoughts from the queen mother (31:1-9) 165
Epjlogue: The wife of noble character: Wisdom at home
{31:10-31) 166
Conclusion: Godiiness in working clothes 170
BST Old Testament seri es 175
BST New Testament seri es 177
BST Bible Theme seri es 178
About the Autho r 179
More Titles from InterVarsity Pr ess 180
Academic Textbook Select or 181
General preface
The Bible Speaks Today describes a series of both Old Testament
and New Testament expositions, which are characterized by a
threefold ideal: to expound the biblical text with accuracy, to relate it
to contemporary life, and to be readable.
These books are, therefore, not 'commentaries', for the comment
ary seeks rather to elucidate the text th.an to apply it, and tends to be
a work rather of reference than of literature. Nor, on the other hand,
do they contain the kind of 'sermons' which attempt to be
contemporary and readable without taking Scripture seriously
enough. ·
The contributors to this series are ail united in their convictions
tbat God still speaks through what he has spoken, and that nothing
is more necessary for the life, health and growth of Christians than
that they should hear what the Spirit is saying to them through his
ancient - yet ever modem - Ward.
J.
A.MOTYER
J. R. W. STOTT
Series Editors
7
