Review: The Beginning of Wisdom: Proverbs Vol. 1

The Beginning of Wisdom: Proverbs Vol. 1, Matthias Media, Sydney, 2011

I used this resource in a women’s Bible study that I co-led at church. I found it a really helpful approach to the study of Proverbs, which is a genre of Scripture we’re not always used to reading and which can sometimes sound odd to our 21^st century ears. 

In his first of two volumes of studies, Joshua Ng gives an overview of the book of Proverbs, especially in the light of its first nine chapters. These studies helped us to think through lots of things, including what it means to ‘fear’ God, the wise and foolish life, and how the teaching of Proverbs relates to Jesus and the teaching of the whole Bible.

Each study includes an introductory blurb and/or some introductory questions to get the discussion started. It then follows with numbered questions that helped us to examine the passage in question and to think through its meaning, along with sections of text that summarized this. The studies finished with an ‘Implications’ section to help us think about what this passage means for us today and suggestions for thanksgiving and prayer. The studies are packed with great material, but if you’re using this resource with a group, it would be helpful if the group does some preparation at home before coming to the study in order to get through it all. Otherwise, it would probably be better to spread one study over two sessions. 

One of the things I really appreciated about the resource was its approach to the book of Proverbs as a whole. From the very first study, Ng encouraged us to see Proverbs as more than just a large collection of pithy sayings. He showed us why we must take context seriously in order to apply Proverbs properly, “to see and feel more sharply the challenge of its encouragements and rebukes” (p. 10). We learned that Proverbs was written by Solomon, initially for Yahweh’s people Israel, who were redeemed by him to live in the Promised Land. But we also learned how, in the end, Proverbs is also written for us—people who have been redeemed by Jesus (p. 49).

Understanding the genre of Proverbs helped us to make sense of some of the trickier aspects of the book. Sometimes some of the sayings in Proverbs seem to promise a lot. For example, the proverb that tells us to “Honour the Lord with your wealth… then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (Prov 3:9-10) is a case in point. Doesn’t that sound like the prosperity gospel? What about when we do the right thing with our money but still don’t become rich? Don’t the New Testament writers say we, as Christians, should expect to be persecuted, not become wealthy with money? But this series of studies showed us how understanding the genre of Proverbs as wisdom literature ensures we won’t fall into the trap of thinking Proverbs promises ‘too much’. While the promises of Proverbs often prove true in this life, there is no 100% guarantee that they will. This is the nature of wisdom literature. Whilst biblical wisdom is always true, it is neither formulaic nor proscriptive. Our experience may be very different from those described in Proverbs. 

One of the reasons we chose to use a pre-written study with our group was so that women who had perhaps never led a Bible study before would feel more confident to do so, knowing that they wouldn’t have to prepare it from scratch. I certainly appreciated having a pre-prepared framework as I came to think about the study every second week or so. But using a pre-written study doesn’t mean you have to mechanically go through the questions you’re given in the book, without owning the study for yourself. Rather, for those who feel confident, it’s great to be able to use a pre-written resource as a facilitator for your own study, rather than a rule-book. This way you can adapt or miss out questions altogether, depending on time and what will be most helpful for your group.

Overall I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this resource either for your own personal devotions or for a small group Bible study. It has given me a fresh appreciation for the wonder of Proverbs and has caused me to thank God for his ever-relevant word, so cleverly compiled and full of true and saving wisdom.

This article was originally published in Magnolia, and has been edited and republished with the author’s permission.