How to Read Proverbs 10-31 in Light of Proverbs 1-9

In Proverbs 9, wisdom has built her house and invites you to her feast. Last week, I argued that the house is Proverbs 1-9 and the feast is Proverbs 10-31. In this post, I’ll show you how to read Proverbs in this way.

What to Remember from Proverbs 1-9

Debbi Long (2008), Creative Commons

I can’t exhaust in a short list what Solomon took 9 chapters to explain. But I find a few organizing hooks helpful:

• There are three kinds of people: wise, fool, simple.
• The first step toward wisdom is a willingness to change, evident by listening to what God says.
• Listening to God’s wisdom involves both passive reception and active pursuit.
• The two primary obstacles to wisdom are easy money and easy sex; both cause us to focus on ourselves instead of the Lord.
• God’s wisdom changes everything about us, including hopes, disappointments, relationships, and influence.
• The Savior, the Sluggard, and the Sower of Discord deserve careful attention and avoidance.

For further explanation of any of these points, see the Proverbs table of contents page.

The Main Idea when Moving into Proverbs 10-31

The key point is this: Godly wisdom always takes place in the context of a relationship with God. Of course we see echoes of God’s wisdom when ungodly people follow his principles. But such wisdom is at best incomplete, and at worst counterfeit.

How to Read Proverbs 10-31

It will be easier for me to show you than to tell you, so let’s look at the first few verses.

Proverbs 10:1

I covered this one last week.

Proverbs 10:2

A wrong or incomplete way to read it: Conduct your business with honesty and integrity.

A better way to read it: Though easy money (unjust gain) promises security and community (Prov 1:13-14), it can’t keep those promises. God’s favor is available to those who seek his wisdom; this favor gives life beyond the grave (Prov 8:34-35).

Proverbs 10:3

A wrong reading: If I serve God, he’ll make my life prosper.

A better reading: Those who hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness will be satisfied (Prov 2:9). But life on earth often doesn’t go as we expect (Prov 3:11-12).

Proverbs 10:4

An incomplete reading: Work hard.

A better reading: This verse is pretty close to Proverbs 6:10-11. We must remember, however, that the chief “diligence” of Proverbs is to get wisdom at all costs (Prov 4:5, 7).

Proverbs 10:5

An incomplete reading: Make your parents proud by working hard in the right seasons.

A better reading: We honor our parents when we honor the Lord (Prov 2:1-6), though sometimes parents forget this fact. The Lord’s wisdom gives us a long view that enables us to be self-motivated and seasonally productive (Prov 6:7-8)

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Now I’ll choose a few more verses with a random number generator just to show this way of reading isn’t limited to chapter 10…

Proverbs 22:7

An incomplete reading: With wealth comes power. Debt is always a bad idea.

A better reading: Easy money attracts by making possible power over others. It makes sense that those who focus on themselves more than on the Lord would be drawn to both money and power. But there is one Savior for both rich and poor (Prov 6:1-5, 8:32-36).

Proverbs 24:13-14

An incomplete reading: Wisdom in general is good for us. Learning and education make our lives better.

A better reading: Wisdom comes from the Lord (Prov 2:6). Knowing him is good for us and will make our lives better.

Proverbs 20:16

An incomplete reading: We should counsel people to make good financial decisions, and we should hold them accountable for poor ones.

A better reading: If someone tries to be the kind of savior that only the Lord can be, we should be careful not to increase his credit limit. Your trust in the Lord may sometimes decrease your trust in those who promise too much.

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In most cases, the “incomplete” reading is not necessarily wrong, just…incomplete. Be careful not to use Proverbs as though God himself is irrelevant. Always remember the context of chapters 1-9.