The Purpose of Proverbs

The first lighthouse forever changed the way sailors navigated turbulent, rocky bays. Lighthouses, illuminating the unknown, shone a more certain path, lighting the way for safety, economic growth, and the preservation of life.

We long to make something of our lives, but inundated with small and big decisions, each day becomes a new bay to navigate with unknown rocks and treacherous storms. Add to that the chaos of our communal lives—on familial, local, and national levels—and we feel helpless to make good decisions that lead to a nourishing, settled life for ourselves and others.

Many search for guidance by instinct or “gut feel,” self-help books and articles, supernatural signs, Facebook polls, or just what everyone else is doing. Some despair of doing the right thing and give up trying, pursuing instead what feels good or provides happiness in the moment.

As Christians, we know this turbulence and suffering will be made right and even beautiful when Christ returns. We also know that our lives should be characterized by love for the Lord our God and love for neighbor (Mark 12:30–31), but what does this practically look like in our everyday lives? Competing voices telling us the right thing to do leave us confused about how to act justly for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors.

Into this space, God speaks. Through Proverbs, He confirms that there is a good path and that we can know it. The book of Proverbs shines a guiding light into our stormy and chaotic seas.

Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” When we listen to God and treasure His commandments, we “will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path” (v. 9).

Proverbs guides us by showing us the wisdom of God in family life, work, relationships, and communities. Written and collected by some of the wisest figures in history, these proverbs get to the heart of what it means to live in this world. They reveal what characterizes a successful life, and their observations compel us to think and act according to the way of life they envision. Like a lighthouse, they can’t protect us from the storms and perils of life, but they reflect God’s light for navigating through them toward the safe shore. They reassure us that small things matter, after all. The good life is made up of the small, ordinary moments. <strong>How we live in the in-between matters, and these proverbs show us how to notice God’s truth, beauty, and goodness in the small things.</strong>

This study will help you read the book of Proverbs in a way that makes it real to your everyday life. It will help open your eyes to how you can pursue God’s good life in ordinary, meaningful ways. Read each proverb as if it were a dark-chocolate truffle, relishing it, ruminating on what it says and how it reflects your experience. Think of times you’ve seen a similar situation and how the proverb reveals a nugget of truth.