Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel
The book opens not with a saying but with a name: a king signs his own collection. That single line tells us who is speaking, where his authority comes from, and what sort of writing follows.
Why Solomon Signs the Book
Solomon puts his name at the head of the book, but the commentators see no boasting in it. He signs it as the man God appointed to pass this wisdom on.
Solomon introduces himself by his known family and position, as the channel of these God-given sayings. He does not do it to make man great, the way Greece honoured its seven wise men. Still less does he do it to make himself great — he is the one who records his own fall. He does it to honour the LORD, who guards from folly and from traps everyone who takes these words to heart.
Son of David — But Not Wise by Birth
Being David's son gave Solomon a throne and a heritage. It did not give him what this book contains.
Solomon had a valuable heritage as the son of David. But that by itself did not give him his wisdom. God gave him wisdom and knowledge when he took the throne of Israel. If we want to understand the book of Proverbs, we would do well to follow the advice of James in his letter (ch. 1:5): "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."
King of Israel — Written for a People, Kept for All
The third title in the line is an office. It shapes who the book was first written for. It also explains why God's covenant name with Israel — the LORD — runs through every page.
Because it comes from "the king of Israel," it is also for the people he ruled. So, with one small exception, it speaks to people who stand in a known relationship with the LORD, whose name runs through the book from start to finish... But being divinely inspired, it is a book for anyone who reads or hears it to profit by at any time, and for the Christian in particular as having by grace the mind of Christ. All Scripture is for our good and blessing, though most of it is not addressed to us, nor is it about us.
The Meaning of "Proverb"
The word "proverb" tells us what sort of writing to expect. These sayings are built to catch your attention and hold it.
A proverb is a parable squeezed small, or a comparison opened out. So it often comes close to a riddle, to catch and hold your attention.
A Selection, Not the Whole Output
Solomon said far more than we have. This verse opens a collection that someone gathered and arranged. Solomon's name appears again at two later points in the book.
Solomon spoke all of these proverbs, except those in the last two chapters. We can take these wise principles and sayings as part of the three thousand that the famous king of Israel spoke (1 Kings 4:32). They are the fruit of the wisdom he asked the Lord for at the start of his reign (1 Kings 3:12). His name stands at the head of each of the book's three divisions (see chapters 1, 10, and 25). God's inspiration chose these sayings and put them in order.
The Book's Range: Life in This World
This wisdom is meant for use in ordinary life. That is the range of this book — how people act, where it leads, and the fear of the Lord as the starting point.
God filled Solomon with wisdom, but it was wisdom to be used in this world and applied to it... Here we find the ways of God, God's path for human conduct, and a clear sight of what the human heart produces and where it leads... The rules of this book build real happiness in this world by keeping our everyday relationships honest before God. This book does not urge human caution and cleverness. Its subject is the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.
Where Solomon's Wisdom Points
Solomon is not the end of the line. Writers trace the wisdom of this book forward to a greater One.
No question that people brought to Jesus on earth ever puzzled Him. He is the true Solomon, greater than Solomon, and His wisdom could meet and answer every hard question. Nor is it different now, for Christ, risen from the dead and glorified in heaven, "became to us wisdom from God" (1 Cor. 1:30). There is not a question that the troubled, anxious sinner can bring to Him that He will not answer in wisdom and in grace.
Summary
- Named. Solomon signs the book not to make his own name great, but to point the reader to the LORD who keeps him from folly.
- Given. Coming from David gave him a throne, not wisdom. Wisdom came from God when he became king — and it still comes the same way, by asking.
- Royal. As "king of Israel" he writes for the people he governed, which is why God's covenant name fills the book from start to finish.
- Preserved. Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs. God chose and arranged these ones — tight sayings, close to riddles, made to catch and hold your attention.
- Surpassed. The wisdom that guides daily life here points beyond Solomon to Christ. He became wisdom from God for us, and He still answers every hard question.