Proverbs: God's Life-Protecting Wisdom (Opening the Scriptures)

The Bible book of Proverbs has competed throughout the centuries with any number of self-help manuals touting advice for living well. In our own day, the shelves containing such material form perhaps the largest and best-selling inventory of many bookstores. But people, especially Christ-followers, find in Proverbs life-directing wisdom from the One who lived it: Wisdom himself!
Another way of putting it is this: covenant living, i.e., living in relationship with the Triune Creator of this magnificent universe, is a round-the-clock, daily adventure, for which Proverbs supplies both light and direction. Its lessons invite readers to study the stars, watch the ants, engage emotions, avoid promiscuity, and pursue integrity. Its promises and warnings embedded throughout this profound Bible book pull readers toward the Father and steer them away from any substitute. Just as the Father speaks candidly and realistically with his children about the realities of life, so too this commentary on the Father’s wisdom provides insights that are both bracing and appealing for each generation.

Frans van Deursen (b. 1931) served as a minister in the Reformed Church in the Netherlands (Liberated) and later in the Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerken (NGK) until his retirement in 1986. He currently resides in Barneveld, the Netherlands, and continues to bless others with his printed sermons.