Having heard much about this series from Day One, I was glad to receive this book to review. It is easy to read and is suitable for Christians of all ages and maturity – a very practical treatment yet rooted in solid theology. The book carefully weaves the themes within Proverbs into a cohesive unit while maintaining clarity and balance.
The introduction reminds the reader that the book of Proverbs contains maxims – they express general principles of how God runs his world. Newheiser instructs his readers that the key to the book of Proverbs is ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge’ (1:7) and that true wisdom is rooted in having a right relationship with God, who is the source of all wisdom.
The author explains the difficulty in studying the book of Proverbs – it is hard to do a consecutive study or exposition on some sections of the book due to the nature of the material.
This is why Newheiser takes us through the opening nine chapters expositionally, and then deals with chapters 10-30 by carefully choosing selected themes – such as wisdom at work, financial wisdom, wisdom for leaders, and so on. The book ends with a clear exposition of the wise woman in chapter 31.
At the end of each chapter there are questions to aid further study, followed by questions to enable people to think about and discuss the themes further.
This is a short book yet it is not shallow, and is a good place to start for anyone who wants to study this wonderful book of Proverbs. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
