This section features another set of biblical ‘street smarts’ intended to help the simple man navigate the complex world of politics, commerce, and community. Many scholars note similarities between this section of Proverbs and the Egyptian document The Thirty Sayings of Amenemope. This similarity makes sense given the shared agrarian lifestyle of both Israel and Egypt. Proverbs takes common sense wisdom available to all people who pay attention to the patterns of life and reframes them in the context of fearing God. By God’s grace, the worship of false gods does not eradicate man’s ability to make truthful observations about the world. However, wisdom not only comes from, but also points to the Lord. Without knowledge of the true God all wisdom, though insightful, falls short. Only when we see wisdom in the context of God’s revelation will our paths be made straight. This is Understanding Proverbs. 

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