"The Book of Proverbs has two purposes: to give moral skillfulness and to give mental discernment. The first purpose is developed in vv. 3-4; then, after a parenthetical exhortation in v. 5, the second purpose is developed in v. 6."16
This book claims to offer wisdom (Heb. hokmah) to the reader. It is this wisdom that the Apostle Paul commanded us to walk in (cf. Eph. 5:15).
Wisdom is "God's fixed order for life, an order opposed to chaos and death.
"No longer can wisdom be defined simplistically as the practical application of knowledge.' Instead wisdom must be thought of as a broad, theological concept denoting a fixed, righteous order to which the wise man submits his life."17
"Wisdom' (hokmah) basically means skill.'"18
". . . wisdom means being skillful and successful in one's relationship and responsibilities. It involves observing and following the Creator's principles of order in the moral universe."19
"It isn't enough simply to be educated and have knowledge, as important as education is. We also need wisdom, which is the ability to use knowledge. Wise men and women have the competence to grasp the meaning of a situation and understand what to do and how to do it in the right way at the right time. . . .
"The pages of history are filled with the names of brilliant and gifted people who were smartenough to become rich and famous but not wiseenough to make a successful and satisfying life. Before his death, one of the world's richest men said that he would have given all his wealth to make one of his six marriages succeed. It's one thing to make a living, but quite something else to make a life."20
This is not to say that everyone who submits to God will be able to make equally wise decisions in life. Some Christians, for example, demonstrate more wisdom than others. This is another sense in which Proverbs uses the word wisdom. Nevertheless essentially wisdom is a proper orientation toward God.21
"Proverbial wisdom is characterized by short, pithy statements; but the speculative wisdom, such as Ecclesiastes or Job, uses lengthy monologues and dialogues to probe the meaning of life, the problem of good and evil, and the relationship between God and people."22
The key words in verses 2 through 4 have the following meanings.
Riddles (v. 6) are any puzzles that are unclear and need interpreting, not just what we call riddles today (cf. Num. 12:8; Judg. 14:12; 1 Kings 10:1; Ezek. 17:2; Hab. 2:6).23A second purpose of the book is to solve such thought-provoking problems about life.
These verses set forth four objectives. God gave us these proverbs to impart an intimate acquaintance with wisdom and discipline (v. 2a) and to impart understanding of wisdom sayings (vv. 2b, 6). He also wanted to impart moral insight (v. 3) and to identify the intended recipients of wisdom (v. 4).24
"The Book of Proverbs was not intended to be read as an exhaustive book of right actions but as a selective example of godly wisdom."25
