Daily Devotional | Why Read Proverbs?

Today, we have more entertainment options than ever before. Children can watch cartoons on more devices than most of us ever imagined when we were their age. As adults, we can stream nearly any television show or movie. There are more movies, more shows, more books, and more music readily available to us than ever before. The possibilities are endless!

So, with so many available ways to spend our time, why study the Old Testament book of Proverbs? In short, because this book was written “for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight” (1:2). This book, written thousands of years ago through the inspiration of God Himself —“God-breathed” (see 2 Tim. 3:16–17)—tells us how to live. We can do more than simply exist or move through life in a flurry of entertainment options. We can live well!

Chapter 1, verse 1 attributes the book of Proverbs to Solomon, the son of King David. In 1 Kings 3, God told Solomon, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (v. 5). Solomon responded, “Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (v. 9). Solomon asked for God’s wisdom and was given it!

Solomon is the primary author of Proverbs along with a few others (see Prov. 30:1; 31:1; 25:1). The wisdom shared here promises to give us a better, fuller, and more complete life. And that wisdom, of course, culminates in Jesus Christ, the very wisdom of God, who likewise calls us to a life that far surpasses anything we could ever ask or imagine, both in this life and the next.

>> July is the perfect month to read through the entire book of Proverbs, 31 days for 31 chapters. In addition to the designated Scripture passage, why not also read one chapter of Proverbs each day?

Pray with Us

God, You are the source of wisdom. Today we ask for discernment in matters of righteousness. Give us understanding in complicated situations where morals are murky. Help us determine the righteous course of action.

BY Dr. Russell L. Meek

Russell Meek teaches Old Testament and Hebrew at Moody Theological Seminary. He writes a regular column on understanding and applying the Old Testament at Fathom Magazine, and his books include Ecclesiastes and the Search for Meaning in an Upside-Down World and the co-authored Book-by-Book Guide to Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary. Russ, his wife, and their three sons live in northern Idaho.