Following his father David, King Solomon, wrote the vast majority of the book of Proverbs. Unlike the Psalms, Solomon asks not God for forgiveness for his actions but instead gives wisdom to his own son, Rehoboam. Like the Psalms, however, Solomon discusses ethics and God’s sanctions in history.
Interestingly, what is known as “the intro” to Proverbs is nine chapters long, despite the book being only 31 chapters in total. In this, Solomon provides an overall view of his goal: wise moral instruction. Solomon was widely regarded as an extremely wise man in Israel, so Proverbs presents the battle between wisdom and foolishness, righteousness and sin, which compete for the affections of men. Solomon uses analogies to illustrate these conflicts. One such example is people in a public space fighting over competing ideas. Portraying “wisdom” as a woman, she tries to turn wise “simpletons” who are not just people leading simple lives but they are foolish due to their regular sin. “A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him. A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him, but the words of the wise keep them safe.”
While urging his son to practice wisdom, Solomon says that wisdom is ignored by the people and also uses real-life examples of temptation. For instance, he tells his Rehoboam that thieves will entice him to join their evil ways, but he must avoid them and pursue righteousness. “Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them. For their heart desires violence, and their lips speak of troublemaking.”
