1. Summary Outline of Proverbs
Chapters 1-9:
What Wisdom Is
Chapters 10-31:
Practice of Wisdom

2. Definition of a Proverb
A short sentence expressing a general principle.

3. Purpose of Proverbs To Teach Skillful Living (Morals)
To Teach Skillful Decision Making (Mental)
Wisdom and its synonyms occur 101 times in the book of Proverbs.
The word “wisdom,” hm'k.x' (hokmah) occurs about 150 times in the Bible, more than half of them in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.

4. Benefits of Studying Proverbs
Personal Growth
Helmsmenship

5. The Two Types of Wisdom 1 Corinthians 2:4-8
Divine
Human
4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

6. Humanism …
Humanism, in philosophy, attitude that emphasizes the dignity and worth of the individual. A basic premise of humanism is that people are rational beings who possess within themselves the capacity for truth and goodness. The term humanism is most often used to describe a literary and cultural movement that spread through western Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. This Renaissance revival of Greek and Roman studies emphasized the value of the classics for their own sake, rather than for their relevance to Christianity.
"Humanism," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

7. Humanism …
Underlying the differences between these two philosophies was the humanists’ deep conviction that society had outgrown older ways of thought. According to the humanists, these ways of thought emphasized abstract speculation and relied too heavily on Christian teachings. Many of the humanists were townspeople who were not directly associated with the church. These urban residents tended to object to an educational system that was largely monopolized by the clergy and oriented to clerical needs. Humanists were accustomed to the ever-changing, concrete activities of city life and found the rigid and closed systems of abstract thought to be both useless and irrelevant. In sum, humanism reflected the new environment of the Renaissance. Its essential contribution to the modern world was not its concern with antiquity, but its flexibility and openness to all the possibilities of life.
"Renaissance," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

8. Voltaire, assumed name of François Marie Arouet ( ), French writer and philosopher, who was one of the leaders of the Enlightenment.
The French writer and philosopher Voltaire is considered one of the central figures of the Age of Enlightenment of the s, a period which emphasized the power of human reason, science, and respect for humanity. Voltaire believed that literature should serve as a vehicle for social change. His biting satires and philosophical writings demonstrated his aversion to Christianity, intolerance, and tyranny. The expression captured in this portrait of Voltaire in 1718 hints at the sharp sense of humor with which he won the favor of 18th-century French society.
Giraudon/Art Resource, NY
"Voltaire," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

9. Humanism vs. God’s Word
A basic premise of humanism is that people are rational beings who possess within themselves the capacity for truth and goodness.
“… and you will be like God …” Gen. 3:5
Rom. 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
Isa. 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
2 Cor. 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
1 Cor. 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight
1 Cor. 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

10. According to Humanism …
Man is the measure of all things, at the center of everything, and solves his own problems.
The solution to all of man’s problems is education. Man needs no god to helm him; he is his own god.

11. According to Humanism …
The key to successful living is getting more, “doing your own thing.” One can measure success by outward, material things.
American Dream by Casting Crowns.

12. According to the Bible …
God is the proper central focus of life. Life can have no real meaning apart from Him (Col. 1:16-18).
The solution to all of man’s problems are found somewhere between Gen. 1:1 and Rev. 22:21 (Ps. 19:7-11)
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GOD

13. According to the Bible …
The key to successful living is in meditation upon, submitting to, and doing God's will as revealed in His Word (Josh. 1:8).
HOME
PERSONAL LIFE SCHOOL
CHURCH COMMUNITY
WORK
GOD

14. WISDOM IS Based on the fear of the Lord (Job 28:28; Pr. 1:7)
Knowledge of God (Pr. 9:10)
Power of God (Ps. 33:8)
Holiness of the Lord (Rev. 15:4)
Love of the Lord (1 Sam. 12:22-24)
The child of God has only one dread – to offend the Lord and only one desire – to please Him.

15. Wisdom is … The Fear of the Lord
The Fear of the Lord is based on knowledge of God
Pr. 9:10
Which attributes of God produce a FOG in you?
The Fear of the Lord is based on the Power of God
Ps. 33:8
Jonah 1:11-16
The Fear of the Lord is based on the Holiness of the Lord
Rev. 15:4
Isa. 6

16. Wisdom is … The Fear of the Lord
The Fear of the Lord is base on the Love of the Lord
1 Sam. 12:22-24
Ps. 34

17. The Fear of the Lord (FOG)
The Law of Awe (This leads to submission & worship)
It’s Importance
Isaiah 11:2-3 (Christ feared the Lord)
Jeremiah 2:19 (It’s a sin not to fear the Lord)
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (The whole duty of man is the FOG)
2 Samuel 23:3 (It is essential for true Christian Leadership)
Psalm 147:11 (It is a distinguishing characteristics of those who please Him)
How we get it
By observing the hand of the Lord in the Word of God and in personal experience.

18. Humanism: The Wisdom of Man

19. Christianity: The Wisdom of God