The book of Proverbs begins where all good counsel ought to begin: based on the fear of the Lord. Not only does it begin here, it continues to uphold this standard throughout the book. The writer of this book constantly puts on display the beauties of knowing and following the Lord.
This is most readily seen in the personification of wisdom. Wisdom is portrayed as having a voice, one that persistently calls out to passers by to heed her words and do what is rights and just and good. The hearers are reminded of the rightness of pursuing knowledge and wisdom.
Up against this is the denouncement of evil. This is done through exposing evil for what it really is. Wisdom reveals that evil entices with flattering words, and false promises of fortune and pleasure. However, the ways of foolishness and wickedness are exposed as falsehood and deceit ultimately leading to death. In this way, wisdom gives insight into life situations, showing the end from the beginning, so that hearers can make informed decisions, return from paths of folly and sin that they may be journeying on, but above all give the opportunity to see where the ways of foolishness will end before going down the paths of sin. In many of the proverbial sections that make up the bulk of the book, the follies of evil are often contrasted with the wisdom of righteousness. The choice to follow after wisdom and understanding, however, are not easy.
The book of Proverbs is also truthfully realistic. The paths of the Lord do not promise ease in life. Further, the Lord promises to correct His children who stray from the paths of uprightness because He is faithful to and loves His children.
This familial faithfulness is also shown from the beginning of the book. The book is set up as a conversation between a father and a son. This intimates that counseling relationships ought to be conducted within the context of interpersonal relationships. Further, the counselor ought to view the counselee as a son, and instruct him/her as he would his own child, modeling the love and faithfulness that the counselor knows by experience based on his/her own relationship with his/her heavenly Father.
Finally, Proverbs speaks most directly to the inner workings of the heart. The heart of the issues are the issues of the heart. Therefore, the writer instructs his son to “keep [his] heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (4:23).
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