Proverbs chapters 10 through 29 comes off as a jumbled batch of sayings written in a haphazard order. But if you look more closely, you’ll find a finely woven tapestry comprised of threads of numerous parables, sayings, riddles, and wisdom. Like most tapestries, one side shows what appears to be a disorderly mass of threads while the other side shows a beautiful work. In many ways, these twenty chapters are like the back side of the tapestry, a jumbled mass of threads. Our task then is to look at the proverbs in these chapters in a way that reveals their beauty.
Revealing the beauty—the incredible wisdom—in these twenty chapters of the Book of Proverbs is the goal of this book. To accomplish that lofty goal, each chapter of this book covers one thread of wisdom—one topic—woven through these chapters. Rather than trying to identify the “most important” threads of wisdom and covering them first, author Robert K. Biles has chosen to discuss the threads of wisdom in alphabetical order. The thirty-two chapters in this book covers topics beginning with the letters A, B, and C.
As you look at these proverbs arranged by threads of wisdom, you’ll be amazed at what is revealed! For some topics, the verses are in chronological order of thought. Some threads, such as the one on advice, lists the five ways to know if you have a good adviser. Other threads have the central theme identified in the middle verse of the list of proverbs for that topic. Exploring the proverbs by topic unlocks the meanings of the proverbs, parables, sayings, and riddles that were previously hard to understand.
