Book of Proverbs Book I

For Christians, drawing a line between secular and sacred knowledge is absurd. If God created and sustains all things, any division is at best misguided, at worst pernicious. When we educate our children, then, we don't deal with separate realms of knowledge, but we submit everything we learn to the test of Scripture. If something we learn about science or history or how to educate conflicts with Scripture, we should reject whatever we learned in favor of what God's Word says.

The world mocks this attitude, rejecting it as unscientific, unenlightened, preliterate.But we must accept the Word of the infinite God over the words of finite man. Everything we need to know is in the Bible: the source and way of salvation through God's Son, Jesus Christ. Whatever else we learn opens a new venue for worship and praise, yet we too often use our knowledge to praise ourselves.

Kevin Swanson directs us away from human accomplishment and back to the Word of God. He sees the Book of Proverbs as one of the best starting places for a biblical education, since it's God's manual of practical wisdom and knowledge. To help parents lead their children through the book, The Book of Proverbs: God's Book of Wisdom is a 3-volume devotional manual/practical commentary designed to familiarize families with Proverbs.

Each volume covers a number of chapters split into a total of 334 sections. Swanson's analysis is verse-by-verse, with each section covering 2-4 verses through text and reflection questions. Parents read the Bible passage aloud, then Swanson's text, and finally the family discusses the questions (this is for families, not individuals). The commentary focuses on Christian behavior rather than the original language, theological subtleties, or controversies.

While you could purchase volumes selectively to cover portions of specific concern, they work best as a unit. Ideas build from one section to another, and though Proverbs isn't a narrative, it's best taken whole. Swanson's questions are particularly soul-searching, and will likely lead to spirited discussion. If your family's goal is to grow closer to God and each other, to deny sin and pursue righteousness, The Book of Proverbs is an excellent place to start, both for theologians and laypeople.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.