A chapter by chapter verse by verse study of the book of Proverbs.
Chapter 10 is where we start the second major division in the Book of Proverbs. And this is where the individual Proverbs themselves actually begin. Proverbs 1 through 9 has been the instruction of the father to the son, and if you have kids, I would encourage you to take the time to instruct them, to train them up in the way they should go, so that when they are old, they won't depart from it. So, they will know the ways of the Lord, and learn the ways of the Lord and draw close to Him. Proverbs has identified who the wise man is: one who fears the Lord and commits his life to Him. From this point on, it will describe how such a man or woman should conduct his or her life from day to day. One of the earmarks of a believer is that he wants to please God by His life. The Holy Spirit indwelling us reveals how to do this, primarily through the direction given in the Bible, which He inspired. This is why a large portion is addressed to believers to show us how to think, act and speak if you want to please the Lord.
This can be a difficult book to teach And it is difficult to comment on many of these proverbs because in a way, they are all totally sufficient in themselves. Each proverb is a little sermon in a sentence. Each is a little self-contained package of truth. They are little gems, each one of them. And they each make a statement, and many of them are basically self-explanatory. Not much to say without being redundant. The purpose is to be short, with a punch, concise and to the point. They touch you, they teach you. They do not flow together, they are not linked together, they are just short sentence sermons.
Proverbs 10 through 31 will give the Lord's standards. Before it was instruction and guidance and now we're going to see the Proverbs themselves.
Now, I have told you before, that this is one of the Hebrew books of poetry. And Hebrew poetry doesn't have rhyme of meter like our English poetry does. But Hebrew poetry will be contrast or repetition of a though.
Proverbs 10 through 22:16 is the longest section of the book. Most of the proverbs are two lines long, and those in chapters 10 - 15 almost always express a contrast. Sometimes the writer simply makes a general observation, such as "a bribe is a charm to the one who gives it",129 but usually he evaluates conduct: "he who hates bribes will live."130 Many proverbs, in fact, describe the consequences of a particular action or character trait: "A wise son brings joy to his father."131 Since the proverbs were written primarily for instruction, often they are given in the form of commands: "Do not love sleep or you will grow poor."132 Even where the imperative form is not used, the desired action is quite clear, “An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.”133
The Hebrew word translated "proverb" is also translated "oracle",134 "taunt",135 and "parable",136 so its meaning is considerably broader than the English term. This may help explain the reason for the longer discourse in chapters 1 - 9. Most proverbs are short, compact statements that express truths about human behavior. Often there is repetition of a word or sound that aids memorization. In 30:33 “For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.” , e.g., the same Hebrew verb is translated "churning," "twisting" and "stirring up."
We are going to see the contrast in these proverbs, especially the contrast between the wise and the foolish, the wicked and the righteous, the diligent and the slothful.