The Law in Principle

(Proverbs 1:1 KJV)  The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

This is a book of  “proverbs” (4912).  It is considered part of the Wisdom Literature, not the Law.  There is a difference.  Both can influence your life and change outcomes but one is more along the line of strong suggestions and the other is, well, the law.  There are places where Proverbs reflects the law and is written in the context of the law, such as adultery.  In those cases it is obviously binding.  There are other places where it is pointing out how you can blindly follow the law but miss the whole point, such as its comments about alcohol.

Proverbs is Wisdom Literature.  You will get out of it what you want to put into it.  It requires buy in and adoption.  It requires a desire to understand the principles.  It means that we can take those principles and adapt them for situations which were not possible in the days of Solomon.  Solomon did not need to deal with pornographic web sites.  He did however need to deal with cheating hearts.

So?  We start through another month of Proverbs.  I pray it will speak to me.  I pray it will speak to you.  That depends on us more than on the book itself.