Purpose and Teaching of Proverbs

Many people have told me if I want to gain wisdom to read proverbs. There have even been suggestions to me to begin memorizing some of the verses. Every now and then I will flip through Proverbs and find a handy verse. However, there are many times when I am reading through this book and I catch myself saying, "Huh?" What does that mean? Trying to decipher through the book of proverbs can be a duanting task for some. For me, I wanted to know the purpose of this book and it's origin. So I did a little research on my favorite site:www.ibs.org and found this:

According to the prologue (1:1–7), Proverbs was written to give “prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young” (1:4), and to make the wise even wiser (1:5). The frequent references to “my son(s)” (1:8,10; 2:1; 3:1; 4:1; 5:1) emphasize instructing the young and guiding them in a way of life that yields rewarding ends. Acquiring wisdom and knowing how to avoid the pitfalls of folly lead to personal well-being, happy family relationships, fruitful labors and good standing in the community (see outline, p. 1279). Although Proverbs is a practical book dealing with the art of living, it bases its practical wisdom solidly on the fear of the Lord (1:7; see Ps 34:8–14 and note). Throughout the book reverence for God and reliance on him are set forth as the path to life, prosperity and security (cf. 3:5–10; 9:10–12; 14:26–27; 16:3,6–7; 18:10; 19:23; 20:22; 22:4; 28:25; 29:25). Such godly wisdom is a virtual “tree of life” (3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4) that yields the happy life that God fashioned the creation to produce.