RULES OF THUMB – Proverbs 10:1-14 – 6-15-25

As we consider the 2nd major section in the book of Proverbs, the most obvious difference is in the form Solomon’s instruction is presented.  Chapters 10-24 proceed with a collection of single sentence wisdom sayings or ‘aphorisms’ under the title: “The Proverbs of Solomon”.  The style of writing compiles straightforward statements without expounding or illustrating the nuances of their application in practice.  As such, the order of the book is intuitive.  After the student masters the “My Son Oracles” of chapters 1-9, he can more effectively process and deploy the aphorisms of Proverbs in fruitful ways.  The operating assumption is that the exercise of wisdom is a discipline honed by diligent practice.  Solomon does not anticipate every case-by-case contingency, rather he writes to inform the student’s moral intuition. From this database, the wisdom practitioner is better equipped to draw his own conclusions given any number or variation of situations he may face in his life and calling. These are rules of thumb (Webster) “...methods of procedure based on experience and common sense. General principles regarded as roughly correct but not intended to be scientifically accurate.