The Book of Proverbs contains the Words of the Wise. The word "proverbs" is derived from the Hebrew word mashal, which means "to rule." The Proverbs are sayings that are supposed to rule or govern our lives. The Book of Proverbs is not just a collection of mere sayings; it contains God's rules for life.

The introduction of the Book of Proverbs states, The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. However, it does not specify that all the proverbs were coined by Solomon. Many years after Solomon's death, Hezekiah asked his scribes to compile Solomon's proverbs. The compilers mostly collected Solomon's writings, but we must clearly understand that these are not merely a wise man's writings; the Holy Spirit inspired these.

The following are five reasons given to study these rules for life, which will equip us to live a godly life.

1. TO LEARN WISDOM, Proverbs 1:2.
2. TO GET UNDERSTANDING, Proverbs 1:2.
3. TO MAKE FAIR DECISIONS, Proverbs 1:3.
4. TO LEARN ABOUT LIFE, Proverbs 1:4.
5. TO LIVE GODLY LIVES, Proverbs 1:4.

My study of Proverbs spanned fifteen years. I wrote 246 messages. By the time I had finished studying Proverbs, I had six notebooks of notes.

My suggestion is that you read a chapter of Proverbs every day and use this multi-volume set of books as a study guide to help you understand God's rules for life.