Manhood is a Mindset. J. Colin Trisler
because there is true happiness in it. Like any good father, he wants his children to do well. But to achieve the success God has in store for us, we must make the choice to put his wisdom into action in every area of our everyday lives. That’s why God inspired Solomon to share these words with us in the book of Proverbs: to instill wisdom in God’s people so that we may live meaningful lives and walk in a covenant relationship with our Lord forever.
“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” (1:1) are just as applicable to us today as they were to the people of ancient Israel because God’s absolute truth never changes. It stands the test of time because God has woven his truth into the very fabric of our reality. Wise living is living in harmony with reality. With God’s truth. And any man who makes the day-by-day choice to live in harmony with the truth is a wise man in the making.
vvv
Son, wisdom itself is a choice—it’s your choice.
If you choose to dedicate yourself to a life of wisdom, you will quickly mature beyond your youthful inexperience and grow into a strong man of good judgment.
Throughout the course of these letters, I will use Solomon’s words of wisdom to teach you how to think, speak, and act like a man of true wisdom. I will impose upon you the highest standards of behavior so that you can grow into a man of personal excellence. That excellence includes these features: a strong mind, solid values, powerful principles, righteous confidence, and a healthy sense of self-respect.
I invite you to follow Solomon’s example—to join with your Heavenly Father and with me, your earthly father, as we work together to train you in the wisdom of the truth and help you mature you into the man God has fearfully and wonderfully made you to be.
Love,
Dad
1. The Holy Grail is an artifact of lore. It is the chalice Christ used at the Last Supper and, according to legend, possesses supernatural powers. In the cinematic universe of Indiana Jones, the Grail has the power to grant eternal life and healing to anyone who drinks from it.
2. Mounce, Complete Expository Dictionary, 793.
3. Hill and Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 390.
4. Regarding the Messiah’s physical appearance, the prophet Isaiah said the Christ would have “no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” (Isa 53:2).
5. Regarding the Solomonic authorship of Proverbs, Hill and Walton note, “The book of Proverbs represents the literary legacy of the Hebrew sages, or wise men.” These wise men were generally associated with the king’s royal court. The Solomonic authorship of the proverbs credited to him is in dispute among some scholars. The arguments for or against Solomonic authorship extend beyond the scope of these letters. However, the following points are worth noting. Hill and Walton do not claim a Solomonic authorship. They do point out, though, that “King Solomon’s sagacity is well attested in the Old Testament.” Solomon is credited with uttering some three thousand proverbs (hundreds of which are preserved in the book of Proverbs). “According to 1 Kings 4:29–34, Solomon’s knowledge and understanding surpassed that of all the other sages in the academies of the ancient Near Eastern World. King Solomon stands as the ‘patron of the arts’ in ancient Israel. Not only did he popularize the wisdom tradition of the Hebrews, but also his example as sage and scholar served as the model for future generations” (A Survey of the Old Testament, 443). Raymond C. Van Leeuwen makes the following claim: “it is clear that Solomon is not the author of the book in its present form . . . though some have argued for the origin of sections of the book in the Solomonic court.” He goes on to point out that for the ancients, the issue “was not authorship in the modern sense, but the authority of works written in the ‘spirit’ of the archetypal lawgiver, psalmist, or sage” (Introduction to Wisdom Literature, 20). With all this in mind, I treat “Solomon, son of David, king of Israel” (Prov 1:1)—be it in the archetypal or literal sense—as the author of Prov 1–9. For as Duane Garrett notes: “The biblical assertion that the Solomonic monarchy witnessed a great literary renaissance and that Solomon himself was the fountainhead is reasonable” (The New American Commentary, 52). I likewise treat his son—again, be it in the general or literal sense—as the intended audience.
6. David’s most notable sins were murder and adultery. Read about David, his temptation, his sin, the Lord’s discipline, and his restoration in 2 Sam 11–12.
7. The final two verses of Ecclesiastes indicate that Solomon learned his lesson and repented of his wayward actions: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether good or evil” (Eccl 12:13–14). Although the human author of Ecclesiastes is technically anonymous, as the author simply refers to himself as “the Preacher,” he also refers to himself as “the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Eccl 1:1). Solomon was indeed the son of David and king in Jerusalem (compare with Prov 1:1). Therefore, Solomon is the probable author. Traditional scholarship also credits Solomon as the author.
Letter 2
Factor Fear into Your Way of Thinking
Prov 1:2–7; 9:10
“Fear is healthy when you use it according to its purpose.”
I opened the previous letter with the tale of a brave hero, dark enemies, and perilous heroics.
These kinds of stories are helpful because they bring ideas to life using images that are relevant and striking (and thus easy to remember). C. S. Lewis, a man who understood the power of narrative, agreed with me on this point: “If it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”8
That being said, the visuals from Indiana Jones and stories like his can be rather ferocious at times, and I’d prefer to open this letter with a brighter, more heartwarming illustration. The image I have in mind is from one of your favorite movies: Disney’s animated version of The Lion King.
This film has a deeper sense of symbolism than your standard children’s movie. The story itself is rich with character and meaning and is worthy of much consideration. Especially for young men, as it serves as an astute visual representation of a boy’s difficult journey into manhood.
The story begins with the birth of Simba, a lion cub who is destined to rule the kingdom of the African Pride Lands. Early one morning Simba and his father—the present king, a wise and mighty lion named Mufasa—ascended to the summit of a large stone formation named Pride Rock. There the father and his son, the king and his heir, sat side-by-side and observed the glory of their kingdom entire. And as the Pride Lands sparkled in the light of the rising sun, the two lions marveled at the radiance of their realm.
“Look, Simba,” Mufasa said. “Everything the light touches is our kingdom.”
“Everything the light touches . . . ” repeated young Simba with wide-eyed wonder. Simba then stood to his feet and strolled away from the presence of his father. His eyes moved across the vast African plain until they settled on a strange patch of darkness out in the distance. The cub walked to the edge of the rock and asked, “What about that shadowy place?”
Mufasa moved closer to his son. His answer and his voice were firm. “That’s beyond our borders. You must never go there, Simba.”
“But