Proverbs For You

God's Word for You

by Kathleen B. Nielson

In the Proverbs, God offers us wisdom for real life and he shows us Jesus, who was wisdom personified and exemplified.

This accessible, absorbing expository guide to the Proverbs by Kathleen Nielson brings these ancient sayings to life, helping ordinary Christians to see what it can look like to enjoy living in line with God’s wisdom in the great multitude of everyday situations and decisions we face.

This book has more application than a typical commentary, making it a great resource for personal devotions, as well as useful for leading small-group studies or sermon preparation.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction

249 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2020

About the author

see also: Kathleen Buswell Nielson

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Kathleen Nielson holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in literature from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from Wheaton College (Illinois). She has taught in the English departments at Vanderbilt University, Bethel College (Minnesota), and Wheaton College. She is the author of numerous Bible studies, and the book Bible Study: Following the Ways of the Word, as well as various articles and poems. Kathleen has directed and taught women s Bible studies at several churches and speaks extensively at conferences and retreats. She serves as director of women s initiatives for The Gospel Coalition and on the board of directors of The Charles Simeon Trust. Kathleen and her husband Niel (president of Covenant College 2002 2012, now leading an enterprise in global Christian education) have three sons, two beautiful daughters-in-law, and a growing number of grandchildren!

Reviews

[Tim Elmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books in the … For You series are not commentaries. This is not my interpretation. This is self-stated in the series preface. The series is designed for individual or group studies on the scripture, and they are very well done.

So, what should you know about this particular volume? You should know that Kathleen Nielson has done a fantastic job of teaching a difficult book. If I could summarize her approach to Proverbs in one word, I would say, “accessible.”

Proverbs, as a text is a collective of thoughts across multiple movements. The structure is not consistent, and the flow of thought is broken with starts and stops of new ideas. Nielson pulls things together in a thirteen-part study that helps to make sense of the work as a whole and in its parts. She walks the reader through the text drawing attention to unifying themes and empowering her audience to see and understand what the Bible is saying. Nielson beautifully walks that fine line of exposing the text without burying it in her own thoughts.

It is a gift to deliver substance in a friendly and welcoming read. Nielson’s contributions are insightful and perfectly delivered. She is conversational without dumbing things down or getting sidetracked. If you are looking to study the book of Proverbs, this is an excellent option.

[Kim N' · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource and study guide for Proverbs. Like all in this series, this books brings Proverbs alive in its scriptural context of both Old and New Testaments. It could be used as a stand alone study or is very helpful as an additional resource to use when studying Proverbs, Real Wisdom for Real Life (which is how I used it). It is easy to get lost in Proverbs but the emphasis on the overall message of Proverbs while exploring its potent advice helped apply the book accurately to everyday life.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have spent many years trying to make sense of the Proverbs. While they may easily seem to be random verses, they are actually a cohesive book of unparalleled wisdom. In Proverbs For You, Kathleen Nielson shows us how wisdom literature really works.

God’s Word For You

God’s Word For You is a series of books by The Good Book Company that seeks to take you to the heart of a book of the Bible and apply its truth to your heart. They attempt to be Bible-centered, Christ-glorifying, relevantly applied, and easily readable. I found this to be perfectly true of Proverbs For You.

This volume was written by Kathleen Nielson. She is a Bible teacher and conference speaker, and served as the Director of Women’s Initiatives at The Gospel Coalition.

Guide

In just about 250 pages, Nielson gives us a verse-by-verse guide through the book of Proverbs. She helped break down the book and helped me see it’s structure.

For instance, I can now see the kaleidoscopic nature of the book, why the book places so much emphasis on the marriage relationship and adultery, and how words have the power of life and death. I understand the sense behind “The Proverbs 31 Woman,” and how we can see it as a fitting conclusion to the book.

Resource

What I appreciate most about this book series is the number of resources it has to offer. While it acts as a commentary, it can also be read as a devotional. Each section concludes with questions for reflection. These are usually personal application questions that are perfect for a small group study or Sunday School class.

There is a glossary at the back of the book with words that are specifically related to the book of Proverbs. These words include rhetoric, personification, allegorical, and synonyms.

Wisdom Calling

While Nielson writes to explain the verses, she does not fail to show us the big picture of Proverbs and how it points to Jesus Christ. As the Bride of Christ, the Church is called to be wise in the world. This book is better than any set of Study Bible notes. Hear wisdom calling in these words.

I received a media copy of Proverbs For You, and this is my honest review.

[Walter Shaw - · Rating 5 out of 5]

WISDOM

The book of Proverbs is easy to understand but hard to put into practice. If you’re not careful when reading Proverbs, you might find yourself getting lost in the machine-gun fire of wisdom that is contained within the book. Kathleen Nielson’s recent commentary on Proverbs will give you a path to follow as you make your way through the Bible's most prolific wisdom book.

The “God’s Word For You” commentary series published by @thegoodbookcompanyusa is one of my favorites. The entries in the series are eminently readable and faithful to the text. I tend to use these kinds of commentaries to find key applications of Scripture passages, and Nielson’s contribution to the series is an excellent source for such application. The “God’s Word For You” series is more on the devotional side, so expect more exposition than exegesis in the original languages.

I appreciated Nielson’s commitment to reading Proverbs the way that God gave the book to us. She identifies the structure of the book and handles each section of the book accordingly. It can be really tempting to simply view Proverbs as a collection of random wisdom sayings that are unrelated. Nielsen’s commentary will help you to understand how different chapters fit together to present a coherent and holistic picture of Biblical wisdom. That being said, this is not a verse-by-verse commentary, so if you have a question about a specific verse in Proverbs, send me a DM and I will let you know if Nielson covers that verse in the book!

The contrast between the two ways of living is one of my favorite motifs in Proverbs, and Nielson comes back to it again and again. “A heart full of wisdom’s words makes the difference between being drawn aside to folly or kept on the path that leads to life - in a relationship founded on the fear of the Lord.” (68) Fill yourself with God’s words of wisdom!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to study Proverbs!

This book was graciously given to me by @thegoodbookcompanyusa

[Nitoy Gonzales]

There are verses or chapters in the Bible that had been misused and abused either out of ignorance or self gain. This kind of mistreatment of the Scripture is rampant specially in our social media saturated culture. We reduce the Word of God into quote cards or memes. We end up folks and sadly Christians who treats the Bible as a fortune cookie dispenser.

The Book of Proverbs is one such victim. Of course, this part of the Scripture do have one liner quotes that is fitting for calligraphy or you can post it on your social media. No problem with that. However, Proverbs doesn’t stand on a few verses or chapter. It stand as a whole book inspired by God for everyone to read and meditate.

Proverbs For You provides a superb treatment of the one of the wisdom book. If your in a rush do dive immediately on a book about Proverbs, then this is not for you. It may not be a commentary as you might read it on the lift up some inhibitions to read it. Yes it is accessible and easy to understand, but with that come experience a slow phase which in the end is rewarding. You’ll put down the book with a better understanding and appreciation with Proverbs.

Introducing Proverbs in this book is already an epic journey. Nielson won’t leave any stone unturned as she unpacks Proverbs to the readers. It feels like you’re reading climax after climax in the book. Just when you think this kind of treatment is over, you’ll find the same kind of handling through other chapters of the book. Needless to say, Nielson is one amazing Bible teacher and in this book, she proves that she’s one of the best.

Proverbs For You a long read and you’ll feel how the author slowly and meticulously unravel the Proverbs. It’s very accessible and laser focused very step of the way. Proverbs For You can go head to head with a commentary.

My verdict:

4.5 out of 5

[Ron Dellaguardia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desire to be wise? Ok, how badly?

About ten years into my Christian walk the Lord impressed on me the value of wisdom. So I sought it. The book of Proverbs is so dense with information that I had trouble reading it like a book. And the way verse 50b is often disconnected from verse 50a would confuse me and make me think I was unable to understand what the author was saying. So I bought books about Proverbs to help me understand the writing better. Thank God for Christian authors!! They have impacted my life in major ways. And books like this one are so useful in understanding and appreciating the treasure chest of wisdom and knowledge in Proverbs. I am early in the book and have skipped forward only a couple of times. I am grateful for the excellent writing and the way this author can connect concepts to the "big picture". How fortunate we are to have the book of Proverbs, and authors who are able to reach us as we read their books. I recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of Proverbs.

[Josh Olds · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book of Proverbs is a difficult book around which to fashion a cohesive commentary. Like most ANE wisdom literature, Proverbs is a compilation of sayings that are loosely connected and function as statement of the way things usually go or the way things ought to be, not necessarily the way things will be. Yet, the book exhibits a clear structure that necessitates a contextual reading. This distinction has stymied laypeople, pastors, and academicians alike, particularly when attempting to develop a lay-level commentary on the book. So it’s with all that in mind that I dove into Kathleen Nielson’s Proverbs for You.

I think it’s important to note that Nielson’s academic credentials are in literature, not in the Old Testament or in theology in general. The result is that this not a deep dive into the culture or setting of the book, just a studied commentary on the ESV text. In effect, Nielson is an educated layperson and competent in her exegesis, but she is not an expert on the text.

This becomes obvious in various parts of the text, most notably her by fiat assertion that “most agree” that the Proverbs 31 woman is meant to be a real-life woman. While I lean toward that interpretation, it’s actually a very contentious debate in the academic community. Neilson also does not do due diligence in discussing the alleged “corporal punishment” passages of Proverbs, believing that interpretation to be settled when it is not.

Overall, I suppose Proverbs for You meets the expectations I would have of a lay-level commentary written by a non-expert in the field. I disagree with a few exegetical points. I don’t find the discussion very robust or full of information that isn’t already obvious. It’s perhaps better read as a devotional or companion book than as a commentary. With so many other lay-level commentaries written by experts, I’m not sure what value this one adds to the literature on Proverbs.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Proverbs and have done several studies. It took me a REALLY long time to work my way through this book. While there were quite a number of gems (that kept me reading), I found the book tedious and plodding. To be fair, the author chose to study Proverbs straight through (not topically), which is really hard to do since the book jumps around within each chapter among many topics. I understand her rationale for this method of teaching (God inspired the book to be written this way so there is value in studying it in the way it was written).

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Helpful, conversational commentary on the book of Proverbs with a whole-Bible approach that I appreciated. Made reading and studying proverbs a fresh experience for me! With an emphasis on the wisdom and sufficiency of Christ, the centrality of fearing God, and connections to many other scripture, Old and New testaments alike.

[Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful few months I've had diving deeply into the book of Proverbs. This commentary was engaging. I enjoyed discovering the themes & the attention to detail was much needed. Our small women's Bible study group has benefitted greatly from my reading this as a companion to leading them through the book of Proverbs.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

worth the read

This commentary on Proverbs was clear and insightful. Kathleen Nielson was able to bring, what first appears like a lot of individual sayings or wise thoughts into an ordered picture of God’s wisdom. So helpful.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really helpful volume in this series. Frirst time I think I've studied Proverbs verse by verse and not thematically. Saw fresh things and renewed in my desire to live by God's wisdom.

[Haley Dorris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really hard to write a concise book on Proverbs

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this alongside my daily study of Proverbs. This is an easy to read commentary. The author is very good at putting this book together as a whole, whereas most people read bits and pieces of proverbs. I appreciate the book in a new light now thanks to reading it how it was meant to be, from start to finish. It certainly gave the last chapter more depth and meaning. I don’t just recommend this book but the whole series.