Proverbs - Who Knew?!

Our pastor will be preaching a sermon this Sunday on the book of Proverbs. I decided, therefore, to read 6 chapters a day (mon-fri) to cover it all this week, adding on the 31st chapter to either Friday or Saturday, in preparation for Sunday morning. Today I began my reading with chapter 1 (obviously) - My point in stating that is that the title of chapter 1, according to my NIV Bible is, "Prologue: Purpose and Theme."
With that in mind, the next few verses were extra enlightening as I read them - as if for the first time - as an outline for the rest of the book. As I type this out it seems a little like, "duh, Sarah," but I really never noticed it before, so I decided to blog about it. Based of the first six verses here is the "Purpose and Theme" of the book according to Solomon:

1. attaining wisdom and discipline
2. understand words of insight
3. acquiring a disciplined and prudent life
4. doing what is right and just and fair
5. giving prudence to the simple - knowledge and discretion to the young
6. let the wise listen and add to their learning
7. let the discerning get guidance

And he concludes the section with verse 7 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." I'm no scholar, but from the little reading of Proverbs I have done, this seems to be the "theme" part that the NIV title was alluding to.

I don't want to be a fool. And as I read those seven little points in my list I just realize what a treasure the book of Proverbs is. We wonder and wander at life and through life - why not pay attention to the book of Proverbs for a change?!

One more thing, this wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that we are admonished to obtain is also what Solomon describes as the Lord's tools at the beginning of time,

"By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew." (3:19-20)

I have to say that I don't know what all of the implications of that are, but it's highly intriguing to me to be in pursuit of the very things present with the Lord God as He created.