210. How to Read Proverbs for Preaching

When I went off to college, my mom concluded every letter she sent me by quoting Proverbs 3:5–6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Those verses capture the essence of the Book of Proverbs. They teach us about God, our relationship to Him, and how we ought to live in a pithy, memorable way. Indeed, the whole book is filled with gems like this one. That probably explains why Proverbs is so popular with Christians. And yet, anyone who has preached or taught from the book of Proverbs knows that it’s harder than it looks. This is especially true if you’re trying to organize an expository series on the book. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Dr. Meghan Musy about how to read Proverbs for preaching. We’ll talk about both how to interpret individual proverbs as well as how to organize a sermon or series on the book. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence Magazine and your host. Dr. Meghan Musy is an ordained Assemblies of God minister, director of Competency-Based Theological Education, and assistant professor of Old Testament at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. ----- This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Leaving a Spiritual Legacy, part of the Momentum Training Series. Discover how to model and mentor God’s message throughout all your teaching. With this resource, you can be assured your influence not only shows your students how to be caring, compassionate people, but also advances God’s kingdom. For more information visit MomentumTrainingSeries.com.