How to Quote a Verse Out of Context

Part 33 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series 

David Pawson says, when you first read the book of Proverbs, it seems to be a jumble of folk sayings or just common sense - except that sense isn’t all that common. Solomon collected most of the proverbs, some of them Arabic and some Egyptian which he put in a context of God, as well as many he wrote himself. They don’t deal with spirituality, but they focus on day to day life and many of them are still used today though people often don’t realize where they originated. The key to reading these proverbs is to recognize yourself in them. The book is really saying godliness is worked out in real life – it’s not just something you do on Sundays in church. As David Pawson says, there is nothing secular except sin in God’s sight. Every job is sacred to God whether you’re a computer operator, taxi driver or preacher. David sees this book as ‘the key to the good life’. The Bible talks about the good life in moral terms rather than material terms. Proverbs is about what we are saved for, not what we are saved by. Salvation is a process - God is saving us to be sensible people who can make the most of life and be useful to him again. A proverb is not a promise.