A BOOK ON WISDOM, ON LIFE, ON GROWING UP, ON RULING WELL…
Available at Athanasius Press and Amazon.com (Kindle). Also in audiobook format at Audible.com.
I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.
Wisdom (Proverbs 8:14-16)
The Declaration of Independence of the thirteen American states named life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as human rights that governments should not violate. But Proverbs warns that people can and do shorten their own lives and give away their liberty to others, being lured by folly. If you want to pursue real happiness, Wisdom provides the path.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.
Wisdom (Proverbs 8:17-21)
(Read more about the book at Athanasius Press and Amazon.com.)
This may sound strange to some because many believe the Bible is only about preparation for the next life. The Apostle Paul give us a better perspective when he writes, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Proverbs is all about that training, not only for the next life, but for this life as well!
The book of Proverbs is a puzzle, and an insoluble one, if we think the Bible is only concerned about the eternal destiny of our souls. When we see that the Bible is about how men and women are created and restored to relate to God and rule creation, Proverbs snaps into place. It is, as Mark Horne shows, a “meditation of Genesis,” instructing the young to become the kings they’re created to be. Solomon Says isn’t just a study of Proverbs. Like Proverbs itself, this insightful book is a guide for life that helps the reader make wisdom part of his body.
Peter Leithart, PhD, author, and President of Theopolis Institute
Proverbs is written for everyone, of course, but from the first chapter it presents itself as lessons for a young man.
But strange lessons…
If you read Proverbs as a collection of simple moral truths or generalizations about life, you grasp of its message will probably be hampered.
It is a book of riddles.
Mark Horne ably demonstrates that rather than being a grab bag of wisdom, the Book of Proverbs has the singular purpose of equipping believers for lives of kingly freedom. This is a wonderful book for fathers and sons, for mother and daughters, and for growing disciples everywhere. Highly recommended.
George Grant, author and pastor of Parish Presbyterian Church, Franklin, Tennessee.
Solomon Says is not a commentary on Proverbs. It is an introduction to some major lessons from the book and a readers guide designed to make it easier to profit from the proverbs of Solomon and those of the other inspired wisdom writers.
There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, which means that a man could read a chapter a day and finish the book in a month (or so) … and then read it again and again, about twelve times in a year.
It wouldn’t be a bad habit for a young man in his late teens to adopt. Another habit to adopt? Read through Mark Horne’s new book on Proverbs once a year.
Rev. John Barach
I wrote this book because it seemed high time to remind Christians that the Bible contain a book devoted to showing young men how to become and be mature adults! They need the lessons of Proverbs–and so do the rest of us.
There has been an explosion of interest in reaching alienated young men with a message of self-control and the importance of growing up. But the answers won’t come from Jung, they’ll come from Solomon who wrote the only book in the Bible specifically dedicated to teaching a boy how to become a man. Jordan Peterson tapped into the need. Horne’s book points the lost boys to go deeper into the into the real answer to the real answer to their problem: Biblically defined wisdom.
Jerry Bowyer, Editor of Townhall Finance and author of The Maker vs. the Takers: What Jesus Really Said About Social Justice and Economics (forthcoming)
Get your copy now at Athanasius Press or Amazon.com. And get one for someone you love.
