Christian Leaders’ Guide
to
The Art of Wisdom
A Guide For Parents, Grandparents, Mentors And Group Leaders.
Companion to The Art of Wisdom Study Journal or Reader’s “leather” version.
Copyright Rick Henderson, Th.M. 2026
Copyright 2026 Rick Henderson, Th.M. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, speeches, or teaching, without the prior permission of the author.
The Art of Wisdom is available in a Study Journal, hardback reader’s gift edition, and Kindle version. Other versions coming.
Dedication:
For every follower of Christ who seeks to help others find wisdom.
Solomon was a believer in the One Creator God. But Solomon was not, and could not be, a Christian: Christ would not rise from the grave for nearly a millennia.
Coupled to that is the goal of this book – to present the biblical text to all people, whatever their belief. If we trust in the Bible’s viability, believing with the Apostle Paul that “all scripture is profitable”, simply making the text available and accessible to all people will produce results. But, although The Art of Wisdom does quote Paul and even Jesus, no direct mention of Christ is made in any place. This was done to make it possible for the book to be presented in most any setting – even public schools.
But all this does present a difficulty for the Christian parent, mentor, teacher or group leader – how do we tie this glorious text to the Good News shared in the New Testament? To the wonder of the Son of God writing Himself into our story and bringing redemption to many? Especially if the ones we lead are not yet believers! The hope is this guide will help you achieve this goal.
The primary objective is to help mature Christians guide believers less developed in the faith, but still a part of it. We will also try to give suggestions for those who are presenting these Proverbs, that we know are inspired by the Holy Spirit, to those who do not yet understand this truth.
This guide is designed to work with The Art of Wisdom Study Journal. A student can use the reader’s or Kindle version, but will need a notebook, and you will need to supply them with questions to work through. The material in this guide will help you to share this Biblical wisdom with others. Although it is up to you to determine with whom you want to share this wisdom, the author would suggest children be no younger than ten years of age. It may be just one child you are trying to guide, or a whole group of adults seeking to gain wisdom to an ever greater degree.
The flow of words is close to directly from the Hebrew language. You’ll recognize it as that George Lucas used for his wise Character, Yoda. He heard it from those he understood to be wise when he was a child – the Rabbis of the synagogues in which he was taught. The good news here is that young people of today already see this word flow as that which delivers wisdom – we just have to point them to true wisdom!
To parents, grandparents, and mentors of our youth. You already know it but let’s say it clearly – if you don’t make an effort to drive those kids towards wisdom, the world will make them fools. And that leads to death. You must take the lead in helping the children in your life to achieve wisdom while they are still young. If you don’t make this happen, it probably won’t – and your children will suffer. Be wise – take responsibility.
For younger children it may be necessary to read together each proverb you want to discuss. It could take many sessions to finish even one chapter. As the maturity level rises the “hand holding” should lessen.
For those guiding group studies or connecting with one or more adults. You’ll have to make age and education level assessments – particularly watch vocabulary. Make sure you understand the sections A Reason for Being, Reading the Culture Map and Solomon’s Strange Relationship with Women.
You will be responsible to determine the learning style of each person. It is not the purpose of this guide to teach you how to teach, but only to give you more tools. If you haven’t read the little book The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias (or the scientific study from which it is derived) you should. It is probably the most concise teaching help I’ve yet run into. There is much more to learn, but if you are just starting on this path, this will help you. Some of the data in this book are for young people – you’ll know how to adapt them to your use. The book Why Gender Matters is an excellent guide to the variants in learning that are based on a child’s gender.
Remember the purpose is for those you lead to grow in wisdom. Your job is to facilitate that learning – not to show how wise you are. In fact, if that is a primary need for you, perhaps you should not consider yourself a leader, but simply the one holding the map. Find the route together with those who walk the path with you. (It also might be good for you to read all Solomon’s thoughts on humility. J)
If you are going to teach someone how to drive, you’ll need to get them behind the wheel. If you want someone to absorb wisdom – it is better if they read it and bring their thoughts out, before you gently guide them into the center of the lane. This is especially true in group studies. We would suggest having each person, one after the other, read a proverb or group of them. (Proverbs are indented if connected to the previous verse.)
If you are doing a group study, be very careful not to let the more expressive dominate the conversation. Carefully ensure that each person contributes to the discussion. It may be wise, should you go around the room, each person reading a predetermined section, to also allow the reader to be the first to comment. Be patient! Remember Garrison Keller’s comment on conversation in the big city – A Lake Woebegone comma is a New York period – he was never able to finish a thought! Give people time to finish their thought, before speaking or letting another speak. If the expressive people are too insistent, you may need to make a rule requiring a person to be called upon before speaking.
Each section title in the book will have a corresponding section in this guide and will be presented in the same order. Scriptural references are from the New Testament only. There are many excellent related texts in the Old Testament, but the purpose of this study is to tie the Proverbs to the Christian faith. If you have time, please do use one of the many excellent study bibles or reference works to find applicable scripture from the Old Testament.
You should have read this guide through, as well as the book text, before leading another through it. Don’t be one of those who can’t, so they teach! Know your subject before you try to pass it on. You should have read through Proverbs in other versions as well.
Some suggestions for getting the most wisdom you can for the one(s) you lead – and you.
First scan the text of the section or chapter. Everything between the Study Guide question pages is the same text that is in the Reader’s and Kindle versions of the book.
Highlight any word about which you believe your group will be unsure.
Mark any phrases/proverbs that clearly will be either particularly difficult or meaningful. (You will note that there are wide margins on the outside of each page – use this space!)
Find the meaning of the highlighted words.
Read the text carefully.
Mark any text that you would like to discuss, or for which you or your students might need clarification.
Insure you have a plan for explaining these difficult or meaningful sections.
Pick a favorite section – one that could change a life.
Pick a section you or those you lead might be able to share with friends or family.
Look through the Study Guide questions and thoughts – make sure you understand them. (They’ll be included here.)
Now you are ready to get together with the person or persons with whom you are discussing this wisdom.
Discuss any words that are unfamiliar to you or your charges. (The beautiful thing about ignorance is that it can be cured with the simple application of knowledge!)
Discuss all text for which someone has questions or thoughts.
Was there a theme in this section?
Discuss any wisdom that was striking to you, or requested by your charges. (Suggestions are in parenthesis.)
Consider the questions and thoughts in the Study Journal pages for that section (replicated in this guide).
The task you’ve taken on is nothing less than life changing. To help someone gain wisdom and the life of peace it brings, and avoid foolishness and the life of death it brings, is both an honor and responsibility of truly dramatic proportions. I believe Solomon would say “Your trust, place in Yahweh – Guide you in all ways, He will”.
Each section from this point on corresponds to a section in The Art of Wisdom Study Journal.
The original text of this collection of proverbs was designed for the young men who were sons of the king, in particular the one who would be the next king. The text of The Art of Wisdom is like focused. As explained in the section The Reason for Being, women will not find it difficult to apply the text to themselves, or the girls they lead.
Remember the vast cultural differences between our world and theirs. These words were written for us, but to them – and we have to know how they understood them before we can know how to make proper application to our lives. There are many commentaries that can help you to gain greater knowledge. The Baker Exegetical commentaries are always good. Something like The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the Old Testament will give you good historical background information. Consider other books specific to the Proverbs.