This generation of Americans has all but forgotten that it has been a hard country to live in. When the first settlers came to America, their purpose for coming was to escape religious persecution. The first settlement in this brand-new world was Jamestown. It is called the Lost Colony because the inhabitants all disappeared. They were mysteriously swallowed up in this land of the free and home of the brave. America continued to face many hardships including the War for Independence, the Civil War, the Great Depression, and countless other difficult times. The ironic factor is that because of the suffering of so many who came before us, we have lost sight of the fact that this has been a hard land to live in. In case anyone has forgotten, the devil has made sure it is going to be even worse for Christians!
In this final volume of Proverbs, we find an anxious father trying to prepare his son for a world that is cruel and unkind and circumstances that can be very unforgiving. Because his son was reared in the palace, Dad was preparing him for the realities of life. The lessons he taught are the same lessons that every generation needs to learn.