Earlier this year in 2022, I completed a daily devotion book on the book of Proverbs. That book was intentionally meant to be very non-technical. By design, the devotions were meant to be easy to read and understand but without involving the reader with a lot of Hebrew words and scripture references. So that book was completed earlier this year in one very large volume. But now, this book, which is being prepared as six separate parts in six volumes, is meant to be everything that the devotion book was not meant to be. For example, each of the devotions that are in the devotion book are also included in this book and the other five books that will accompany this book. So those devotions actually serve as a commentary on the whole book of Proverbs. However, in addition to those devotions, the Hebrew words that were intentionally omitted from the devotion book are included in this six-part series. That way, the reader of this commentary series on the book of Proverbs can read the same devotion that is in the devotion book and then see the key Hebrew words with their meanings and the key Hebrew verbs with their stem and mood information all together in this book. So this book is intended for those who want to study the book of Proverbs and see all of the Hebrew words right along with them. But for those people who do not want all of that detail, the devotion book might be the better choice.
Now before concluding this Introduction, there is still one more important thing to share. It is that from a spiritual perspective, one might say that all people can be divided into the three groupings of J-O-Y, Y-O-J, or just Y. That being the case, it is the belief of this author that the most content and most satisfied people in all the world are the J-O-Y's. The least content and least satisfied are the Y-O-J's. The unhappiest and most miserable individuals are the Y's. So who are the J-O-Y's, the Y-O-J's, and the Y's? They are the individuals whom Jesus identified in Matthew 22:37-39. Those verses say, "...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
So based upon those verses, the letter "J" stands for Jesus. The letter "O" stands for others. The letter "Y" stands for yourself. So putting it all together, the most content, most satisfied people in this world are those who consistently put Jesus first, others second, and themselves last (J-O-Y). For example, the medical report is not so good. J-O-Y. The car breaks down. J-O-Y. This is not a really great day. J-O-Y. I did not want that to happen. J-O-Y. But the unhappiest and most miserable individuals in this world are the Y-O-J's and the Y's because they consistently put themselves before everyone else and everything else. So this devotion book has been written to try to daily encourage everyone to be a J-O-Y. That means that a good response to every situation in life is J-O-Y no matter how unpleasant the circumstance. However, the letter "J" means more than just to put the Lord first in one's heart and life. It is also a reminder that the Lord is in total control of everything. Nothing in this life happens either by accident or outside of His providential Will. When one remembers that, then even the most negative things in this life are less negative. That is not brainwashing or positive thinking. It is simply Bible truth.
