Solomon Says

Directives for Young Men
by Mark Horne
148 pages / 2020

If you are not governed by God's word, which calls you, by the work of the Holy Spirit, to govern yourself, you will not be more free. Instead, you will be governed by your own urges, and will also lose the ability to govern God's creation, as we were originally called to do. Mark Horne shows how Proverbs reveals to young men just how to work out that creation mandate from Genesis.

Here are some of the headings of the chapters and sections Horne writes to show the superiority of wisdom demonstrated in Proverbs over many of the methods our society thinks will get us ahead:

• Handguns Can't Shoot Down Poverty;
• Immorality Impoverishes You;
• Solomon On Cyberporn;
• Control Chaos, Don't Inflame It
  (about the power of the tongue);
• Leaving Toxic Talk Culture
  (a great warning about our social media feeds);
• Listening Well;
• Wisdom Is Better Than Folly Even When It's Risky;
• Let Go and Let God? (the need to train in godliness);
• Total Ownership (the need for making a genuine plan for change);
• Building a Better Man.

Horne's book shows just how practical and up-to-date the wisdom of Proverbs is. In the last two chapters, Horne shows how Proverbs dovetails with the wisdom of the New Testament. There is little explicit mention of Christ, but for young men seeking to live out their commitment to Christ, there is great guidance on "building a better man."

If you are, or know, a young man who could benefit from knowing what Solomon Says, you can get Mark Horne's book here, or here in Canada.