Proverbs 10-31
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Introduction
Introduction
Last time we talked about the situation and context of Proverbs. The first 9 chapters function as essentially a long introduction to the book. Three key themes from this section are introduced in the first chapter of the book:
: Key Themes Chapter 1 The “Fear of Yhwh.”
This is a key concept. This phrase is repeated thirteen times in the book.
● “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Yhwh” (1:29)
● “Then you will understand the fear of Yhwh and find the knowledge of God” (2:5)
● The fear of Yhwh is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate” (8:13)
● The fear of Yhwh is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (9:10)
● “The fear of Yhwh prolongs life, but the years of the years of the wicked will be short” (10:27)
● “In the fear of Yhwh one has strong confidence, and his children will have refuge” (14:26)
● “The fear of Yhwh is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death” (14:27)
● “Better is a little with the fear of Yhwh, than great treasure and trouble with it” (15:16)
● “The fear of Yhwh is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor” (15:33)
● “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of Yhwh one turns away from evil” (16:6)
● “The fear of Yhwh leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm” (19:23)
● “The reward for humility and the fear of Yhwh is riches and honor and life” (22:4)
● “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of Yhwh all the day” (23:17)
Fear of Yhwh is the way you start down the path of wisdom. As you grow in wisdom you also grow in the fear of Yhwh. It is also related to knowledge - true knowledge. This is Solomon’s way of saying that the way one pursues wisdom is “faith seeking understanding.” Fear of Yhwh also assumes a knowledge of Scripture. I say that because the name Yhwh is the revealed covenant name of God. Also, in it is a synonym for the Torah itself. Fear of Yhwh does not mean terror before God, but is the OT equivalent of someone who has Faith (see ). Fools on the other hand “despise” wisdom and instruction. They operate out of pride. They think they already have it all figured out. This also shows us that to grow in wisdom, we are dependant upon God. confirms this - if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...
Father/Son
Notice in this chapter and throughout, it is the father calling out to the son. The son, we may imagine is at a liminal point in his life. There are liminal points we all go through in life, for ancient Israel it was circumcision, being weaned, rite of passage to adulthood (in later Judaism expressed in the Bar Mitzvah), marriage, having children, death. It makes the most sense to see this as instruction to a boy becoming a man, going through this liminal period in life. It is at those moments where we need wisdom. There is opportunity and danger at this kind of move. Think of someone graduating high school and going to college, or college and moving on to a career.
The Two Paths
Like , Proverbs lays out two paths. But we do not just choose one path over the other in a cool, abstract, rational way. There are voices calling out to us, trying to make us choose one path over the other. 1:8 portrays Solomon calling out, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction.” He goes on to describe the temptation and the consequence of following after sinners. They promise easy wealth based on violence. Bruce Waltke puts it this way, “Sinners love wealth and use people; saints love people and use wealth to help others.” However, they will be caught in their own trap. Verse 20 introduces us to Lady Wisdom who cries out in the streets attempting to persuade people to follow her. Will we listen to her call? She also describes the judgment that awaits the wicked. She mentions a category of people called the “simple.” These are the naive ones whose fate is in the balance. They could go either way. Both Dame Folly and Lady Wisdom call out to them.
The reason why a simple person chooses folly over wisdom usually is grounded in what they love. Verse 22 - “How long will you love being simple...and fools hate knowledge?” Verse 30, “They despised my reproof.” The desires of their heart lead them astray and down the path that leads to death.
If we are motivated to follow the path of wisdom, we are ready to grapple with the rest of the book.
General Characteristics of Proverbs
General Characteristics of Proverbs
This section is mostly full of one line proverbs without an obvious narrative or even logical flow (we will talk about this part of it more in a minute). However there are three points I would like to make about these proverbs in general:
They are memorable. This is important because if they are not memorable, they are basically useless. There value comes in being able to easily understand them and remember them clearly enough to apply them in a real life context. This accounts somewhat for their form. Douglas Stuart gives the following examples:
“Look before you leap” verses “In advance of committing yourself to a course of action, consider your circumstances and options.”
“A stich in time saves nine” verses “There are certain corrective measures for minor problems that, when taken early on in a course of action, forestall major problems from arising.”
At the same time though, it is important to note that just because they are memorable does not mean that they are simple to understand. The format of parallel lines forces us to think carefully as to how the first line relates to the second. This takes time. You cannot speed read this section of Scripture! The more closely you observe each line, the more truth and wisdom you will find there.
Many proverbs are designed for specific occasions.
As we saw last time, some proverbs are commands that are true no matter the circumstance. But many more proverbs are situational. This fits well with the nature of proverbs in general. Here are some examples of English proverbs that function the same way:
Birds of a feather flock together vs. opposites attract
Too many cooks spoil the broth vs. two heads are better than one
He who hesitates is lost vs. look before you leap
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush vs. a man’s reach should exceed his grasp
- Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own eyes.
This relates to a larger issue. One of the reasons you can have seemingly contradictory proverbs is that they do not trade in factual data. The book is notably empty of “content” in terms of historical facts or that sort of thing. Rather, they are about giving us a perspective so that we can see the facts of our own life in a new way.
Many proverbs address ultimate/eschatological truths, not immediate truths
To teach this final point, do not state it, but give two lists of proverbs to the class and ask them to resolve, or explain what is going on here. How would they address this issue?
ii. Retribution theology or the deed/consequence nexus is important for ancient Israel. It grows out of their covenant with Yhwh (; ).
iii. Several proverbs reflect this worldview
Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
iv. All of these passages highlight the biblical truth that “you reap what you sow.” However, it is important to note that several other proverbs point out that that is not always true in this life. For example:
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
v. This proverb demonstrates that it is possible to have great revenue with injustice and be righteous and yet not have much. That is better. Or this verse:
It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Here the poor are the ones who are righteous and the wicked are the ones with lots of spoil. This kind of thing is possible in this life, proverbs recognizes. Look at these proverbs
A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches.
The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.
Prov
v. Yet how do these proverbs square with the following proverbs that seem to indicate the opposite:
The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.
Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.
Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good.
vi. I would argue that proverbs that predict a outcome like this are not necessarily promises for this life, but that they reflect an ultimate, or eschatological truth. This certainly would fit well with Israel’s canonical witness about the Day of the Lord and God bringing an ultimate judgment. Let me give a couple of examples:
The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
Prov
Life and other portions of Scripture clearly indicate that the arrogant often have houses that stand while widows are defrauded and abused. For example:
Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
The point that this proverb is making is not that this truth will always stand in the present, but that God is always on the side of the needy and opposes the proud and he will ultimately make all things right. It is a statement of faith in a promised future, not a formula for understanding every current circumstance.
Grouping Proverbs
Grouping Proverbs
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
If you just read through casually, the impression you get is that the individual proverbs are randomly collected. For example, you do not get all of the proverbs on anger together in one place, rather they are sprinkled throughout these chapters.
Recent scholarship has worked heroically to try to discern some overarching structure. Knut Heim has written most extensively about this. He argues that if you analyze the phonology, semantics, syntax, and thematic repetition, a coherent structure of these chapters can emerge. I have not been persuaded by this perspective. It seems forced. However, interpreting each proverb on its own does not seem to be the most helpful way to read this section of the book either.
Pairing
Pairing
Ted Hildebrandt has argued that many proverbs are intentionally paired with others. He calls these “proverbial pairs.” I think there is something to this. At times the editor of Proverbs intentionally placed proverbs next to each other so that they intentionally nuance one another. For example look at this proverb:
If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
Each proverb makes sense on its own. The first wars of any excess of a pleasurable thing. But when the two are paired with one another, they interact. The second proverb narrows the focus of the first to a particular excess. In fact the second proverb only seems to really have its full meaning in light of the memorable image in the first one.
Clustering
Clustering
Michael Fox takes this a step further and argues that there are many proverb “clusters” in this part of the collection ranging from 2-4 proverbs. He points out that proverbs have been studied in this way since the time of the medieval scholars Ramaq and Sa’adia. When intentionally grouped, one should interpret the individual proverb in light of the group.
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
Proverbs
Fox argues that this is a sequence - the importance of patience in v. 11 calls to mind the king’s wrath (v. 12), which is the opposite of patience and a dangerous form of irritation. This then leads to the proverb about an irritable wife (v. 13), which then evokes a proverb about a virtuous one.
He also is clear that not all proverbs are in a cluster. Some are just individual proverbs. One has to make an argument for a grouping. The grouping can be more by associative thinking (as the one above), thematic, or lexical.
Proverb Templates
Proverb Templates
We already discussed this to some degree.
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs
There are many proverbs with a similar structure. So also, proverbs that have a structure like this: he who lives A loves A’.
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs
But there is another part of this template deal.
One of the features that you will notice when you read this section of proverbs carefully is that the many proverbs start with the same line, but have a different parallel line. This can make for some rich proverbial teaching.
From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
Proverbs
From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
This allows for many variations on the same theme, which can bring out different aspects of particular themes.
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise.
Proverbs
There are many examples of this kind of thing. One interesting one is:
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
The differences here may seem rather trivial, but there is more going on. The first proverb is a bit disjointed, which we will talk about in a minute. So the full meaning of it would be the one who works his land pursues a worthwhile task and has sense, while one who does not is senseless, will have no bread, and pursues worthless things.
The second proverb is a bit tongue in cheek. Plenty of bread vs. plenty of poverty. This line about poverty is connected to the next one in verse 20
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
The blessing of the diligent man is continued in verse 20 where he is described as the faithful man, who will be blessed. However, this second proverb nuances things a bit. One who works his land cannot be equated with one who hastens to get rich. So, in these proverbs the lazy man, or man who is concerned with frivolous things is contrasted with the compulsive worker. The one who wants to get rich quick. They are both unhealthy deviations from the diligent worker.
Disjointed Proverbs
Disjointed Proverbs
This is one of the most hermeneutically significant aspects of proverbs to understand. On a superficial reading, the two halves of a parallel line either seem to be saying the same thing (with different words), or seem to be rather unrelated. The truth is that any proverbs are disjointed. That is the second line does not exactly match up with the first one. This disjointedness creates a much richer proverbs. It allows one individual proverb to carry a lot of meaning. It is also one of the reasons why you cannot read proverbs quickly.
The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
The clause “keeps the law” is not the antithesis of “shames the father.” Similarly, “a son with understanding” is not the antithesis of “a companion of gluttons.” But it allows us to read each line in light of the other. Thus embedded in this proverb are the following meanings:
The one who keeps the law has understanding
The one who keeps the law does not consort with gluttons
The one who keeps the law keeps good company
The one who keeps the law honors his father
The one who keeps the law does not bring shame on his father.
A companion of gluttons is one without understanding
A companion of gluttons does not keep the law
A companion of gluttons does not honor his father
The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
Analyze this proverb:
The righteous loves truth
The righteous bring honor
The wicked hate truth
The wicked act in a way that bring shame and disgrace
The righteous act in a way that avoids shame and brings honor.
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
These two lines are much closer in meaning. But a “prudent” son is not the antithesis of “a son who brings shame.” Thus the two compliment each other by reminding us that the lazy son shames his parents while the diligent one makes them proud.
There are many examples of this kind of thing. Carefully thinking through the parallelism in this way can enrich your reading of the proverbs, but it will also slow it down!
Poverty in Proverbs
Poverty in Proverbs
As an example of a theme in Proverbs, I would like to address the issue of poverty. Proverbs deals in types: the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the fool, the rich and the poor. At times it can feel a bit stereotypical. Kind of like an old Western where the guys with the white hats were the good guys, where the guys in the black hats were the bad guys. Today we might call that a coded form of racism. But closely examined, Proverbs is a well-nuanced book. You have to read one proverb in light of other proverbs which teach on the same topic.
So, what does proverbs teach about poverty?
Clearly laziness, or foolishness can lead to poverty. That is often stated in the book.
A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
This reminds us that if you do not heed instruction, it can lead to poverty.
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
Prov
So, many things lead to poverty - laziness, foolishness, running with wrong crowd, when your are all talk and no work, etc… But does proverbs simply teach that if you are poor, you deserve your condition because you obviously have been foolish or lazy? Not so! It is also not true that all the rich are rich because of their wisdom or diligence, although those characteristics can lead to riches.
The Poor are a Fact of Life
The Poor are a Fact of Life
Proverbs assumes that the poor will always be with you. It is not always a moral issue. Indeed, the book often describes the plight of the poor with some sympathy:
A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
This proverb is teaching us not to despise wealth. It can be a real benefit. The rich are often safe in times of trouble. Just look at any natural disaster - it is not normally the rich who suffer. Talk about my Aunt with hurricane Irma. The poor here are not being criticized, Solomon is simply stating that their state of poverty is often the thing that leads them to ruin.
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly.
The Poor are Often Victims
The Poor are Often Victims
Proverbs has a hard-nosed realism about it. The book recognizes that poverty is often not the fault of the person who is poor.
The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.
I don’t know how you expected that verse to end, but it is certainly true. Injustice is often the cause of poverty.
The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
The widow were often considered synonymous with the poor. Here proverbs tells us, they are protected by the LORD, but the fact that they need protection demonstrates that they are often victims.
The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
Here the poor man is contrasted with the oppressor. You can see the connection between the two.
A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.
This sums it up well. Wicked people in power take advantage of the poor.
Advantages of being Poor
Advantages of being Poor
The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat.
Prov
Poor people have less to worry about in some ways!
God Protects the Poor
God Protects the Poor
Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
Prov
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
Here God provides for the poor through the generosity of others.
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
Prov
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
Prov
Poverty is better than many other possible conditions
Poverty is better than many other possible conditions
It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Proverbs has a much more nuanced view of poverty than is typically thought. Yes, it often states that poverty is the natural result of laziness, folly, or wickedness. However, it also realizes that many people are poor because of injustice, or circumstances that are beyond their control. As such vulnerable people, God carefully watches over them, hears their cry, and will uphold their claims for justice. It also realizes that it is possible to become rich via wickedness and that poverty with out wickedness is far more desirable. In sum, it does not read the retribution principle backward!