PROVERBS
General Introduction to Proverbs
Proverbs 1:1-19
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Proverbs form part of the OT known as Wisdom Literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes). The last 3 books the ancient Jewish scholars attributed to Solomon: the Song of Solomon was composed during the exuberance of his youth; Proverbs, during the maturity of middle age; and Ecclesiastes, during the disappointment of old age. Much discussion in OT circles revolves around whether or not Solomon wrote all of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. While it is clear that Lemuel and Augur wrote some of the Proverbs (30:1 and 31:1), whoever compiled Proverbs attributed most of the proverbs to Solomon (Prov. 1:1; 10:1; 25:1). There is simply no compelling reason to reject the claims that either Solomon wrote all of these works or that at least his thought stands behind both books. [Some major conservative OT scholars claim that 10:1-22:16 and chapters 25-29 are from Solomon, while 22:17-24:34 are based on the Egyptian material titled "Instruction of Amenemope" (from 1580-1100 BC). Such claims are beyond the realm of disproof AND proof.]
First Kings 3 informs us that Solomon's wisdom resulted from his encounter with God at Gibeon. After becoming king, he ascended to Gibeon to offer sacrifices to God. During the evening while he was asleep, God appeared to him in a vision informing him that He would grant him whatever wish he asked for. Instead of asking for wealth, long life, and great military power, Solomon asked for wisdom to govern God's people. The people were simply too numerous for Solomon to govern in his own wisdom. God was so pleased with the request that He grants Solomon great wealth and long life in addition to wisdom.
First Kings then proceeds to show how God's wisdom greatly affected Solomon's reign. This wisdom was demonstrated in Solomon's handling of difficult judicial cases (the case of the 2 women vying for the same baby), in his administration of the nation of Israel (dividing it up into 12 administrative districts), and in his construction of the Temple. His wisdom was so great that even the Queen of Sheba traveled a great distance to encounter this wisdom firsthand. First Kings 4:31 goes on to say that Solomon was not only wise but that he was the wisest of all men on the earth at that time, his wisdom surpassing even that of Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol, and Darda (whoever these men were, they were considered giants of wisdom during Solomon's day). (According to 1 Kings 4:32 Solomon composed 3000 proverbs and 1003 songs. Although the book of Proverbs does not contain 3000 proverbs, it nevertheless contains a major sampling of the proverbs Solomon did utter during his reign.)
What was the purpose of books like Proverbs? As was noted earlier in the case of Amenemope, from time to time reigning kings would entrust to their heirs apparent knowledge on how they should conduct themselves as kings (in the case of Proverbs the way the future king should act even before he became king). For example, in Proverbs we will see the king advising his son not to accept bribes and to be wary of the whisperer. Although we ourselves are not in the future going to be kings, many of the same issues which confronted the king's son confront us also in our daily life: the treatment of others, our response to work, the use of the tongue, getting a wife, raising children, etc. As a result the same advice Solomon delivered to Rehoboam (?) applies to us as well.
Although many OT scholars try to make proverbs nothing more than general natural observations on what works and what does not work in life, they are more than that. Proverbs is based upon what God has revealed to Solomon [remember that his wisdom was a gift from God (1 Kings 3:3-9)]. Man left to himself does the exact opposite of what Proverbs teaches. One person will be lazy, end up being poor, and then cry out to the government to take care of him off the hard work of somebody else. Another person does work hard; however, his ethic is that whatever he does in business affairs is OK as long as it advances his career (the end always justifies the means). Another man or woman has to stab their best friend in the back in order to get the spouse they want. Cheating is OK as long as you don't get caught. Whatever Proverbs is, it is not based upon an observation of natural human life. It is based upon God's revelation.
Regarding a formal definition of a proverb, it is a short, pregnant sentence or phrase whose meaning is applicable in many situations. Various types of proverbs abound. Some proverbs use synonymous parallelism to express their thought. This proverb has 2 lines which express the same truth 2 different ways, while a proverb using antithetical parallelism has 2 lines which express the same truth 2 opposite ways. Proverbs using emblematic parallelism use a symbol to express its truth, while a proverb with synthetic parallelism has the second line of the proverb building on the first line of the proverb. Formal parallelism is the technique in which the second line of the proverb may complete the thought of the first line of the proverb.
Before looking at the individual verses in Proverbs, you need to keep one principle in mind. Proverbs is dealing with generalities. If you obey certain principles in Proverbs, you will be blessed materially GENERALLY. If you respond with a soft word, wrath is removed GENERALLY but not always. Remember that right before Proverbs stand the books of Job and Psalms. Job did everything right and yet suffered terribly. Throughout Psalms we read hymns of the Righteous Sufferer, the person who did not deserve the ill-treatment he received from godless people (see Ps. 22 and Ps. 73). These principles in Proverbs on the whole operate perfectly; however, remember that suffering is right at the heart of Christianity, to be more precise, a suffering Savior whose people suffer for His sake is right at the heart of Christianity.
SOLOMON'S INTRODUCTION TO HIS PROVERBS (1:1-6)
Solomon dedicates this book of proverbs to his son first so that he might know wisdom and understanding. Many biblical scholars claim that the Jews did not care for the search of wisdom in the traditional sense of the word. According to these scholars wisdom is the search for the knowledge of ultimate reality, that is, when it is all said and done, what is ultimately essential for life and the universe as we know it. Moreover, how does a person get in touch with this ultimate reality, and how should that reality affect my life? Is there a goal or purpose to life? These biblical scholars claim that the Jews cared only to know how to live life on a daily basis and were not concerned about these ultimate issues.
The reason the Jews did not dwell too long on the quest for wisdom and truth (as these scholars put it) was that they believed they already had this wisdom. They believed that God had already revealed to them the ultimate truth of the universe--that the God of the OT is the ultimate reality in the universe, that He has revealed Himself through the Bible, that He communicates to us through His Word, that we should obey what He has communicated to us, and that one day we shall all stand before Him in judgment for what we have done in the flesh. As Christians we have gone even further. We believe that not only is there a God but that we have seen Him perfectly in Jesus. We also believe that in addition to speaking to us through the OT, God has perfectly spoken to us in Jesus Christ and now speaks to us through His Holy Spirit/the Word (as it harmonizes with Jesus Christ). We also believe that the proper way to relate to this revelation is by obeying it. We believe that life does have a goal and a purpose--one day we will stand before Jesus Christ in judgment for all that we have done in life. It is true that the Jews did emphasize the daily-ness of life more than the ultimate questions; however, the ultimate issues formed the basis for all of Jewish religious thought. It is by no means an accident that before Solomon discusses the daily-ness of life, he first says: "The reverence of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom" (1:7).
Solomon wrote these proverbs so that we might be able to discern the sayings of understanding. Discernment implies that there are a lot of sayings out there which are not wise, which do not come from God. How do I know if some communication is from God or not? Find out if it harmonizes with or contradicts what God has said to us in His Word, especially if it harmonizes with what we have seen in Jesus. This ability to discern does not come naturally. It comes only upon careful continuous studying of God's Word. (For us who are Christians we are also blessed with the presence of the Spirit in our lives who also guides us into the truth. Whenever He guides us into the truth, He will never contradict the Scripture which He wrote.)
Next Solomon writes that these proverbs are to give instruction in wise behavior. Too often the study of wisdom lapses into nothing more than an academic/intellectual exercise. God's wisdom always produces a change in behavior for the good. Once a professor stood up and outlined this impressive exposition of his view of the last days. After he had finished (all puffed up with his brilliance), a student responded: "So?" It was brilliant but did not touch the life; so who cared what he believed? Jesus did not say, "I came that you might be smart." He said, "I came that you might have life, and life abundant" (John 10:10).
Three aspects of this instruction relate especially to the king (and future king): righteousness, justice, and equity. Righteousness: every person is treated the right way, the way their circumstances dictate. The person who is legitimately poor receives financial aid, while the lazy man who is poor gets a rod across the back. Justice: the king many times functioned as the chief justice of the land. He was especially to protect those innocent of any crime they'd been accused of while at the same time rendering a sentence of condemnation upon the guilty. Equity: he does not blink at the sins of his friends while over-punishing the guiltless acts of those he does not care for. He is fair in all his dealings with people.
These proverbs also provide prudence to the naïve. The naïve in this case are not the mentally challenged. The naïve are the persons who are innocent, that is, they don't know necessarily the ways of wisdom. Being naif or innocent does not protect a person; he is still held accountable for what he could or should have known. The child who does not understand electricity will get as big a jolt whenever he sticks the coat hanger into the electrical outlet as the adult who knows better. Living unwisely destroys all people--the knowledgeable and the naïve.
Although we all start out naïve, there is no excuse for the modern Christian to remain that way. Nearly every Christian has at least one Bible, if not more. Every Christian knows that God's Word is taught every Sunday morning at 9:45 in a local church. Nearly every church has a pastor who expounds on God's Word every Sunday morning at 11:00. Women's groups abound, while men's groups meet every conceivable time of the week. There is no excuse to remain a naïf.
This book of proverbs will give knowledge and discretion to the youth. Our contemporary society has so perverted the order of society. We are so obsessed with being young that we have become foolish. If the 60's were anything, they were a rejection of the wisdom of those older than the youth. On paper all the new ideas looked good; however, if the youth had turned to the adults, they would have discovered that in real life, these ideas don't work. Even today the generation of the 60's is still obsessed with their failed ideas. They think that if we keep doing the same things over and over again, one day our ideas will work. What is the definition of insanity? It is doing the same things over and over again expecting different results. It is one thing for something to work in theory and another for it to work in life. Only those who have lived life can help you know the difference. This knowledge comes only from those who have lived before us.
Solomon next defines the wise man as the person who will hear and increase in learning. Too often we think of the wise person who knows everything. If that were the case, then nobody would be wise. I always thought that the educated person knew vast amounts of knowledge. I thought that once I got my doctorate I would have all this knowledge; instead of giving me vast amounts of knowledge, it taught me how to think and how to study the Bible. The rest of life consists then in applying these new tools to the Bible. The same holds true with wisdom. It's a never-ending adventure. Once you think you've arrived, you've become foolish. There is no arriving, just growing.
REJECTION OF VIOLENT, LAWLESS BEHAVIOR (1:7-19)
In the general introduction to the book, we stated that books like Proverbs were written by the king for the sake of his son who would succeed him to the throne. In this present passage we see many elements which relate more to princes than to the ordinary people: lying in wait for the innocent, shedding blood. It is the portrait of a wild prince of which history has numerous examples (Henry V, etc.). Although some of the princely behavior is foreign to us, Solomon's instructions still apply. (If the section regarding violence does apply to us, it applies to those young men who have parents in prominent positions in the community who make sure their kids get off whenever they get into trouble.)
First, he instructs his son that the instructions of his father and mother should be like decorations about his neck. Young men (and young women) take pride in appearance. My little sister used to spend hours each morning getting ready for school. When she came out of her room, she looked like a knockout, nothing like the girls I went to school with. I encouraged her to spend as much time on her relationship with the Lord as she did on her physical appearance. Young men "decorate" themselves by pumping iron and developing great biceps and pecs. Solomon though says that the best decoration a young man and young woman can have is the instruction their parents gave them, especially in obeying that instruction.
Why are the instructions of parents so good for us? First, they have met the major criterion of having experienced many of the same things that we are experiencing. They have gone on ahead of us and are able to give us directions on how to experience the best life possible. Teenagers especially need to hear this. One insightful comment about the movie Back to the Future was that it dealt with an issue that most teenagers never even contemplate--the fact that their parents once were teenagers themselves, experiencing the same raging hormones they experience. We can think of our parents as children at one time in their lives; we see them as adults but never as teenagers. Well, they were teenagers, and they survived this period in their lives. They are quite capable of helping their children through it.
How important is it that children turn to their parents for counsel and wisdom? Malachi prophesies that one day Elijah will return to prepare us for the coming of the Lord. One of the primary ways he will prepare us for the Lord's return is by "turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers" (Malachi 4:5-6). True revival exists many times when the parents and children enter into positive relationships. Teaching youth to respect their parents should be one of the primary tent posts of any youth ministry. The youth minister who fosters rebellion against adults and parents will face an angry God because in most cases the way a young person responds to his parents and other adults reflects the way he responds to God Himself.
After Solomon urges his son not to engage in certain riotous behavior, he warns him that such living will have disastrous effects upon himself. When it is all said and done, when he lies in wait to harm another person, he is actually lying in wait to harm himself. Right now many people are really interested in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This same principle is operating in the LOTR. Gollum is intent on destroying Frodo and Sam because he desperately wants the ring. He must have the ring. (Alert: Spoiler. If you have not seen the movie but intend to, don't read the following.) At the end of the movie, he gets what he wants. He is able to overcome Frodo and get the ring back for himself--with the result that he not only destroys the ring and himself but that he also saves Frodo, the very one he hated.
One thing I have learned in life is that not only is there a God but that He is a Judge who brings wrath upon the wicked and saves the righteous. He may not do it on our time table; but He will do it. Paul informs us that the sins of some people catch up with them before the Day of Judgment (ask Saddam Hussein if this isn't so). The sins of others though don't catch up with them until Judgment Day. The point is not when they catch up but that they do catch up with a person (1 Tim. 5:24, 25).
Most people who fall in this category (being able to get away with lawless behavior because the governing authorities wink at their actions) fail to realize that God is not restricted to disciplining them by using the government. They think that if the government lets them off the hook, then they have gotten off scot free. God though is creative in disciplining people whenever the government fails to do its duty. The friends you committed these deeds with you turn on you. Or you enter a business venture which is guaranteed to be successful financially and it fails completely. Or your health fails you. God wants to use the government to fill this role; however, when it fails to, He will use other measures.