CHAPTER 15
This one starts off strong.
The first verse: “A mild answer turns back wrath, but a harsh word stirs
up anger.” Yeah, that’s some nice
advice, and it’s good to start the chapter off strong. As some filmmakers have noted, if you want
to have a good film, have a great first reel, a great final reel, and you can
coast a bit in between.
Later we here, “A soothing tongue is a tree of life” which
is another similar point, well made.
There is a key bit of religious news here: “The sacrifice of
the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is a
delight.” There are two contrasting themes
of religion in the Bible – acts versus faith.
Much of the Bible, especially the book of Leviticus prioritizes
action. If you did something wrong, you
atone for it by sacrificing the proper animal at the temple. It’s a nice cut-and-dry approach. Other times, it’s your faith that
matters. It’s similar to the classic
Protestant-Catholic divide of faith versus works. This proverb if fully on the Protestant-faith side over
Leviticus-Catholics on works. (Then
again, if you downplay acts too much, you can fall into idolatry as Solomon –
the reputed author of these proverbs – did).
Here’s a weird one: “All the days of the poor are evil, but
a good heart is a continual feast.”
It’s not calling the poor evil.
There is a longstanding tradition of mercy for the poor, but that sure
could be better expressed.
“Better a dish of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and
hatred with it.” That’s a nice
line. Speaking of nice lines, later you
get this one: “Folly is joy to the senseless.”
Man, I like that one a lot.
CHAPTER 16
There are some really good points in this one as well. “All one’s ways are pure in one’s own
eyes.” Yup – everyone is the hero in
their own life story.
There is a nice line for Calvinists and other believers in
predestination here: “The Lord has made everything for a purpose, even the
wicked for the evil day.” That second
part is a bit harsh, but still – God has a master plan. Those are some nice words for your local
John Calvin.
“Better a little with justice than a large income with
injustice.” So the Bible says you’re
better off being a poor schlub than Donald Trump. That’s an actual question, but the way – if you could have all of
Donald Trump’s stuff but end up acting and being just like Donald Trump, would
you take it? (Five years ago or so, I
figured that wouldn’t be so bad, but the more he shows of himself the more an
obnoxious asshole he comes off as).
There is an entire section here on kings, as we’re told
wrongdoing is an abomination to the king, the king takes delight in honesty,
the king has wrath but a wise person can pacify him. OK, remember – these proverbs supposedly came from Solomon
himself. And he’s describing himself
not only in these good terms. Actually,
they are quite a bit more than good terms.
They are godly terms. Think
about it: God loves justice, and honesty, and hates wrongdoing. God has wrath. Solomon is clearly comparing himself to God here. That’s a dick thing to do – get over
yourself. I actually really like a lot
of these proverbs; they’re better than I expected. But still, implicitly comparing yourself to God is not a good
idea.
Oh, and then we get a really famous one. Well, famous-ish: “Pride goes before
disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” I’m familiar with pride goes before a fall, and this is clearly
the long form version of it. I bet the
shorter version is later in the Bible, probably in the New Testament.
Right after that we learn, “It is better to be humble with
the poor than to share the plunder with the proud.” Yeah, if this king thing doesn’t work out for Solomon, he can
make a living for himself writing song lyrics.
Well, maybe he’s too deep for that.
Fortune cookies, perhaps.
CHAPTER 17
This one gets off to a slow start, but has some nice lines
later on.
“The wicked pursue only rebellion.” Reading this as the US seems to be headed
for a debt default crisis, it rings truer than I’d like. There is a rebellion by the House to ruin
the world’s economy unless the election results of 2012 are annulled. That’s bull.
“Whoever overlooks an offense fosters friendship, but
whoever gossips about it separates it.”
This is one I always have to work on.
I’m gossipy by nature, and it’s not something I’m proud of. It’s never caused any serious issues or
problems. I guess I follow this when it
counts. Or I don’t get out enough.
OK, this one I really got a kick out of: “Whoever conceives
a fool has grief; the father of a numbskull has no joy.” HA!
Nothing worse than having a dumb son.
That’s hilarious. I don’t really
think it’s fair, though. There are
plenty of guys who are good, honest hard workers who aren’t necessarily that
bright. But they are good people. So this proverb is a great read, but isn’t
very good when you think about it.
“A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed
spirit dries up the bones.” Those are
words to live by. It’s something I
always have to work on, being a depressed pessimist by nature.
CHAPTER 18
This was the opposite of the last one for me – the only parts
I found notable were early on.
The first verse is really good: “One who is alienated seeks
a pretext, with all persistence picks a quarrel.” That sounds about right?
Ever been in a really bad mood?
All you want to do is lash out.
Along those lines, you get this verse: “The lips of fools
walk into a fight, and their mouths are asking for a beating.” That’s a roughhousing Bible verse there,
talking about fights and beatings. But
it fits with the previous one for me, because when you lash out just for the
sake of lashing out – don’t you know you’re in the wrong when you do it? You often have a verbal beating coming. Hopefully, you don’t do it that often, so
when it does happen, people give you some space.
I really like how this one is phrased: “The words of one’s
mouth are deep waters, the spring of wisdom a running brook.” I don’t entirely get what that means, but I
like it.
CHAPTER 19
This one starts out with some conflicting views on poverty
and wealth: “Better to be poor and walk in integrity than rich and crooked in
one’s way.” OK, that’s nice. That’s the attitude you expect about
poverty. But a little later you get, “Wealth
adds many friends, but the poor are left friendless.” I read that and wonder if I’m missing something. OK, so the Bible isn’t anti-wealth. That’s fine. And I’d agree that it’s better to be wealthy than poor, no
doubt. But does being poor really mean
you’re friendless? And do you really
want friends who come around because you have wealth?
In fact, a little later, it gets even meaner: “All the king
of the poor despise them; how much more do their friends shun them!” Man, this is just pissing on the poor at
this point.
Here’s a good one: “It is good sense to be slow to anger,
and an honor to overlook an offense.”
Remember folks: don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s in the Bible.
“A quarrelsome wife is water constantly dripping.” Heh.
That one got a laugh.
“Discipline your son, for there is hope;” – OK, so far, so
good: “but do not be intent on his
death.” Um… what? I just, I just – what?
“The sluggard buries a hand in the dish, not even lifting it
to the mouth.” Table manners – approved
by God. Now you know.
“Rods are prepared for scoffers, and blows for the backs of
fools.” Well, it’s good to know that
everything has its place. Also, the
Bible approves of physical punishment.
CHAPTER 20
“Wine is arrogant, strong drink is riotous, none who are
intoxicated by them are wise.” Well
what do you know – the Bible does condemn alcohol after all. This must be the official Bible verse of the
WCTU. OK, so it isn’t condemning all
alcohol (just getting drunk) but this can clearly be used by the dry forces.
“The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; those who
incur his anger forfeit their lives.” So John Adams, Tom Paine, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson
all deserve to die then.
“A person gains honor by avoiding strife while every fool
starts a quarrel.” There is a long
theme here about keeping your mouth shut and avoiding trouble.
“Do not love sleep lest you be reduced to poverty.” Much of the Bible’s Proverbs would really be
at home in Poor Richard’s Almanac, wouldn’t it?
“One can put on gold and abundant jewels but wise lips are
the most precious ornament.” There is
another top-notch fortune cookie sentiment.
I shouldn’t mock it like that – this one is really well put.
“Do not say, `I will repay evil!’ Wait for the Lord, who
will help you.” So don’t feel like
you’ll have to be moral avenger all the time.
I like that sentiment. If you
get too caught up trying to give people payback, you’ll be the one who deserves
some payback.
CHAPTER 21
There are a couple themes in this chapter. First, quarrelsome wives suck. You’re better off dwelling “in a corner of
the housetop” than in a mansion with a quarrelsome wife, and your better of
dwelling “in the wilderness” with one.
There are no similar proverbs about quarrelsome husbands, but then again
husbands are supposed to set the agenda back then. It’s more troubling that there is nothing here against abusive
husbands.
Also, we get a few proverbs with central theological
interest: “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than
sacrifice” and “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, the more so when
they offer it with bad intent.” There
was something similar in Chapter 15, and I’ll note the same point here: this is
prioritizing the inner religious experience instead of the outer one. Many parts of the Bible – I’m looking at you
Leviticus! – are hard to relate to now because they are entirely dependent on
rituals of religion, more than personal belief. (And many of those rituals have long sense been abandoned, so why
bother?) Modern religion is more about
the inner experience, so you see the shift right here.
Oh, and “the love of wine and perfume will never be rich” so
there is another proverb for the WCTU.
CHAPTER 22
“Rich and poor have a common bond: the Lord is the maker of
them all.” A nice sentiment, and one that offers Biblical justification for
human equality. The monotheistic
religion of the ancient Israeli gives all humans a basic dignity. God, who is all-powerful, made us and cares
for us, thus we are all – high and low – worthy of being cared for. We are all
made in his image.
“The result of humility and fear of the Lord is riches,
honor, and life.” I know I’m not a fan
of the Prosperity Gospel approach, where you combine profit and holiness as
it’s one and the same, but I can see the link between living well and loving
God. If you love God, you’ll act
proper. You’ll work hard, you’ll not
get too swell headed, and profits will result.
After all, why would God want his people – especially his faithful
people – to suffer? And you can find
some core values here that can be used in life in general. (As I’ve repeatedly noted, these proverbs
are like Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, which was essentially a
self-help book to get ahead). Where
prosperity gospel goes wrong is putting too much emphasis on wealth.
“Those who sow iniquity reap calamity.” Yup.
Some of these I don’t have much to say about, but I just really like
them.
“the person of winning speech has a king for a friend.” So take yourself one of those Dale Carnegie
courses on public speaking – it’s not just effective, but it puts you closer to
God!
“Oppressing the poor for enrichment, giving to the rich:
both are sheer loss.” Eat it, Paul
Ryan!
Oh, and somewhat randomly, two-thirds the way through the
chapter, we get the end to the Solomon section of Proverbs where its just a
series of random fortune cookie like statements. Now we get a section called, “Sayings of the Wise.” It’s a bit more connected that the last 12
or so chapters worth of sayings, but nothing in this initial batch really
struck me too much. The best line is,
“Do not be friendly with hotheads.”
Well, that depends on how you define hotheads, now doesn’t it? Some hotheads are worth befriending. It’s a
negative character trait to be sure, but we all have negative character traits.
CHAPTER 23
This section still reads more connected than the previous
bits, though I really can’t say there is any overall theme. Early on, the writer keeps telling us “Do
not” do [item X]. Later on he asks a
series of rhetorical questions.
Much of the themes covered here have already been
stated. It all reminds me of the Seven
Deadly Sins. I’ve always wondered where those things came from –maybe from
Proverbs.
Lets’ see: Gluttony? Check.
We’ve seen that nailed several times.
This chapter says, “Do not join with wine bibbers, not those who glut
themselves of meat.” There – it even
says glut.
Pride? Check. You’re
supposed to know humility and fear God.
Others will get their comeuppance.
Idleness. Oh, that’s
repeatedly nailed. Again, much of
proverbs reads like a self-help book.
Greed? You don’t see
that one smacked around as much, but parts tell us to treat the poor well.
Anger, envy, lust – I really haven’t seen those too
much. I guess a little, if you stretch
it. But I supposed that the seven
deadlies are more a Christian thing.
Maybe I’ll run into them head on in the New Testament. Probably not. My hunch is that it’ll turn out to be interpretation, rather than
any direct Biblical verse.
We’re given an open statement in support of physical punishment
of children in this chapter: “Do not withhold discipline from youths; if you
beat them with the rod, they will not die.
Beat them with the rod, and you wills save them from Sheol.” That doesn’t quite fit modern sensibilities,
but even in this day and age, spanking kids happens and isn’t likely to result
in any problems for the parents.
We’re also given another section denouncing alcohol
intake. So yes, there is Biblical
justification again for the dry movement.
CHAPTER 24
Much of this just tells us how great wisdom is. It is to the mind what honey is to the
tongue.
Oh, we get this nice statement, too: “Do not rejoice when
your enemies fall, and when they stumble, do not let your heart exalt.” It’s hard to argue against that sentiment –
it sure is a dick move to do that. Then
again, it sure is hard to follow that sentiment, because it so often feels so
good to do this dick move. In fact,
I’ll point out that the Bible itself has trouble living up to this one. Plenty of Biblical heroes take delight in
their enemies falling. Heck, most of
the psalms attributed to David do this.
“For disaster will issue suddenly, and calamity from them
both, who knows when.” Two things:
first, you can see how the sayings in this chapter flow into each other more
than many previous chapters. The other
ones I can quote on their own a lot more cleanly than it works here. Second, though you’re hitting a statement
midway in, it still sounds like a good point.
Disaster can hit you at any time, and you’ll never know why – so act
well.
The last third of this chapter is “Further Sayings of the
Wise.” Oh, apparently Proverbs wasn’t a
randomly enough assembled chapter or something. Really, Bible?
We do get some nice wisdom: “Complete your outdoor tasks,
and arrange your work in the field, afterward you can build your house.” I look at that one mostly as an allegory; an
allegory about the importance of prioritization.
“Do not say, `As they did to me, so I will do to them, I
will repay them according to their deeds.’”
Remember everyone – take the high road.
It’s no fun, but it’s a good idea.
CHAPTER 25
This is a new section, called the SOLOMONIC COLLECTION
COLECTED UNDER KING HEZEKIAH. King
Hezekiah ruled from 715 to 687 BC, after the destruction of the northern
kingdom. So though it’s called
Solomonic, it has nothing to do with Solomon.
And they do read different.
It has a different feel, with proverbs like: “Golden apples in silver
settings are words spoken at the proper time.”
That’s more like something I’d expect from a Daoist philosopher from
China than here.
The top part is all about how awesome kings are, and how you
should act in their presence, but it gradually shifts to general advice. There is one nice one in the kingly part:
“For it is better to be told, `Come up closer!’ than to be humbled before the
prince.” That’s nice advice. Rather than assume the boss wants you up
front, let the boss say in front of everyone you should be there.
Here is another good one: “By patience is a ruler persuaded
and a soft tongue can break a bone.”
It’s technically about a ruler, but it’s just nice advice in
general. Patience and waiting out the
storms can really help.
CHAPTER 26
This is a mean spirited chapter. The entire first part is a series of attacks and denouncements
upon fools. “The whip for the horse,
the bridle for the ass, and the rod for the backs of fools.” Or: “As dogs return to their vomit, so fools
repeat their folly.” My favorite:
“Answer fools according to their folly, lest they become wise in their own
eyes.” So according to this, it’s right
and proper to treat fools with insults and contempt.
This is the flip side of the Biblical interest in wisdom,
but it’s unnecessary. You can love
wisdom without hating those that lack it.
Some wisdom should be tempered with mercy for your fellow man. Or, to put it another way, true wisdom
should come with a sense of humility and common humanity, whereas whoever wrote
this wants upon season on the stupid.
It eventually moves on from fools to sluggards and various
other baddies. But it’s mostly a
chapter full of insults.
CHAPTER 27
I really didn’t get much out of this one. The bets line came early on: “Let another
praise you, not your own mouth.”
Much of the rest is long winded and didn’t do much for
me. For example: “When the grass comes
up and the new growth appears, and the mountain greens are gathered in, the
lambs will provided you with clothing, and the goat, the price of a field, and
there will be ample goat’s milk for your food, food for your house, sustenance,
for your maidens.” I guess it’s an
allegory about how you will be fine when the seasons come, but it falls flat
with me.
CHAPTER 28
A lot of the verses here sound like they came from a poor
man. For instance, “Whoever amasses
wealth by interest and overcharge gathers it for the one who is kind to the
poor.” The author of this may not be
poor himself, but he sure as hell isn’t a banker.
Later on, we get an even more rabble-rousing message: “The
rich are wise in their own eyes, but the poor who are intelligent see through
them.” Yeah, I don’t think that proverb
writer voted for Mitt Romney.
We also get an attack on rulers, “The less prudent the
rulers, the more oppressive their deeds.” There is just a general distrust of
authority in this chapter. Not all the
verses are like that, but the ones that I found memorable sure were.
CHAPTER 29
At this point, a lot of Proverbs read like the older
ones. They are all saying about the
same thing as previous ones.
You do get an even more direct series of proverbs endorsing
physical punishment of children – and also of servants. We’ve seen proverbs
like this before, but we get a little run of them here “The rod of correction gives wisdom.” “Not by words alone can servants be
trained.” And so on.
I like this line: “Haughtiness brings humiliation.” I don’t know if it always works out like
that in practice, but I hope so. The
haughty sure do need to be humiliated.
CHAPTER 30
This is a fun chapter, but and I’m not I got much out of it
or really understood it.
It’s titled: “Sayings of Agur and Others,” and I have no
idea who this Agur fellow is, but he sure speaks with a distinctive voice. It begins with a litany of who weary and
tired he is, and implores the Lord to keep falsehood far from him, and let him
live with the food he needs but nothing more.
There are a bunch of stylized sections to this chapter. It’s far from the series of brief fortune
cookie sayings that make up most of Proverbs.
After the opening bit on weariness, you get the “There are some” section
in which he notes various types of sinners and ill-do’ers. For example, “There are some – their teeth
are swords, their teeth are knives, devouring the needy from the earth and the
poor from the human race.”
Then come the three-fours.
“Three things are too wonderful for me, yes four I cannot
understand.” You get a whole series of
these things. Its really more poetry
than classical proverbs. Some are
nice. I especially like the one on four
small things that are very wise – ants, for storing food; badgers for making
their homes in crags; locusts: “they have no king, yet the march forth in
formation,” and lizards: “you can catch them with your hands, yet they find
their way into kings palaces.” Heh.
Again, I’m not really sure what any of it means, but it’s
fun.
CHAPTER 31
This is a two-part chapter.
The first part is some sayings attributed to King Leumel, whoever that
is. Actually, they are advice his
mother gave him. Much of it is about
booze. Kings shouldn’t have it, for it
clouds their minds. But those dying and
suffering should, because it’ll take their minds off of their misery. Yeah, this advice isn’t that great. A suffering person can get a momentary
relief from alcohol, but booze sure isn’t a solution for depression. This advice can lead to alcoholism, as the
more a person turns to the bottle for solutions, the worse things can get.
But the mom ends with some really good advice for how a king
should handle his obligations. I’ll
quote it directly: “Open your mouth in behalf of the mute, and for the right of
the destitute; Open your mouth, judge justly, defend the needy and the
poor!” Now that’s a king we can vote
for!
The rest of the chapter is a poem about the ideal woman. She is practical, fears God, goes about her
obligations, and helps out. It’s a nice
little poem and it shows the main theme of proverbs – wisdom. The ideal woman is a very wise woman. After all, we’re told “Charm is deceptive
and beauty fleeting.” Wisdom is all
that matters.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
I liked this book more than I expected to. True, it does often sound all the same, as
it gets repetitive. It’s weird reading
much of the early parts if it is indeed attributed to Solomon.
But it has a lot of good advice and smart wisdom. I was struck by how much it reminded me of
Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin.
That was more about how you try to get along in this world, not the
next. But then again, getting by in this world isn’t really in opposition to
being religious.
The main thing in this book is the central, crucial value
placed on wisdom. It doesn’t have to be
this way. This is, after all, a holy
book. You’d expect a cardinal virtue to
be obedience or faith or something more like that. But here, it’s using your brain and going about your actions
appropriately. The religious can use
this – fearing God is considered to be the cornerstone of all wisdom in this
book. Then again, I found myself
thinking about how this mirrors Greek thought.
We typically see the Greeks as the founders of rational thought based on
powers of the mind, but in this Bible book you can see a similar approach. By celebrating the power of the mind and
human wisdom, this book – perhaps unintentionally – helps open the door to a
very different worldview. If it’s true
that Solomon was the driving force behind these Proverbs, then he really does
have an impressive lasting legacy; arguably even more impressive than that of
his father, David.
Click here for the beginning of Ecclesiastes.
Click here for the beginning of Ecclesiastes.
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