Wisdom, according to Solomon, is the all-important goal in life. He said, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold" (Prov. 3:13-15).
RBC senior research editor Herb Vander Lugt led our team in the following study of the wisdom of Proverbs. It is our desire that you will not only see what God values, but that you will gain the knowledge of the One who makes the pursuit of wisdom so worthwhile.
Martin R. De Haan II
CONTENTS
Who Is the Best Teacher?
What Is a Proverb?
The Book of Proverbs
Book Chart of Proverbs
Wisdom Begins With God
What Does God Value?
Eyes of Humility
A Tongue of Truth
Hands of Honest Work
A Good Heart
Feet of Caution
Advocates for Justice and Mercy
Cultivators of Peaceful Relationships
When the Proverbs Don't Work
Choices
WHO IS THE BEST TEACHER?
It has been said that experience is the best teacher. A child who touches a hot stove cries out with sudden insight and decides he won't do it again. We also learn through the experience of others. When I was a first grader I saw a boy, at the prodding of a classmate, touch his tongue to an iron bar on a bitter cold day. He panicked and bled profusely. I decided then and there I would never do what my classmate did.
Experience may be the best teacher. But it is also the most costly. It is far less painful to learn from observation and reading. That's one reason the book of Proverbs is so important. This collection of wisdom contains about 900 practical sayings designed to help us avoid the high cost of learning the hard way.
If you could choose your teacher, who could be better than Solomon, the main author and compiler of Proverbs? When he became the third king of Israel, God appeared to him in a dream and said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3:5). When Solomon asked for an understanding heart so he could be a good leader of God's people, the Lord was pleased and gave Solomon an enormous capacity and hunger for wisdom (Eccl. 1:13).
Solomon's fame spread throughout the Middle East. Wise men from many countries found that he could converse as easily about nature as about philosophy. He wrote "three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five" (1 Kings 4:32). God oversaw the writing, editing, and collecting of Solomon's proverbs, and they became part of the Old Testament Scriptures.
WHAT IS A PROVERB?
A proverb is a brief, provocative saying that expresses practical wisdom in colorful language. Often, it is a principle dressed up in an illustration. For instance, while a principle might state, "Good service is a mark of successful business," a proverb would say, "Business is like the game of tennis. Those who don't serve well end up losing."
Proverbs occur in every culture as a means of communicating values and principles. The images they use are not only memorable, but they also open up areas of the mind and heart that are energized by concrete word pictures more than by mere ideas.
Images and ideas approach the mind through different doors.
Some proverbs are one-liners: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Some take the shape of brief verse: "Unless there is within us / that which is above us / we will soon yield / to that which is about us." Still others use the force of contrast: "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
Proverbs are useful because they can be applied to many situations. A father might quote "Play with fire and you will get burned" to a son who is beginning to run around with the wrong crowd. A mother may use it to express her opinion of her daughter's short skirt. A teacher may use it in conversation with another instructor who has enhanced the grades of a football star to protect the athlete's eligibility.
THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
Proverbs is one of five Old Testament books of poetry. These five - Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon - form a hinge that links the historical books that preceded them with the prophetic books that follow. These five books are also called wisdom literature.
At first glance, the book of Proverbs seems to be a random collection of unrelated sayings. But a closer look reveals clear patterns. The first nine chapters repeatedly encourage Solomon's son to pursue "lady wisdom" and to avoid the "foolish woman." Chapters 10 through 30 follow with repeated emphasis on basic themes of humility versus pride, integrity versus deceitfulness, hard work versus dishonest gain, good-heartedness versus wickedness, carefulness versus rashness, encouragement versus slander, and peacemakers versus causers of strife. Chapter 31 summarizes Proverbs by returning to the imagery of a wise woman. The closing verses show wisdom personified as a wise and honorable woman of God.
WISDOM BEGINS WITH GOD
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7).
At first glance, the book of Proverbs may seem more business than Bible. Over and over it emphasizes the daily practical issues of honest business practices, hard work, the advantages and hazards of wealth, the seductive nature of a bribe, and the dangers of flattery, greed, uncontrolled anger, and alcoholism.
A closer look, however, will show how prominent God is in the book of Proverbs. The name yahweh is used 89 times. Behind every proverb is the personal God of Israel, the self-existent God of our creation who loves us and longs for us to live in such a way as to bring honor to ourselves and Him.
This God-centeredness is stated in the key verse of Proverbs: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (1:7). The thesis is clear: Those who fear God and live by His principles can be assured of His approval and blessing.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you (9:10-11).
The fear of the Lord is more than reverential trust; it includes being afraid of displeasing Him. It recognizes His holiness and our sinfulness. It realizes that His anger is something to be avoided. It produces a desire to please and trust Him.
To please God, however, we must know what He values. What does He care about? What does He love? What does He hate? In the following pages we will find "proverbial answers" to these questions.
WHAT DOES GOD VALUE?
The sixth chapter of Proverbs describes the values of God in reverse. Using the human body as a memory device, Solomon described seven things God hates. As the wisest of men, he wrote:
These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren (6:16-19).
In these verses, Solomon gave us a photograph of the values of God in negative form. From this negative we can develop a positive picture of what God values. By telling us what arouses the anger of the heavens, Solomon also showed us what brings a smile to the face of God.
For example, if God hates the proud look of a person who delights in someone else's poverty or ignorance, then our Lord also loves those eyes that see the needs and feelings of others as more important than their own. If God hates the proud look, then we are reminded that He loves humility.
When we know what God hates, we can discover the positive values that were in His mind when He created us for the joy of sharing those values with us. We can also find a good way of summarizing the practical advice given to us in the book of Proverbs. By discovering the values of God, we can understand why He has planned life and eternity to favor the person who lives according to the values and loves of the heavens. We can see why God associates His values with prosperity, a long life, a good name, and a happy home.
Let's take a closer look at these loves and values that lie behind the rich images and practical advice of the Proverbs. Let's move from the negative list of what God hates, to the positive list that explains those hates.
EYES OF HUMILITY
"The Lord hates . . . a proud look" (6:16-17).
The book of Proverbs shows that the heavens shudder when a mortal looks down his nose at a brother. God sees us when we assume that our interests and pains give us a right to disregard the interests and pains of others. His emotions are aroused when we act as though we are the center of the universe, when we assume that we exist for our own enjoyment, or when we rely on our natural instincts rather than taking pains to pursue the wisdom and knowledge of God.
Warning about the danger of assuming the rightness of our own thoughts and interests, Solomon said:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil (3:5-7).
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate (8:13).
When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom (11:2).
By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom (13:10).
Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; though they join forces, none will go unpunished (16:5).
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud (16:18-19).
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts (21:2).
A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin (21:4).
A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor (29:23).
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation - oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up (30:12-13).
The word pictures and wise sayings of the book of Proverbs show why God hates a proud look. Pride makes a fool of those who possess it. It results in self-deception, for it creates an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities. Pride results in disagreement with God and reflects an unwillingness to trust Him. Pride removes a basis for relationship with God (see James 4:6). It results in personal embarrassment, broken hearts, and destruction.
In contrast, the eyes of humility lead to honor. Humility prompts us to offset our own tendency toward self-deception by seeking the wisdom of God and the counsel of others. Humility is practical. It provides a basis for relationship with the God who is able to help us and who is able to keep us from falling into all kinds of dishonor.
SEEING GOD
* God is watching the way we look at others.
* In a list of the things God hates, the first one mentioned is pride.
* God values humility because He knows what pride does to us and because He knows that humility puts us in touch with Him, others, and ourselves.
* What God means by humility is seen by the way Christ served His Father and His disciples.
SEEING OURSELVES
* We are inclined to have an exaggerated sense of our own opinions and interests, and a diminished awareness of the needs of others.
* Because of our tendency toward pride, we need the cross, the Spirit, and the example of Christ.
A TONGUE OF TRUTH
"The Lord hates . . . a lying tongue" (6:16-17).
The word pictures and wise sayings of Solomon show that the opposite of truth is not error but evil. Lying lips reflect more than misinformation or disinformation. Lying lips express the denial and darkness that mark the path that leads away from God.
By lies of flattery, young people are persuaded to be sexually intimate before marriage. By countless denials, alcoholics keep help at arm's length and drag those who love them through the living nightmares of their addiction. By lies of seduction, sexual predators convince children to trust them. By deception, marriage partners are betrayed, life savings are lost, and countless persons are led to believe that there is no higher purpose than to live for themselves. By trickery, people are led away by "the father of lies" from the One who made them - to their own eternal loss. For such reasons, Proverbs says:
For my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips (8:7).
Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool (10:18).
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight (11:1).
The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them (11:3).
The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment (12:19).
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight (12:22).
Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool (19:1).
"It is good for nothing," cries the buyer; but when he has gone his way, then he boasts (20:14).
Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding (23:23).
It's no wonder God hates deception. The word pictures and wise sayings of Proverbs remind us that deception is the basis of betrayal. Betrayal destroys trust. Without trust and truth there is no basis for loving relationships.
Truth is the essential foundation of good business, good government, and good science. Truth is the basis of faithful marriages, lasting friendships, and a personal relationship with God.
Lies are hellish tactics of the devil. They are sources of darkness rather than light, and sorrow rather than rejoicing. Lies steal honor for a moment, while assuring that the honor will later turn into shame.
SEEING GOD
* The emotions of God are aroused when we deny the truth to cover our sin.
* God stands behind those who are willing to tell the truth even to their own temporary loss.
* God's attitude toward truth is clearly seen in Christ, who chose to trust His Father to the death rather than ever to speak a word of deception.
SEEING OURSELVES
* We are inclined to lie because of the embarrassment of the sin that is within us.
* When we lie, we are choosing to trust our own ability to protect ourselves rather than God's ability to forgive and bless us.
* Because of our lies, we desperately need Christ's payment for our sin, just as we also need His Spirit to fill us with His grace and truth.
HANDS OF HONEST WORK
"The Lord hates . . . hands that shed innocent blood" (6:16-17).
The book of Proverbs shows that the emotion of heaven is aroused when a man eats the bread of violence rather than the desserts of hard work. Many of Solomon's word pictures and wise sayings show how God feels about those who "shed innocent blood" in order to get what they want. He is angered when He sees hands that were made to help others used instead to rob, defraud, and murder.
"Hands that shed innocent blood" are the instruments of pride and deception. They are strengthened by a proud heart that regards one's own interests as more important than the interests of others. Their work is fueled by the lie that we have a right to take by force something we have not rightfully earned or otherwise received.
"Hands that shed innocent blood" are hands full of rebellion against God. They are hands that have shoved aside the wisdom of God, which tells us that we are made to be satisfied with God's blessing on the work of humble and honest hands.
The book of Proverbs is full of warnings against shortcuts that lead to disaster. Solomon and his wise friends reminded us that success does not come by hiding from the morning under sheets of procrastination and pillows of laziness. The blessing of God does not come to those who spend all their free time fishing, and bowling, and playing cards, while the fences are broken down, paint is peeling off the walls, and the kids are running wild in the neighborhood.
Solomon called for hands that work hard at marriage, child-rearing, business, and friendship. He made it clear that we have not been born into this world to go through life eating food that has been earned and prepared by others:
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep - so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man (6:6-11).
He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich (10:4).
The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor (12:24).
The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man's precious possession (12:27).
The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich (13:4).
In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty (14:23).
He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer (18:9).
Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread (20:13).
Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men (22:29).
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough! (28:19).
Recognition of work as a divinely ordained, noble calling is a great need today. It would transform our society. A Lou Harris poll, cited by Daniel Yankelovitch in Psychology Today, May 1982, indicated that 63 percent of American workers are convinced that people don't work as hard as they did 20 years ago; 78 percent say people don't take as much pride in their work; 69 percent think our workmanship is inferior; and 73 percent believe our workers are less motivated.
In the same article, Yankelovitch tells of another 1982 survey in which only 16 percent of the workers interviewed said they were doing the best job they could at work. This means that 84 percent realized they could do better; some said they could be twice as productive if they really tried. When asked why they didn't do better, the 84 percent said that the only reason they could see for working harder is to gain more money from it.
Physical and mental labor is good, not evil. Work is a fundamental element in the good life. God so made us that we are happiest and most fulfilled when we work hard, have a sense of accomplishment, and accumulate the results of our labor. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote:
It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils . . . for it is his heritage. . . . this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart (Eccl. 5:18-22).
The book of Proverbs tells us that God values hands that work diligently in business, family, church, and community life. He values hard work, not because it gives quick or immediate payoffs, but because in time, work that is done with a heart full of reverence and love will be rewarded with the honors of God.
SEEING GOD
* God values honest work not only because it reflects the way He works in the world, but because it reflects the way He wants to work in and through us.
* God rewards those who choose to work hard for relatively little, while others make themselves rich with the profits of fraud and deception.
* God's hatred for fraud, cheating, and cruel opportunism should be feared by every businessman.
* God's greatest work is seen in the work Christ did to give us the reward of an honest salvation.
SEEING OURSELVES
* Our tendency is to do honest work when others are watching and giving us the incentive to be productive.
* Because of the fall of mankind into sin, we have become self-centered, wanting an easy life without working for it.
* Our highest calling is to do our work with the perspective that we are working for God, not man.
* Because of our own failure to work hard at our relationships with God and others, we would be lost without the payment of Christ for our sin.
