Archive for the ‘Proverbs’ Category
Pride and Humility
The Book of Proverbs makes four interrelated claims regarding pride and humility.
First, pride and humility are fundamentally spiritual in nature. They are outward manifestations of the inward state of your heart toward God. If you are proud, your heart is far from God. If you are humble, your heart is drawing closer to God. As an example of the former, consider what this proverb says about the mocker, i.e., a militantly anti-religious person:
The proud and arrogant man — “Mocker” is his name;
he behaves with overweening pride (21:24).
Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp of the wicked, are sin! (21:4)
By contrast, “fear of the Lord,” which is parallel to “humility,” results in blessing:
The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom,
and humility comes before honor (15:33).
Second, God himself strives against the proud but blesses the humble. Consider the following two proverbs:
The Lord tears down the proud man’s house
but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact (15:25).
The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished (16:5).
Third, because of God’s contrasting attitudes toward pride and humility, God brings about contrasting consequences on the proud and the humble. Pride leads to disgrace; humility leads to honor.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom (11:2).
Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall (16:18).
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor (18:12).
A man’s pride brings him low,
but a man of lowly spirit gains honor (29:23).
Another contrasting consequence is that pride leads to folly, but humility to wisdom:
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him (26:12).
A final contrasting consequence concerns poverty and wealth:
Humility and the fear of the Lord
bring wealth and honor and life (22:4).
And yet, the Book of Proverbs recognizes that in a sinful world, virtue does not always result in wealth. We know there are arrogant billionaires and humble hundredaires, after all. In such cases, Proverbs clearly prioritizes virtue:
Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud (16:19).
Consequently, the virtue of humility is highly desirable and should be cultivated in practical ways. This proverb gives canny advice about how to act when you’re among the rich and powerful:
Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
and do not claim a place among great men;
it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman (25:6-7).
And this proverb compares pride to gluttony, to the detriment of both:
It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor (25:27).
If you want honor, and wisdom, and wealth that lasts, the path to take is not that of pride but of humility. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Ethics and Organized Religion
I once had a friend who was very interested in spirituality but not in organized religion. His wife attended church, but not he. Instead, he would invite me over to his house from time to time, cook a wonderful dinner, then pepper me with questions for the rest of the evening. I did my best to answer them before he brought out dessert.
There are probably a passel of people like my friend. They like Jesus, but not the church. They are interested in what he says about ethics and whatnot, but they are uninterested in what the church does on any given Sunday.
Interestingly, they have the Bible on their side, at least to a certain extent. Consider what we read in Proverbs 21:3:
To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Indeed, unless you do what is right and just, God does not accept your sacrifice.
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him (15:8).
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable —
how much more so when brought with evil intent! (21:27)
How you behave also affects whether your prayers are answered.
The Lord is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous (15:29).
If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
even his prayers are detestable (28:9).
In each of these five verses, ethics is more important than religious practices. If your heart is right, and if you speak and act in an ethical manner, then your religious practices are pleasing to God. If not, then not.
But at the end of the day, I don’t think the Bible is forcing us to choose between ethics and organized religion. If God were so antipathetic to organized religion, why did he reveal so many laws regarding animal sacrifice and tithes and priests and prayers? The point of these verses is not that we get to make the choice between ethics and organized religion, only that the former is more important than the latter.
Or rather, perhaps what we should say is that the organized religion is supposed to be a means to ethical living. Why did God give us the law? To show us how he wants us to live. Why did he give us priests and sacrifices in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the New Testament? To show us that we don’t live the way he wants us to, the sin must be punished, but that forgiveness is also offered to the repentant. Why do we attend worship services on a regular basis and support the local church? Because the natural tendency of humanity is to forget God, his law, and the gospel unless we are constantly reminded of their reality. That’s what church – organized religion at its most obvious – is all about.
Who God wants us to be is more important than how we become it, just as the end is always more important than the means. But that doesn’t mean that the means are unimportant.
So, don’t forget to go to church this weekend!
Leaving It Better
The Boy Scouts have an unofficial motto when it comes to campsites: Leave it better than you found it. In my opinion, this would make an excellent mission statement for Christians and their churches. As a result of our efforts (individually and collectively), the world should be a better place (spiritually and morally).
Several proverbs speak about the positive influence of the righteous, and the negative influence of the wicked.[1]
Influence is expressed through what we say and how we say it.
Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed (11:11).
Mockers stir up a city,
but wise men turn away anger (29:8).
Are we known as people who bless others through our words, or do our mouths mock and stir up anger? Do people walk away from a conversation with you or from a sermon informed by the truth and inspired to put it to work, or do they walk away more ignorant and depressed?
Influence is also expressed by what actions we inspire people to take.
A violent man entices his neighbor
and leads him down a path that is not good (16:29).
He who leads the upright along an evil path
will fall into his own trap,
but the blameless will receive a good inheritance (28:10).
When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall (29:16).
The true test of influence is not what we say, or even how people feel as a result of what we say. No! The true test of influence is what people do as the result of spending time with us. Do people love God, neighbor, and self as a result of our influence, or do they hate God, neighbor, and self because of us?
Influenced is expressed by words and deeds. It is felt first of all in the home.
The righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed are his children after him (20:7).
But real influence spreads beyond your home’s four walls and into the community at large.
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people (14:34).
When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;
but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding (28:12).
When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;
but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive (28:28).
When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan (29:2).
“A rising tide,” in the words of an old aphorism, “lifts all boats.” I think that is correct. When parents influence their children positively, their children in turn influence their community positively. And a positive community is a great place in which to raise good children. Private influence and public influence are symbiotic; they feed off and mutually support one another.
At the end of each day, we should ask ourselves a simple question: Did we leave it better than we found it? The only right answer is yes.
To Spank or Not to Spank?
When I was a kid, my parents spanked me if sweet reason didn’t stop me from misbehaving. The parents of most of my friends acted the same way. Today, however, spanking is controversial. Does the Bible say anything about the topic? Yes, actually; quite a lot.
First, the Bible offers a theological argument for disciplining children.
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in (3:11-12).
Discipline, here, is a broad term. It includes every action parents take to rear their children into holy, healthy, and happy kids – whether positive reinforcements or negative. We should discipline our children just as God disciplines us.
Second, the Bible shows us that love is the proper motive for disciplining children. God “loves” and “delights in” those he disciplines. That also should be our motivation when it comes to our children.
He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him (13:24).
Third, the Bible reminds us that discipline is necessary because children must be reared.
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him (22:15).
Left to their own devices, without proper training by their parents, kids will not become the holy, healthy, and happy adults God wants them to be. Adults are made, not born; and discipline plays an important role in shaping them. Moreover, a well-reared child is a delight to those around him.
Discipline your son, and he will give you peace;
he will bring delight to your soul (29:17).
The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother (29:15).
To this point, I’ve talked generally about discipline. But Proverbs 13:24, 22:15 and 29:15 speak of “the rod” (or spanking) as a specific form of discipline. Should!parents spank? Maybe, but not necessarily@ Words are the first form of discipline and are often effective.
A rebuke impresses a man of discernment
more than a hundred lashes a fool (17:10).
Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge (19:25).
If words are not effective, then what? At some point, might spanking become permissible? Two proverbs argue that spanking a child steers him away from future crime and even greater penalties.
Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;
do not be a willing party to his death (19:18).
Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
Punish him with the rod
and save his soul from death (23:13-14).
To spank, then, or not to spank?
My personal opinion, based on biblical teaching and personal experience, is that spanking can be an acceptable form of discipline. But it must be motivated by love; it must be preceded by words; it must be moderate, not abusive; and it must be a last resort.
Openness to Advice
According to the Book of Proverbs, one of the key differences between sages and fools is whether they are open to advice. Sages are; fools are not.
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid (12:1).
The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice (12:15).
A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke (13:1).
Advice, here, is more than words. It is a parental activity, words followed up with disciplinary consequences. For the proverbist, then, “advice” is parallel to “discipline,” “correction,” a “father’s instruction,” and “rebuke.” (See also 15:5, 12; 17:10; 19:25).
Why does biblical advice include the possibility of disciplinary consequences? Because the stakes are so high! Those who heed advice, who respond positively to discipline, will lead good lives. Those who don’t, won’t.
He who scorns instruction will pay for it,
but he who respects a command is rewarded.
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a man from the snares of death (13:13-14; cf. 15:10, 29:1).
He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame,
but whoever heeds correction is honored (13:18).
One of the most important benefits of heeding advice is growth in wisdom.
He who listens to a life-giving rebuke
will be at home among the wise.
He who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom,
and humility comes before honor (15:31-33; cf. 18:15, 21:11).
By contrast:
Stop listening to instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge (19:27).
Some people are so incorrigible, unfortunately, that not even extreme discipline will undo their stupidity:
Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding him like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove his folly from him (27:22).
What makes some people open to advice but others resistant to it? Pride or humility!
Pride only breeds quarrels,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice (13:10).
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding
but delights in airing his own opinions (18:2; cf. 23:9).
Here, as in other proverbs, pride leads inexorably to a life of folly. Humility, on the other hand, opens the door to a life of wisdom and wellbeing.
The trick, then, is to learn to love the advice of the wise:
Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear (25:12).
And not merely their advice, but also their painful, constructive critiques:
Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses (27:5-6).
With all this in mind, two questions remain: (1) Are you open to good advice? And (2) are you willing to give it?
He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor
than he who has a flattering tongue (28:23).
Can You Hear Me Now?
I’m sure you’ve seen the Verizon commercials with the bespectacled geek who asks that now immortal five-word question: “Can you hear me now?” The point of Verizon’s commercials is that it has a superior wireless communication system, which may or may not be true. (As a Verizon subscriber, I’m generally impressed.) But for me, the question is what’s really important.
Last year, my dad called me on his cell phone. That in and of itself is not an unusual occurrence. What was unusual was his location and the clarity of his call. He was on Turkey’s Mediterranean shore, boarding a boat that would take him to the Isle of Patmos, where John wrote Revelation. Although thousands of miles away, I could hear him clear as a bell.
In John’s day, Verizon didn’t have a superior wireless communication system. Not here, and definitely not in Turkey. In fact, no one did. Instead of land lines, satellites, cell phones, emails, or instant messages and text messages, people relied on messengers to communicate across distances. The clarity of the message depended on the quality of the messenger.
One thousand years before John, the Book of Proverbs offered advice about the quality of the messenger. For one thing, it advised you not to send a lazy man to deliver a message:
As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him (10:26).
Here’s another warning:
Like cutting off one’s feet or drinking violence
is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool (26:6).
In any communication act, there is the message itself and the medium by which it is communicated. According to these two proverbs, a bad medium (the messenger) can destroy an otherwise good and important message.
Several proverbs point out the blessing that a good messenger brings:
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a trustworthy envoy brings healing (13:17).
Like the coolness of snow at harvest time
is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the spirit of his masters (25:13).
Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land (25:25).
Where a bad messenger irritates, a good messenger refreshes. A bad messenger breaks; a good messenger heals.
Modern people such as us rarely use go-betweens as ancient people did. We can communicate directly with another person via a wide variety of technologies (phone, internet, etc.). But the lesson is still the same: The medium is as important as the message. Or, to put it another way: How you say it is as important as what you say.
That Verizon geek travels the country asking, “Can you hear me now?” Unfortunately, many of us choose to communicate personal information via impersonal technology, and we end up taking all the emotion out of communication. Effective interpersonal communication keeps the “you” and “me” in focus at all times. It’s impossible to be a modern person and not use technology. But a wise communicator keeps it personal.
Perjury
There are many kinds of lies. Wikipedia lists eleven: bold-faced lie, lying by omission, lie-to-children, white lie, emergency lie, perjury, bluffing, misleading, dissembling, exaggeration, and jocose lies. These vary in moral blameworthiness. For example, lying to your husband about his upcoming birthday party is surely less blameworthy than perjury in open court!
In general, as we saw yesterday, God hates lying. There are occasions when biblical characters lie in order to save lives (e.g., Rahab hiding the Israelites spies in Joshua 2:1-7). But these occasions are few and far between, and the lie, while morally questionable, prevents a greater harm.
One kind of lying that God particularly hates is perjury, lying in a court of law. Proverbs 6:19 states: “[God hates] a false witness who pours out lies.” Three proverbs contrast the testimony of a truthful witness with that of a perjurer:
A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies (12:17).
A truthful witness does not deceive,
but a false witness pours out lies (14:5).
A truthful witness saves lives,
but a false witness is deceitful (14:25).
Perjury is the intentional representation of false information as true information. It should be distinguished from testimony that the witness mistakenly believes is true but is in fact false.
Why would anyone perjure himself? To gain a personal advantage over someone else. This proverb identifies revenge as one possible motive:
Do not testify against your neighbor without cause,
or use your lips to deceive.
Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me;
I’ll pay that man back for what he did” (24:28-29).
Another possible motive is hatred:
He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool (10:18).
In this proverb, a man conceals the true reason for what he says about his neighbor. If that motivation were known, it would cast into doubt what he is saying. That’s why his speech is characterized as “lying lips.”
There are two possible outcomes to perjured testimony. The first is injustice, in which the falsely accused are wrongly punished.
A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil (19:28).
Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor (25:18).
The second is exposure (and perhaps judicial punishment) of the perjurer:
Do not bring hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
if your neighbor puts you to shame? (25:8).
As we read these proverbs, we should take to heart the lesson to speak truthfully in all situations but especially in open court. If called to jury duty, we should discern – where possible – the credibility of the witnesses. What is their motivation for testifying?
But we should also be keenly aware that sometimes, we evaluate testimony on the basis of our own prejudices, which should be ruthlessly eliminated from our heart, less we be party to injustice ourselves. For as this proverb reminds us:
A wicked man listens to evil lips;
a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue (17:4).
In sum: Don’t lie, and don’t listen to lies!
God and Lies
We Americans live in a culture that has grown comfortable with lies.
Turn on the television, and you’ll see slickly produced lies every few minutes, otherwise known as commercials. Listen to politicians, and they’ll make all manner of campaign promises in order to get your vote. What’s worst, pay attention to certain televangelists, and they’ll tell you God will reward you financially if only you give generously to their ministries. (If they’re seeking financial reward themselves, why don’t they give their millions to ministries serving the poor?)
God is not comfortable with lies. He never has been and never will be. In fact, according to Proverbs 6:16-17, God “hates” a “lying tongue.” It is an “abomination” to him. Verse 19 adds perjury – “a false witness who pours out lies” – to the list of things God hates
Proverbs 12:22 goes on to contrast God’s responses to lying and truthtelling:
The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.
Notice the strongly emotional language in these passages: “hates” and “detests” versus “delights.” God is not impassive between truth and falsehood. He loves one and hates the others. Created in God’s image, we should have the same visceral response to lies that he does. And we should please him by telling the truth.
God’s emotional response to truthtelling and lying results in a twofold judgment: reward for those who tell the truth, punishment for those who lie. Consider these proverbs:
Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment (12:19).
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who pours out lies will not go free (19:5).
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who pours out lies will perish (19:9).
A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare (21:6).
A false witness will perish,
and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever (21:28).
When does this judgment occur? For some, the judgment occurs in this life. When a liar is found out, his credibility is destroyed, and the fortune he amassed through dishonesty is taken away from him. For others, however, judgment occurs in the life to come. Such liars will “perish” and “be destroyed forever.” These are harsh terms, I admit; but they also reveal how deadly serious God is about telling the truth and avoiding dishonesty.
Given God’s emotional response to and judgment of lying, how should we live – especially in a culture that is so comfortable with lies? Proverbs 30:7-9 gives an answer:
Two things I ask of you, O Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
Our comfortableness about lies is the direct result of our desire for a comfortable life. Commercials, politicians, and televangelists speak to that desire. We should desire God more than comfort, and truth rather than self-gratifying lies.
An Investment that Pays Dividends
Hard work is an investment that pays dividends.
The Book of Proverbs makes the case for this conclusion in two ways. Negatively, it shows the debt that laziness incurs. Positively, it shows the profit that diligence accrues. Let’s take a close look at two proverbs that make this case.
Proverbs 24:30-34 makes a negative case for hard work by showing the devastating results of laziness.
I went past the field of the sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest —
and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.
Notice in this proverb that laziness begins in the mind. A “sluggard” is a “man who lacks judgment.” Specifically, he lacks means-end thinking. He fails to see that his present actions (laziness) determine his future results (poverty).
Moreover, because he lacks judgment, the sluggard engages in counterproductive behavior. While weeds overrun his fields, the lazy man takes a nap. No intelligent person is surprised by the resulting poverty. But for the sluggard, it’s like being unexpectedly robbed at gunpoint.
By way of contrast, Proverbs 27:23-27 makes a positive case for hard work by demonstrating the beneficial results of diligence.
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
You will have plenty of goats’ milk
to feed you and your family
and to nourish your servant girls.
This proverb teaches several important lessons:
First, hard work is not a one-off deal. It does not mean putting in a full, eight-hour day and thinking that one days’ wages will be sufficient for the rest of your life. Instead, it’s a day-after-day discipline. The “condition of your flocks” is not static; it’s dynamic. It changes from day to day. The hard working person knows this and pays attention, changing his behavior to meet new challenges.
Second, hard work is performed in the face of scarcity. “Riches do not endure forever,” we read, “and a crown is not secure for all generations.” Some work with their hands, others work with their minds. For neither is today’s wealth guaranteed tomorrow. They must continually work for what they have.
But third, and paradoxically, hard work provides what we need tomorrow. In other words, wealth accumulates. The proverb says that when the seasons change, the hard worker will still be able to provide for his family and employees.
So work hard! Other people depend on you.
Slackertude
The dictionary defines a slacker as “someone who avoids doing something, especially work or military service.” While the Book of Proverbs doesn’t say much about draft dodgers, it says quite a bit to about people who avoid hard work. Consider these specific proverbs:
As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him (10:26).
If employees or coworkers have ever hindered you from accomplishing a job on time, you know exactly what this proverb means. Their slackertude (slacker + attitude) is physically irritating, not to mention embarrassing in the presence of customers.
Two proverbs contrast the effect of slackertude with diligence:
The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a highway (15:19).
Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will serve before kings;
he will not serve before obscure men (22:29).
The life of the slacker becomes more difficult with time, as a bad employment record leads to fewer and worse job opportunities. Diligence, however, is rewarded with success and promotion.
Slackertude has other negative consequences.
The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him,
because his hands refuse to work (21:25).
According to this proverb, the slacker has every ambition except the desire to fulfill any of them. And without that desire, he goes hungry:
A sluggard does not plow in season;
so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing (20:4).
Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless man goes hungry (19:15).
Proverbs considers the slacker so lazy that even when he has food, he can’t eat it:
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
Unfortunately, the slacker’s lack of hard work affects the family, friends, and community that rely on his work.
One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys (18:9).
There are few sadder sights than a child who suffers because of his parents’ slackertude.
Of course, the slacker always has excuses for not working:
The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!"
This proverb is sarcastic. The slacker exaggerates the threats he faces. But let’s say these threats are real. How do the diligent respond? By becoming a lion tamer or a policeman, of course! There’s a solution to every problem; the slacker is unwilling to pay for it, however.
Unfortunately, the slacker doesn’t see the foolishness of his lack of ambition and work. He thinks he’s a pretty smart guy.
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who answer discreetly (26:16).
He’s not. He’s just lazy.
As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed (26:14).
Some people can’t work. They’re unemployed because of physical disability or a dearth of jobs. Slackers won’t work. We have a moral duty to financially help the first group. The only duty we have to slackers is waking them up.
