Proverbs

These proverbs are general principles of successful living, which allow for individual exceptions. It’s the type of advice that an older person would give to a younger one in the hope that he won’t make the same mistakes that he made. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Ps. 32:8). It’s a good idea, but too often the younger one might not be very interested in such advice and will go one to make his own share of mistakes.

Every culture seems to have their own proverbs. In the U.S. Benjamin Franklin, one of our founding fathers, wrote many proverbs. One is: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Another one is: “Search others for their virtues, yourself for your vices.”

Here are a few more proverbs, some are found in the Bible, others are of a secular origin, and some are misquoted or misinterpreted:

“A fool and his money are soon parted.” This brings to mind how young professional athletes sign a huge contract worth millions of dollars. They may have never had money to manage before and so they spend it wildly. A decade later, when their short professional career is over, they are broke. I imagine someone close to them may have said, “Son, don’t spend that money too fast, the high income won’t last forever.”

Another commonly used expression or proverb is: “Money can’t buy happiness.” Well, that is only partially true. If you are hungry, cold, homeless and sick, it’s difficult to be happy. Money to buy the basics of life can make you very happy, but once our basic needs are met, more money doesn’t create more happiness.

Some proverbs are misquoted or outright wrong. “Money is the root of all evil.” This comes from a 1 Tim. 6:10 which actually says, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil…" Money is not good or bad, and being wealthy is not a sin. Job was wealthy and was described as a man who was "blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil" (Job 1:1). Loving money, which in the Greek is "avarice" and implies an emotional affection, is the root of all sorts of evil as the desire to accumulate wealth is placed above God and others. Luke 12:16-20 tells the story of a man who had much, but he wanted more. “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

Another “proverb” that sounds as if it is from the Bible but isn’t. “If God closes one door, He’ll open a window.” Maybe God is closing a door because you are going in the wrong direction. If so, he’s not going to open a window. Another commonly used expression or proverb is, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Do you remember the story of Mary and Martha found in Luke 10:38-42? Martha was the sister who was doing all the work and was irritated that Mary had left her to do all the work. Mary was more interested in what Jesus had to say. I wonder if Martha was the sister who had to have everything neat and clean while Mary was the one more interested in reading and thinking.

Here is another expression that sounds right but isn’t. “God doesn’t give us more than we are able to handle.” I think this is an overstatement and perhaps a misunderstanding of 1 Cor. 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Then there are expressions that are from the Bible, which are taken out of context and misapplied. Phil. 4:13, says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” We tell our kids this to encourage them to continue in their effort to accomplish something. But it’s not true that anyone can do anything. The context of the passage deals with being content in every situation. If your child is under five feet tall and has club foot, you can’t tell them that someday he can be on his favorite professional basketball team.

Proverbs are not laws of nature which give us absolute guarantees that if we do something it will result in something else. Sure, if we follow the guidelines for healthy living, avoid tobacco, drink alcohol in moderation (if at all), eat a well-balanced diet, get the required exercise and sleep, you are more likely to live a longer life with fewer chronic diseases. But there is no guarantee. We probably know people who lived a healthy lifestyle, but they died young, perhaps due to a genetic predisposition towards heart disease. So, proverbs are generalizations, not guarantees.

Here are a few examples. Prov. 12:21 says, “No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.” Prov. 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” Well, how did this work out in the life of Paul? Acts 14:19 says, “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.” And we can’t forget 2 Cor. 11:23-25, “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.” Jesus predicted John 16:33 that in this world we would have tribulation.

When “no harm” is promised, it means no permanent or ultimate evil will befall people. Any evil that besets us, God can bring ultimate good, just ask Joseph (Gen. 50:2) or Paul (Rom 8:28). And sometimes, the “good” that is promised might not even occur in this lifetime.

The Book of Proverbs opens with an explanation as to why we should study proverbs and why these proverbs were written. Prov. 1:1-2, 7 “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for

understanding words of insight . . . The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

If you do not have “fear” or respect for God, you will not heed His teachings. It starts with your attitude. Prov. 3:1 “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” Young people tend to think that they are invincible. They sometimes take unnecessary risks. Our brains mature from the back to the front and the frontal lobe is the last part to mature at about 25 years of age. The frontal lobe is responsible for decision making. The reason why automobile insurance rates drop at age 25 is because there are fewer accidents from that age on. So, if you are under 25 years of age and your parents yell at you, “What were you thinking?” You can use the excuse, “I can’t help it Dad, it’s my immature frontal lobe.”

Prov. 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

Prov. 6:10, “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.” In general, if someone is lazy, they’re not going to end up financially secure. Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules. Sometimes a lazy person gets lucky at gambling, but they soon lose whatever winning they may have received.

Prov. 10:12 “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” Prov. 17:9 says much the same. Why would the writer or editor repeat a proverb? Perhaps because it is either of greater importance or they are most likely to be ignored and so they need to be repeated.

Prov. 11:1 “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.” The Book of Amos has much to say about ethical living. God is not impressed with worship on one day followed by unethical living the rest of the

week. For believers to live unethically is to be poor ambassadors or representatives of their religion and it gives God a bad name. Amos told the Israelites, if you aren’t going to live like godly people during the week, don’t

bother to sing hymns and utter prayers on your day of worship. Today he might tell us, live what you teach or close the churches and don’t let anyone know you are a Christian. To not live what we teach is to give God a bad name and embarrasses him.

Prov. 11:14 “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.” Too often people in power surround themselves with “yes men” who will tell the leaders what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Every leader should create an atmosphere that avoids group think, where everyone thinks alike, and conflicting opinions are discouraged. Leaders should have someone around them who will challenge their decision making when necessary.

Prov. 12:10, “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Jews teach that one should feed their animals before they themselves eat. The reason is the animals don’t understand the concept of waiting and it is cruel to eat in front of them while they are hungry.

Prov. 12:16, “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Jesus taught this when he said, if someone offends you, “turn the other cheek.” In other words, let it go. Don’t make an issue about every perceived insult.

Prov. 13:20, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” We always told our kids to be careful who they choose for friends, because they become like them.

Prov. 13:24, “He who spares the rod hates his son.” Some commentators suggest that the term “rod” refers to setting standards of behavior, rather than a stick with which to administer physical punishment. See Prov 29:15.

Prov. 15:22, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” We just read this in Prov. 11:14. I guess He wants us to really understand this point.

Prov. 16:7, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” Maybe his enemies are at peace with him because they don’t feel threatened by him. Again, this is not a universal law, but a generalization. After all, Paul pleased God, and yet his enemies stoned him (Acts 4:19). What God does promise is that no permanent or ultimate evil will befall him.

Prov. 21:3, “To do what is right is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” This is a theme of the Book of Amos. Ethical living is more important than sacrifices.

Prov. 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” This can be viewed in several ways. One view is if you teach your children right from wrong, they might rebel when they become adults, but in time they are more inclined to return to the teachings of their youth than to continue in the direction they were going. Another way of looking at this is if you guide your children into certain vocations based on their talents and interests, they will find it satisfying and stay with it throughout their working lives.

Prov. 22:15, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” Some commentaries understand the “rod of discipline” to mean discipline of most any kind, not necessarily corporeal punishment (any type of punishment that inflicts pain). See also Prov. 13:24 and 23:13-14.

Prov. 23:4, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich.”

Prov. 23:20, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Prov. 29 continues on this theme of drinking wine in excess. Verses 23-33, “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things.”

The last sentence sounds like the symptoms of delirium tremens (DTs). This is seen when people who drink excessively then stop, for whatever reason. About three days after not drinking symptoms can be experienced very rapidly. They can include confusion, shaking, shivering, irregular heart rate, and sweating. People may also hallucinate and experience seizures. It can even result in death.

Jesus turned water into wine (Luke 2:1-12). Paul advised Timothy to drink wine for his health (1 Tim. 5:23). Throughout scripture there is wine drinking, and it wasn’t condemned. It is only the overindulgence of wine that was condemned.

Prov. 24:24, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.”

Prov. 24:26, “Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay your very bed will be snatched from under you.”

Prov. 24:27, “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.” In an agrarian society, your first priority should be to plant your crops, which is your source of money. In a modern society this proverb has been understood to mean, “Get your education or vocational training and start to earn a living before you get married and buy a house.” In other words, secure your income before committing to a mortgage.

Prov. 25:14, “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.” Have you known people like this? All talk, no action.

Prov. 30:5, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” When people elevate traditions to the level of Scripture you are denigrating Scripture, viewing it as “not quite enough.” Paul tells us that we should not go beyond what is written. 1 Cor. 4:61 Paul tells the church that its leaders are not to teach anything that goes beyond the laws and principles expressed in the Word of God. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead his apostles into ALL truth (John 16:13). Paul goes on to say in 2 Tim. 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Paul said, don’t go beyond what is WRITTEN and that what is written can thoroughly equip us for EVERY good work. To give traditions the same importance as Scripture is to denigrate Scripture, it is saying that it is NOT enough.

Jesus had the same issue with the Jews of his day. Mark 7:7-9, “They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions. And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”

Prov. 31:4-7 gives more advice concerning the use of wine. “It is not for kings, O Lemuel-not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, les they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”

If you are a commander on duty or just “on call” which means you have to be available for duty in an emergency, you obviously shouldn’t be drinking.

Prov. 31:10-31 describes the wife of noble character. There is one verse that stands out for me. Notice verse 16. “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” This sounds like a modern woman who can buy and sell real estate with her own money.

Well, that’s your “taste” of the Book of Proverbs. I hope you found it “good” and will encourage you to dig deeper into its wisdom.