READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XVIII

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Proverbs 30:10-33

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My chapters disagree regarding the proper division of Proverbs 30 and 31.  However, I am following the lead of R. B. Y. Scott, who identified four appendices.  Besides, someone does “change the channel” after 30:9.

The contents of 30:10-33 jump around topically.

1. They warn against making unjustified accusations (v. 10), harboring contempt for one’s parents (vs. 11, 17), being self-righteous (v. 12), being arrogant (v. 13), being rapacious (v. 14), being greedy and demanding (v. 15), violating the norms of the social hierarchy (vs. 21, 23), not punishing someone who deserves a penalty (v. 22), forcing a son into a marriage to a woman he dislikes (v. 23), and not avoiding needless strife (vs. 32-33).
2. Verses 20, 23, and 29-31 indicate the assumption that God has ordained the social hierarchy.  This is an ancient attitude, which many of us justifiably reject.  Those of us who favor egalitarianism and enjoy rebelliousness find the post-Enlightenment world preferable to that of antiquity.
3. Wisdom is superior to size and strength (vs. 24-28).
4. The four insatiable things are Sheol, the land, a barren womb, and fire (vs. 15b-16).  Sheol always accepts more dead people, the land needs more water, the woman who cannot bear a child may want one, and fire can consume more fuel.
5. Verses 18-20 pertain to a range of mysteries, natural and sexual.  Indeed, sexual attraction is a mystery which defies logic.  Anyone who has felt that attraction can attest to that statement.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 28, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THE PIONEERING FEMALE EPISCOPAL PRIESTS, 1974 AND 1975

THE FEAST OF ANTONIO VIVALDI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, COMPOSER, AND VIOLINIST

THE FEAST OF ISABELLA GRAHAM, SCOTTISH-AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN EDUCATOR AND PHILANTHROPIST

THE FEAST OF MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG, GERMAN BEGUINE, MYSTIC, AND NUN; SAINT MECHTHILD OF HACKEBORN, GERMAN MYSTIC AND NUN; AND SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT, GERMAN MYSTIC AND ABBESS OF HELFTA, SAXONY

THE FEAST OF NANCY BYRD TURNER, POET, EDITOR, AND HYMN WRITER

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XVII

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Proverbs 30:1-9

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The Book of Proverbs concludes with four appendices, which fill chapters 30 and 31.  My plan for the rest of this book is to blog about each appendix in a separate post.

The superscription (30:1) attributes verses 2-9 to Agur, son of Jakeh, son of Massa. (Or does the Hebrew text mean something else?  The meanings of words are not always clear.)  These verses contain utterances; 30:1 describes Agur as an oracle.  Therefore, we have first-person speech atypical of the Book of Proverbs.  “Massa” may refer to an Ishmaelite people in northern Arabia (Genesis 25:13-14).  1 Kings 5:10 indicates Hebrew respect for the wisdom of the peoples of the East.  Of course, ascribing 30:1-9 to Agur may be as dubious as ascribing many psalms to David and proverbs to Solomon.  If this is the case, the purpose of the erroneous ascription may be to demonstrate that pious obedience to the words of God supercede all human wisdom.

The oracle of Agur opens with obscure Hebrew words.  Translations reflect the obscurity of the text.  Some versions have Agur address Ithael and Ical/Ukhal.  The Hebrew text which Robert Alter has translated as “utterance of the man, to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ukhal” may also come across in English as:

The man solemnly affirmed, “There is no God!

There is no God, for I can[not know anything.]”

–R. B. Y. Scott’s translation

Translators and degreed exegetes cannot agree regarding how to translate and interpret those Hebrew words.  I have no idea how to make sense of these Hebrew words either.  Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, writing in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 5 (1997), summarizes the situation well:

This opening verse abounds with difficulties.

–251

Van Leeuwen rejects R. B. Y. Scott’s translation as being “less plausible” than alternatives.

Ithiel means “God is with me.”  It also occurs in Nehemiah 11:7.  With that meaning in mind, The New Revised Standard Version (1989) has “the man” say:

I am weary, O God,

I am weary, O God.  How can I prevail?

The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) follows that path:

The pronouncement of a mortal man:

“I am weary, O God;

I am weary, O God, and I am exhausted.”

The formula, “thus says the man,” occurs in Proverbs 30:1; 2 Samuel 23:1; and Numbers 24:4, 15.  Van Leeuwen cites the irony of Balaam “son of Beor” (literally “son of Stupid”) in Numbers 24 and links Balaam to Proverbs 30:2:

I am more brute than human being,

without even human intelligence.

—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)

This hyperbolic language opens a section in which the author admits the limits of human existence and understanding.  It reminds me more of Ecclesiastes than anything else.

30:7-9, the only prayer in the Book of Proverbs, beseeches God to preserve the author from all that is false and to provide daily necessities.  Everything here is tangible.  The daily necessities are tangible, of course.  So are truth and falsehood.  Biblically, truth is activated integrity; truth is how people should live.  So, falsehood is the opposite of activated integrity.

Every word of God is pure,

A shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Do not add to His words,

Lest He indict you and you be proved a liar.

–Proverbs 30:5-6, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1999)

One may recall Genesis 3:2-3, in which Eve, speaking to the shrewd serpent, misquotes God (see Genesis 2:16-17).  This mythical story exemplifies the principle that adding to the words of God constitutes detracting from them.  Those who do this expose themselves as liars or as people who have misunderstood.  One need not lie to misstate reality, for a lie is an intentional deception.  By grace, may we hear God and understand the divine words correctly.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 28, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THE PIONEERING FEMALE EPISCOPAL PRIESTS, 1974 AND 1975

THE FEAST OF ANTONIO VIVALDI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, COMPOSER, AND VIOLINIST

THE FEAST OF ISABELLA GRAHAM, SCOTTISH-AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN EDUCATOR AND PHILANTHROPIST

THE FEAST OF MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG, GERMAN BEGUINE, MYSTIC, AND NUN; SAINT MECHTHILD OF HACKEBORN, GERMAN MYSTIC AND NUN; AND SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT, GERMAN MYSTIC AND ABBESS OF HELFTA, SAXONY

THE FEAST OF NANCY BYRD TURNER, POET, EDITOR, AND HYMN WRITER

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XVI

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Proverbs 28:1-29:27

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Evil men do not understand justice,

but the LORD’s seekers understand all.

–Proverbs 28:5, Robert Alter’s translation

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The evil faction do not understand justice,

But the LORD’s servants know all about it.

–Proverbs 28:5, R. B. Y. Scott’s translation

My survey of translations of Proverbs 28:5 reveals variations on the second line.  The quotes above represent the two ways of rendering the Hebrew text in English.  And, in the five French translations I consulted, people of God

comprennent tout.

They understand all or everything, in English.

Proverbs 28:1-29:27 contains a series of contrasts between the righteous and the wicked.  Much of this material is repetitive within the Book of Proverbs in particular and Hebrew wisdom literature more broadly.  So, I narrow my focus for this post.

Speaking of repetition, the following points are old hat for me at this weblog:

1. Righteousness, Biblically, is proper relationship with God, self, others, and all of creation.
2. Righteousness and justice are interchangeable in the Bible.
3. Mutuality defines proper social relationships in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.

So, by definition, those who are evil cannot understand justice.  Evil is tangible, not abstract, in this schema.  Evil is the state of rejecting mutuality and divine authority.  Evil is a condition of dysfunctional relationships.

A righteous man is concerned with the cause of the wretched;

A wicked man cannot understand such concern.

–Proverbs 28:7, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1999)

The pressing, practical question, then, concerns how to implement righteousness/justice within circumstances.  We live in circumstances, not abstractions.  And much of this work is collective, not individual.  Much of this work is the divine mandate upon people, not a person.  A community or an individual may act based on a mistaken understanding of righteousness/justice.  Historical examples–such as defending chattel slavery and Jim Crow laws as being consistent with the Bible–abound.  May we–both collectively and individually–recognize our blind spots and see as God sees.  Then may we–also by grace–act as God directs us to behave.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 27, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF BROOKE FOSS WESTCOTT, ANGLICAN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND BISHOP OF DURHAM; AND FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HUNT, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF ALBERT FREDERICK BAYLY, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST THEN UNITED REFORMED MINISTER, LIBRETTIST, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN HENRY BATEMAN, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JOHAN NORDAHL BRUN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, AUTHOR, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINTS VINCETIA GEROSA AND BARTHOLOMEA CAPITANIO, CO-FOUNDERS OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF LOVERE

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND RENEWER OF THE CHURCH; AND HIS GRANDSON, WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, U.S. ARCHITECT AND QUAKER PEACE ACTIVIST

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XV

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Proverbs 25:1-27:27

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The fifth collection in the Book of Proverbs spans 25:1-29:27.   The superscription credits the authorship of these proverbs to King Solomon (reigned 968-928 B.C.E.) of Israel and states that their compilation occurred during the reign (727/715-698/687 B.C.E.) of King Hezekiah of Judah.  If we accept this explanation, we must assume that scribes collected these proverbs.  Some of the proverbs are sycophantic regarding the sovereign.  This makes sense, for the audience included scribes and aspiring scribes in the royal court.

How to deal with others without harming oneself–one’s reputation, certainly–is a major topic.  Creating and maintaining good will is a high priority.  So, we read about, among other people, relatives, wives, friends, enemies, neighbors, and kings.  We also read cautions against social offenses, including revenge, needless lawsuits, empty promises, betrayed trust, querulousness, insensitive levity, and gossip.  One may reasonably assume that St. Paul the Apostle (Romans 12:20) and Jesus (Matthew 5:38-42) knew Proverbs 25:21-22:

If your enemy be hungry, give him food,

If he be thirsty, give water to drink;

For thus you will heap hot embers on his head,

And the Lord will recompense you.

—R. B. Y. Scott‘s translation

One will also break the cycle of anger, violence, and revenge.  Proverbs 25:21-22 is consistent with the admonition to control one’s anger (25:28).  One may break that cycle, but one may also immediately spark increased anger in the other person or people.  I have observed, for example, that, when I have refused to argue with someone who is overflowing with hostility, I become the short-term target of more anger from that person.  Nevertheless, somebody needs to behave like a responsible and mature adult.  Someone must defuse the situation–or else.  And the irate person, without someone with whom to argue, finds something else to do.

Fools fail to learn the timeless lessons in chapter 25, so chapter 26 mocks such people.  26:4-5 invites us to ask a good question:

Should one answer a fool in his own foolish terms?

The two verses contradict each other.  Robert Alter explains that 26:4 cautions against becoming entangled in fools’ confused or misguided terms, and that 26:5 encourages the wise to recognize their own foolishness.

I value facts, rationality, and objective reality.  This approach is consistent with my personality type.  I am more comfortable with facts than with feelings.  So, I am at a disadvantage when dealing with someone who has formed an opinion based on emotions.  I may be able to disprove the opinion with a fact check if that opinion depends on inaccurate information.  But this evidence will not dissuade the other person, who cares nothing about objective reality.  So, I favor the advice in 26:4.  Sometimes attempted persuasion is an exercise in futility.

Proverbs 27:20 fits well with Ecclesiastes 1:8.   Consider the following quotes from R. B. Y. Scott’s translation, O reader:

As Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

Man’s desire is insatiable.

–Proverbs 27:20

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All words fail through weariness, a man becomes speechless; the eye cannot see it all, nor the ear hear the end of it.

–Ecclesiastes 1:8

Some other translations refer to the human eye, not desire, in Proverbs 27:20.  “Desire” gets to the point of the saying, though.  This verse echoes one of the Proverbs of Ahikar:

My son, the eye of man is like a fountain of water,

And it is not satisfied with riches until filled with dust.

Proverbs 27:20, in textual context, teaches that death keeps claiming people and that human desires never find satisfaction either.  We will all die eventually.  So, what is the value of insatiable human desires?

Chapter 27 concludes with practical advice about managing flocks and fields.  Nature renews itself, but wealth and treasure do not last forever.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 26, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANNE AND JOACHIM, PARENTS OF SAINT MARY OF NAZARETH

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This is post #2950 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XIV

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Proverbs 24:23-34

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Proverbs 24:23-34 is the fourth collection in the Book of Proverbs.

These verses include the following principles:

1. Show honesty in judgment.
2. Respond forthrightly.
3. Live wisely.
4. Never seek revenge; trust God to execute justice.
5. Do not be lazy.

The link between laziness and poverty is not as simple as 24:30-34 presents it.  As the Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, many hard-working people are poor and many lazy people are wealthy.  When we turn to Ben Sira, the author of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach, we find him teaching the sons of the elites of Jerusalem circa 175 B.C.E.  We find the teacher warning his students, who have never had to work, neither to be lazy nor to scorn hard work.  The English language contains the terms the “idle rich” and the “working poor.”  Rigged economic systems are real, sadly.  Many systems of taxation fall more heavily upon those with less than upon those with more.

However simplistic and excessively optimistic 24:23-24 may be, the admonition to live wisely stands the test of time.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 25, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE. APOSTLE AND MARTYR

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XIII

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Proverbs 24:1-22

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Proverbs 24:1-22 is the third section of the third collection in the Book of Proverbs, according to The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), whose lead I am following.

1. A partial list of teachings from these verses follows:
2. Neither envy nor consort with those who are evil.
3. True power and prosperity derive from wisdom, not evil.
4. Actively resist injustice.
5. Learning wisdom should be a joy.
6. Never rejoice when others–even enemies–suffer.  (Some Psalmists needed to learn this lesson.)  God may punish you for your schadenfreude.
7. The prosperity of the wicked is temporary.

The evil and the wicked reject God’s ability or willingness to judge and intervene.  They may mistake God for an absentee landlord.  Therefore, they move rapidly into the error that the ends justify the means.  These are the “benighted men” (TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures) of Psalms 14 and 53 who think vainly that God does not care.  These are the people whom we should never envy and with whom we should never consort.  And these are the people whose prosperity is temporary.  God does care.  They will learn this lesson.

Proverbs harbors no ambiguity regarding this point.  However, Ecclesiastes does.  The dialectic between these two books of wisdom literature is worth exploring on one’s own time.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 25, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE. APOSTLE AND MARTYR

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XII

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Proverbs 23:12-35

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Proverbs 23:12-35 constitutes the second of three sections of the third collection in the Book of Proverbs, according to notes in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), whose lead I am following.

Circumstances change.  Geography varies, depending upon where one is.  Yet many principles are timeless.  The snares–including alcohol, whores, and bad company–against which the father lectures the son in Proverbs 23:12-35–are as contemporary as they are ancient.  And human nature does not change, either.

For the sake of thoroughness, I feel obligated to cover two other points, which I will address in order.

First, verse 16 speaks of the father’s kidneys (literally, in the Hebrew) exulting.  The metaphor refers to the folk belief that the kidneys were the seat of the conscience.  Some translations render the germane Hebrew word as “heart” or “inward parts.”  Foster R. McCurley, Jr., contextualizes this metaphor:

One aspect of the female image is related to the belief that various emotions were founded in specific organs of the human body.  The liver was the seat of joy; when it was poured it, the person was sad (Lam. 2:11).  The kidneys were the seat of conscience (Ps. 16:7), and the heart was the center of intellect, the mind (Prov. 16:9).  Thus, in a society where internal organs were of more interest psychologically than physiologically, it is consistent that “mercy” is related to the Hebrew term for the female anatomical part: “womb” (rehem).

—Ancient Myths and Biblical Faith:  Scriptural Transformations (1983; reprint, 2007), 97

Second, Proverbs 5:15 likens marital sexual relations to drinking water from one’s own well.  Proverbs 23:27 compares a whore to a deep ditch/pit and a narrow well, both of which are traps.  The metaphors in chapter 23 are counterpoints to the metaphor in chapter 5.  The wife’s proverbial well water may satisfy the husband’s sexual appetite, but the whore has no such water.

Furthermore, one may recall the Hebrew Biblical trope of meeting women and sometimes finding a wife at the well (Genesis 24:10f; Genesis 29:1-11; Exodus 2:15-22; 1 Samuel 9:3-12).  This trope is in the cultural background of the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

When we zoom out from individual verses and focus on the proverbial forest of Proverbs 23:12-35, we may discover at least one overarching theme: master your appetites, or else they may master you.  That principle is timeless, too.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 25, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE. APOSTLE AND MARTYR

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XI

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Proverbs 22:17-23:11

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Proverbs 22:17-24:22 is a distinct collection in three parts.  22:17-23:11 takes the Instruction of Amenemope (from Egypt) as the model, according to all but one commentary I consulted.  The intermediate step between the Egyptian text and the Hebrew text is the Aramaic text.  We may reasonably surmise this because (a) the Hebrew text incorporates Aramaic usages, and (b) Aramaic had become the lingua franca in the region.  Counts of how many of the Egyptian teachings have parallel in the Hebrew text depend where one terminates the section modeled after the Instruction of Amenemope.  The outlier in my collection of commentaries is R. B. Y. Scott‘s 1965 work on the Books of Proverbs  and Ecclesiastes for The Anchor Bible series.  His commentary holds that I should terminate this post at 24:22.  Although I follow the notes in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014), I do not dismiss Scott’s analysis out of hand.  His reputation as a scholar survives him.

Two interesting holdovers from the Instruction of Amenemope occur in 22:20-21.

1. The Hebrew text does contain thirty sayings (v. 20) if one follows the lead of R. B. Y. Scott, not the lead of The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014).  The Egyptian text does, however, contain thirty chapters.
2. Verse 21 refers to replying or responding to him or those “who sent you.”  Replying or responding is a theme in ancient Egyptian wisdom literature, but not in Proverbs 22:17-23:11.  And the Instruction of Amenemope reads in part:

…To reply to one who sends a message.

The Egyptian text instructs a young man who aspires to become a courtier how to succeed in that goal and how to achieve prosperity and to avoid evil.  Proverbs 22:17-23:11 expands on these themes.  God is on the side of the exploited poor, we read.  Cultural context is crucial for understanding certain verses.  Commentaries explain those passages in context.  Yet the principle not to chat people–the poor and the vulnerable, especially–requires no cultural context for explanation.  The principle that God watches us and cares about what we do translates into a variety of settings.  Other timeless principles include the folly of greed, the necessity of controlling appetites, and the importance of avoiding hypocrisy.

God assumes the role of the kinsman-redeemer (22:23; 23:11).  If this principle sounds familiar, one may recall Job 19:25.  The go’el, in Hebrew, was usually a relative who defended one’s rights in court.  Although 23:11 may not, by itself, refer to God as the kinsman-redeemer, reading that text in the context of 22:22-23 tilts the verse toward that interpretation.

The more things change, the more things remain constant.  Many people still cheat others frequently and habitually, without a pang of conscience.  And God still cares deeply about that pattern of behavior.  Greed also builds one up in the short term, but ill-gotten gain (a) may disappear, and (b) exacts its price upon the greedy.  Whatever we do to others, we do also to ourselves.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 24, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THOMAS À KEMPIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, PRIEST, AND SPIRITUAL WRITER

THE FEAST OF AMALIE WILHEIMINE SIEVEKING, FOUNDER OF THE WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR THE CARE OF THE POOR AND INVALIDS

THE FEAST OF FLORA MACDONALD, CANADIAN STATESWOMAN AND HUMANITARIAN

THE FEAST OF JANE HOLMES DIXON, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOP OF WASHINGTON AND BISHOP OF WASHINGTON PRO TEMPORE

THE FEAST OF JOHN NEWTON, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, U.S. BAPTIST MINISTER AND THEOLOGIAN OF THE SOCIAL GOSPEL

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART X

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Proverbs 16:10-22:16

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Wisdom literature is repetitive; it shares that quality with Hebrew prophetic literature.  Proverbs 16:10f continues thematically where 16:9 left off.  I am following the organizational structure in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014).  Yet I notice that The New Collegeville Bible Commentary:  Old Testament (2015) labels 16:1-22:16 a discrete section of the Book of Proverbs.

The excessive optimism continues in 16:10-22:9, but the statement of ideals has its place.  We–both collectively and individually–need to avoid the errors of (a) falling into ideology, facts be damned, and (b) lacking idealism and falling into evil and despair.

Speaking of idealism, wisdom is superior to gold and understanding is better than silver.  This wisdom and understanding is (a) from God, and (b) lived, not abstract.  Wisdom works toward humility before God, not hubris, which leads to destruction–of self and, often, others, too.

All these proverbs exist within a cultural context, which excellent commentaries explain well.  Even outside of cultural context, the meaning of some proverbs is clear.

He who mocks the poor affronts his Maker;

He who rejoices over another’s misfortune will not go unpunished.

–Proverbs 17:5, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1999)

Yet how often do some public officials mock the poor and support policies which place the impoverished at greater disadvantage?  And how many self-proclaimed proponents of “traditional family values” maintain systemic economic injustice which damages family life?

As we keep reading, we encounter other familiar themes again.  We read about idleness, hard work, hubris (yet again), corruption, societal strife, and heavy drinking among other topics.  We even meet Lady Folly (Or is she merely a married, adulterous woman?) again.  Through it all, we read that God is watching us.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 21, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

THE FEAST OF J. B. PHILLIPS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, THEOLOGIAN, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT WASTRADA; HER SON, SAINT GREGORY OF UTRECHT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UTRECHT; AND HIS NEPHEW, SAINT ALBERIC OF UTRECHT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UTRECHT

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART IX

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Proverbs 12:24-16:9

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We read more contrasts from the Book of Proverbs.  Some are overly optimistic.  For example, hard work does not always lead to wealth, contrary to 12:27.  Furthermore, if certain translations of 12:28 (difficult in Hebrew) are accurate, we read that the road of righteousness prevents premature death.  Or the Hebrew text may mean something else.

Topics are numerous in 12:24-16:9.  I choose not to mention all of them.  No, I prefer to focus on the big picture–to focus on the forest, not the trees.  These verses speak in the language of ideals, which do not always match reality.  Yet we need idealism so that we know how much human reality differs from divine standards.  Righteousness is a recurring theme and word.  It guards the way of the blameless (13:6), provides security in death (14:32), exalts a people (14:34), et cetera.  Righteousness, Biblically, is right relationship with God, self, other people, and all of creation.  Righteousness is tangible, not abstract.  Its fruits bear witness to it.

Within Judaism, which does not include the theology of Original Sin, the Fall of Man, and Total Depravity, keeping the covenant is possible for people to do.  God has written the covenant on their hearts–our minds–in contemporary English metaphor.  So, keeping the covenant is not an unreasonable expectation.  In that theological context, neither is righteousness.  And people depend entirely upon God and each other in the system of mutuality.  16:1-9 understands this theology when it acknowledges that everything depends on God.

Ignorance and shortsightedness are not the only obstacles to living righteously, both collectively and individually.  We must add hubris to the list of obstacles.

The LORD’s loathing is every haughty man,

be sure of it, he will not go scot-free.

–16:5, Robert Alter’s translation

To quote another proverb:

Pride goeth before the fall.

–Proverbs 16:18, paraphrased

Trust in God entails humility and furthers righteousness.  When we trust in God and value each other, we can live righteously.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 21, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

THE FEAST OF J. B. PHILLIPS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, THEOLOGIAN, AND BIBLE TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT WASTRADA; HER SON, SAINT GREGORY OF UTRECHT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UTRECHT; AND HIS NEPHEW, SAINT ALBERIC OF UTRECHT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF UTRECHT

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