16. Proverbs

   

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16. PROVERBS

I. OUTLINE-BRIEF

1. Wisdom. 1-9.

2. Nature and Vice. 10-25.

3. Household Affairs. 26,27.

4. Society and Government. 28-31.

II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE

1. The Excellence of Wisdom. 1:1-9:18.

A. Title. 1:1.

B. Purpose of the Book. 1:2-6.

C. Motto of the Book. 1:7.

D. Exhortation and Warning. 1:8-19.

E. Wisdom's Warnings. 1:20-33.

F. Benefits of Wisdom. 2:1-22.

G. Blessings of Wisdom. 3:1-35.

H. Wisdom and Scholars. 4:1-27.

I. On Marital Life. 5:1-23.

J. Group of Warnings. 6:1-19.

K. Warnings against Adulteress. 6:20-7:27.

L. Praise of Wisdom. 8:1-36.

M. Wisdom and Folly. 9:1-18.

2. Proverbs of Solomon. 10:1-22:16.

3. Sayings of the Wise. 22:17-24:34.

A. Introduction. 22:17-21.

B. First Collection. 22:22-23:14.

C. Second Collection. 23:15-24:22.

D. Third Collection. 24:23-34.

4. Second Group of Solomon's Proverbs. 25:1-29:27.

A. First Section. 25:1-27:27.

B. Second Section. 28:1-29:27.

5. Words of Agur. 30:1-33.

A. Personal Reflections. 30:1-14.

B. Numerical Sayings. 30:15-33.

6. Words of Lemuel. 31:1-9.

7. The Good Wife. 31:10-31.

III. AUTHORSHIP

1. It is highly probable that the seven different sections of Proverbs had a different author or collector.

2. The seven sections are:

A. Praise of Wisdom. 1:7-9:18.

B. Proverbs of Solomon. 10:1-22:16.

C. Sayings of the Wise. 22:17-24;34

D. More Proverbs of Solomon. 25:1-29:27.

E. Words of Agur. 30:1-33.

F. Words of Lemuel. 31:1-9.

G. Praise of Good Wife. 31:10-31.

3. The majority of these proverbs are of pre-exilic origin.

4. Section I is assigned to post-exilic origin because of style, and evidence of Phoenician influence.

5. Section II is the core of the book-375 proverbs. The main characters:

The righteous and the wicked.

The wise and the fool.

The rich and the poor.

The proud and the humble.

The thrifty and the lazy.

6. Section III shows every evidence of being derived from the Egyptian Wisdom Book-by Amenemope. 800 B.C.

7. So-called Solomon's proverbs were collected and edited by someone associated with King Hezekiah. This is Section IV.

8. Authors of the remaining sections are uncertain, but the dates of these parts seem to be post-exilic.

9. The book in its present form dates about 400 B.C. (subject to some subsequent editing), but parts of it may extend from 800 B.C. to 250 B.C.

IV. WISDOM LITERATURE IN GENERAL

1. Among the early wise men were:

A. Balaam-Num. 23, 24.

B. Ethan, the Ezrahite.

C. Heman, Calcol, Darda-Edomites.

2. Prov. 8 and 9 are of Canaanite origin.

3. Prov. 22:17-23:14 are directly quoted from Egyptian teachings of Amenemope. (Amenemope's teachings are also found in Ps. 1 and Jer. 17:5-8.)

4. Did Israel borrow from the surrounding nations, or did they borrow from Israel? Or did they both draw from an older and common source?

5. Wisdom literature denounced intemperate, dishonest, and selfish living. It advocated "common sense."

6. These olden "wise men" were the ancient humanists.

7. Tradition attributed many of these proverbs to Solomon, as so many psalms were assigned to David.

8. Two features of Proverbs ran contrary to Jewish practice:

A. Emphasis of monogamy.

B. Emphasis on the individual, rather than the nation.

9. Two schools of philosophy run throughout Proverbs:

A. The secular.

B. The religious.

10. The religious section of Proverbs presents the Deuteronomic ideals of social and spiritual living.

11. The pleasures of life which should be enjoyed in moderation are:

A. Perfume.

B. Wine.

C. Honey.

D. Friendship.

E. Married Life.

12. Proverbs warn against:

A. Adultery.

B. Usury.

C. Fraud.

D. Theft.

E. Ill-gotten gains.

13. Reasons for leading the "good life" are based on self-interest rather than on moral or religious grounds.

14. The wise are identical with the pious, and they are supposed to enjoy long life, security, honor, riches, and happiness.

15. The proverbs are realistic and practical. Intelligence and diligence are factors in prosperity-as well as morals and religion.

16. Throughout the book there is to be detected a strain of cynicism.

17. Wise men dealt with both proverbs and fables-parables.

V. THE WISE MEN

1. The Jews had three types of teachers: (Jer. 18:18)

A. Prophets.

B. Priests.

C. Wise men.

2. About 200 B.C. the "scribes" replaced the "wise men." Scribes began to appear even in David's time. 2 Sam. 8:17.

3. Wise men were found in Israel before the eighth century B.C. See Isa. 29:14; Jer. 18:18.

4. There were also "wise women." One such lived in Tekoa-the home of Amos. 2 Sam. 14:1-20.

5. Solomon's wisdom was known to "all the kings of the earth." 1 Kings 4:29-34. (Possibly much of Solomon's wisdom was lost-by loss of the record.)

6. Wise men sat at the city gate-dispensing (for a fee) both wisdom and judgment.

7. They also gave advice in private-making "house calls."

8. Isaiah taunts the wise men for charging fees. Isa. 55:1.

9. The wise men, in Israel, did the work of modern psychologists and psychiatrists.

10. The wise men were naturalists-dealing with ants and other animal life.

11. Hebrew wise men often administered their wisdom in religious capsules, like "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

12. Many of the wise men tended to personify wisdom. (Wisdom was a member of a later Jewish and early Christian trinity.)

13. Personification of wisdom is suggested in Job 28. (Also 8 and 9)

14. The New Testament concept of wisdom is suggested in Jas. 3:17. "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity."

15. Like the psalms, the proverbs are formulated in three styles.

A. Synonymous. 7:1.

B. Antithetic. 10:5.

C. Synthetic. 18:13.

VI. PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY

1. The fact that Proverbs and Ecclesiastes got into the sacred canon proves that the teachings of the wise men became recognized and "respectable" in Israel.

2. To some extent "wisdom" became equated with the law.

3. In dealing with the practical problems of everyday life, wisdom somewhat made atonement for the grave errors of the false belief in Providence.

4. Wisdom literature held up high standards for:

A. Family life-monogamy.

B. Respect for mother and wife.

C. Chastity and marital fidelity.

Oppression of the poor was condemned, and gluttons, drunkards, sluggards, and robbers were denounced.

5. But in spite of such high ethical standards in the proverbs, they taught that goodness was usually motivated by personal interest and success.

6. In warning men against "strange women," the man is told to shun such a life because of its effect upon his physical and material state-nothing is said about sinfulness.

7. Proverbs foreshadows a growing belief in the "resurrection and life after death."

8. But in general, Proverbs teaches that all of the rewards for goodness and penalties for wickedness are fully experienced right here on earth. In neither case do they carry over into the next life.

9. Proverbs is liberally quoted in the New Testament. In other passages the teachings of Proverbs are implied. Even Jesus quoted from Proverbs a few times.

VII. SELECTED TEXTS

1. The fear of the Lord. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." 1:7.

2. The upright. "For the upright will inhabit the land." 2:21.

3. Trusting God. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight." 3:5.

4. Happiness and wisdom. "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding." 3:13.

5. Crooked speech. "Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you." 4:24.

6. Learn from the ants. "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise." 6:6.

7. Jealousy. "For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge." 6:34.

8. Better than jewels. "For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her." 8:11.

9. Beginning of wisdom. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 9:10.

10. Stolen water. "'Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.'" 9:17.

11. Hatred and love. "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." 10:12.

12. Pride and disgrace. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom." 11:2.

13. Fruit of the righteous. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life." 11:30.

14. Evil and the righteous. "No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble." 12:21.

15. Hasty wealth. "Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it." 13:11.

16. Sparing the rod. "He who spares the rod hates his son." 13:24.

17. The deceptive way. "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." 14:12.

18. Tranquillity. "A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot." 14:30.

19. The soft answer. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." 15:1.

20. The eyes of the Lord. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place." 15:3.

21. Food and emotions. "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it." 15:17.

22. The hot temper. "A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention." 15:18.

23. The spirit counts. "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit." 16:2.

24. The fountain of life. "Wisdom is a fountain of life." 16:22.

25. Mealtime emotions. "Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife." 17:1.

26. Cheerfulness. "A cheerful heart is a good medicine." 17:22.

27. Virtue of silence. "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise." 17:28.

28. Enduring sickness. "A man's spirit will endure sickness; but a broken spirit who can bear?" 18:14.

29. A man's gift. "A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men." 18:16.

30. Finding a wife. "He who finds a wife finds a good thing." 18:22.

31. Wine a mocker. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler." 20:1.

32. The spirit of man. "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord." 20:27.

33. Control of speech. "He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." 21:23.

34. A good name. "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches." 22:1.

35. Child training. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." 22:6.

36. Shun winebibbers. "Be not among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat." 23:20.

37. Sparkling wine. "Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup." 23:31.

38. Don't envy evildoers. "Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked." 24:19.

39. Wise words. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." 25:11.

40. The fool and his folly. "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself." 26:4.

41. The tomorrow. "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." 27:1.

42. The wicked flee. "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." 28:1.

43. Four mysteries. "Four (things) I do not understand:

the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a serpent on a rock,

the way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a maiden." 30:18,19.

44. Strong drink. "Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress." 31:6.