Proverbs

Here's another famous book, supposedly containing the wisdom of the wisest man ever, Solomon. It's a collection of aphorisms, many of which really do appear to be wise and helpful. I'd really think it was the best collection of wisdom possible, if it weren't for the following verses. These just go to show that there are a fair number of stupid things here, and that it was written by imperfect people who were liable to make mistakes.

Prov 1:29-33 - Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.
Well, we get into problems here, right at the beginning of the book. This passage basically states that knowledge is the same as fearing God. So it looks like general knowledge is not the goal here, but rather knowledge specifically of God. This is a major tenet of the Bible - God is everything, and facts that get in the way of faith are to be ignored.

Prov 2:16-19 - You will be saved from the loose woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the partner of her youth and forgets her sacred covenant; for her way leads down to death, and her paths to the shades.
An advantage of gaining God's wisdom: keeping you away from loose women, because they will kill you? Or perhaps this is a matter of women in general being used to symbolize evil. Either way, this is a pretty bad way to look at things.

Prov 6:6-8 - Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. Without having any chief or officer or ruler, it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest.
It appears that the writer was into BS just a little, and he really had no knowledge of the societal structure of ants. These days, it's pretty common knowledge that ants do their specific tasks because of complex instinct patterns written in their brains genetically. Not a critter I would think we should pattern ourselves after.

Prov 6:10,11 - A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior.
So poverty is caused by taking a little rest? Or by stopping to stretch a little, maybe? I know a fair number of poor folks who deserve better treatment than this accusation.

Prov 7:25-27 - Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many are those she has laid low, and numerous are her victims. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down into the chambers of death.
Yet another warning of the evil ways of adulteresses. It's possible this is talking about prostitutes, but I'm not sure at this point. The important thing is that this was a pretty big deal to the writer, and it makes me wonder why it would have been such a big deal to Solomon, as the Bible says he had 1000 women (wives and concubines) available to him for sex.

Prov 8:27-30 - When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always.
This is supposed to be what "wisdom" says to humans, and it appears that wisdom has some pretty strange things to tell us. Flat earth sorts of things, with a firm, solid sky, and a circular earth sitting on wide expanses of water, and the water having impassable boundaries.

Prov 9:13-18 - The foolish woman is loud; she is ignorant and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the high places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, "You who are simple, turn in here!" And to those without sense she says, "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." But they do not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Well, this took a strange turn! We start out talking about a foolish, ignorant, loud woman (an easy image to conjure up). But then, she turns into a temptress, who ends up tricking passersby into the depths of the land of the dead. What is it this person had against women? Notice once again that this aphorism has nothing to do with real knowledge, but rather specifically with knowledge of God and morality.

Prov 10:3 - The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
Well, there are quite a few ways to look at this. One way to see this is that God takes care of his favorites. Or, you maybe can tell whether a person is "good" by how well-fed he is. I expect Christians would say that this refers only to spiritual hunger, but why would God claim to keep "the wicked" from their desires, when even in a spiritual sense this is obviously not the case?

Prov 10:24 - What the wicked dread will come upon them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
How often do bad people get their just desserts? People like Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, and the other really bad guys we often hear about? Not nearly as often as we'd like. In contrast, how often is a good person's desires granted to them?

Prov 12:21 - No harm happens to the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.
There appears to be very little wiggle room here. If you're righteous, nothing will harm you. We see this claim made in many places in the Bible. Calvin used these verses to claim that the rich were God's favorite people, and that the poor were poor because of their sin. This verse and others support that concept.

Prov 13:24 - Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them.
A famous saying here. In part, it is correct: parents have a duty to instill a sense of discipline in their children. However, using a rod will inevitably get the wrong message across - that avoiding pain is the only real reason for doing what those in authority want.

Prov 14:15 - The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.
Considering that fundamentalists insist that everything in the Bible should be accepted without question, does this indicate something about the correctness of their approach? Or is the Christian message the opposite of how you'd normally react to this statement - that it's good to be simple toward the Bible, and that the clever are wrong to consider their steps?

Prov 18:13 - If one gives answer before hearing, it is folly and shame.
Some of the best advice in the whole Bible. Too bad it is so often ignored by so many believers.

Prov 18:17 - The one who first states a case seems right, until the other comes and cross-examines.
Yet more good advice. Yet you see too often that priests and preachers will not present complete information on issues - only the information that supports what they want people to believe. Have you ever heard of a preacher responding to serious evidence against his religious views?

Prov 18:18 - Casting the lot puts an end to disputes and decides between powerful contenders.
This was a common practice in ancient times (still practiced in many primitive societies). But why does this no longer hold true? Perhaps it's because religious leaders learned it was easier to get things to go the way they wanted by holding votes and convincing 51% of those voting to vote the "right" way.

Prov 19:10 - It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.
This is odd. Wasn't Joseph (from Genesis) a slave who ruled over all of Egypt for Pharaoh? Or were these folks more interested in keeping the "real" slaves in their place?

Prov 20:24 - All our steps are ordered by the LORD; how then can we understand our own ways?
This definitely goes against any concept of free will - a doctrine that is essential to the idea of the justice of eternal torment in hell (among many other things). Does this mean the concept of free will is unbiblical?

Prov 20:30 - Blows that wound cleanse away evil; beatings make clean the innermost parts.
Things are getting pretty barbaric here. Are we certain that this book of wisdom comes from either God or from a person made most wise of all by God? Or do you think that it's always a good idea to cure people of being bad by beating them hard enough to wound them?

Prov 21:3 - To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Here's yet another verse in the Old Testament saying that God is more interested in justice than in the blood-letting of sacrifice. It's a fine sentiment, but it's normally brushed aside when asking why Jesus had to die.

Prov 22:15 - Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy, but the rod of discipline drives it far away.
They really put a lot of stock in the rod concept, didn't they?

Prov 23:13,14 - Do not withhold discipline from your children; if you beat them with a rod, they will not die. If you beat them with a rod, you will save their lives from Sheol.
This is pretty explicit. I've heard many believers say that the other "rod" verses are only talking about using rods in non-violent manners - to point out the way to wisdom. This passage puts the lie to that concept, encouraging parents to beat their kids as much as they felt necessary, and it's apparently OK, assuring them the kids won't be killed outright. WHAT SORT OF BARBARIANS WERE THESE PEOPLE???

Prov 24:17,18 - Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble, or else the LORD will see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from them.
Wait a minute! Is this saying that if your enemy has a bad time, it's because God is angry at them on your account? And if you're happy that God is doing your dirty work, that'll make God unhappy and stop what he's doing?? I think there's some very strange wishful (not to mention incredibly muddled) thinking going on here.

Prov 25:2 - It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings to search things out.
Isn't this entertaining? God has nothing better to do with his time than to play hide and seek! Odd thing is, it appears to also be saying that only kings should be the ones to do the seeking. I wonder why this should be? Possibly because if everyone did some searching on their own, they might find things harmful to their religion?

Prov 26:3-12 - A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools. Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself. Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes. It is like cutting off one's foot and drinking down violence to send a message by a fool. The legs of a disabled person hang limp; so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like a thornbush brandished in the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Like an archer who wounds everybody is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who reverts to his folly. Do you see persons wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for fools than for them.
Considering this was supposed to have come from the wisest person ever to live, it looks like Solomon had some pretty strong emotional issues with everyone in the world! I noticed that while the writer had plenty of insults for those less well-endowed mentally, he never offered any remedy for the problem, other than perhaps becoming like him (a bitter, resentful jerk, from the looks of this passage!)

Prov 28:14 - Happy is one who is never without fear, but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.
Personally, I've always associated the emotion of fear with the presence of danger, not happiness. I don't see the wisdom of this aphorism.

Prov 29:12 - If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.
My first reaction to this is "Huh?" There can't be a causal link in these statements. Plus, the statement is extremely broad. I don't think much thought (or wisdom) went into it. Instead, I'd have stated that if a ruler is easily fooled, he'll attract evil officials (sort of like Ronald Reagan!).

Prov 29:21 - A slave pampered from childhood will come to a bad end.
Here's another verse telling slave owners about the art of ownership of other humans. So far, I have not come across any verse that even hints that slavery is wrong or even unpleasant to God. Maybe we'll see those verses in the New Testament?