"To Understand a Proverb" by David McClister
(http://home1.gte.net/david1mc/index.htm)
In 1940 Mortimer J. Adler published the first edition of his famous book entitled How to Read a Book. The idea is that you should know how to read something in order to get the most out of it. In fact, knowing how to read a text is the key to getting the message of that text. Reading a text in the wrong way will only result in a misunderstanding of what the author said. We know this fact well from our own experience. You should not read Moby Dick the same way you read a car repair manual, just as you do not read from the Encyclopaedia Britannica the same way you read from The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson. Knowing the type of literature to which a text belongs is important, because we have to read different things in different ways.
This is no less true when reading the various parts of the Bible. The Bible contains different types of literature and different modes of expression within it. Some of it is poetry (like the Psalms), some of it is prose (like Genesis). Some of it is law (like Leviticus), some of it is highly figurative (like Revelation). Some of it is narration (like the gospels), some of it is exhortation (like Paul's letters). We have to be attuned to the kind of text we are reading in order to understand it. To read Biblical poetry correctly, we must get into "poetry mode." To read the laws correctly we must get into "law mode." Only when we have properly oriented ourselves to the type of communication in front of us will we be able to hear it correctly. This is necessary if we are to "handle accurately the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15).
One of the most misunderstood types of expression in the Bible
is the proverb. Just as it is with law or poetry, so also we must
first learn how to read a proverb before we can get what it is
saying to us. We have to get in "proverb mode."
The book of Proverbs opens with mention of this very requirement.
One of the purposes of the book is to teach the uninitiated in
how to read this kind of text. The proverbs are presented so that
the reader may know how "To understand a proverb and a figure,
the words of the wise and their riddles" (1:6). Proverbs
presents itself as an introductory course in how to read proverbs
and wisdom literature.
The book of Proverbs is a collection of observations on life gleaned over many years of Israel's rich wisdom tradition. Most of the material in the book of Proverbs is from Solomon, but there are also smaller collections from Agur (chapter 30) and Lemuel (chapter 31). The wisdom taught in this book is presented in more than one way. In the first section of the book (chapters 1-9) the instruction is given in proverbial discourses. These probably come first because they are the easiest kind of proverb to understand. The dominant and most familiar form of instruction, however, is that of the "regular" proverb, a two-line saying that encapsulates a gem of wisdom.
Proverbs are by nature general statements; they are not necessarily absolute, inflexible rules which admit of no exceptions. A proverb is not a promise (unconditional or otherwise). Instead, a proverb states what is generally true in human living. Proverbs are "wise observations based on experience," they are pragmatic principles. "The proverbs tell us what generally takes place without making an irreversible rule that fits all circumstances." They are guidelines to human experience and yet they must also be read in light of human experience.
Some Proverbs may describe what should be done, but they do not always describe what actually takes place; and some proverbs describe something without at all suggesting that what is described is right or proper. Thus in 14:20 we read "The poor is hated even by his neighbor, but those who love the rich are many." This is not to say that this is how things ought to be, but that, generally, this is the way things are. Are all rich people loved by many? Are all poor people hated? Certainly not. There are exceptions to both of these. The proverb is stating what is generally or ordinarily true. Another example can be found in 17:8, which says "A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; wherever he turns, he prospers." Surely the Bible never condones bribery. This is rather an observation on how wicked people are. It is not saying that this is right. Furthermore, do all people who take bribes see them as "charms"? It would be difficult to argue that. The point, again, is that the proverb states something that is true in many cases, but certainly not in all, and much less is it saying that what it states is the way things ought to be. Proverbs are observations on life, plain and simple.
The fact that there may be exceptions to what a proverb says does not disprove the truth or undermine the validity of what the proverb expresses. For example, Prov 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." That is often true, but we all know from experience that there are times when a soft answer does not turn away wrath, or that some people remain very calm even when someone is yelling at them. Thus proverbs express tendencies, but not a certainties. Another example is seen in the interesting pair of proverbs in 26:4 & 5, which seem to state opposite things. Verse 4 says "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will also be like him," but the very next verse then says "Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes." Is there a contradiction here? No, it is just that sometimes one is best, and sometimes the other. One way of responding to a fool may be more appropriate in one situation than in another. If we treat these are "laws," we are going to have a problem. However, the correct way to understand these statements is that each of them is true in their own place. Neither one is a comprehensive guarantee. And our point is that (generally speaking!) all proverbs are like this (some more than others).
Understanding the general nature of proverbs should have a
profound impact on how we read them. The proverbs are guidelines,
but they are not laws. They tell us what to expect in life, but
they do not promise that life will be a certain way. Thus the
book of proverbs tells us that "the way of the transgressor
is hard," (13:15) but some very wicked people live in ease.
Prov 22:4 says "The reward of humility and the fear of the
Lord are riches, honor and life," but it is true that some
humble, God-fearing people are very poor, or get no respect from
their friends or families, or sometimes die young.
Learning how to read a particular type of literature requires
more work on our part than if we just picked it up and started
reading it "cold." However, the rewards of learning
to read the right way are enormous, and besides, it keeps us from
twisting the Scriptures.
Funny, isn't it? Or is it? # 2 (contributed by S. Zipperer)
Funny how we are rarely late to work, but always late to church.
Funny how we call God our Father and Jesus our brother, but find it hard to introduce them to our family.
Funny how small our sins seem, but how big "their" sins are.
Funny how we demand justice for others, but expect mercy from God.
Funny how much difficulty some have learning the gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is to understand and explain the latest gossip about someone else.
Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
Funny how we are so quick to take directions from a total stranger when we are lost, but are hesitant to take God's direction for our lives.
Funny how so many church goers sing "Standing on the Promises" but all they do is sit on the premises.
Funny how people want God to answer their prayers but refuse to listen to His counsel.
Funny how we sing about heaven, but live only for today.
Funny how people think they are going to Heaven but don't think there is a Hell.
Funny how it is okay to blame God for evil and suffering in the world, but it is not necessary to thank Him for what is good and pleasant.
Funny how when something goes wrong, we cry, "Lord, why me?" but when something goes right, we think, "Hey, it must be me!"