Proverbs: Pathways to Wisdom

Introduction

I have never been a big fan of jigsaw puzzles. I sense an overwhelming desire for order as soon as the puzzle box is opened and all of the unorganized pieces are exposed. My inner voice overreacts and reprimands the jumbled pieces that lie sprawled on the table by inaudibly shouting, Get back in your box!

I am not exactly sure why I am like this, especially since my family enjoys assembling puzzles. Growing up, and now as a parent, I have repeatedly observed the process of puzzle building and have noticed the similarities in approach among those who enjoy the process. Initially, puzzle enthusiasts seem to enjoy the fact that it won’t go quickly. Also, the process is practical. Puzzle-builders round up pieces of similar colors and they put the flat edges together to form the borders of the picture and, knowing that there are only four corners to most puzzles, they search for those unique pieces and establish them in their respective locations so that they can serve as the foundation for the rest of the puzzle-building process. These foundational pieces are easily identifiable, because they are the only ones that have two flat sides. This entire process of bringing order to apparent disorder takes time, but it is worth it to someone who envisions the big picture that will appear at the end.

There is one more significant observation to mention relating to building a puzzle: no two people put any sizable puzzle together in the same way. From the moment that the puzzle pieces are emptied from the box, the process of organizing and connecting them is distinct for all puzzle aficionados, despite the fact that the final portrait remains the same. The Book of Proverbs is, in many ways, like a jigsaw puzzle. What we are able to learn from this book is contingent upon how we approach it.

If we approach Proverbs like I do a puzzle, then a cursory reading of the book might leave the reader with the same feeling of disorder that one senses when small, disconnected puzzle pieces are poured out on the dining room table. The meanings of the pithy statements are sometimes hard to understand, and, unlike other sections of the Bible, there seems to be no literary context. The apparent disjointedness of Proverbs is furthered by the jagged lines in which the verses are presented in most English Bibles. It is almost as if we have to assemble the proverbs both topically and aesthetically in order for them to make sense! A casual and quick reading of the proverbs makes them seem like a 915-verse collection of random thoughts that we must put together like a puzzle.

But reading Proverbs does not have to be such a daunting task. What if we approached the proverbs like a puzzle aficionado who is willing to dedicate the necessary time to work out the big picture? I would propose that the modern reader benefits most from a study of Proverbs that centers on the big picture of the book. We will discuss the main ideas of Proverbs and how they integrate into the big picture of the book as we continue in this study.

Just like the process of assembling a puzzle, it doesn’t help to rush the interpretation of Proverbs. Proverbs must be worked through with patience. Just as with a puzzle, it is imprudent to view the proverbs as random individual pieces and to exclusively focus on one section of the work of art. Doing this compromises one’s appreciation of the whole picture. As with any puzzle, it is important to group similar pieces together and view them in light of one another in order to make sense of the whole. Just like with any puzzle, it is misguided to force any of the proverbs into a scene in which they do not fit.

There are also corner pieces to the Book of Proverbs. That is, there are foundational themes that develop as they repeatedly appear throughout the book. These motifs serve as cornerstones for understanding Proverbs theologically and especially for grasping those individual proverbs that prove difficult to comprehend. Recurring themes like the fear of the Lord, wisdom versus foolishness, and teachability function like corner puzzle pieces in that they are easily identifiable and frame the entire picture.

As we read the Book of Proverbs and these corner pieces are identified by means of repetition, they become our main lens for interpreting the book. We realize that this book is not just a random grouping of ancient sayings that were haphazardly thrown together. Proverbs bears the markings of literary genius and repeatedly touches on practical theological themes that are relevant to us today.

One of the benefits of reading Proverbs like a puzzle is that there is no limitation to the number of times we can go back and piece together the material. As we return to Proverbs time and time again, we reassemble the same puzzle but with a deeper understanding of the theological cornerstones of the book and with more life experience. For example, during one’s teenage years, the proverbs about listening to and honoring one’s wise parents (see Proverbs 23:22) may come across as conventional advice from yet another adult. It may not be until adulthood, and after having made some of the mistakes warned against in Proverbs, that we truly appreciate the parental wisdom of the book. Similarly, the adages relating to child-rearing might come off as boring propositions prior to parenthood (see 23:13-14).

Yet, these same proverbs take on new practical relevance when children arrive and the once-childless-but-now-overwhelmed parent longs for any bit of advice. As gray hair begins to emerge, these same parents will reread the proverbs about grandparents and the elderly in a different manner (16:31). Getting older has a way of quickening an appreciation and application of the wisdom of Proverbs in a way that transcends what we could have ever known or experienced in our youth.

Every time we come back to the proverbs, we don’t put its pieces together in exactly the same way because we are not exactly the same people. Changes in life circumstances make the pieces of Proverbs easier to recognize and put in their places.

In the Book of Proverbs, the human life is likened to a path. During this life journey, we all eventually reach a point at which we make a decision concerning the spiritual trajectory that we will follow in life. Without delay, Proverbs compels us to answer the following question: During this lifetime, will I travel in the course of the fear of the Lord exhibited by practical wisdom, or will I walk in the way of wrongdoing, which will lead to my own downfall? These distinct routes are presented at the beginning of the Book of Proverbs (chapters 1–9), in which a father—frequently joined by the mother—repeatedly addresses his son, trying to convince him to choose the way of wisdom based upon the fear of the Lord over the way of wrongdoing (1:7-8, 10, 15).

The fact that Proverbs introduces this parental appeal so early in the book demonstrates the importance of deciding one’s trajectory in life. It also implies that properly understanding and applying the rest of Proverbs depends on this vital decision. We are compelled to make the same decision as the son in Proverbs concerning our life journeys at the very beginning of our reading. We are immediately urged to choose how we will relate to what is presented in the book. We become the child who is being instructed, encouraged, and warned concerning different life journeys by parents who are lovingly concerned about their child’s well-being. We are also expected to learn from the example of the parent and facilitate the transmission of wisdom to future generations.

The life trajectory that Proverbs encourages us to take is no secret. The creative language, such as personification and metaphor, used at the beginning of the book is intended to convince all who would read it that the way of wisdom is superior to the way of wrongdoing. There is really no legitimate competition presented in Proverbs between these two paths. The way of wisdom based upon the fear of the Lord is depicted as leading to a life that reflects a true understanding of the surrounding world. On the contrary, the way of wrongdoing leads to foolish behavior and brings about imprudent people’s eventual downfall by way of their own devices (1:31-32; 28:10).

This clear-cut disparity in life trajectories characterized in Proverbs has withstood the test of time and continues to challenge us as we encounter the book. Thousands of years after Proverbs was written, we are still immediately confronted with the same fundamental question concerning our own life trajectory as we come to the beginning of Proverbs: Which path will I take? Chapter 2 of this study will continue this discussion.

It is a monumental life decision. The proverbs affirm that only those who fear the Lord are positioned on the path that will enable them to understand his wisdom. The primary way in which people who fear the Lord bear witness that they are walking with the Lord is through consistent, God-honoring conduct (see 2:1-15). Proverbs is filled with conventional adages illustrating what fearing the Lord generally looks like in the lives of those who have chosen this trajectory (see 8:13; 14:2, 26-27; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4).

The decision about life trajectory is merely the beginning of the journey, as we observe in Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. After one chooses a particular direction and heads down that path, a long list of life decisions will inevitably need to be made: how to relate to God on a daily basis, how to behave in the workplace, whom to spend time with, how to use the tongue, how to relate to family, how to use financial assets, how to treat the less fortunate, and how to reflect the Lord’s justice. All readers of Proverbs share in the common experience of being on a journey, but each journey consists of different circumstances and experiences, and everyone needs wisdom in discerning their own way (14:8). This causes the practical application of Proverbs’ principles to flourish differently in the diverse lives of those who fear the Lord.

The choice to follow the Lord is, ironically, just the starting point of each person’s unique pathway to wisdom. This is ironic because we might expect the significant decision to walk in the way of the Lord to facilitate the end of difficulties encountered on a life journey that was, perhaps, started without God. However, as we see throughout Proverbs, following the Lord sets all of us—from the initial readers of the book to the contemporary parishioner—on our very own personal pathways to wisdom. All of those who are walking with the Lord uniquely demonstrate how Proverbs informs them as they take step after step in their journeys. Not only is it wise to be on the pathway to wisdom walking in the fear of the Lord, but also sojourners show that they are wise and understand the fear of the Lord by judiciously applying the proverbs to ordinary life circumstances.

So where does this practical wisdom come from? It is mostly derived from the adages presented in Proverbs 10–30. After Proverbs 1–9 set out the different life trajectories, most of the remaining proverbs communicate practical guidance about how to live in a manner that reflects walking in the way of wisdom. These same proverbs, however, vividly depict stumbling blocks that lie at the feet of sojourners and how they might trip up those who strive to walk with God. These depictions of stumbling blocks and consequences facilitate an appreciation of being on the right path and serve as an exhortation to remain steadfast, lest we deviate from the way and suffer the consequences of our wrongdoing. These proverbs give us a way to view our lives within the world around us (see 16:9; 20:24) while providing general principles concerning how to handle routine life decisions (for example, pursuing righteousness in 21:21).

Diverse personal circumstances show that everyone is indeed on a unique pathway. At the same time, we realize that not everyone’s circumstances are completely unique. Each personal pathway involves decisions that transcend issues