 |
|
     |
|
|
|
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
Some thoughts arising from a discussion of Proverbs 29:8, 11 with Toby Sumpter.
Verse 11 says that a fool “sends forth all his spirit, but a wise man holds it back.” ”Sending forth spirit” is what Yahweh does in creating (Psalm 104:30), what Jesus does on the cross (John 19:30), on Easter (John 20:22), from the right hand of the Father (John 15:26; Acts 2). But the proverb indicates that there’s a human analog to that divine sending: Fools at least send forth spirit that creates turmoil and strife. Through the words of a fool, he communicates the spirit of confusion. Surely fools are not the only ones who can send forth spirit. By wise and timely words, the righteous and wise send forth spirit, inspiring holiness, courage, faithfulness.
Timely: That’s a key. The wise man holds back spirit. He doesn’t hold it back forever, or all the time. But he holds it back until the right time. Just like Jesus: Jesus is filled with the Spirit from the first, gives authority and power to His disciples when He sends them to the lost sheep of Israel, but He does not send forth the fullness of His Spirit on them until His death and resurrection. He doesn’t breathe out all of His Spirit until they are ready, until the time is right. Untimely inspiration, even in a righteous cause, is folly.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 7:51 am
PROVERBS 29:1
This proverb deals with a man with a hardened neck. The combination of terms is often translated as “stiffnecked” and typically described Israel. They display their stiff necks when they erect the golden calf (Exodus 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9), and their stiffnecked response to the prophets led to the exile (2 Kings 17:14; Nehemiah 9:17). Moses exhorted them not to stiffen their necks but instead to circumcise the foreskin of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16).
Proverbs 29:1a is a fair summary of the history of Israel from exodus to exile: Israel was the man who hardened his neck despite much correction, and he was broken. According to Stephen, even long after the Jews had not learned their lesson; in stoning him, they were showing themselves to be “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears” who “always resist the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did” (Acts 7:51).
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 2:54 pm
PROVERBS 28:22
Though this verse uses different terminology from Proverbs 28:20, it overlaps with that previous proverb. In both cases, there are observations about the relationship between wealth and hastiness. Verse 20 indicates that the one who makes haste to become rich, who chases dreams of quick prosperity, will end up guilty. Here, the one who rushes to riches is said to have an “evil eye.”
What is an evil eye? Eyes are organs of judgment and evaluation in Scripture, and the first time eyes are mentioned in connection with evil is in garden of Eden. As soon as Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge, their eyes are open to know good and evil. One who has an evil eye is one who makes false judgments and evaluates things wrongly. Thus, Proverbs 23:6 warns that we should not eat the bread (literally, “bread the bread”) of a man with “an evil eye”; he may seem like a generous host, but “his heart is not with you” (v. 7). Jesus connects the “bad eye” with a wrong evaluation of wealth in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6:23; see Luke 11:34). Hearts are fixed where our treasures are (Matthew 6:21), and our eyes follow our hearts, so that our eyes gaze toward and value what our heart treasures. When our heart is clear, directed by a heart set on heavenly treasures, the whole body is a body of light. Bad eyes blind and darken; the body cannot glow with the light of God if it is guided by a heart set on Mammon.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 3:17 pm
PROVERBS 28:20
This proverb, like many, is structured in parallel:
The man of faithfulnesses is great with blessings
But the one haste to be rich shall not be pure.
The contrasts are revealing. Faithfulness is contrasted not with obvious terms like “disobedient” or “rebellious” or “unfaithful,” but with “hastiness.” The verb (‘utz) can refer to pressure coming from another, as when the Egyptian taskmasters “hasted” the Hebrews to get their work done (Exodus 5:13). Here, it refers instead to self-pressure, the self-imposed urging to pursue wealth and to get it quick. This is a particularly telling emphasis in our culture, which celebrates quick riches and encourages, through media and advertising, a longing to imitate the lifestyles of the rich and famous. It is particularly convicting in a 24/7 culture that urges us to drive, drive, drive, to run on all cylinders all the time.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 10:00 am
PROVERBS 28:17
The Proverb can be translated this, woodenly, in this way: “A man oppresses with the blood of the soul unto the pit he flees. Let no man hold him back.”
Again, the proverb uses the word adam, and again we are put in mind of the sin of the first man. Adam’s sin was an act of impatience and rebellion against Yahweh’s commandment, but here the “adam” is acting violently, shedding innocent blood. Was the first man’s sin also an act of violence? Not in any obvious way. But after his sin, he immediately separates himself from God and from Eve, and even becomes Eve’s accuser. Perhaps we can also see his failure to protect Eve from the serpent’s temptation as an implicit act of oppression.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 4:01 pm
PROVERBS 28:12
The proverb is structured in parallel:
In the triumph of the righteous
Much glory
But in the rising of the wicked
Hide men.
“Triumph” doesn’t quite capture the force of the Hebrew verb ‘alatz. It is used only a handful of times in the Hebrew Bible. Hannah “exults” in Yahweh because the Lord has vindicated her by giving her a son, vindicated her against her rival wife; she exults because the Lord has raised up her horn (1 Samuel 2:1). 1 Chronicles 16:32 calls on the fields to “exult” before the Lord. Exultation is connected with victory (Psalm 5:8-12 [v. 11]; 9:2, with the context of verses 3f.; 25:2; 68:1-3), but the word doesn’t refer to the victory itself so much as the praise and emotional high that comes with victory. “Boast” would not be a bad translation, and that brings Proverbs 28:12 directly into contact with Paul’s repeated references to the “boasting” of the righteous (Romans 15:17; 1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 10:17; Galatians 6:14).
When the righteous exult in victory, the proverb says, there is glory. This particular word for glory is first used with reference to the “beauty” of priestly garments (Exodus 28:2, 40; cf. Psalm 96:6), and can mean not only physical, external beauty but the “glory” or honor that we pay to God in our praise (Psalm 71:8). In context, the glory that accompanies the exaltation of the righteous is contrasted with men going into hiding when the wicked arise. That implies that glory refers to something visible, evident. When the righteous are victorious, it is safe to bring glory, talent, gifts, treasures out in the open.
When the wicked achieve primacy (are raised up on high, as stars in the heavens), then it is dangerous for glory to be seen. Men go into hiding. This is an important dynamic of political history. Wicked rulers suppress talent and energy by pushing men into hiding. They may hope to achieve glory, but they achieve the opposite – a drain of glory.
The Proverbs specifically says that adam hides when the wicked rise up, and that takes us back right to Genesis 3. Adam went into hiding when he gave way to the serpent’s temptation. The serpent, the wicked one, was raised up above him, and instead of exulting over the serpent, he hid from God. Throughout the old covenant, the wicked are continuously rising and the righteous are hidden. In Jesus, however, the righteous one finally exults in triumph over all His enemies. He is raised up, and Adam comes from hiding to share in the glory of the Last Adam.
PROVERBS 28:13
Again, the proverb is structured in parallel:
Whoever hides his rebellion
Succeeds not
But whoever makes known and forsakes
Finds compassion.
Another proverb about hiding, though using a different verb. The word for “transgression” means “rebellion” or trespass, and describes not inadvertent sins but willful trespasses against others. Hiding a rebellion might take several forms: It might be that one rebels, and then tries to cover up the rebellion; or, one might promote covert rebellion, hiding the rebellion even as the rebellion is taking place; or, one might hide rebellion within, in the heart, while making a hypocritical show of deference and submission. Any sort of hiding, though, is counter-productive. God sees the heart, and He sees the secret things; everything is open and laid bare before Him, and so we can never hide rebellion.
And the Lord frustrates rebels: They do not succeed. Perhaps for a time, perhaps for what appears to be a long time. Even when they look like trees, they are grass and will fade away.
Importantly, the contrast in the verse is not between rebels and non-rebels. Like a good Calvinist, Solomon assumes that everyone is a rebel. The only difference is what one does with the rebellion. And, paradoxically, the way to success is uncovering the rebellion. It seems that the best way to escape the consequences of rebellion is to keep it in hiding forever. Solomon says, “Cause it to be known.”
Confession and making-known is important, but Solomon adds “forsake.” It’s the word used of a man leaving home for his wife (Genesis 2:24) and it’s used of physical bonds and burdens. Making rebellion known is the first step. Cutting ties is the second.
This proverb rings changes on the paradoxes of concealment, covering, and unveiling that are at the heart of the sacrificial system. When Adam sinned, he went into hiding, seeking to conceal his rebellion and shame. To be redeemed, he had to come out of hiding, and had to strip off the fig leaves that covered him. Only then did he receive a proper covering, an “atonement” covering of garments, which were also garments of glory and beauty.
Those who confess and forsake rebellion find “compassion.” In the structure of the verse, that is the counterpoint to “no success.” They don’t seem to be opposites; in fact, they don’t even seem to be within the same realm of discourse. What hath prosperity to do with compassion? But of course, what ensures that our way succeeds (in the proper sense) is that our way is overshadowed by the compassion of God.
PROVERBS 28:14
Fear is not always a blessing. The curse of the covenant is that Israel will be in continuous dread (Deuteronomy 28:66-67), and Job (4:14; 23:15) dreads God. When Yahweh comes to the wicked, He strikes fear into them (Psalm 14:5), but if the wicked are fearful before His face, the righteous are secure and rejoice. If the Lord is with us, whom shall we dread (Psalm 27:1). But the proverb tells us there is a kind of fear that is healthy, and a kind of fear that should be permanent. Blessing comes to the fearful in this sense, and the implied object of fear is Yahweh. Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom; continuous fear of Yahweh is the beginning of blessing.
It’s the adam who fears here. The word for man in each of these three verses is adam, and that suggests that they are all reflections, in one fashion or another, on the first man in the garden. Adam was cursed precisely because he failed to fear always, but the Last Adam is the truly blessed man, who fears and obeys His Father.
The “Blessed is he” form reminds us of Psalm 1 and Psalm 32. The man who fears is likewise the man whose transgression is forgiven, and the man who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night. “Continuously” in Proverbs 28:14 translates tamid, used originally for the various “continuous” rites and institutions of the tabernacle worship: Showbread is continuously before the Lord, the lampstands continuous burn, Aaron wears a memorial on his heart and on his forehead continually before Yahweh, incense ascends perpetually, and the fire of the altar is to be kept burning. The tamid offerings are the daily, continuous ascension offerings. That one fears continuously thus hints at continuous sacrifice: The one is blessed who fears and continuously offers himself as a living sacrifice.
Pharaoh, we might said, is the counterpoint. He has no fear of Yahweh. “Who is Yahweh?” he asks, and then hardens his heart (Exodus 7:3). Israel often enough acts like Pharaoh, hardening their necks instead of receiving the easy yoke of Yahweh (2 Kings 17:14). The histories of Pharaoh and of Israel are, as Paul indicates (Romans 9-11), cautionary tales for the nations. Their histories are summed up by this proverb: hard-hearted men and nations are destined for a fall into “evil.”
PROVERBS 28:15
Rulers are supposed to be protective of their people. They are shepherds. Rulers are also compared to powerful predators: David’s Son is the “lion” of the tribe of Judah. When righteous rulers are compared to lions, it is because they are a terror to the enemies of their people. Yahweh Himself is a lion who is roused to roar against and defend Israel. Rulers are not to prey on the flock. Proverbs 28:15 describes wicked rulers as predators who are revved up for attack. Roaring is a prelude to the kill, as Isaiah says about the “distant nation” that the Lord is raising up against His unfaithful people (Isaiah 5:29-10). The bear in the proverb rushes around like an army scurrying over a defeated city (Isaiah 33:4; Joel 2:9; Nahum 2:4).
The threat of uncontrolled, wicked rulers falls especially on a poor people. They are defenseless against the predatory rulers, and have no recourse to bride him or hire protection. They are entirely vulnerable before the roaring lion and rushing bear.
The word for ruler, mashal, describes the government of the stars over the night (Genesis 1:18) and other forms and types of government. It is, however, also a pun on the word for proverb or parable (Number 21:27; Proverbs 1:1, 6; 10:1; Ezekiel 12:23). The wicked ruler is somehow being associated with the wisdom of the proverbs themselves. Perhaps this indicates that the ruler is sly and cunning, operating by a wicked form of wisdom.
Jesus is the poor one, who is oppressed by bulls of Bashan who open their mouths like lions against Him (Psalm 22). He is the Lamb led to slaughter, who gives Himself to be torn in pieces like a kid.
PROVERBS 28:16
Yet another proverb about rule. Here, the word for ruler is not mashal but nagid, derived from nagad, “announced one.” In technical terms, the nagid is the crown prince. The syntax of the Hebrew is different from that the NASB translation. Instead of “the prince who is a great oppressor lack understanding” the relation is reversed, “the prince lacks understanding and increases oppression.” The lack of understanding seems to be the root and cause of the oppression, rather than being an inference from the oppression.
“Understanding” is among the gifts of the Spirit given, along with wisdom, to Bezalel and Oholiab (Exodus 31:3; 35:31; cf. 1 Kings 7:14).
Just as a craftsman must have understanding of his materials, tools, and goals in order to produce a beautiful object, so there is a craft to rule – state-craft. That is what the oppressor lacks. He doesn’t understand the materials that he is manipulating (that is, people), doesn’t understand how to use the tools without ripping the materials apart, doesn’t know what’s he’s trying to accomplish. Lacking this understanding, he will end up being oppressive and abusive to his people.
“Oppression” seems to be more precisely “unjust gain” or “extortion.” Extortion from the people reveals a lack of understanding of rule. Rulers who extort from their people – whether they extort through high taxes, through conscription, through other means – are enriching themselves, so they think. They believe they will enhance their rule by squeezing more from their people. The result is the opposite. They don’t understand that the glory of the kingdom comes from the flourishing of the people. They don’t understand their material or their tools.
A good ruler is full of hate – hate for rape and predatory confiscation from his people. The word for “unjust gain” in the second half of the proverb means plunder from enemies (Judges 5:19; Micah 4:13). The ruler lacking understanding treats his people like enemies, plundering them as if he has defeated them in battle. A ruler who renounces extortion, and suppresses unjust gain within his kingdom, is prolonging his days. He will rule for a long time, and will live a long life.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, February 5, 2010 at 1:52 pm
PROVERBS 28:9
Again Solomon speaks of our attitude toward torah. The central command of the law was a command to “hear” (Deuteronomy 6). It was a command addressed to the ear. We are to have open ears (Psalm 40; Isaiah 50:5) so that we can obey His commandments. The connection between hearing and obeying is so close that sometimes the Bible uses the verb “hear” as a synonym for “obey.” Not hearing is disobedience; eventually, Israel is sent into exile for “not hearing” the words of the prophets (2 Kings 17:14).
Ears set the direction of our lives. Ears determine which way we turn. Moses warns the people not to turn their hearts toward other gods are refuse to hear (Deuteronomy 30:17).
When we turn our ears to the Word of Yahweh, the word that urges us to repentance, that leads us to turn from a way of wickedness and being to live (Jeremiah 35:15; 44:5). Jesus (Matthew 13:15) and Paul (Acts 28:27) condemn the Jews using the words of Isaiah: Their ear cannot hear, their eyes cannot see, and therefore they cannot understand and their hearts cannot turn back to the Lord.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, December 18, 2009 at 6:22 am
PROVERBS 28:7
We again have a proverb about torah and knowledge. The one who keeps watch over torah is a son who knows. The word translated as “wise” in the NASB is a form of the verb byn, used in verse 5. Here, the verb puns with the word for son, ben. The son who guards torah becomes more fully son, a son who knows, a ben mebyn.
The son who spends his time in the company of drunks and gluttons brings shame to his father. The word “riotous” is translated elsewhere as “glutton” (Deuteronomy 21:20, the passage about the rebellious son). The Hebrew is zalel, and may have some kind of punning connection with the verb “praise,” halel. Gluttony and drunkenness are a kind of false worship, a counterfeit form of the joy of the presence of God.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 6:46 am
PROVERBS 28:4
Law (torah) is mentioned about a dozen times in Proverbs. Most of the uses refer to the torah of a mother (1:8) or a father (3:1), and in these uses the emphasis is on the fact that torah is “instruction” rather than strictly “law” in our sense of the term. The word is used four times in a few verses of Proverbs 28 (vv. 4, 7, 9), and here the referent is the torah of Israel, Yahweh’s own torah, His instruction to His people, the instruction of Israel’s “Father” to his Son, the instruction of mother-Israel.
These references to torah highlight the continuity between the Mosaic and Solomonic eras of Israel’s history. There is a transition from priestly to kingly order, from “law” to “wisdom” as the dominant theme of rule and leadership. But this transition to the new doesn’t leave the old behind, but builds on it.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, November 20, 2009 at 6:20 am
PROVERBS 27:12
As we have seen repeatedly in our study of Proverbs, wisdom is a kind of foresight, an ability to foretell the future, an ability to see down the road. The prudent or “crafty” (arum) man can see the evil ahead and does what he needs to do to avoid it. The prudent man is “cautious” and wants to know where he’s stepping before he takes the next step. By contrast, the simpleton doesn’t have the guile or subtlety to see past his immediate horizon, and stumbles into destruction.
This much is obvious, but there are several interesting literary and theological dimensions to this. Literarily, the first phrase (“the prudent see evil”) is full of alliteration and word-play in the Hebrew. “Prudent” is ‘arum, “see” is ra’ah, and “evil” also is ra’ah, though there is one consonant different (“see” has an aleph, “evil” an ayin). That makes for a nice resonance at the beginning of the verse.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, September 18, 2009 at 5:10 am
PROVERBS 27:1
Like James (4:13-17), Solomon teaches us that we don’t have control over the future. We are creatures, living in sequence from moment to moment. The past leaves its imprint in our memories and in the artifacts that surround us – books and buildings, roads and institutions. But we don’t live in the past, we can’t recover the past, we can’t change what’s done. The future is also with us by anticipation, in our planning, in our hopes and aspirations. Much of what we do is rooted in a future hoped for or feared, but we can’t determine the outcome of the future and we don’t live in the future.
James explained our inability to control the future by saying that we are “vapor,” using Solomon’s favorite word from Ecclesiastes. Proverbs 27:1 doesn’t use that word (it is used only at 21:6 in Proverbs, talking about the transience of wealth), but Solomon is making the same point. 27:1 is one sign that Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are not fundamentally at odds with each other. Both assume that Yahweh, not we, control the world.
Let’s look at how Proverbs 27:1 makes this point.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 11:00 am
Truth-telling has come to be seen as mean-spirited, bigoted, nasty. Truth-telling is hateful, we have come to believe. Soothing lies are often preferred.
Solomon sees things different. ”A lying tongue hates those it crushes” (Proverbs 26:27). That carries two implications, each of which has a converse.
First, it indicates that lies are hateful; when we lie, we treat another as an enemy (and this is why lying to enemies is condoned in the Bible). Conversely, truth-telling is an act of love. Second, Solomon is saying that lies crush, oppression, and beat down. Conversely, truth liberates.
Our media, our government, our educational system, our scholars, our pastors and priests, tell us lies on a regular basis. And it is the calling of the church to expose those lies and to tell the truth, for the sake of the oppressed.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 12:49 pm
PROVERBS 26:22
Language is a constant theme of the Proverbs. Wisdom is skill, and one of the central skills a wise person must learn is skill in speech. This skill has not only to do with speaking the truth, but even more with questions of tone and timing. Wisdom is like having a sense of rhythm, learning God’s ways and words well enough to lean into the next step at just the right time. Wisdom in words is like being a stand-up comedian, understanding timing.
Several of the proverbs in chapter 26 are about proper speech, and the effect of wrong sorts of speech in stirring up contention and strife. In verse 20, the speech of a “whisperer” or a “gossiper” is compared to the wood that stokes up a fire, and in verse 22 Solomon returns to this character, the whisperer. While verse 20 compares the words of a whisperer to fuel, verse 22 focuses more on the pleasure of the whisperer’s words.
Human beings love secrets. There is something thrilling in being “in the know” about something that no one else knows. Secrets and secrecy are not in themselves evil. God Himself has secrets (Deuteronomy 29:29), and in the Old Testament some of the most desirable things are hidden away in holy places – that is to say, restricted places. There is a time for whispering: Jesus whispers things into the ears of His disciples. But those things are whispered now in order to be shouted out later. In the gospel, Paul says that the great “mystery” or “secret” that Yahweh had held close to his chest for centuries is now revealed. Having secrets, having something “inside” us that doesn’t show on the “outside,” or having something known by an “inside group” that “outsiders” don’t know – this is, perhaps, inherent in our being images of God. The issue with secrets is the issue with all forms of wisdom, especially wisdom in speech. The question is timing and rhythm: Who should know the secret? When? God has perfect timing: In the “fullness of time,” He reveals His secrets, and in doing so turns the world inside out.
A whisperer is full of secrets, and he passes on those secrets to bolster his own reputation, to gather an “inner ring” with him at the center, to stir up contention that will serve some purpose. Think of the member of an administration to leaks information to the press, or think of the writers of gossip columns. They are consummate whisperers.
The focus of verse 22, though, is not so much on the whisperer as on the reaction of those who listen to him. Solomon is not talking about the writers of gossip columns so much as the readers. For his hearers, the whisperer’s secrets are “dainty morsels” that come out of his inner being and go down into the inner being of his hearers. The word for “dainty morsel” is used only here and in the parallel proverb in 18:8, and seems to be derived from a word that means to swallow or gulp down, and also to refer to “greed” or “gluttony.” The word in Hebrew (laham) is perhaps a pun on the word for “bread” (lechem). People are greedy for whispered words; for many, it is as desirable, and as much a staple, as bread.
My friend and colleague Toby Sumpter points out: “These words go down to the ‘chamber room’ of the ‘belly/womb.’ This suggests several implications: First, the words of the whisperer can come to color our ability to judge and reason rightly. If they are allowed to take up residence in our ‘chamber room,’ in our seat of judgment, then they are being invited to be counselors. We are seating them with dignity and honor that they do not deserve. And this can happen with or without our knowledge. Second, the chamber room of the ‘womb’ suggests a pregnancy metaphor. Allowing the words of a whisperer into our ‘womb’ suggests infidelity and promiscuity with the end result of fathering the bastard children of the whisperer. Just as wisdom is justified by her children, folly is damned by hers.”
Two further glosses on this. First, the imagery of “chamber” or “bedchamber” or “inner chamber” depends on a metaphorical connection between a human being and a house. This is an important fundamental metaphor in the Bible, especially worked out in relation to the tabernacle and temple. As the Spirit dwelt in the tabernacle, so now the Spirit dwells in us; as the priests guarded the entry ways to the temple, so we are to put a guard on our eyes, ears, lips, nose, so that nothing defiling enters; as the inner sanctuary of the temple is to be consecrated and clean, so is our heart to be pure. We need to be careful about allowing whispered words into our chambers, because they will have an effect.
Second, the specific part of the inner “house” that these dainties go into is the “belly,” which Toby notes is the same word for “womb.” Words enter our ears, and they implant themselves in our inner chambers, and they produce something. Words fertilize what is in our hearts, and something begins to form. Though he is not talking about language, James uses this kind of conception-birth imagery to describe the process of temptation: We are tempted when we are carried away by our own evil desires, and once desire has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin in the end produces death (James 1:12-15). That is the death-cycle of sin. Based on this proverb, we could add that the desire is awakened by the words of a whisperer, and these words conceive and give birth to sin. The alternative is to let the word of God dwell in us richly, so that Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19). God has whispered his secret into our ears so that, like Mary, we can become full of Christ.
PROVERBS 26:23
The precise force of this comparison becomes evident when we recognize that both sides of the simile are double. On the one hand, there is a “potsherd” covered with “silver dross,” and on the other hand we have “burning lips” and a “heart of evil.” The potsherd is like the evil heart, while the burning lips are like silver dross. On the surface, the point is that covering over the earthiness of a vessel with silver dross makes the pot look finer, but the pot is still a pot of earth and even the silver patina is made from the refuse of silver. So also, burning lips – perhaps passionate speeches or professions – can shine up a wicked heart, but such words do not add anything of value. The wicked heart is still a wicked heart, and by brightening itself with burning words it only adds hypocrisy to its other evils.
Examining the specific wording deepens our grasp of the comparison. Earthen pots are fragile and of low value (Psalm 22:15; Isaiah 45:9), but they also make appropriate symbols for human beings. Human beings are earthenware pots – we are made of earth, and we are large and flexible containers, both physically and spiritually. Physically, we are pots full of organs and blood and fluids, and spiritually we are containers for whatever we let into our inner chambers and whatever is “conceived” in the womb of our hearts (see v. 22). Human beings are created to be earthen vessels that contain a weight of glory (cf. Paul’s use of this image in 2 Corinthians 4:7ff). But the man in the proverb is “earthenware” all the way down, as it were. He is not a container of precious things. The only precious thing he has is the covering of silver, and that’s silver’s dross.
The word for “burning” is sometimes associated with fire, and translated as “kindle” or “inflame” (cf. Isaiah 5:11; Ezekiel 24:10). More often, though, the word means “pursue” (Genesis 31:36; 1 Samuel 17:53), and this notion of “hot pursuit” is sometimes connected with persecution (Psalm 7:13; 10:2; Lamentations 4:19). Persecutors are those who hotly pursue the righteous, seeking to burn and destroy them. Given this usage, the image of “burning lips” connotes lips and words that pursue and persecute. That might suggest lips that express burning love and passion, but it might also be persecuting and pursuing words. The silver dross covering consists of words that flame out, shine, and flash, words that inflame and stir up contention and encourage pursuit of the righteous. Burning lips are themselves ambiguous; one could have a tongue on fire for righteousness, lips purged and burning because they have been lit by a coal from the altar of Yahweh. Or, they could be burning with passion for persecution. Either way, if these burning words are only a drossy covering, they do nothing to improve the wicked heart that produces them.
Finally, the word “lip” is worth musing on for a moment. Though it can refer to speech in general, lips are sometimes associated with religious speech and confession (I am following James Jordan here). Circumcision is sometimes conceived of as being applied to “lips” (Exodus 6:12, 30), and lips are the place where vows emerge (Numbers 30:6, 8, 12; Psalm 89:34; 119:13). If we understand the proverb in this way, the hypocrisy is more precisely religious hypocrisy: Wicked hearts that overlay their wickedness with lips that burn with passionate professions of faith or burn with zeal for eliminating unrighteousness and impurity. Zeal is good, a good fire, but zeal can easily become dross that masks the earthiness and fleshliness of our deepest motives.
PROVERBS 26:24-26
Verses 24-25 describe the same hypocrisy as verse 23, but in more straightforward language. In the Hebrew, the proverb is set out in a parallelism:
In his hating he makes strange his lips
And in his inner parts he sets up deceit.
The hating is thus associated with the inner parts, and the lips express the deceit that is in the inner man.
The verb “disguises” in verse 24 means “to be strange or alien,” and is related to the noun used for “foreigner” or “stranger” (Genesis 17:12, 27; Exodus 12:43; Leviticus 22:25; Deuteronomy 32:12). It is often translated as “know” or “recognize,” but in a few places it has the connotation of “disguise.” The verb is used twice in Genesis 42:7: Joseph “knew” his brothers and “made himself known to them” with rough words; he is disclosing himself, but disclosing himself behind a veil of harsh talk. Or, he “knew” his brothers but “made himself strange” to them by his speech. His words did not express his true feelings; he made himself appear to be an alien, a supercilious Egyptian official. Jeroboam’s wife likewise makes herself strange when she goes to visit the prophet Ahijah (1 Kings 14:5-6). In hating, the man makes his lips a stranger to his heart; but hatred also means that lips speak alienating and strange things.
The second line of the Proverb uses an interesting image. By disjoining lips and inner being, the hater is storing up something in his inner parts, but what he stores up is “deceit.” There is a feedback loop going here: It begins in the inner being, with hatred; in his hatred, a man speaks strange or hypocritical things with his lips; by speaking with his lips, he is storing up something besides hatred in his inner parts, he is storing up fraud and deceit, and this can only reinforce the hypocrisy of his lips. Hatred leads to hypocrisy which leads to more deception. Haters are, in the end, full of deceit – full of lies to others and full of self-deceit. Hatred blinds.
To this analysis of the workings of hatred, Solomon adds a warning not to take the words of a hater at face value. He may make his voice gracious, but the wise man cannot assent to it – he must not pronounce an “Amen.” Underneath the words of grace and compassion is a heart full of abominations. Abomination is a Levitical term that is sometimes associated with the idolatries and impurities that are found in the sanctuaries of Israel. An “abomination of desolation” is an abominable practice that brings desolation to the sanctuary. A man with “seven abominations” in his heart is like a house full of abominations, and he too will be left desolate. Solomon may be alluding back to the seven abominations of Proverbs 6:16-19, and the seven abominations recall also the seven demons that inhabit the man in Jesus’ parable who has been exorcised. Instead of seven abominations, our hearts should be filled with the seven Spirits of the Lord. Seven is number of fullness, and also the number of creation and Sabbath rest. A sevenfold abomination is a de-creating abomination that has found a place to relax in the heart of the hater.
Yet, Solomon doesn’t think that the disguises and lies and strange vestments of the hypocrite and the hater can remain forever. In the congregation, the hater will be “uncovered” and “made naked.” We can comment on this in two directions. First, the verb “uncovered” means, on the surface, that the true motives and desires of haters will be uncovered. But the word is often used for exposure of shame, and particularly with sexual transgression. Shame is defeat and humiliation, not just the emotion of embarrassment. Solomon predicts that the hater cannot maintain his glossy exterior forever. He will be exposed, defeated, ashamed.
Second, this will happen in the “assembly” (Heb. qahal). Typically, this word is used for liturgical assemblies; it is the OT equivalent of ekklesia, church. As Psalms 37 and 73 say, the end of the wicked will be evident at the sanctuary, when the people of God assemble for worship. The word might also refer to a judicial assembly, and thus the hope would be that the hater would be exposed for his deceit and hypocrisy in such an assembly. Ultimately, these two are identical, because the liturgical assembly is an assembly in the presence of the Judge of all, who sifts and winnows in worship.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 12:42 pm
PROVERBS 26:17
Verse 17 returns to the use of dog imagery. We recall that dogs are scavengers in the Bible, feeding on death. Dogs eat flesh and lap up blood. They are greedy, constantly hungry for more (Isaiah 56:11). They tear things to pieces (Matthew 7:6). In short, they are dangerous and wild, not “man’s best friend.”
The setting here seems may be a dogfight in which a man tried to intervene by taking one of the dogs by his head. Given the character of dogs, this is a risk, to say the least. Once he’s got hold of it, he’s in danger whether he holds on or lets go. There’s no good option at that point. Perhaps, though, the setting is of a man who simply walks by and randomly grabs the ears of a dog – that kind of gratuitous trickery will also get you torn to pieces (cf. vv. 18-19).
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, May 1, 2009 at 7:56 am
STRUCTURE
There is a fairly clear chiasm in verses 11-17:
A. Dog returning to vomit, v 11
B. Man wise in his own eyes, v 12
C. Sluggard, vv 13-15
B’. Sluggard wise in his own eyes, v 16
A’. Taking dog by the ears, v 17
Perhaps the chiasm extends further. Verses 10 and 18 share the theme of someone who endangers all around him with a weapon – arrows in the one instance and a firebrand in the second.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, April 17, 2009 at 6:51 am
INTRODUCTION
Many of the proverbs in chapter 26 share the basic form of a simile. Sometimes, as in verse 1, the simile is explicit in the Hebrew text (“like snow in summer” is a literal translation); at other times, the simile is not explicit in Hebrew but is implied in the structure of the verse (v. 7). The specific verses we are examining are framed by references to things that are “unfitting.” Honor is explicitly inappropriate to the fool (v. 1), and though the word “fitting” is not used in verse 9, the implication that a proverb or parable in the mouth of a fool is badly placed. “Fittingness” is an aesthetic criterion, and these verses indicate Solomon’s pervasive assumption that the life of wisdom is a life lived skillfully and artfully. Folly is not only wrong and immoral, but it lacks craftsmanship; it is like dissonant music, like a disproportionate painting or a badly designed building. Folly is an eyesore.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, February 20, 2009 at 10:50 am
INTRODUCTION
This section of Proverbs focuses on issues of image, wealth, work, and treatment of employees (vv. 8-12), and ends with two verses that deal again with the use of the tongue (vv. 13-14). The final verses connect this section to the preceding section of this chapter (12:1-7). Thus, the section on wealth and labor is surrounded by instruction concerning speech. Speech is interwoven with all areas of human life, and the Proverbs manifest this by returning to this theme in a variety of different contexts.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 12:00 pm
INTRODUCTION
This section of Proverbs 11 highlights several issues. The first two verses treat issues of honesty and dishonesty; verses 3-8 describe the security of the righteous. Verses 9-14 return to various concerns regarding the use of the tongue, which was a theme of the previous chapter.
HONESTY AND HUMILITY
Proverbs 11:1 urges honesty in economic transactions. The balance and the weight refer to the disks that a merchant would use to weigh out goods to determine price. Weights would be marked with a certain value, but dishonest merchants would carry a light and a heavy weight marked with the same value: A 1-pound weight that was more than one point for selling; a 1-pound weight that was less than one pound for buying. If he was buying and selling grain for 2 shekels a pound, he could sell less than one pound of grain for 2 shekels, but buy more than one pound with 2 shekels.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 11:54 am
INTRODUCTION
Proverbs 10 begins a long central section of Proverbs. This is largely a collection of sayings, labeled “The Proverbs of Solomon” in 10:1. The organization is not random, but it is not obvious. At least one can discern topical categories in this section: speech, wealth, expectations for the future.
Verses 17-32 are divided into several sections (following Waltke). Verse 17 is self-standing. Verses 18-21 concentrate on speech (“lips” appears in vv. 18, 19, 21, and “tongue” in v. 20), and Solomon returns to this theme at the end of the chapter (vv. 31-32: mouth, tongue, lips). Between these sections, verses 22-30 are organized in a parallel pattern:
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 11:52 am
STRUCTURE
This chapter is divided into three main sections, of which we’ll look at the first two. Verses 1-12 form a section that is marked off by the reference to the father-son relationship at the beginning and end (vv. 1, 12). Within this section, Solomon gives a series of six commands to his son (vv. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11), the first and the last (vv. 1, 11) being introduced by the phrase “my son.” Each of the commands is followed either by some supporting promise or by an expansion of the original command. The following chart (taken, with modifications, from Waltke, p. 239) summarizes the overall structure in the following chart:
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 11:50 am
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
