Before writing about Proverbs, I should give a disclaimer: Proverbs is a book that a biblical scholar could spend an entire career is. The tradition of Wisdom Literature (in the Bible, the Old Testament books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, along with instructional Psalms such as Psalm 119) is as complicated as it is rich. The peoples of the ancient near east had a fascinating conception of wisdom, its source, and its implications. In this medium, I will not be able to the subject matter justice. That being said, one particular aspect of Proverbs has been particularly influential in my interpretation and application of the book.
Proverbs 9:9 reads: “Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach righteousness and they will gain in learning (NRSV).” 14:13 describes the opposite: “Those who despise the word [wisdom] bring destruction on themselves…” This contrast is what I refer to as the “plane of wisdom.” Think all the way back to sophomore geometry and picture a ray. A ray is a line the extends infinitely in one direction but not the other. Wisdom in Proverbs works like this. The wise can gain wisdom, and can become wiser and wiser. There is no end to wisdom. Foolishness, or lack of wisdom, does not work in this way. There is a definite endpoint: destruction. The foolish will not continue to gain in foolishness, but will reach a definite endpoint.
Now that we have our line, let’s put some more points on it. The starting point of wisdom is not the place where our line ends; if you will, imagine the starting point as “zero,” and the end of foolishness as being in the negatives. A person is at zero until they make a choice to gain or turn away from wisdom. The first half of 4:7 reads: “The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom.” Seemingly redundant, the statement claims that the way to gain wisdom is to set out to gain it. When one begins seeking wisdom, they begin moving down the positive, infinite side of the line.
An equal amount of attention is given to the movement down the negative, non-infinite side. Three terms are used to describe this movement. The lightest of these is simple. Proverbs 14:15 reads: “The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.” To be simple is to be mislead due to lack of wisdom. In chapter 7, in which the father warns his son to avoid the adulterous woman, it is the simple that she ensnares; those who are not wise enough to see the trap they are walking into.
The next movement down the line is the fool. The fool is the one who openly rejects wisdom. The first half of 15:5 reads: “A fool despises his parent’s instruction.” 18:2 claims: “A fool has no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his personal opinion.” While the writer of Proverbs has pity on the simple, he does not (unlike Mr. T) pity the fool. The fool in Proverbs is openly condemned for his rejection of wisdom, but is not yet at the end of the line.
The final negative character of Proverbs is the scoffer. The scoffer not only rejects wisdom but encourages others in foolishness and mocks those on the path of wisdom. 21:24 reads: “The proud and haughty person, named ‘scoffer,’ acts with arrogant pride.” To become a scoffer is the worst thing a person can become in Proverbs. The simple need teaching, and the fool needs rebuke, but there is no hope for the scoffer. 9:7 tells us that “Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse.” The only thing a scoffer is good for, according to Proverbs, is setting an example for the simple when they are destroyed.
The plane in Proverbs presents an overall positive and exciting vision for the life of a seeker. Foolishness eventually ends, but the wisdom can be gained on and on into infinity. Those who seek wisdom will continue to improve their lives and their standing with their Creator, while those who reject it are eventually unmade. Even when one travels the wrong way, they can turn around and begin seeking wisdom again. Of course, much more could and should be said on what it means to gain wisdom, and I hope to visit this in another post. Until then, my wish is that I have been able to add to the reader’s understanding of a rich and complicated book. Until next time,
“Take… instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice than choice gold (Proverbs 8:10 NRSV).”
J. E. Raabe 