Day 194: Proverbs 29-31

(The previous post covered the final proverbs of Solomon. They read like a summary: advice from a king/judge, frustration with fools, interactions between people, and contrasting the righteous with the wicked. The next chapter was Solomon's final chapter in the Book of Proverbs...)

Proverbs 29
¹ He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

(Those who were unwilling or unable to consider they were wrong would be destroyed. There was no cure for pride if you were unwilling to choose to be humble.)

² When the righteous are increased, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man beareth rule, the people sigh.

(The "people" knew when they were led by the righteous or the wicked because the righteous facilitated the purpose and progress of others while the wicked facilitated their own purpose and progress.)

³ Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father; But he that keepeth company with harlots wasteth his substance.
⁴ The king by justice establisheth the land; But he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it.

(A king's land was established by Justice. Those rulers who took and did not give would overthrow their land.)

⁵ A man that flattereth his neighbor Spreadeth a net for his steps.
⁶ In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare; But the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
⁷ The righteous taketh knowledge of the cause of the poor; The wicked hath not understanding to know it.

(The righteous considered the cause of the poor. Did Solomon do this?)

⁸ Scoffers set a city in a flame; But wise men turn away wrath.

(When your actions were right (wisdom) you would turn away wrath.)

⁹ If a wise man hath a controversy with a foolish man, Whether he be angry or laugh, there will be no rest.
¹⁰ The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect; And as for the upright, they seek his life.

(Men who sought the hurt of others hated those who were perfect (maximum profitability) while those who lived rightly sought the life of those who were perfect. Those who were living wisely wanted to learn from those who were also wise.)

¹¹ A fool uttereth all his anger; But a wise man keepeth it back and stilleth it.

(A wise man thought before he spoke, like Elihu in the Book of Job.)

¹² If a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, All his servants are wicked.

(A ruler who heard falsehood surrounded himself with people (his servants) who were also false (wicked). The rulers who did not live right surrounded themselves with people who would facilitate his purpose and progress and therefore they were also wicked.)

¹³ The poor man and the oppressor meet together; Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both.
¹⁴ The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, His throne shall be established for ever.

(The king that judged the poor with understanding would have his throne be established forever. Did Solomon do this?)

¹⁵ The rod and reproof give wisdom; But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother.

(Correction brought wisdom.)

¹⁶ When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth; But the righteous shall look upon their fall.

(When the wicked increased so did their evil actions. But, the righteous looked upon the fall of those who were wicked in order to see what not to do and also looked to see within themselves how they could grow from where they had been wrong, which was contrastive.)

¹⁷ Correct thy son, and he will give thee rest; Yea, he will give delight unto thy soul.
¹⁸ Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

(When people were unaware of where they were going, they couldn't make progress.)

¹⁹ A servant will not be corrected by words; For though he understand, he will not give heed.
²⁰ Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

(The word hastily meant "urgently, without thought." There was more hope of a fool than a man who spoke hastily because a fool could speak knowledge (right what). Speaking hastily would often be speaking a wrong what.)

²¹ He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last.
²² An angry man stirreth up strife, And a wrathful man aboundeth in transgression.

(Angry men started arguments to cause others to be angry too. If your anger led your actions, they would abound in transgression.)

²³ A man's pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor.

(Pride would bring a man low. Humility would bring a man honor. See Matthew 23:12.)

²⁴ Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul; He heareth the adjuration and uttereth nothing.
²⁵ The fear of man bringeth a snare; But whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe.

(Trusting (faith) in God would bring you safety.)

²⁶ Many seek the ruler's favor; But a man's judgment cometh from Jehovah.
²⁷ An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous; And he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

(This final chapter from Solomon was a fitting summary of everything Solomon wrote in the Book of Proverbs. All of the themes were woven together in this chapter in some pretty complicated proverbs: understanding, managing emotions, the perspective of a king/judge, frustration dealing with fools, interactions between people, and the righteous and wicked were contrasted.)

(The last two chapters of the Book of Proverbs were written by authors other than Solomon. The next book in the order of the Bible was the Book of Ecclesiastes and was essentially Solomon's manifesto. If you want to read about the event that most likely caused Solomon to come to the conclusions he did in the Book of Ecclesiastes, read the Book of the Song of Solomon (only two posts) before you read the Book of Ecclesiastes.)




Proverbs 30
¹ The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; The oracle. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:

(The words of Agur. Little was known of Agur except that his name meant "gathered" and that he wrote these words to Ithiel and Ucal.)

² Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man;

(Clearly this was written different than the proverbs of Solomon. Agur wrote about himself and not to the reader. Agur was humble. He stated that he was as brutish/stupid as any man.)

³ And I have not learned wisdom, Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.

(He stated he had not learned wisdom and did not have knowledge of God. Did he really not know anything about God or was he expressing his humility in relation to Solomon? Was he trying to show that even the most simple-minded person ought to know what he was about to state?)

⁴ Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?

(He used questions. However, even these questions showed that he did have knowledge of God.)

⁵ Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.

("Every word of God was tried" - The KJV translated "tried" as "pure." The Hebrew word meant "to smelt, refine, test." This meant that when God spoke, it was going to teach, it was holy, and it would test your faith.)

⁶ Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
⁷ Two things have I asked of thee; Deny me them not before I die:
⁸ Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me:
⁹ Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God.

(Agur wanted to know the right words to describe God.)

¹⁰ Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.

(Now, Agur transitioned to exhorting the reader…)

¹¹ There is a generation that curse their father, And bless not their mother.
¹² There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And yet are not washed from their filthiness.

(Those who were right in their own (man's) eyes were not right.)

¹³ There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

(Pride)

¹⁴ There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
¹⁵ The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, Yea, four that say not, Enough:
¹⁶ Sheol; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough.
¹⁷ The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it.

(The horseleach was a bloodsucker. Agur stated there were four things that were unlimited in their ability to be unprofitable: hell, the inability to bear children, the desert, and the fire. All three continually yearned for more.)

¹⁸ There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not:
¹⁹ The way of an eagle in the air; The way of a serpent upon a rock; The way of a ship in the midst of the sea; And the way of a man with a maiden.

(Four things that Agur stated were things he did not have understanding of:
1) an eagle,
2) a serpent,
3) the ship,
4) a man…)

²⁰ So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness.

(…as these things were, so were the ways of an adulterous woman.)

²¹ For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, which it cannot bear:
²² For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food;
²³ For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
²⁴ There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
²⁵ The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their food in the summer;

(Even ants thought enough to prepare food for the winter. Do you think more or less than an ant?)

²⁶ The conies are but a feeble folk, Yet make they their houses in the rocks;
²⁷ The locusts have no king, Yet go they forth all of them by bands;
²⁸ The lizard taketh hold with her hands, Yet is she in kings' palaces.

(These four things were small yet did things that seemed to take great wisdom/ability:
1) ants preparing for winter,
2) conies (a type of rodent) living in rocks so that their enemies couldn't get to them,
3) locusts working together to cause destruction, and
4) lizards living in kings' palaces.)

²⁹ There are three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going:
³⁰ The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, And turneth not away for any;
³¹ The greyhound; the he-goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up.
³² If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, Lay thy hand upon thy mouth.

(It was better to not speak than to speak evil.)

³³ For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

(Agur's proverb mostly consisted of lists that could be observed by anyone and was perhaps too mundane for Solomon to comment. The final proverb was written by a woman...)




Proverbs 31
¹ The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.

(The words of Lemuel from his mother to him, not Solomon. This proverb was written by a woman. As you read this proverb, ask yourself if Solomon would have benefited from this information...)

² What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows?
³ Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

(Do not give yourself to women (plural) or go the way that destroyed kings. Solomon had many wives that led his heart away from God.)

⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink?
⁵ Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted.
⁶ Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul:
⁷ Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.
⁸ Open thy mouth for the dumb, In the cause of all such as are left desolate.
⁹ Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And minister justice to the poor and needy.

(The job of a king was to remember the Law, enforce judgment, and plead the cause of the poor and the needy. Focusing on women and strong drink would distract a king from doing his job. This mini-section stated the purpose of strong drink was to allow those who were in pain to have temporary relief from the knowledge that they were in misery.)

¹⁰ A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies.

(A worthy (virtuous) woman was extremely valuable. What followed was the description of a woman, not only a wife. The role of wife was only one aspect of the role of a woman.)

¹¹ The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain.
¹² She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life.

(A virtuous wife would create and not destroy. Her husband would trust in her.)

¹³ She seeketh wool and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her bread from afar.
¹⁵ She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth food to her household, And their task to her maidens.
¹⁶ She considereth a field, and buyeth it; With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

(A virtuous woman was a business person. She was a working woman. She made business decisions. She was a provider.)

¹⁷ She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms.
¹⁸ She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: Her lamp goeth not out by night.
¹⁹ She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle.
²⁰ She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

(She provided/created to excess, not only for the family, but also to the poor and needy.)

²¹ She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
²² She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land.

(She did her role well so that her husband could do his role well, which was to sit at the city gates and discuss Doctrine with the men and protect.)

²⁴ She maketh linen garments and selleth them, And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

(More examples of a woman as planner and provider: She was abundant, she made money off of what she created. Were Solomon's many wives planners and providers, or was Solomon the planner and provider?)

²⁵ Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come.
²⁶ She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue.
²⁷ She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying:
²⁹ Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.

(Intangible qualities that were effects of her ability to plan and provide.)

³⁰ Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; But a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates.

(A virtuous woman feared the Lord (cause). The proof (effects) she was virtuous was profitability.)

(What is the definition of "woman" and "man"?

-According to God’s Word, the definition of a woman was "the sex of the human species that intentionally creates profitable effects, based on her uniqueness, from causes given to her."
-According to God’s Word, the definition of a man was "the sex of the human species that intentionally focuses on the causes regardless of the effects."

Men ought to be serving women, facilitating the purpose and progress of women, which was the definition of leadership. Notice, there was no mention of responding physically to an emergency: war, fighting fires, rescuing people and animals, etc. Men were made to do the immediate physical work. Women were made to do the planning and providing.)

(The Book of Proverbs was the third of the five books that made up the poetic section of the Old Testament. Girls of Israel memorized the Book of Proverbs and the Book of Psalms. Most of the proverbs were written by Solomon but seemed to reflect the life of his father, David. David being a man after God's own Heart meant every time David was corrected he immediately humbled himself and grew. The overarching theme of the Book of Proverbs was that the wise people rejoiced when they were rebuked because they knew it would lead to growth. However, the foolish became angry when they were corrected because they were in pride. Specifically, Solomon's proverbs focused on the importance of understanding, managing emotions, the perspective of the king/judge, frustration associated with fools, interactions between people, and contrasting of the righteous with the wicked. The final two chapters of the Book of Proverbs could not have been written by Solomon because the first focused on experiential lists that were too mundane for Solomon and the second, written by a woman, contained information Solomon clearly lacked. In fact, the next book of the Old Testament proved Solomon lacked this information...)

Day 195