OLD TESTAMENT

THE Book of Proverbs is blunt, earthly, and practical. It belongs to the genre of “wisdom” literature which was common in the ancient world. It is not a book from which to cull theology, but it is a book to show how theology can be applied.

Proverbs has previously been described as a “book which seldom takes you to Church”. Its function in Scripture is to put godliness into working clothes; to name business and society as spheres in which we are to acquit ourselves with credit to our LORD, and in which we are to look for his training.

Although rooted in the culture and lifestyle of an ancient world, much of its wisdom can be extrapolated into modern life. The advice to have honest scales (in which ‘the LORD delights’, 11:1) is fundamental to social order in any age, and the statement that getting drunk is unwise (20:1) has always been rued by those who ignore it.

The book originates from the sayings of a class of “wise men” in ancient Israel, from the time of Solomon onwards. They seem to have been given a status close to that of the priests and prophets as guides of God’s people (cf. Jeremiah 18:18). Other cultures had them too, but we know little of how they operated.

This is a book to be read in short sections and meditated upon. It is perfectly possible to delve into it at random and gain some insight, encouragement, or warning – a practice which is inadvisable for any other Biblical book.

---

Wisdom is mediated through the Holy Spirit

– A narrative on Proverbs 8

TODAY, wisdom is not often praised as a virtue, but that is partly because we have other ways of describing it. Knowing what is the right thing to do; avoiding mistakes we might regret; keeping our eyes open; seeing all sides of a situation; not being driven by foolish desires.

Wisdom is the mind controlling the heart, the heart informing the mind, and both subjected to the law and leading of God. As a result, compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity are displayed in social relationships, and blind impulse gives way to far-sighted consideration.

Throughout the book wisdom is lauded as something to be treasured. It produces better returns than monetary wealth (3:13,14), and is more attractive than a bride’s garland (1:8,9); it is the supreme principle of successful living. Get wisdom and you get a lot else thrown in.

Living by wisdom is living God’s way, in harmony with the rules and constraints which he built into creation. With it, we can avoid the pitfalls of sin (2:9-11), look forward to a rewarding life (3:1,2) and enjoy protection from needless danger (4:6).

The author of the first section seems so carried away by his theme that he personifies wisdom, elevating it almost to divine status, but being a Jew, he cannot be suggesting that there is a real divinity named Wisdom.

Christians can see the imagery as a pale foreshadowing of the New Testament image of Jesus as the divine “Word” (Logos) in John 1:1. But it would be stretching the Old Testament too far to suggest that Wisdom in Proverbs 8 is an exact portrayal of the Second Person of the Trinity.

Instead, he is using a poetic image to convey a truth. In human affairs, wisdom is supreme; everything worthwhile in life depends on it, just as life itself depends on God. But the ability to live wisely as God intended does not come naturally; it must be sought and learned, just as God waits for us to turn to him and does not force himself upon us.

The Word made flesh is the source of our wisdom which is mediated through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:6-10; John 16:7,8,13). And the New Testament agrees that to become a human trait, wisdom needs first to be received as a divine gift (James 1:5). The fact that it restrains the excesses we rather enjoy may be one reason why we don’t seek it with the same urgency as did the authors of Proverbs.