# 426 The Proverbs – ‘A manual for living’ (MSG). Proverbs 10 (Introduction). The “swirl all around us” (Nielson)

Before we begin to consider the “single sentence proverbs” that follow, here is a quick and very basic reminder about the poetry of the Bible, as it applies to our studies in Proverbs.

Two key characteristics are ‘parallelism’ and ‘imagery.’

A definition of the first characteristic is when “Two phrases, clauses, or sentences are brought into close connection with each other so that they modify and expand on each other… the two thoughts mutually clarify each other, sharpening our understanding… [in fact] we miss much of the meaning of a proverb unless we compare the clauses closely and watch for the interplay between words.” (# 51)

Consider the example of 10:1 which says:

A wise son brings joy to his father,
    but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

The comparisons are obvious (in Bold font). What parents have not experienced at times both joy and grief depending on the activities of their either wise or foolish offspring, and I think I know which emotion is appreciated the most and what these parents pray for when remembering their children before the Lord.

The second characteristic is defined as “vivid images [used extensively in both the Old and New Testaments] … [when] images or metaphors are … invitations to think out the many ways that ‘this is like that’ … [see 11:22].”   (# 51)

Consider the imagery of 10:26 which says:

²⁶ As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so are sluggards to those who send them.

Ever experienced the bitter taste of vinegar in your mouth or the sting of smoke in your eyes? Not pleasant! So, says the proverb, is the experience of knowing a sluggard with a job to do for you, but who does it badly (or even, not at all).

The next thing to consider is just how we study these “single sentence proverbs”? There are a number of ways, and depending on the commentator, you may have seen it done in a variety of ways, e.g., sentence by sentence or bringing a number of verses together in themes (family life, justice, attitude to money, speech, etc.). In this Blog, I will aim to be flexible and see what happens.

So, why are the following proverbs in the order they are (or you may think, lack of any particular order)? I’m not sure we understand exactly why, but I like what Nielson says when she suggests that proverbs 10:1- 22:16 reveals “a variety of themes that seem to swirl all around us… [she uses the imagery of it being] like swimming … out in the open ocean, often feeling tossed around from one theme to another, and back and forth.” (# 55)

She does remind us though that “Proverbs is unique wisdom literature, breathed out by God the divine author, written and edited by Solomon and a few others, all under God’s sovereign hand.” Then she continues that this “Wisdom in Proverbs invades every big and little part of life. Perhaps here is the starting point for the answer to the swirl … [it] invades every part of life, and the book actually shows us that real-life process.”

Concerning that “real-life”, she continues: “We human beings don’t wake up in the morning and deal first with our marriage and family issues, and then our money issues…[etc] … all in a logically planned order. No – from the moment we wake, life actually comes at us in the same kind of fluid chaos that Proverbs presents as it teaches us that wisdom is applying God’s truth to all of it, all of life, in all its messiness. How wonderful that God sees and speaks into what so often feels like the chaos of our lives.” (# 55)  

May God give us a new understanding and appreciation of this “unique wisdom literature, breathed out by God, the divine author” and the wisdom to apply the truths we learn into our daily (possibly even messy) lives. Amen.