# 437 The Proverbs – ‘A manual for living’ (MSG). Proverbs 14 (1). “Love’s pre-emptive strike!”

Much of Proverbs is about interpersonal relationships (some good and beneficial – some bad and destructive) such as the following from chapter 14.

In the way we speak about each other:

⁵ An honest witness does not deceive,
    but a false witness pours out lies.

 ²⁵ A truthful witness saves lives,
    but a false witness is deceitful.

In the way we forgive or seek forgiveness when required:

⁹ Fools mock at making amends for sin,
    but goodwill is found among the upright.

In the way we treat each other in daily activities:

¹⁴ The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways,
    and the good rewarded for theirs.

In the way we control (or do not control) our emotions in relation to others:

¹⁷ A quick-tempered person does foolish things,
    and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.

In the way we show friendship and kindness and compassion to our needy ‘neighbour’:

²¹ It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor,
    but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.

³¹ Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
    but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

These last two proverbs revealing the heart of God for the poor and the needy! All of these positive truths are reflected very much in the life and teaching of Jesus. For example, when he said, what we now call the ‘Golden Rule,’ –  

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

As explained by one commentator, this “expresses in a positive way what had been stated negatively [by Rabbi Hillel, died AD10, Shabbat 31a:6]: ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else.’ Jesus [here] commands positive action: ‘do to others…’ It is love’s pre-emptive strike. This is not a hopeless ideal, but the Jesus Christ new-creation way of living.” (SU notes, Encounter with God, Katherine McPhail, 18.01.2025)

So, as mentioned, interpersonal relationships do seem to be one of the major topics of Proverbs, but every so often, things change and the Proverbs become more Psalm-like, i.e. “there is also a concern for those aspects of life that are personal and private… [even] things that cannot be communicated and we must learn to know what they are.” (# 53)

Some of these proverbs are:

¹⁰ Each heart knows its own bitterness,
    and no one else can share its joy.

¹³ Even in laughter the heart may ache,
    and rejoicing may end in grief.

³⁰ A heart at peace gives life to the body,
    but envy rots the bones.

³³ Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning
    and even among fools she lets herself be known.

Nielson comments on these four verses as follows:

Here we have the theme of the heart – “basically the inner person: not simply our emotions but rather the core of our whole being.

Proverbs acknowledges our hearts. For all its practical emphasis, it includes the complexity of our deepest human experiences… In chapter 14, a few of the proverbs seem to stop and just look, with a kind of truthful compassion, into the human heart…

[Concerning v.10] There’s a comforting honesty here, as wisdom shines its light of observation all around, even inside people. It’s true: no person around you knows just what it’s like to experience the particular bitterness and joys you carry in your heart…

Proverbs’ wisdom sees and says it from all angles. Yes, a ‘glad heart makes a cheerful face,’ and by contrast a sorrowful heart crushes the spirit (Proverbs 15:3). Then again, the outward evidence doesn’t always tell the full story {referring to 14:13 above].

Such proverbs not only speak truly into our personal experience; they also guard against too- easy assumptions concerning the people around us…

Proverbs lets us see with the Lord’s eyes into the mysteries of the human heart. We see what happens when wisdom dwells there… (14:33a). The understanding heart is one that ‘seeks knowledge ‘ (15:14a) – knowledge of the Lord whom we are called to fear.” (# 55)

And Jesus understands the human heart – “the complexity of our deepest human experiences” – because he became one of us and dwelt amongst us (John 1:14).

The author of the Book of Hebrews sums it all up as follows:

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Proverbs then reminds us that:

²⁶ Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,
    and for their children it will be a refuge.

²⁷ The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
    turning a person from the snares of death.