 Proverbs
The Reflector - February 2012
Written by: Edward O. Bragwell, Sr.
Proverbs are wise sayings passed down in various cultures of the world. There are old
Chinese proverbs, American proverbs, etc.; and then there are biblical proverbs, most notably the proverbs of
Solomon.
Some examples of American proverbs are: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes one
healthy, wealthy and wise.” “You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.” “You can lead a
horse to water, but you can't make him drink.”
Proverbs that describe general basic rules of conduct are also known as maxims.
The “early to bed, early to rise...” proverb is an example of a maxim. The nature of such proverbs is that they
are intended to express a general rather than necessarily an absolute truth. The conduct of the proverb/maxim
when applied tends to produce the stated results, it not a principle so fixed that there are no exceptions.
Like the maxim just noticed, good sleep, rest, and industrious habits generally tends toward health, prosperity
and wisdom - but it is known that some midnight oil burners and late risers have turned out healthy, wealthy
and wise. And some early to bed and early to rise people did not do so well.
You say, “but such are human proverbs/maxims, what about inspired biblical
proverbs?” While being inspired guarantees the accuracy of the proverbs or maxims recorded, it does not change
the nature of a proverb/maxim. It is still a proverb and proverbs often express a general truth rather than
absolute. Are there proverbs that express absolute truth? Yes. But there are also those that only express
general truth.
The following are some examples of proverbs that express generally true
tendencies, but we know that there can be exceptions from a study of other Scriptures and general
observations.
1.“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days:
but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.” (Proverbs 10:27)
While it is generally true that fear of the Lord prolongs days and wickedness shortens them, it is also known
that some God-fearing people die very young and some wicked people live much longer than most of the rest of
us.
2.“The righteous has enough to satisfy
his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in want.” (Proverbs 13:25 NASB) While this states a general truth, does it mean that every righteous
person always has enough to eat and that every wicked
person always goes hungry? Surely not. This proverbs states that which is generally so and generally
tends in that direction.
3.“When a man’s ways please the LORD, he
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7) Again, while this may generally be the situation with those that please the Lord -
there are those that please the Lord whose enemies are not at peace with them. The Lord had his enemies. The
Apostles had their enemies. Early saints had their enemies. The fact that their ways pleased the Lord did not
bring all their enemies around to be at peace with them.
4.“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good
thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22). Now
that does not say a “good” wife, or a “godly” wife - but simply a wife. Now, it is generally true that it is a
good thing to find a wife and that one who does obtains favor of the Lord. But is that always true. If so, what
of all the biblical examples where men found wives that were not such “good things” and did not bring the favor
from the Lord?
5.“The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.” (Proverbs
18:23) Is there anyone that thinks that the
poor never answers roughly, nor that the rich never use intreaties? Again the proverb
states a general truth.
6.“He that loveth pleasure shall be a
poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” (Proverbs 21:17). If this is an absolute truth that is always the case, then how do you explain the
Kennedy’s, the Onassis’s, Rockefellow’s and such like of the world?
And now the biggie. The one possibly discussed most:
7.“Train up a child in the way he should
go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) There is no doubt that, generally speaking, a child that is brought up in the way he should
go will not depart for his raising. If this proverb means there is no exception to this general truth, then
there are other logical consequences that follow: (1. A child brought up in the way he should go loses his
free-will. He could not depart if he wanted to - if he (absolutely) will not depart. (2. For the correctly
brought up child, there is the impossibility of apostasy. There is no need to warn him “take heed lest he fall”
(1 Cor. 1o:12) or “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing
from the living God.” Once his upbringing in the proper way is complete his destiny is sealed - not
only will he not depart, he cannot depart, if this proverb expresses
absolute rather than general truth. It is a maxim. It was never meant to be a statement of absolute
truth.
Nothing that I say here should be taken to mean that I believe that parents
should not do everything they possibly can to bring their children up “in the nuture and admonition of the
Lord” or that they will not be held responsible if they do not. It is an awesome responsibility. Nor do I, in
any way, want to give any comfort to those who have failed to so train their children.
On the other hand, parents who have apparently followed the Lord’s instruction on
bringing up children and in spite of their efforts have a wayward child, do not need the extra burden of
unnecessary rebuke for their perceived failure.
God preserved the proverbs of the Bible for a purpose. They teach us great and
valuable lessons that both encourage and prod us to live upright lives before God in a succinct form that can
not be found elsewhere in the Scriptures. They need to be preached and taught. They need to be read often by
every Christian. They also need to be understood for what they are - they
are proverbs.
| 
