Ohhhh, proverbs

If you are anything like me, your are frustrated that the reading plan we're on spends four days in Psalms and Proverbs and skips completely great places like Ruth, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Esther and Job. I don't want to suggest that Psalms and Proverbs aren't valuable to dig into. But, Proverbs especially, is ripe for proof-texting and being taken out of context. Because it is just a collection of sayings that can at times even seem randomly assembled, it's very easy to take one that we like and ignore the ones that we don't. But there is a more slippery issue to deal with as well. This is what a proverb is.

a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought

There is certainly truth in proverbs and even more truth in Proverbs. But, one thing that neither of them are is a promise. I often see people claim proverbs as thought they are some kind of personal promise directly to them from God. Proverbs 22:6 is notoriously used this way.

Train^[a] a child in the way he should go,
    and when he is old he will not turn from it.

As parents, we love this. There is truth here. Teaching kids things in their formative years has a way of embedding those teachings in a way that is not possible at older ages. Recent research in to early childhood education certainly support this truth. But, does this eliminate the free will of that child? And, if child does turn from it does that mean that the parents are failures as parents? See the danger? These are general truths. These are wise sayings. This is good moral teaching. But but that's it. In fact, take a look at the next verse.

The rich rule over the poor,
    and the borrower is servant to the lender.

This is another reality that we see around us. We see that there is wisdom and truth in this statement. But, it also sounds like something that Jesus blows apart when he hits the scene. This is an observation of how things are now, but clearly God has better plans. Clearly, the Kingdom that Jesus comes to establish looks very different from this reality.

So, read Proverbs. Let God speak to you though them. But, always keep in mind that followers of Jesus are regularly called to act contrary to "common sense." A life of faith will, on practically a daily basis, take you outside of and often in direct contradiction to common sense.

Thoughts?