Proverbs 27
This continues a short study of ideas and themes from the book of Proverbs. As I read through the book of Proverbs monthly, I try to write up a short summary of 1-3 points from that day's chapter. There's not a particular formula I'm using to choose the points; it will just happen to be what might stick out to me on that particular day.
You may find the text of Proverbs 27 here.
Presumption of the Future
Proverbs 27 contains mostly short, pithy points of wisdom. It begins, with verse 1, providing us with a wise caution against presuming that our future is guaranteed. This does not mean to not plan for the future; only that it is unwise to presume that any future we have is certain. Anything could happen to us, at any moment. We could be in a motor vehicle accident; a medical emergency could befall us; even a tree could land on our heads. We don't really know how many seconds we have left on this planet, and we should live continually in balance between future expectations and the knowledge that today could very well be our last.
Foolish Provocation
Verse 3 makes a point about being foolish provocation - "a stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both. It is written expertly, as it can be simultaneously read from the perspectives of both the reader and someone external. If you foolishly incite anger, that millstone will drag both you and the target down to the depths. If someone else attempts to provoke you, and you respond, the other party has effectively lashed you to the millstone that is dragging him down. One of the interpretive challenges here centers around the realm of applicability. Sometimes provocation is called for within context of a situation, though rarely. This is where Godly wisdom and discernment help us to rightly determine whether the rare thing is warranted or if we are just being foolish.
Faithfulness and Loving Correction
Verses 5-6 punch home a very important aspect of Christian living - one where we are to speak the truth in love, even if those truths are difficult and sometimes painful.
Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Sometimes, we end up in situations where we don't realize we are in error. Our natural, sinful reaction to correction, is to lash out at the one attempting to correct us. Maybe you have been fighting with that person and are angry at them. Perhaps you harbor thoughts that they are simply trying to manipulate you. We must always temper these thoughts of retaliation with looking at what is being said - we must divorce the words spoken to us from any presuppositions and build the understanding of them back up from the foundation. Look at the plain meaning, then begin to add context back to the correction. What is this person trying to tell me? What biases could they have? Is what I am hearing consistent with what I am experiencing? How could I be wrong here, and how is this correction possibly to help me?
We often forget that sometimes words spoken to us that sting are not meant for evil. For our own edification and humility, we must resist the knee-jerk reaction of thinking that we are being attacked and earnestly interact with what is being conveyed to us.
A couple of different commentaries summarize these concepts rather nicely:
Plain and faithful rebukes are better, not only than secret hatred, but than love which compliments in sin, to the hurt of the soul.
To genuinely love is to manifest the truth, even if it means to rebuke.
Iron Sharpening Iron
Verse 17 is one of my favorite verses in the bible.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
The Hebrew can be translated as "sharpens the face of another" - challenging and refining our ideas through earnest discussion is a healthy means by which to ensure that we are not letting error leak into our understanding. Much like the gardener pulling weeds preserves the crop, sharpening one's own mind against another helps to remove the dross of forging and the dulling of repeated (oft simply regurgitated) use. Thinking matters.