Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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Don’t Make Meditation Too Difficult

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In his last post, my co-blogger Ryan mentioned meditation as a wonderful way to grow in our understanding of, love for, and obedience to God. Tim Challies would agree, and in his recent article, “Maybe We Make Meditation Too Difficult,” Challies encourages us all to find some way to work this practice into our spiritual disciplines.

What is meditation? Meditation is pondering the words of the Bible with the goal of better understanding and sharper application. Ideally, meditation leads us to understand the words we have read and to know how God may call us to work them out in our lives. It is one of the ways that we output wisdom after inputting knowledge.

Challies explains the natural tendency to turn meditation into something quite abstract, solitary, and scripted. He offers suggestions on ways we can each adapt the discipline of meditation to our own preferences and personalities.

Check it out!

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When Bible Reading Doesn’t Produce a Neat and Tidy Takeaway

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Joshua Wilson (2024), public domain

It’s hard to imagine the American restaurant landscape without the drive-through window. It wasn’t always this easy, but now about 70% of fast food customers make their purchases from the comfort of their cars.

The convenience is undeniable. I’ve driven past a coffee place in my town numerous times and seen a line of cars wrapped around the building. (I always wonder how much faster it might be to park and go inside.)

Many of us treat our Bible reading like a trip to the drive through. We want it to be convenient, we want it to be easy, and when we’re finished, we want a neatly-packaged takeaway to sustain us (spiritually) for the day.

Our Desire for a Takeaway

Our desire for a strengthening spiritual nugget is part of what has fueled the daily devotional industry. Every year, publishing houses produce dozens (hundreds?) of collections of short, prepackaged, easy-to-digest Bible teachings designed to help Christians start their days. These often end with a thought or question of the day related to a spotlighted Bible passage.

This seems like a modern and processed form of an ancient practice called meditation. Bible meditation is the practice of thinking pointedly about a verse, passage, or idea for an extended period of time. And Bible meditation is a wonderful way to grow in our understanding of, love for, and obedience to God. But Bible meditation is not the same as Bible reading.

(For the record, I am not opposed to all devotional materials! Many of them are good and edifying.)

Bible Reading and Bible Study

In our desire for a takeaway from our daily Bible reading, we may simply be confusing forms of Bible intake. Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible meditation are certainly related, but they are not the same.

Bible reading is the most straightforward—this is reading or listening to portions of the Bible. Daily Bible reading is often part of systematically making one’s way through a book or longer portion of the Bible. Bible study is a slower, deeper look at a Bible passage with an effort to understand what the author was trying to communicate and then apply that truth. And we defined Bible meditation above.

If we are frustrated that we do not have a takeaway from our Bible reading, it may be a blurring of categories. The main goal of Bible reading is exposure to the larger themes and threads of the Bible, while Bible study aims for deep understanding and application. Bible meditation has a more narrow aim: to turn a specific verse or concept over in the mind for our transformation.

It’s Okay, Keep Going

For those who feel frustrated by their daily Bible reading, I have two short bits of advice.

First, it’s okay. Coming out of your Bible reading without a thought/truth/question/application for the day does not make you (or your Bible reading) a failure. Hopefully you have other opportunities and outlets in your life for deeper, engaged thinking and prayerful interpretation of the Bible, but that doesn’t need to happen every morning.

Second, keep going. The greatest value of daily Bible reading comes not from pointed epiphanies but from the accumulation over time of familiarity with the things of God. We cannot get very far with a few long jumps, even with Olympic-level ability. But if we put thousands of ordinary footsteps together, one in front of the other, we can travel quite a distance indeed.

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Proverbs: Three Kinds of People

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We looked at the broad audience of Proverbs last week, but today let’s examine more specifically what types of people Solomon expects to be present in the community.

Various authors in Scripture view people through different frameworks. The author of Hebrews sees people as either immature or mature. From one angle, the apostle Paul divides people into Jew or Gentile; from another he considers them to be justified or condemned. Jesus often distinguishes people as having faith or not, being for him or against him, sheep or goats or wolves.

These differing frameworks are not mutually exclusive; they merely represent different perspectives or intentions on the part of the particular author.

In Proverbs, Solomon organizes people into three main categories: the wise, the foolish, and the simple. These categories are not dependent on age, class, race, gender, or socio-economic status. Rather, they are determined by one’s direction in reference to the Lord.

woman in blue denim jeans standing beside brown wooden counter
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1. Those who are moving toward the Lord are called wise. These are not perfect or intelligent people, but rather people who will gain understanding and change their lives based on what they hear in Scripture (Prov 1:5).

2. Those who are moving away from the Lord are called foolish. These are not ignorant or uneducated people, but rather people who don’t want to change anymore. They think they’re doing just fine on their own and don’t need any more help, especially not from the Lord (Prov 1:7).

3. Those who are not moving at all with respect to the Lord, on account of age, inexperience, or incapacity of some sort are called simple. These are not unreligious or immoral people (at least not yet), but rather children or child-like people who are only starting out on the path of life and thus are about to decide whether to move toward the Lord or away from him (Prov 1:4).

The crossroads are before you; which fork will you take? We must understand, however, that we cannot remain simple forever. It’s okay for a baby to smear spaghetti in her hair, but by the time she turns 30, more will generally be expected of her. Or, more elegantly, “one does not stay still: a man who is emptyheaded will end up wrongheaded.”[1]

[1]Kidner, Proverbs: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1964), p.13. (Affiliate link)

This post was first published in 2012.

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Let the Gospel Connect the Dots in Your Bible Reading

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This helpful piece Lara d’Entremont will help you connect the dots in your Bible reading. You know, when you’re reading all the different stories, poems, and prophecies, and you’re not sure how such a hodgepodge of texts fits together. The thread that ties it all up is the gospel.

She writes:

Maybe you read the Bible like this: The Old Testament is law and wrath, but when Jesus finally appeared in the New Testament, everything became about grace and good news. Then the Bible ends with some rules and promises and a terrifying and cryptic picture of the end times and eternity.

The best we can do is say that we’re not really sure what this means. Perhaps God was angrier back then; Israel is special; you’re David and your problem is Goliath; Jesus saves; follow these rules; and you’re unsure how it will all go down, but you’ll be walking on gold pavement. Sound accurate? Can you relate?

Check it out!

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Proverbs: Audience

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While there is significant agreement about Solomon’s authorship of Proverbs 1-9, the question of his audience is far more difficult to answer. A popular opinion is that Solomon was writing to his son, which makes sense in light of the frequent repetition of “my son” in these early chapters. However, there is reason to believe “my son” refers to more than Solomon’s genetic offspring.

bird s eye view of group of people
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Commentator Bruce Waltke understands that Proverbs “is addressed to gullible youths (Prov 1:4) and wise children (Prov 1:5, 8) to enable them to attain wisdom and be safeguarded against the world-and-life views of the impious and unethical in any age.”[1] My former Hebrew professor Frederic Clarke Putnam takes it a step further when he argues that the primary audience was likely “young men from relatively wealthy backgrounds.”[2] The wealth possessed by the desirable wife (Proverbs 31:13-16, 20-24), and the prevalence of proverbs advising one in his relationship with the king (for example Proverbs 16:12-15, 25:1-7) demonstrate that Solomon has an audience in mind more specific than all of Israel’s children yet more broad than one or more of Solomon’s own sons.

I propose that Proverbs as a whole is not intended for young children primarily, but rather for young people among Israel’s nobility who are transitioning to adulthood and preparing to become leaders in society. They must be of marriageable age, if they are being given significant advice on choosing a partner (e.g. Proverbs 18:22). They are expected to use their wealth and influence for the causes of goodness and justice in the land (for example Proverbs 16:23, 18:5, 22:16, 29:3, 29:26). They are growing up and preparing to leave their parents’ homes and enter the world of more independent responsibility.[3]

In our generation, Proverbs has significant application to anyone who currently has or hopes to obtain a leadership role in society. Are you a parent? Would you like to lead others to Christ? Do you hope to see the world become a better place? Do you have a bank account that God wants you to steward for the building of his kingdom? Do you interact with other people at any time? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you have a significant responsibility from the Lord: do it wisely. And Proverbs can help.

[1]Waltke, The Book of Proverbs Chapters 1-15, NICOT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004), p.37. (Affiliate link)

[2]The Complete Biblical Library: The Old Testament Study Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Springfield, MO: World Library Press, 1998), p.450.

[3]See Proverbs 6:20-23, where the parents expect the commands themselves to take over the teaching role that the father and mother have held to this point in the young person’s life.

This post was first published in 2012.

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A Plea for Plain Language

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When the apostles wrote the New Testament books, they chose to use not the older, complex dialect of Classical (Attic) Greek but the plain language of the common people (Koine). It was imperative that the gospel of the kingdom be preached to unholy Gentiles and unjustified sinners. But they didn’t use sentences that came across as “It was imperative that the gospel of the kingdom be preached to unholy Gentiles and unjustified sinners.” No, they wrote in sentences that would have sounded more like: “We must tell those who are far from God the good news about what Jesus has done to make us members of his new community.”

Sure, they made up words from time to time (such as Paul’s “hyper-conquerors” in Rom 8:37). But what they manifestly did not do was speak in a special code or theologically technical jargon, despite how the generations since their time has made use of their language.

For this reason, it is fully appropriate for later generations to revise the terminology of earlier generations. Not to sneakily alter the substance of what’s being said, but to make that substance more clear to a new generation of men and women who need to hear it. So a few centuries ago, Christians commonly spoke about things like charity, affections, and conversation. Since those same words have far different usage now than they had back then, our generation now uses the updated but corresponding terms love, attitude or will, and behavior.

The use of contemporary language is not the same thing as “dumbing down” the Scriptures. Nor is it a capitulation to anti-intellectualism. It is primarily an attempt to be clear and persuasive. As sociologist Rodney Stark wrote in his introduction to Discovering God, “I have tried to write everything in plain English. I do not concede that this in any way compromises sophistication. What it does do is prevent me from hiding incomprehension behind a screen of academic jargon.”

Along these lines, I heard Australian preacher Phillip Jensen about 8 years ago, begging pastors and Bible translators to stop using the word “faith,” on the ground that the word no longer means what it used to mean. To the average speaker of English today, “faith” comes with presumptions of blindness, jumping to conclusions, and irresponsible religious assertions. Jensen proposed we begin using the word “trust” instead, which means something much closer to what the Bible is getting at.

And ever since, I have largely taken Jensen up on this counsel. I’ve done what I could to make best use of the word “trust”—in place of “faith”—in ordinary conversation with ordinary people. I confess that “justification by trust” doesn’t have the same ring to it as “justification by faith,” but perhaps “justification” is another one of those big Bible words that could be made plainer.

Earlier this month, Greg Koukl made the same point I heard Phillip Jensen make 8 years ago. In his article “It’s Time to Forget ‘Faith,'” Koukl argues that:

It’s virtually impossible nowadays to use the word without people subconsciously adding “blind” or “leap of” as modifiers. Indeed, some find it impossible to understand faith in any other way since, in their minds, irrationality is central to any definition of religious faith. For example:

  • “Faith is the purposeful suspension of critical thinking.”
  • “Faith is convincing yourself to believe something with absolutely no evidence.”
  • “Faith is complete confidence in someone or something despite the absence of proof.”
  • “If there were evidence for faith, why would you need to call it faith? We use the word ‘faith’ when there isn’t any evidence.”
  • “This is why religions are called ‘faiths,’ because you believe something in the absence of evidence.”
  • “If you feel you have to prove yourself, you don’t have faith.”
  • “Asking for proof is a sin because it shows we don’t have faith.”

These are the understandings of faith advanced by such notables as Bill Maher, Richard Dawkins, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and a host of others. If you persist in using “faith” to describe your own spiritual convictions, that’s the confusion you’re up against.

That’s what they mean when they talk about religious faith. Is this what you mean when you use that word? I hope not, since that isn’t what the biblical authors meant.

Koukl’s terrific article is worth your consideration. How can we use plain language that makes sense to people today to proclaim the same message the apostles handed down to us?

Check it out!

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3 Questions I Ask During Every Bible Study

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Evan Dennis (2016), public domain

Good questions are at the core of good Bible study planning. And the best questions are crafted to relate both to the text at hand and the people in the group.

However, there are some general questions I ask during just about every Bible study I lead. Sometimes I’ll modify these questions slightly, but mostly they can be used as is. These questions almost always help my group look closely at the Scriptures, work to understand its meaning, and draw out its implications.

What Do You Notice?

The people in my Bible study group know this question is aimed at observation. I’m not fishing for anything specific; I’m genuinely curious what they observed when this passage was read aloud.

With some planning, I can usually (though not always!) anticipate some answers to this question, directing the conversation to further observation or interpretation.

Alternate versions of this question: What jumped out at you? What are some important details in this text?

What’s the Flow of Thought?

To understand the author’s main point, we must determine what he is saying and how he is connecting his ideas. When the logic connecting one paragraph to another is obvious, I don’t need this question. But when the transition is more subtle, this question does wonders.

This question forces people to identify or remember the main points of the smaller units of thought and think about their connections. When we can link these ideas together and follow those connections through the passage, we’ll almost always be able to sniff out the main point.

Alternate versions of this question: How do these paragraphs connect? What’s the logical flow? Why does this paragraph come before/after this one?

How Can We Apply This?

After we have observed and interpreted, we want to apply the text of Scripture. We don’t want to look into this mirror and remain unchanged. We want to be hearers and doers of the word (James 1:22–25).

This is an open-the-door question, asked to see what work the Holy Spirit might be doing in the hearts of my Bible study friends. I try to have more pointed questions prepared in case this doesn’t draw any responses. But sometimes a generic question is all we need—the conviction or comfort a person needs may have already come to them powerfully, and this question kicks off a fruitful conversation aimed at genuine application.

Alternate versions of this question: What does this mean for us? How might we live differently because of this text?

Not My Only Questions

A Bible study leader’s plan cannot consist of only these questions. However, sometimes the best questions are the ones most likely to get people talking. We can take advantage of the interaction for which a Bible study group is designed when we make it easy for our friends to enter the discussion. And these three questions are a good start.

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Proverbs: Author

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The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel (Prov 1:1).

Who better to comment on the details of earthly existence than Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel? As the man Solomon, he had exceptional God-given insight and understanding. As the son of David, he had the promise of a kingdom for God, a special relationship with God, and steadfast love from God. As the king of Israel, he had both power and unparalleled wealth. These three resources – God’s wisdom, God’s promise, and great wealth – made Solomon uniquely qualified to compose proverbs. 

Image generated using Jetpack AI Assistant from the prompt crown on a pile of gold coins and books

1. God’s Wisdom (“Solomon”)

Solomon asked God for “an understanding mind to govern” God’s people so he could “discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9), and the Lord promised to honor Solomon’s request (1 Kings 3:12). On account of his wise judgment, all Israel “stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice” (1 Kings 3:28).

Solomon’s God-given wisdom surpassed that of all the sages of the East and of Egypt (1 Kings 4:29-31). This means he was smarter than Confucius and cleverer than the Buddha. He spoke 3,000 proverbs (about 900 of which are in the book of Proverbs), and his songs were 1,005 (1 Kings 4:32). He spoke of many details of life, such as trees, birds, reptiles, and fish (1 Kings 4:33). International students from every corner of the globe competed for a seat in his classroom (1 Kings 4:34). Solomon was both more prolific and more elegant than any other scholar of his day because he had direct access to the mind of the Lord of heaven and earth.

2. God’s Promise (“Son of David”)

The Lord himself promised to build up and sustain Solomon in his wisdom. First, he promised him a kingdom. Speaking to Solomon’s father David, God said, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Samuel 7:12). Second, he promised to have a special relationship with Solomon: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him” (2 Samuel 7:14). Third, he promised to love him to the end: “My steadfast love will not depart from him” (2 Samuel 7:15).

Notice how these first two resources (God’s wisdom and God’s promise) are connected. Solomon could have all the wisdom in the world, but without the promise of God to sustain him, it would all be for naught. Imagine studying for a test.  You can learn every fact and formula. You could even memorize a transcript of every word your teacher spoke in class. These actions might impart wisdom to you. But if you get no sleep the night before the exam, you will have no power or ability to recall and apply everything you learned. So God’s wisdom gave Solomon the raw insight he needed, and God’s promise gave Solomon the beautiful power of follow-through.

3. Great Wealth (“King of Israel”)

King Solomon had an annual income of 666 talents of gold (1 Kings 10:14). (This amount only takes into account his base salary; adding in tax revenue and investment income would push the figure even higher. See 1 Kings 10:15.) Translated into modern American currency, Solomon’s annual income was in excess of $1.5 billion.[1] To put this figure into perspective, note that Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo (the world’s highest paid athlete) made only $260 million in 2024. In fact, the top 10 highest paid athletes combined still didn’t make as much in a year as King Solomon. It would be difficult to find anyone in our generation comparable to Solomon in his wealth.

The point of this little economics lesson: What could you do with all that capital? If Solomon lacked for anything, he could acquire it. If he wanted to try something out, it was his. He had access to the best technology, education, public safety, athletics, arts & entertainment, food, hobbies, and service that the world could offer him. Whatever his eyes desired, he did not keep from them.[2] Solomon explored every aspect of the created world with his wisdom, and he carefully examined it for every ounce of value. He now provides his experience—both positive and negative—of every delightful thing in a collection of wise sayings.

In conclusion, Solomon was abundantly qualified to take on the role of the sage of Israel and of the world. He had every possible resource at his disposal, and God gave him both the insight and the power to evaluate it wisely. His credentials are sufficient to the task of imparting wisdom.

[1]Some readers won’t be able to hear anything else I write until they know how I arrived at this figure. This footnote is just for you. The New Bible Dictionary (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1962), p.1234 states that 1 ancient talent equals approximately 30 modern kilograms. Therefore, 666 talents = 19,980 kg. On August 8, 2024, 24-karat gold was worth USD $77,451/kilo. Therefore, 19,980 kg of 24-karat gold = $1.55 billion. (Affiliate link)

[2]Ecclesiastes 2:10.  Even if, as some claim, Solomon were not “the Preacher” of Ecclesiastes, it would appear that the Preacher at least aims to connect his spiritual authority with Solomon’s reputation (see Ecclesiastes 1:1).

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In Defense of Historical Context

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David Mitchell has a thoughtful piece where he begins to make a theological and philosophical defense of the need to understand the Bible within its historical context. In other words, why do we expend so much energy to grasp the Bible’s authors, their original audiences, and the circumstances under which they wrote? Is all that really necessary to understand what the Spirit has to say to us today?

Yes. Yes, it is quite necessary.

The philosophical and theological reason for reading in context is because the Bible is a serious and intentional text. Something written simply to entertain or amuse may not require paying attention to context in quite the same way—although the upheaval of context might be part of such a text’s ability to entertain. However, something written with a serious intention, whether to convey information or change people’s behaviour, always needs to be understood according to a context. That could be the context created by the narrative and/or a context created by the historical moment being spoken into (in the case of a letter).

The Scriptures were not written simply to record stories for their own sake nor to entertain. They were written for the purpose of changing the minds of those who read them. This is abundantly clear in certain places (for e.g. Jn 20:31). But theologically, we believe that all the words of Scripture were written by God’s Spirit for his people. They are meant to both inform us—ultimately of Jesus Christ—and change our behaviour (for e.g. 2 Tim 3:16–17; 1 Pet 1:10–11; 2 Pet 1:20–21). Yet we also know that they are human documents, not transcendent of history, but records of it and within it (e.g. Luke 1:1–4; 1 John 1:1–3). Taken together, as both a divine and human document, the word of God for us should be read according to the moments that it addresses.

Mitchell then provides some examples from a variety of genres, showing how good contextual work does not hinder contemporary application but makes it all the stronger.

Check it out!

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Why “Proverbs Aren’t Promises” is Misleading

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Pick up a book with Bible-reading advice, and you’ll barely get your nose in before it gets mashed with the ubiquitous yet astonishingly forceful declaration: Proverbs aren’t promises! This piece of conventional wisdom is everywhere. Though it has roots in careful thinking about the genre of wisdom literature, this advice often goes too far and misses the point of the proverbs.

In almost every case, the counsel comes with strong emotion and a reference to Proverbs 22:6. Too many people have seen too many people bludgeon the hurting parents of wayward children through immature and thoughtless reference to this crucial verse about parenting. (“If you had trained your child right, he would not have walked away from the Lord.”) And the pastoral reflex is just right. This is not how to use Scripture.

Train me up. I promise I'll be good.
Train me up. I promise I’ll be good.

But the conclusion—that proverbs are not promises—is not right. In this case, the cure is worse than the disease.

Deep Roots

Consider first, the many respectable authors and pastors who promote the conventional wisdom. They often offer sound counsel, and their sensitivity to abuse is spot on. But when discussing how to read wisdom literature, they move in synchrony:

“A common mistake in biblical interpretation and application is to give a proverbial saying the weight or force of a moral absolute.” (R.C. Sproul)

“The proverbs commend certain paths to family members because they reflect the ways God ordinarily distributes His blessings. But ordinarily does not mean necessarily…Proverbs are not promises.” (Richard Pratt)

“The particular blessings, rewards, and opportunities mentioned in Proverbs are likely to follow if one will choose the wise courses of action outlined in the poetic, figurative language of the book. But nowhere does Proverbs teach automatic success.” (Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart)

“The proverbs are meant to be general principles.” (John Piper)

“The proverbs appear to represent likelihoods rather than absolutes with God’s personal guarantee attached.” (James Dobson)

In other words, all agree: Proverbs are general, but not universal, statements. Proverbs are usually, or ordinarily, true. They speak about what is likely, not about what is guaranteed. But proverbs certainly are not promises. They are not absolutes. We cannot bank on them completely.

Where the Roots Run Aground

But consider some amazing statements from the proverbs. And consider where we end up if we read them as probabilities instead of promises. The conventional wisdom feels right with a verse like Proverbs 22:6, but it doesn’t hold up with much of the rest of the book.

According to Lady Wisdom: “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you” (Prov 1:23). According to the conventional approach, this means that only most people who turn at wisdom’s reproof will know her words. It cannot be absolutely certain that wisdom is available to those who turn to her. Some who turn will be disappointed when she rejects them anyway.

Or consider chapter 2: “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding…if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Prov 2:1-5). This can’t really mean what it says. What Solomon wants to communicate is that those who receive and treasure, pay attention and incline their hearts, seek wisdom like silver and search for it as for hidden treasure—such people might understand the fear of the Lord. Some—but not all—who seek the wisdom of God, and who seek it in the way God requires, will know God in the end. Hopefully you can be one of the lucky ones.

But it gets better. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity (Prov 2:6-7). Today, of course, we know that only sometimes does the Lord give wisdom. This isn’t absolute, because of course you can find wisdom in other places besides him. He’s usually the source of wisdom, but if you try other places, other deities, other schools of thought, you might also get the life you need.

Or let’s hear personified Wisdom once more: “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death” (Prov 8:35-36). Because this can’t be a promise, it must be only a likelihood. So those who find the fear of the Lord and walk in his wisdom might get his favor. Or they might end up still injuring themselves and dying the eternal death. Ya never know. In this broken world of ours, it’s a crap shoot. So go with the better odds; but don’t bank on any certainties.

Proverbs are Promises…With a Context

There has to be a better way to read this genre. And I contend that, when a proverb sounds like a promise, it is making a promise! And you can always trust God’s promises. When a proverb issues a command, it is making a moral absolute!

However, these promises and commands all have a context. Just as Jeremiah 29:11 was a promise with a context (not modern-day graduates, but ancient Israelites in exile), so also proverbs have a context, a specific situation at which they are aimed. And instead of seeing proverbs as “general” or “broad” statements, we need to see them for what they truly are: very specific and particular statements. They speak to the minute details of life, which is why they can even sound contradictory at times. For example, see Prov 26:4-5. One saying is always true in a certain context (where answering a fool will make you as foolish as he is), and the next statement is always true in a different context (where not answering a fool will leave him wise in his own eyes). Wise people will discern which context they find themselves in. But both statements are always true within their contexts, and absolutely so. Neither statement is a mere likelihood.

And to get more specific, the context of the Proverbs is God’s covenant with Israel. The promises of Proverbs typically involve blessings or curses for those who keep or reject the covenant stipulations to know the Lord and walk in his wisdom. Just read Proverbs 3:1-12 immediately after Deuteronomy 28, and you can’t help but observe the contextual connection. However, nobody argues that Deuteronomy 28 contains only “probabilities,” or that these covenant blessings and curses are “not promises.” No, these promises of blessing and cursing exist within the context of God’s covenant with Israel and simply require care to apply them properly to our new covenant context.

Objection #1: Why are You the Only One Saying This?

I’m not. Everyone agrees that Bruce Waltke has written “the standard commentary” on Proverbs. Yet few listen to him on this point:

“The popular evangelical solution that these are not promises but probabilities, though containing an element of truth, raises theological, practical, and psychological problems by stating the matter badly…A psychologically well person could scarcely trust God with all his heart (Prov 3:5) knowing that he usually, but not always, keeps his obligations.” (The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1-15 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004), pp. 107-8)

Brothers and sisters, let us no longer state this matter badly.

Objection #2: What About Proverbs 22:6?

So we must return to that which set us down the false trail. What will we do with those who mistakenly read Prov 22:6 as a promise, and thus trample on faithful, wounded people who cannot control the hearts of their children?

We must understand the context to which this proverb speaks. In his book, God’s Wisdom in Proverbs (pp.353-379), Dan Phillips argues convincingly that Prov 22:6 means almost the opposite of what we tend to think. The verse doesn’t promise superhero children to those who follow the correct parenting techniques. Instead, it threatens selfish, miscreant children to those who refuse to use God’s means (the rod and the word of patient, faithful exhortation) to drive the folly from their children’s hearts.

In other words, the verse does not promise good kids to all good parents. But it does threaten bad kids to all bad parents. Train up your child according to his way. Teach him to continue loving himself and putting himself at the center of the universe. Show him over time that there are no consequences to his foolish choices. And even when he is old, he will not depart from his natural inclinations toward himself and himself alone. This is a promise.

But even this covenant curse has a context within the covenant of grace. There is always hope. The grace of our Lord overflows with the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. “And the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

Photo Credit: Clark Maxwell (2010), Creative Commons

This post was first published in 2016.

Disclaimer: Above, Amazon links to great books are affiliate links. If you click those links, I promise you I will usually receive a small commission, ordinarily at no extra cost to yourself. But you never know when Amazon may change the terms of their agreement with me. Don’t read such probabilities as absolute promises. Click only if you dare to dig into this topic further.

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