Reading: Proverbs 4-6, Psalm 149
Godliness lies in dogged attentiveness to familiar truths
-Derek Kidner, Commentary on the Book of Proverbs
Having made his point about the fear of the God of Israel preceding any serious quest for wisdom and understanding, Solomon moves on to another of his major lessons for his son: pay attention to this stuff. He recalls his own instruction at the feet of his father, David, and his mother, Bathsheba. He tells his son in a wide variety of ways to pay continual attention to what he is learning. The opening line of each paragraph is on this theme: concentrate, take heed, pay attention, hold on, hear and accept. Think of the story here. Solomon had the benefit of the instruction of King David, and in his youth had God’s favor when he asked for wisdom. As he grew in power, though, he slipped from the laws of God and the ways taught to him by David, and it had consequences. Now he is teaching his son, and he begins each of his statements when an invitation to pay attention. This might be read in a calm way; the wise king imparting knowledge to his heir. But somehow I cannot read it this way. There is something desperate in Solomon’s call to his son. I wonder if we might read it No, really, freaking pay attention to this stuff! It will save your life! I didn’t listen as carefully as I should have, and it has cost me. What we know of the story of Solomon and the character of Rehoboam draws me to this way of reading it.
Hopefully having gotten his son’s attention, Solomon begins to give what might appear to be obvious advice. It is oddly frustrating that the book of Proverbs, largely written by the king called the wisest who ever lived, is full of obvious truths. The entirety of chapter 5 is advice against abandoning marriage for prostitutes and adultery. While Solomon is most certainly not the paragon in this realm, it is hardly new information. Anyone living in ancient society (and though we make excuse, present society) understood that this was a bad idea. In the ancient world, there were material and social costs in addition to the physical and emotional ones to sleeping around or abandoning the commitment of marriage. Solomon isn’t telling his son these things because he doesn’t know them, but because he does. Sometimes, perhaps almost always, the best advice is simply to be obedient to the things you already know are right.
Chapter 6 continues in this vein. There is instructions about not being security for another man’s debts, about honest dealings, about staying actively engaged in work, about arrogance and argument. None of these lessons cannot be found elsewhere, and they fall pretty squarely in the category of “common sense.” The rest of the chapter is another warning against adultery, this time based on the consequences. No matter what excuse is offered, the consequences of this kind of offense will be severe. But again, these are not new ideas. They are principles baked into the story of the Bible we have read so far.
One of my professors would sometimes require us to read a book, watch a video, listen to a lecture, and write a paper all on the same topic. As a student this was more than mildly annoying. Why repeat the same information over and over? Isn’t covering this once enough? He answered such complaints with his personal motto: “Repetition with variety is the key to learning.” Rather than proceed through his topics at breakneck speed, he would hit the most important things he wanted us to learn from a bunch of different angles. Once we even put on a play in class. In graduate school. It turns out that some learning tactics work as well for grad students as for young grade school students.
What does all this have to do with Proverbs? I think this is what Solomon is doing. Nothing he is teaching is new information, but he is presenting it in a different way, informed by his own experiences and what he knows of the temperament of his son. In doing this, he is also carrying out one of the commands in the books of Moses. At the beginning of Moses’ long farewell speech recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, he tells the people of Israel “These words, which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” It turns out God agrees with my professor. Though he made quite a few errors in his life, Solomon is getting this one right.