The Bible in a Year – 27 July

If this is your first viewing, please see my Introduction before reading this, and also my introduction to the Proverbs.

27 July. Proverbs chapters 4-6

Kanyakumari-dawn

From these chapters I will pick only one verse (4:18): “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (NIV translation).

The main reason for picking this verse is that it reminds me of a trip to India eleven years ago, to see the work of the Christian development charity Tearfund and their Indian partners EFICOR and ESAF. For part of our time there we stayed in a hotel on the very southernmost tip of the continent, where you could see the sun rise in the east and set in the west from the same point.  This photo was taken from the hotel bedroom at dawn (about 6am), and the dawn was marked by loud worship from both the Hindu temple and the Catholic church nearby.

Offering praise to God at the start of the day is common to most religions. While a scientist may prosaically say that the earth is simply rotating on its axis so that the sun comes into view each morning, the idea of the rising sun banishing the darkness of evil and heralding the coming of God’s goodness and protection – what we might call a sacramental view of cosmology – is a common one.  Similarly, right living is compared to living in the light, and sinfulness to walking in darkness.

In the original context of this verse, the “way of the righteous” is contrasted with the “way of the wicked which is deep darkness”.  In other words, the more you live according to the way of wisdom, following the ethical teachings of your religion, and living honestly and openly, the clearer you will see the world; whereas if you get enticed into sin and crime, which naturally lead to secrecy, fraud and lies, the world will become dark to you and you will lose your moral compass.  In that context, the dawning of the sun is like the moment of conversion when you realise that following Christ (who called himself the “light of the world”) is the only way to a life lived in the full light of day.

The work of ESAF (Evangelical Social Action Forum), and other Christian agencies in the region including the Salvation Army, that we saw included working in local villages with fishermen and coconut growers who had lost their livelihood as a result of the 2004 tsunami; provision of clothing, food and medical treatment for homeless people; reconstruction of damaged houses and building new ones; supporting “Sangrams” (self help groups”; and starting an orphanage and Sunday schools. They also ran a micro enterprise scheme which offers insurance, a savings bank and capital investments for income generation projects.  All this was truly bringing light into the darkness of some of the poorest people of India.

 

The Bible in a Year – 26 July

If this is your first viewing, please see my Introduction before reading this.

Introduction to the Proverbs

In common usage, the English word “Proverb” usually means any kind of popular saying or idiom, such as “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight”. In the Bible the meaning is a bit different.  It refers to a short teaching in the “Wisdom” tradition.

“Wisdom” also has a different meaning. Whereas in everyday English it means having a lot of practical or intellectual knowledge, in the Bible it is something more like the contemporary concepts of “life skills” or “emotional intelligence” – how to succeed in dealing with other people, rather than how to pass an exam. The prologue to the Proverbs in chapter 1 lists some of the qualities of a “wise” person: “wise dealing, righteousness, justice, equity, shrewdness, knowledge and prudence”.

Wisdom – written with a capital W – is in these teachings a personification of the “life skills” or “emotional intelligence” that I mentioned above. Such qualities are often associated more with women than men, so it is not surprising that Wisdom is a female figure.  Some Christians associate her with either the Holy Spirit, or the Word of God that later became incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth.  But that’s not a fundamental doctrine, so feel free to disagree.

Even more than the Psalms, the Proverbs are so diverse and rich in meaning that it is going to be difficult to write just a few paragraphs about each batch of them.  Some days I may write a summary of a whole chapter, other days pick one or two short verses to explore.  If I have missed your favourite, do let me know why you like it!

With that in mind, let’s get started.

26 July. Proverbs chapters 1-3

The first section after the Prologue warns young men (who are the target audience of many of these sayings) not to get involved in gangs or criminal activities.  The advice may be obvious, but sadly all too many youngsters do still get led astray in this way, especially if they lack a strong parent or if they are from deprived backgrounds with little prospect of employment. By contrast to these feckless youths lacking parental guidance, we are then introduced to the feminine figure of Wisdom who is seen as calling out her wise words to those who will listen, but with a warning that those who fail to follow her advice will not find a welcome when they reap the results of their folly.  This is true to life: the further someone strays from the path of wise living, the harder it is for them to get back.  Criminals go to prison and come out ready to commit worse crimes; those who turn to drugs get hooked and drawn further into self-damaging lifestyles and turn to crime to pay for their habit.

Chapters 2 and 3 expand on some of the themes of the Prologue, but we are also introduced briefly to the characters of the “loose woman” (2:16-19) and the idea that Wisdom is better than riches (3:13-18).  There will be a lot more to come on those topics.