THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
A CHAPTER A DAY
CHAPTER 4
4 My child, listen closely
to my teachings
and learn common sense.
My advice is useful,
so don’t turn away.
When I was still very young
and my mother’s favorite child,
my father said to me:
“If you follow my teachings
and keep them in mind,
you will live.
Be wise and learn good sense;
remember my teachings
and do what I say.
If you love Wisdom
and don’t reject her,
she will watch over you.
The best thing about Wisdom
is Wisdom herself;
good sense is more important
than anything else.
If you value Wisdom
and hold tightly to her,
great honors will be yours.
It will be like wearing
a glorious crown
of fair flowers.
The Right Way and the Wrong Way
My child, if you listen
and obey my teachings,
you will live a long time.
I have shown you the way
that makes sense;
I have guided you
along the right path.
Your road won’t be blocked,
and you won’t stumble
when you run.
Hold firmly to my teaching
and never let go.
It will mean life for you.
Don’t follow the bad example
of cruel and evil people.
Turn aside and keep going.
Stay away from them.
They can’t sleep or rest
until they do wrong
or harm
some innocent victim.
Their food and drink
are violence and cruelty.
The lifestyle of good people
is like sunlight at dawn
that keeps getting brighter
until broad daylight.
The lifestyle of the wicked
is like total darkness,
and they will never know
what makes them stumble.
My child, listen carefully
to everything I say.
Don’t forget a single word,
but think about it all.
Knowing these teachings
will mean true life
and good health for you.
Carefully guard your thoughts
because they are the source
of true life.
Never tell lies or be deceitful
in what you say.
Keep looking straight ahead,
without turning aside.
Know where you are headed,
and you will stay
on solid ground.
Don’t make a mistake by turning
to the right or the left.
These early chapters of the book contain numerous repetitions. The passing of wisdom from one generation to the next is an important and repeated theme, because it does not descend ready-made from heaven, but emerges from the lives of faithful people. Yes, God is present to guide people, through the Teaching revealed to Moses, itself the result of generations of human understanding.
In the present time, some say that the speed of change invalidates the wisdom of parents, but those of us who have lived through profound changes in technology, politics, custom and philosophy, should at least be competent to advise the next generation how to cope with change. My own transition to adulthood in the 1960’s was bedevilled by the “youth revolution” which proclaimed that it was necessary to re-invent not only the wheel but also the most fundamental human relationships. As Philip Larkin noted sourly:
Sexual intercourse began
In 1963,
Between the end of the Chatterly ban
And the Beatles first LP.
The writers of Proverbs were convinced that traditional teaching about the decent life was valid across generations, being the product of God and common sense. This wisdom is considered as precious, because it helps people make the most of the gift of life. The writers could not imagine changes that might invalidate the precepts of wisdom, and even if these had to be changed or updated, wisdom itself, namely humility in seeking the good way, would be a permanent guide: “the best thing about wisdom is wisdom herself. “
Wisdom is not seen as static, but rather as generative of new goodness. The “lifestyle of good people is like the sunlight at dawn; it keeps getting brighter until broad daylight.” On the other hand stupid people are in darkness where they stumble and fall. They may think they are looking out for number one, but they are unable to see what is good even for themselves.
Practical wisdom flows from clear thinking, so people must watch their processes of thought, so that they are not blocked by their own stupidity or the influence of idiots. This precept has never been more relevant than now, when in the midst of a global crisis, so much nonsense is made public and infiltrates the thoughts of people with vacant minds. The theory that the erection of 5G phone masts is a conspiracy to spread coronavirus is a case in point, but there are many others, some the responsibility of the US president.
I wasn’t sure when I began this study, whether I would find any moral nourishment in it; but happily, there’s good food on every page.
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