I find the Book of Proverbs boring.
It’s full of one-sentence bits of wisdom. And who has ever changed their life because of one sentence?
Many of the bits of wisdom essentially say, “It’s good to be good, and it’s bad to be bad.” Amazing. I never would have thought of that.
I can try to humble myself under this wisdom, but it takes effort. It’s so boring and self-evident that I find it hard to pay attention.
Besides, the problem isn’t that I don’t know it’s good to be good. The problem is that sometimes I do bad things even though I know they’re bad. Telling me it’s good to be good doesn’t seem helpful.
Surely the authors knew that life experience is a more powerful teacher than simple words on the page. And if you’re going to write words on a page, a story is more powerful than a rule book. They knew this, and they still wrote this rule book.
Perhaps they didn’t expect people to simply read the rules and follow them. Perhaps the book is more like a mirror, reflecting your life back at you. You can see the truth of the proverbs playing out in your life and the lives of people around you.
If you tell a lie, and it backfires, you can look to the proverbs. Proverbs will tell you what you suspect: that this pattern often plays out in many people’s lives. Rather than eliminating the need for life experience, these bits of wisdom help you learn from your life experience. They’re still boring, though.
As I write this, I’m reading Chapter 17. Let’s see what the first few verses have to say.
“Better a dry crust with tranquillity
than a house filled with feasting and quarrel”
I can confirm from experience that’s true.
Yes, it’s boring to read. Especially when reading one after another after another. But it’s true. Will this proverb help me focus on peace and tranquillity more than abundant food? It probably will, actually. As much as I hate to admit that something boring is useful.
“A clever slave rules over a son who shames,
and in the midst of brothers will share the inheritance.”
That one is a little more interesting. A slave can usurp his master’s son, if the slave is wise and the son is wicked. Wisdom is more important than social class. I can’t confirm this one from life experience. But I sure hope it’s true. It feels right.
“Silver has a crucible and gold a kiln,
and the Lord tries hearts”
Yes, we all have hard experiences that turn us into better people. Like turning a pile of rocks into a shining gold bar. Can confirm.
Thank you proverbs, for confirming our suspicions. For giving us an ancient justification for living good lives. For putting our life experience into words. For assuring us that it really is good to be good, and bad to be bad, despite the rare urge to act otherwise. Even though you’re boring, you’re probably good for us.