Proverbial characters;- The Wise Man

The collector of the Old Testament Proverbs makes his purpose clear from the beginning.
“That men may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight” (ch1 v2).
Then he further defines this wisdom as “fear of the Lord” (v7). This phrase, when used in the Bible, means respect and willingness to obey.
I’m studying the different characters of Proverbs, as one way of organising and understanding the teaching.

In principle, since wisdom lies in fearing the Lord, the Wise Man can be identified with the Righteous Man.
But the phrase is applied in Proverbs chiefly to the man who is teaching wisdom to others.

Of course, he must first learn it himself;
“He whose ear heeds wholesome admonition will abide among the wise” (ch15 v31).
“He who gives heed to the word will prosper, and happy is he who trusts in the Lord” (ch16 v20).
The most common route is to listen to those who have Wisdom already.
“On the lips of him who has understanding wisdom is to be found” (ch10 v13).
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future”- ch19 v20
“He who walks with wise men will become wise”, while the companion of fools will suffer harm (ch13 v20).

Having received wisdom, he will then pass it on;
“The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the mouth of the fool pours out folly” (ch15 v2).
“The mouth of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil things” (ch15 v28).
We may note the contrast between the wise or righteous man who stops to think about what he should say, and the wicked fool who pours out his words in an endless flow without even stopping to breathe.
In consequence, the wise man’s words are going to be more convincing;
“The wise of heart is called a man of discernment, and pleasant speech increases persuasiveness…
“The mind of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips” (ch16 vv21-23).


Persuasiveness is important, because the Wise man will also be required to rebuke any falling away from righteousness.
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reproof to a listening ear” (ch25 vv11-12).
A rebuke is an apparently hurtful act which benefits the one who receives it;
“Blows that wound cleanse away evil, strokes make clean the innermost part” (ch20 v30).
That is why giving a rebuke is an act of love, whatever it feels like.
While flattering a man, telling him there is nothing wrong with his conduct, is the act of a false friend, whatever it feels like;
“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (ch27 vv5-6).
“He who rebukes a man will afterwards find more favour than one who flatters with his tongue” (ch28 v23).

That’s why listening to these rebukes and taking them seriously is wisdom in itself;
“A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool” (ch17 v10).
Anyone who heeds instruction is placing himself on “the path to life”, while the man who rejects reproof will go astray (ch10v17).

But a man who fails to speak up when rebuke is required is contributing to the wickedness of the world;
“He who winks the eye [ignoring what is evil] plans perverse things, he who compresses the lips [keeps them shut] brings evil to pass” (ch16 v30).
“He who winks the eye causes trouble, but he who boldly reproves makes peace” (ch10 v10).
When he is giving clear, righteous guidance “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters, the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream” (ch18 v4).
However, the righteous man who “gives way before the wicked” and indulges their behaviour is like “a muddied stream or a polluted fountain” (ch25 v26).
Only as a fearless critic of evil can he benefit the world at large;
“He who says to the wicked ‘You are innocent’ will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations.
But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight and a good blessing will be upon them.
He who gives the right answer kisses the lips” (ch24 vv23-26).

In short, the words of a wise man are satisfying to those who hear them;
“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body”(ch16 v24)
But there is also reward for the man who delivers them;
“From the fruit of his words, a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand come back to him” (ch12 v14).
“To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is” (ch15 v23).
He knows the satisfaction that a good teacher feels when the lesson has been understood.

“The lips of the righteous feed many” (ch10 v21).
He does this by helping them to follow the path of righteousness, which in turn gives them access to the life which comes from God.
That is why “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may escape the snares of death” (ch13 v14).

Threads in the current series will be looking at these characters;
Wisdom
Foolishness
The Righteous Man
The Wicked Man
The Wise Man
The Fool
The Quarreller
The Troublemaker
The Friend
The Son
The King
The Rich Man
The Poor Man
The Sluggard
The Wife

Most of these characters can be paired off against each other.
The Quarreller, the Troublemaker, and perhaps even the Friend, are subcategories of the Fool.
The Father will be brought into the discussion of the Son, just as the Servant will be brought into the discussion of the King.
I may find reason to take the Sluggard and the Wife as another contrasting pair.

The problem these days is that we live in a society that equates rebuke to hate.

a reply to: DISRAELI

How powerful can God be if He's always obsessed with fear and obedience?

I'm not sure God really cares one way or the other if we fear him. A God of unconditional love would love us no matter how we behave or think.

It seems to me like some kind of paranoid weakness having an obsession with obedience in the Bible. I'm not saying not to be penitent and humble before God. It just seems to me a powerful God would want his children to strong and powerful in the World and not kowtowing to authority as a religion.

These words about fear and willingness to obey do not make me feel fed: “The lips of the righteous feed many”. It just me sad to think so people are living out of fear. There has to be a better way to live than one based on obedience and fear.



I'm not sure the type of God show in the video above is the one I want to bend my knee to.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: DISRAELI

How powerful can God be if He's always obsessed with fear and obedience?

I'm not sure God really cares one way or the other if we fear him. A God of unconditional love would love us no matter how we behave or think.

It seems to me like some kind of paranoid weakness having an obsession with obedience in the Bible. I'm not saying not to be penitent and humble before God. It just seems to me a powerful God would want his children to strong and powerful in the World and not kowtowing to authority as a religion.

These words about fear and willingness to obey do not make me feel fed: “The lips of the righteous feed many”. It just me sad to think so people are living out of fear. There has to be a better way to live than one based on obedience and fear.

I'm not sure the type of God show in the video above is the one I want to bend my knee to.

The word Fear actually means respect in most of it's being used in the bible. Sort of like fear of disappointing god.

I am not sure why the translation got messed up, I found this out when I was studying old Hebrew words and got side tracked. The Jewish symbols or letters had different meanings back then, often interpretations did not portray what was being said. It is like that when any language is translated, some things get translated a little messed up. Many languages have multiple ways a word can be used by what it is combined with and in which context it is being used.

a reply to: dfnj2015

It just seems to me a powerful God would want his children to strong and powerful in the World and not kowtowing to authority as a religion.

I have never seen that only thing he asks is our love and obedience to him.

These words about fear and willingness to obey do not make me feel fed:

When you see the difference in a world where people are obedient to God and one where they are not (we are in it) you understand.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
How powerful can God be if He's always obsessed with fear and obedience?
I'm not sure God really cares one way or the other if we fear him. A God of unconditional love would love us no matter how we behave or think.

Powerful enough to create people able to act voluntarily, and preferring to elicit conscious obedience.
The Biblical God never actually claims "unconditional" love- people of modern times have supplied the adjective, but it's misleading.
But since the essential laws are about the way we treat other people, the demand for obedience is actually a demand that we should treat other people in the right way.

And we are not in a position to choose the kind of God we would like to obey. He is either there or he isn't, like features in geography, and our personal preference is irrelevant one way or the other.