In his excellent commentary on Proverbs and an article about Proverbs and theology of the Old Testament, Dr. Waltke lists these truths about God that are taught in Deuteronomy, the prophetic books, and Proverbs.
THE SAME LORD
Also the wise men ascribe
the same attributes and actions to Yahweh as those ascribed to him by the
prophets.
According
to both circles He is
- the Creator of the cosmos (Deut. 10:14; Isa. 40:21-22; Prov. 3:19-20) and
- [Creator] of all mankind (Deut. 4:32; Isa. 42:5; Prov. 14:31; 29:13).
- He is the same living God who will avenge wrong (Deut. 32:35, 40-41; Nahum 1:2; Prov. 25:21-22) and
- the same spiritual Being who comforts men and knows man's ways (Deut. 23:14; Jer. 16:17; Prov. 5:21; 15:3).
According to both, He…
o is the sovereign Lord directing history (Deut.
4:19; 29:4, 26; Isa. 45:1-13; Prov. 16:1-9, 33; 19:21; 20:24 et passim)
and
o is yet present in it,
§
withholding
and giving rain (Deut.
11:13-17; Hag. 1: 10-11; Prov 3:9-10),
§
disciplining
His children (Deut.
8:5; Isa. 1:4-6; Prov. 3:11-12), and
§
in His mercy
answering their prayers (Deut.
4:29-31; Isa. 56: 7; Prov. 15:8, 29).
According to both sources
He is
o merciful (Deut.
4:31; 30:8; Isa. 63:7; Prov. 28:13),
o delights in justice and hates iniquity (Deut.
10:17; Isa. 1:16-17;Prov 11:1; 17:15), and
o has aesthetic-ethical sensibilities (Deut.
22:4-11; 23:10-14; Jer. 32:35; Prov. 3:32; 6:16-19; 11:20; 15:9 et passim).
To put the matter the
other way around, there is no difference between the way God is
described in the prophetic literature and the way He is described
in the Book of Proverbs.
