Proverbs 30 Wise Sayings - # 2-5 (Proverbs 22.22-28

COLLECTION 3: The Thirty Sayings of the Wise (22.17-24)

A. Prologue: (22.17-21) [# 1]

B. B. Section A: A Decalogue of sayings about Wealth (22.22-23.11) [#'s 2-11]
C. Section B: An Obedient Son (23.22-24.2) [#'s 12-20]
D. Section C: Trying Times (#'s 24.3-22)

     1. Strength in Distress (24.3-12) [#'s 21-25]
     2. Prohibitions against Involvement with the Wicked (24.13-22) [#'s 26-30]

#2/22.22-23 Avoid Persecuting

#3/22.24-25 Avoid Hotheads

#4/22.26-27 Avoid Pledges

#5/22.28 Sacred Landmarks

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# 6/22.29 Seek  Excellence

# 7/23.1-3 Ruler’s Meal (Moderation)

# 8/23.4-5 Fleeting Riches

# 9/23.6-8 Misers Meal

#10/23.9 Fools Despise

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#11/23.10-11 Poor’s Redeemer

SAYING NUMBER TWO: Avoid Persecuting - 22.22-23
Robbing or oppressing the poor is easy because they are defenseless. But this makes the crime tempting as well as contemptible. What is envisioned may be in bounds legally (just) but out of bounds morally.  --NET Bible Study Notes

 22.22 Nor  
Do not rob                  oppress      
the poor                     the afflicted
because he is poor,     at the gate;
poor... referring to one of the lower classes in Israel (cf. II Kgs 24:14; 25:12). In dāl the idea of physical (material) deprivation predominates.   —http://tulsabible.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-poor-among-us-130127pmtbc.html

weak.  Hebrew dal, a man who is defenseless through poverty or physical disability (Daath Mikra).  --A Cohen in Soncino Books of the Bible

This root connotes lowness as a state or a goal. It occurs sixty-two times. Used metaphorically, the verb describes a state of deprivation which in its extremity issues in a cry to God.  --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

oppress... (Piel) to crush

afflicted... (ʿānî) poor, afflicted. The ʿānî, although frequently in synonymous parallelism with ʾebyôn and dal, differs from both in that it connotes some kind of disability or distress. In Deut 24:14–15 the hired servant is described as ʾebyôn and ʿānî. Israel is told not to oppress their hired servant by withholding the wages due him because he is ʿānî. Furthermore, if he is oppressed he may call on God his defender. We see that financially the ʿānî lives from day to day, and that socially he is defenseless and subject to oppression.  --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

the gate... Heb “in the gate” (so KJV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “at the gate.” The “gate” of the city was the center of activity, the place of business as well as the place for settling legal disputes. The language of the next verse suggests a legal setting, so “court” is an appropriate translation here.  --NET Bible Translation Notes

Four Hebrew words for "poor."

 

22.23                               
For the LORD                                 And
will plead their cause,                  plunder the soul of those who plunder them.  

plead... The construction uses the verb יָרִיב (yariv) with its cognate accusative. It can mean “to strive,” but here it probably means “to argue a case, plead a case” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). How the Lord will do this is not specified – either through righteous people or by direct intervention.  --NET Bible Translation Notes

plunder...קָבַע   qava’, “to rob; to spoil; to plunder”) is used here in both places to reflect the principle of talionic* justice. What the oppressors did to the poor will be turned back on them by the Lord.  --NET Bible Translation Notes    
*1.  The principle that punishment should be equivalent or identical to the offense committed.  --http://www.thefreedictionary.com/talion

The verb is used again only in Mal. 3.8ff.  --A Cohen in Soncino Books of the Bible  (Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me!)

"Robbers" deceive themselves if they think the poor have no protector."  --Waltke in NICOT

-> The Priests teaching the Law:  Exodus 22

²² "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.  ²³ If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry;  ²⁴ and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.   

-> The Prophets with a warning and rebuke  Isaiah 10.1-3

¹ "Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed   ² To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless.   ³ What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help?...

APPLICATIONS:

1. Power is a loan from God.  Those with power must use it for God’s honor.  Are we protectors or predators?

2. We need to move from the idea that legal = morally right.  Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.  (We should also probably move from teaching our children to have a primary motivation of being fearful of the police and being arrested.)

3. The fear of the Lord is the awareness that God is watching, weighing, and rewarding all that I do, say, and think.

SAYING NUMBER THREE: Avoid Hotheads - 22.24-25
...the point is that one should be careful about choosing friends because they inevitable affect
Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a furious man do not go,
Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.

friendship...  (rāʿâ), associate with, be a friend of.  --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

angry... Heb. 'aph 1. nostril, nose, face; 2. anger  --BLB

By the act of breathing, emotions can be expressed. Perhaps it was observed that the nose dilates in anger. God is said to be “ʾerek ʾappayim” (lit. “long of anger,” i.e. long before getting angry)  --NET Bible Translation Notes
lit: at master, possessor of a nose whose physical characteristics express anger"; cf. 14:17; 15:1), whose judgment is clouded by irrational thought and who loses all sense of proportion, acts impetuously... --Waltke in NICOT

furious...  1. heat (fever, venom, poison (fig.)  2. burning anger, rage  --BLB

learn...  The verb פֶּן־תֶּאֱלַף (pen-te’elaf) is translated “lest you learn.” The idea is more precisely “become familiar with his ways.” The construction indicates that if one associates with such people he will become like them (cf. TEV “you might learn their habits”). --NET Bible Translation Notes
snare...  yāqōš and its derivatives occur forty times. It refers to setting a trap to catch some prey, but more frequently in a metaphorical sense of entrapping people. -- Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
              the LORD... has built in the hothead's ways his own self-destruction (cf. 1:16; 29:6) --Waltke in NICOT

APPLICATIONS:

1. This highlights the importance of good friends. (Birds of a feather flock together.)  Look for friends like what you want to be.  Understand and teach the difference between a friend (2 Cor. 6.14-15) and an acquaintance 1 Cor. 5.9-13). 
2. Help surround your children with positive influences (children and adults).  Talk to your children about their friends.  You should make it your business to know who their friends are.  (Who did you eat lunch with?  Who did you play with?  Give them space to talk (even if you don’t like what you hear) and listen to them.) 

SAYING NUMBER FOUR: Avoid Pledges - 22.27-28Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge,
One of those who is surety for debts;If you have nothing with which to pay,
Why should he take away your bed from under you? 

 

shakes hands in a pledge... 

(tāqaʿ) blow, clap, strike, sound.  The verb bears three distinct but related meanings: (1) “thrust, pound”; (2) “blow (a horn)”; (3) “clap (hands).”   ...striking hands with someone else (serving a function similar to our handshake) signified pledging oneself as a collateral in a business arrangement (Job 17:3; Prov 6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26).  --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
If you have nothing...  future financial reversals may expose him to losing everything he owns. --Waltke in NICOT  Cf. James 3:13-17 

bed...   The “bed” may be a metonymy of adjunct , meaning the garment that covers the bed (e.g., Exod 22:26). At any rate, it represents the individual’s last possession (like the English expression “the shirt off his back”).  --NET Bible Translation Notes
A harsh creditor might ignore the humane regulations of Deut. xxiv.10ff., which, legally apply only to the debtor, not the guarantor (Ibn Nachmiash). --A Cohen in Soncino Books of the Bible
Deut. 24.10ff  ¹⁰  "When you lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge.   ¹¹  You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you.   ¹²  And if the man is poor, you shall not keep his pledge overnight.   ¹³  You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God.

APPLICATIONS:

1. How do we teach our children to be compassionate and wise?
2. How do we balance trusting the Lord and being presumptuous?  James 3:13-17 
3. How do we balance the welfare of our families and priotites with giving from our need? 
 

Proverbs 22.17-21 - Prologue to Proverbs' "Thirty Wise Sayings" - 150913AM-SS

COLLECTION 3: The Thirty Sayings of the Wise (22.17-24)

     A. Prologue: Saying 1 (22.17-21)
     B. Section A: A Decalogue of sayings about Wealth (22.22-23.11) [#'s 2-11]
     C. Section B: An Obedient Son (23.22-24.2) [#'s 12-20]
     D. Section C: Trying Times (#'s 24.3-22)

               1. Strength in Distress (24.3-12) [#'s 21-25]
               2. Prohibitions against Involvement with the Wicked (24.13-22) [#'s 26-30]

"A portion of the book of Proverbs (22:17–24:22) seems to imitate, at least in part, the literary structure of the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope. Both contain a general introduction that is followed by thirty chapters or units of very similar advice on proper behavior. There is some dispute among scholars on the identification of the thirty units within the biblical text, since there are breaks in the sections that may indicate unrelated segments (see “my son” diversions at 23:15, 19 and 26). Also arguing against the connection is the fact that the NIV had to slightly emend the text to arrive at thirty units and had to provide the noun sayings so that there would be something that there were thirty of. Beyond this difficulty is the fact that the thirty sections in Proverbs would each be only a few verses long (four to six lines), while the thirty chapters in Amenemope average twelve to sixteen lines in length. The closest parallels between Amenemope and Proverbs come to an end at 23:11, and the remaining units have close ties to other pieces of wisdom literature, including the teachings of Ahiqar. This may indicate that the biblical writer or wisdom school had a general familiarity with Amenemope and other wisdom literature, but also a measure of literary independence."  --Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), Pr 22:20.
 
A. Prologue: Saying 1 (22.17-21) 

1. Motivating the Son to Learn

A series of proverbs demands much of the reader, if it is not to remain for him a string of platitudes.  ...                                                                                                                                                                                   
Does he read with alert concentration (17)?
How much is retained and ready for passing on (18)?
Does he receive it in the spirit in which it is given – to deepen his trust (19), guide his decisions (20), and strengthen his grasp of truth (21)? 
Does he see himself as the virtual envoy (cf. send thee, 21) of those whose knowledge of the truth depends on him?  --Derek Kidner in TOTC
 

22.17                             And

Incline                            apply

your ear and hear          your heart

the words of the wise,   to my knowledge;

The words/knowledge go from the external ear to the internal orientation of the heart.

incline... To “incline the ear” means to “listen carefully” (cf. NCV); the expression is metonymical in that the ear is the instrument for hearing. It is like telling someone to lean over to hear better. --NetBible Study Notes
wise... The essential idea of ḥākam represents a manner of thinking and attitude concerning life’s experiences; including matters of general interest and basic morality. These concerns relate to prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, moral sensitivity, and experience in the ways of the Lord.  --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
apply... The most frequent object of šît is the word “heart.” The phrase “to set the heart” is used ten times. The phrase is used once even for God, “What is man … that you set your heart on him’.” (Job 7:17). Negatively the phrase means “to ignore, dismiss, take no notice of”...   --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament 

22.18
For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
Let them all be fixed upon your lips,

pleasant... NIV, TNIV, HCSB, NLT--"pleasing"
keep... "exercise great care to protect them" and entails memorizing them forever.
within you... lit. belly, womb  --BLB;  "In your belly may be a shortened form of the Egyptianism "in the casket of your heart: (see 18:8; 20:30)."  --Waltke in NICOT
fixed... be established, be fixed; to prepare, be ready  --BLB
             ...always be ready to speak what was retained. --NetBible Study Notes 

2. Janus (transition)
22.19
So that your trust may be in the LORD;
I have instructed you today, even you.

trust... trust, confidence, refuge
This active trust in the Lord, who reveals His will through the adjusted sayings, entails a constant commitment to the Lord and His words, not an autonomous reliance on oneself (cf.3:5-6 ) or a passive resignation to fate.  This faith distinguishes Solomon's sayings from those of his peers in the ancient Near East.  --Waltke in NICOT
instructed... yādaʿ   lit. cause to know, teach  --BLB

today...  Heb “I cause you to know.” The term “today” indicates that the verb should have the instantaneous nuance, and so an English present tense is used in the translation (“am making…known”).   --NetBible Transaltion Notes 

3. The Father's Purpose
Synthetic parallels:
22.20-21
Have I not written excellent (or thirty) things 
Of counsels and knowledge
That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
That you may answer words of truth to those who send you?

excellent...  Three. This number plays a significant role in the Old Testament. ... A threefold act gives a sense of finality, of definitiveness.  --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

šālišîm (Qere), šlšwm (Kethib).  This word is difficult. KJV, NASB, NIV marg. translate “excellent things” as the pl. of šālîš. RSV, NIV and many translate “thirty sayings” as from šĕlōšîm. Another possibility is šilšōm “formerly” (NIV marg., NASB marg.). The question is complicated by the somewhat similar Egyptian work “Wisdom of Amen-em-Opet” which is divided into thirty chapters and urges attention to “these thirty chapters.” Some claim that a dependence on this work can be found in the following sayings of Prov 22:22–24:22 which can be divided into thirty sayings. First, it may be said that dependence on the Egyptian work is sometimes overemphasized and cannot be found at all in the latter part of this section. Second, the division into thirty sayings is not certain. They may be divided differently.   --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

counsels...  or plans 
knowledge... (daʿat) knowledge.  expresses a multitude of shades of knowledge gained by the senses. Its closest synonyms are bîn "to discern" and nākar "to recognize."--Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament know the certainty of the words of truth...  Heb “to cause you to know the truth of words of truth” (NASB similar). --NetBible Translation Notes 
know...  yādaʿ is used to express acquaintance with a person in such statements as “do you know Laban?” (Gen 29:5; Ex 1:8; II Sam 3:25). The Pual participle designates kinfolk (II Kgs 10:11, etc.) and acquaintances (Job 19:14; Ruth 2:1, etc.).  yādaʿ is also used for the most intimate acquaintance. God knows Moses by name and face to face (Ex 33:17; Deut 34:10). He knows the Psalmist’s sitting and arising (Ps 139:2).
yādaʿ is also used for sexual intercourse on the part of both men and women in the well-known euphemism “Adam knew Eve his wife”...  --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament 
certainty...  (qōšṭ) truth (Prov 22:21, only): just words, truth, i.e., communicable words or thoughts that are just and right according to a standard, and so a sound teaching -Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew
Basically this root denotes binding or tying something to something. --Theological Wordbook of the
truth... (ʾĕmet) reliability, trustworthiness, i.e., a state or condition of being dependable and loyal to a person or standard (Ge 24:27); 2.true, certain, sure, i.e., that which conforms to reality, and is so certain not to be false 3.honesty, integrity  --Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew
At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty. (One interesting illustration of the relationship between “belief” and “being established” is seen in Isa 7:9. Ahaz is told that unless he believes (Hiphil) he will not be established (Niphal), i.e. without faith he has no stability.) --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
answer words of truth...  Heb “to return true words”; NAB “a dependable report”; NIV “sound answers.”

Applications

1. Note the progression in verses 17-19a   (It can be cyclical with deepening circles.)
Where are your kids?

2. Written:  What have you written for your children?

3. What end purposes are given for parents “sayings” to their children?

To trust in the Lord
To be reliable truth speakers
4.  What causes “sayings” to be memorable?  What are you making memorable for your children?

HOMEWORK

Write a 1-3 work summary of each of the next ten sayings.
Think about what your 30 truths would be for your children.