Reading for October 29th

Read Proverbs 9.1-18. In 9.1-18: The banquets of the two women, plus some aphorisms. Woman Wisdom completes her palace and issues an invitation to the dedicatory banquet (1-6). In vv. 13-18, Woman Folly issues a counter-invitation. verses 7-12 are individual sayings, which echo some verses in ch. 1 (compare 1.7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge," and 1.22, "How long, O simple ones will you love being simple?") and also point ahead to chs. 10-22, where the same two types, the wise and the righteous, are vividly contrasted. In verse 6: Lay aside immaturity, and live: To partake of the banquet creates a bond between Wisdom and her guests, requiring guests to leave behind immaturity and ignorance and to become wise. The imperative verb live here implies enjoyment of such gifts from Wisdom as a family, riches, and reputation. In verse 11: For me your days will be multiplied: Originally, this verse probably immediately followed v.6, for by me has no antecedent in the immediately preceding verses. In verses 16-17: Folly's invitation begins with the same words as Wisdom's (see. v. 16 and v. 4), but in v. 17 diverges radically. In verse 17: In the phrase stolen water, water has the erotic meaning it has in 5.15-16, "Drink water from your own cistern,/flowing water from your own well," that is sexual relations. Stolen implies clandestine and adulterous sex. in secret evokes the furtive meeting of ch 7. In verse 18: The dead in habit the underworld. as in 2.16-18; 5.3-5; 7.24-27, the woman promises life but kills instead. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for October 28th

 Read Proverbs 8.1-36: In 8.1-36: Woman Wisdom and her blessings for her loyal disciple. The speech of personified Wisdom promising blessings balances her first speech (1.20-33). Threatening those who left her. She appears in the busiest part of the city (vv. 1-3), and addresses the entire populace there, but singles out the simple (vv. 4-5). She establishes her credibility (vv. 6-11), promises her hearers skills in governing along with riches and honor (vv. 12-21), explains her high status by her closeness to God at creation (vv. 22-31), and asks her followers to wait at her door as disciples (vv. 32-36). Unlike the seductive woman in ch.7 who speaks to a single youth in the dark of night, Wisdom addresses everyone in broad daylight, speaks trustworthy words, and grants life rather than death. In verses 22-31: The verses are a cosmogony or creation account, which used in ancient literature to explain and validate important aspects of reality. The first half of the cosmogony (vv. 22-26) emphasizes the birth of Woman Wisdom before all else, thus underlining her unique priority. The second half (vv. 27-31) stresses her presence with God, I was there (v. 27) and I was beside him (v. 30). In verses 30-31: I was daily his delight ... delighting in the human race: The repetition of the words delight and rejoicing establishes a correspondence between Wisdom's delighting in the Lord and her delighting in the human race. She bestows on the human race the wisdom and goodness that God put into creation. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 27th

 Read Proverbs 7.1-27. In 7.1-27: An example of seduction by words. The tenth and final instruction is also the fourth of the four warnings against the seductive woman (2.16-19, 5.1-23; 6.20-35). The preface (vv. 1-5) urges the disciple to become a lover of Wisdom rather than a foolish victim of the lying woman who typical wiles are narrated. The woman is active and aware, speaking and acting decisively, whereas the youth is passive and naive, led in silence like a lamb to slaughter. The images are darkness and night, animals of sacrifice or the hunt, and death. In verse 4: You are my sister: A designation for the beloved used in love poetry (Son 4.9, 10,12; 5.1, 2). Other love terms are let us take our fill of love (v. 18; see Song 5.1) and and the theme of finding and seeking (v.10-15; see Song 3.1-4). In verse 14: Today I have paid my vows: An ambivalent statement, which the youth takes as an invitation to a feast of meat offered in fulfillment of a vow, but which the woman intents as the sacrifice of the youth. Comparison with Jephthah's vow (Jug 11.30-31) is illuminating, for Jephthah also sacrifices an unsuspecting victim. In verse 20: He took a bag of money with him: The wife knows from the amount of money her husband took that he will be good long enough for her to dally with the youth. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 26th

 Read Proverbs 6.20-35. In 6.20-35: The dangers of adultery. The teaching of one's parents, once memoried, becomes a lamp that exposes the danger of an adultress (v. 23). Unlike a liaison with a prostitute, whose hire is only a matter of money, an affair with a married woman can destroy one's life, bringing upon one shame, physical beatings, and an enraged husband. The instruction focuses more on the practical consequences of adultery rather than on its theoretical immorality. In verse 30: Thieves are not despised: A comparison is drawn between getting caught for satisfying one's appetite for food (a euphemism for sexual appetite) and getting caught for adultery. In the first case, a monetary payment makes things right. in the second, money cannot repair the loss of one's position in the community or protect one from the vengeance of a deceived husband. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 25th

 Read Proverbs 1.1-19. In 6.1-19:Four short pieces. The section is often judged to be an addition on the grounds that its topics and style are very different from the surrounding instructions. It is possible, however, that the editors wanted to insert related but miscellaneous material at this point. Thematically, the section is concerned not with external obstacles to acquiring wisdom, such as violent men and seductive women, but with internal obstacles, such as poor judgement (vv. 1-5) and laziness (vv. 6-11). It also sketches an evil character (vv. 12-15), which is wholly unacceptable to the Lord (vv. 16-19). In verses 1-5: Pledge: Proverbs is entirely negative on the legal custom of a third party guaranteeing a loan (11.15; 17.18; 22.26), probably because it endangers the guarantor. In verses 6-11: Lazybones: Proverbs look with disdain, and often humorously, on the lazy person (for example, 10.4; 12.24; 24.30-34), preferring instead the energetic and responsible person. In verses 12-15: A scoundrel and a villian: A proverbs type, who is here described as corrupt externally (mouth or speech, eyes feet, fingers) and internally (perverted mind). An evil destiny hangs over such a type. In verses 16-19: Proverbs often declares certain behavior "an abomination to the Lord" (see 11.1). Six and seven are an instance of ascending parallelism of numbers, like "three" and "four" in 30.18-19, 21-23. The organ such as the eye stands for the entire activity of seeing, an example of metonymy. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 24th

 Read Proverbs 5.1-23. In 5.1-23: Choose the right woman! The teacher exhorts a youth to avoid adulterous liaisons (the "wrong" woman, vv. 3-14) and to enjoy the company of his wife (the "right" woman, vv. 15-19). The poem has four sections (vv. 1-6, 7-14, 15-19, and 20-23), each of the which begins with "my child" (implicit inv. 15). Adulterous consorting with the wrong woman leads to loss of health (v. 9), dissipation of family wealth (v. 10), ruined reputation (vv. 9, 14), and bitter regret (vv. 11-13). The context of Proverbs suggests a metaphorical level of meaning: Seductive and lying word lead one away from one's primary commitment to the tradition and to wisdom. In verse 16: Should your springs be scattered abroad? A disputed phrase. Most probably water is a metaphor for sexual pleasure, as in Song 4.15. The man should exercise his sexuality exclusively with his wife in the context of the household. Comments or Questions..

Reading for October 23rd

 Read Proverbs 4.10-27. In verses 10-19: The two ways. The process of gaining wisdom is essentially the same in all instructions: One begins by memorizing the teaching and putting it into practice, then one receives wisdom as a gift. The passage develops the doctrine of the two ways, in which the moral life is dramatized as two competing paths, the way of wisdom and the path of the wicked. Each has its inherent destiny, represented here by the symbols of light and darkness (vv. 18-19). The two ways are not static; one must struggle to stay on the right path. It is possible to leave one path and walk on the other. In verses 20-27: Heed my words. This lecture emphasizes the vigor and sincerity necessary for the pursuit of wisdom. The poem offers a psychological picture of discipleship. One perceives the teacher examples and words through listening and seeing (vv. 20-22) and stores the perceptions in the heart (by memorizing them) where they are pondered (v. 23). One then puts into practice who one "knows," that which is in one's heart or mind. Practicing wisdom means always speaking the truth (v. 24) and acting justly (vv. 25-27). Comments or Questions..