Original Meaning
CHAPTERS 28 AND 29, the last two chapters of the proverbs preserved by “the men of Hezekiah” (25:1–29:27; cf. comments in ch. 25), have a character of their own, combining sayings on rule and government with proverbs about good relations with family and neighbors. Repeated words such as “understanding” (28:2, 5), “trusts” (28:25–26), and “way/walk” (28:6, 18, 26) draw the portrait of one who is fit to be a good neighbor and a good ruler. Central to chapter 28 is the appearance of the Hebrew word torah (“teaching, instruction, law”); each occurrence is preceded by some reference to the poor (28:3–4, 6–7, 8–9), ensuring that the idea of “neighbor” includes everyone.
Like the proverbs of 10:1–15:33, antithetic parallelism dominates, particularly the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.1 Malchow has sought to demonstrate the redactional unity of chapters 28–29 by noting the exclusive use of two-line proverbs and the appearance of the words “wicked” and “righteous” at 28:1 and 29:27, the first and last verses of the unit.2 Four other uses of the pair (28:12, 28; 29:2, 26) define the subunits of the section and interact with one another to present a statement about rule and use of authority. Each frame of verse pairs defines the theme of the section within (see also the comments in Bridging Contexts).
Responsibilities of kings and people to the poor (28:1–12)
Fates of the wicked and the righteous (28:13–28)
All three terms for ethical living first listed in the prologue (1:3) appear. The virtues of righteousness, justice, and uprightness/equity are praised, as are the people who exhibit these characteristics: “the righteous” (root ṣdq, 28:1), people of “justice” (root špṭ, 28:5), and “the upright” (root yšr, 28:10). The juxtaposition of this triad theme with rule and oppression and then prosperity suggests the three are interrelated; perhaps one’s attitude toward possessions and power reflects where one stands on the triad.
Responsibilities of Kings and People to the Poor (28:1–12)
THE FIRST TWELVE proverbs of this chapter turn the spotlight on one’s relationship with the poor and the teaching of God. Rulers and commoners alike can turn away from both, but only with disastrous consequences for the nation and themselves.
28:1. While some boast in their pride (27:1), the “righteous are bold as a lion”; the word for “bold” (baṭaḥ) is typically used for trust or confidence (28:25–26; 2 Kings 18:30; Job 40:2). Here righteous confidence is contrasted with the fear that plagues the wicked, always looking over their shoulders as they flee.3 Readers recall the shepherd David, who faced lions and bears and praised Yahweh for his deliverance (1 Sam. 17:34–37).
28:2. Verses 2 and 3 both treat the topic of government through the metaphor of land. A “country” (ʾereṣ; lit., “land”) is personified as “rebellious,” one who acts like the wicked person of verse 1. A land of deficient character is cursed with a succession of rulers, making the nation vulnerable to attack. Surprisingly, the second line does not contrast rebellion with a people’s repentance (cf. the famous 2 Chron. 7:14) but with a single person of “understanding and knowledge” (lit., “one who knows”; cf. yadaʿ in Prov. 27:23). Rulers like this maintain order (cf. 29:4); the proverb assumes that a people will rebel unless led by a person of wisdom.
28:3. The natural image of torrential rain that flattens grain is clear enough, but the comparison to human affairs is less so. The Hebrew texts reads, “A poor man, and one who oppresses the impoverished,” which has led some to emend “poor man” (raš) to “wicked ruler” (rašaʿ ) after the LXX (cf. NIV and NRSV). Rain that destroys the crop instead of watering it could describe a bad ruler (the reverse of one who “knows” the condition of the flock and cares for it, cf. 27:23–27). However, one poor person taking the opportunity to profit at the expense of another adds the bitterness of betrayal. The translation “ruler” is more likely, though not certain; if we do read “poor,” this would be the only instance of the poor oppressing the poor in Proverbs.
28:4. Verses 4–5 should be read together, since the first line of each describes the absence of wise guidance and the rise of evil. The second lines (like the contrasts of 28:1–2) state that those who understand will also act to resist injustice. By implication, the righteous not only keep their ways straight but make sure others do the same, standing presumably with the strength of a lion (28:1). The word “resist” can be translated “fight”; in other contexts it is used for dissension (28:25; 29:22). A ruler certainly has responsibility and the power to take this action, but the charge is for all who “keep the law.” Attitude toward “the law” (torah, “teaching, instruction”; cf. 28:7, 9; also 1:8; 29:18) makes the difference, for humans need a reference point outside themselves. In Proverbs, torah primarily refers to wisdom teaching, not the covenant instructions given through Moses. Yet the two are not far removed; to ignore this teaching is also to ignore that of Moses, especially when it involves mistreatment of the poor (28:3; cf. vv. 6–9).
28:5. Similar in form to verse 4, this saying contrasts those who “do not understand justice” with those who “understand it fully” (lit., “understand all things”) because they seek Yahweh (cf. the “man of understanding” [root byn], 28:2). Once again we are reminded that the purpose of torah and understanding is to bring about justice (or “right judgment,” cf. 1:3).
28:6. Verses 6–8 can be read together around the theme of possessions, for they describe persons who are either blameless and discerning or corrupted by wealth, perverted, gluttons, and cheats. The better-than saying of verse 6 replicates half of 19:1 by introducing a different second line; perversity there is heard from the fool’s lips, whereas here it is seen in the rich one’s perverse ways. In both cases the only essential possession is integrity.
28:7. “Keeps the law” echoes the second line of verse 4, where companionship is also a theme. One person is a friend to the wicked, another a friend of gluttons; both are unresponsive to parental instruction (cf. 23:20–21; 27:11; Deut. 21:18–21). A person can be discerning or disgraceful; the first understands a great deal (root byn; cf. Prov. 28:2, 5) and does much to preserve justice and order.
28:8. Gouging on loans may be one of the forms of the oppression mentioned in verse 3. Israelites were to charge no interest at all to those in great need, for to the poor, any interest would be “exorbitant” (Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:36; Deut. 23:19). If one gets rich doing just that, the interest must be great indeed; it is poetic justice that the ill-gotten wealth goes to one who will give it back to the poor (cf. Prov. 28:27).
28:9. Poetic justice appears again in another torah saying that follows a saying about the poor (cf. 28:7, 9; 29:18). The return in kind for not listening to the law is a familiar motif in the prophets, but it also appears in wisdom’s first speech (1:23–28); if you won’t listen to God, God will not listen to you. This proverb suggests that everything about this person is an “abomination” (toʿebah; NIV “detestable”) to God, even the act of prayer, for it is disingenuous.
28:10. This proverb presents a vivid picture of an evil person leading another along a path strewn with his own traps, reminding readers of 1:17–18, where evil men tried to lead the young man away from right living and toward a life of violence. Just as their plan backfired (26:27), so also here, but the blameless (28:6, 18) receive a good inheritance. The use of the term “upright” echoes the prologue of the book (1:3).
28:11. As it reads in Hebrew, this saying pits a rich person who thinks himself wise against a poor person. The NIV rightly translates the example as what “may” come from a rich man, for the saying does not indict every wealthy person; it does recognize that the temptation is there. One who is wise in one’s own eyes has no fear of God or love of righteousness (cf. 3:7; 26:5, 12), for such people answer to no one. We would expect the contrasting poor person to be humble, with downcast eyes. Instead, this person is “discerning” (mebin; cf. 28:2, 5, 7), one who has eyes to see through the bravado (cf. 25:2).
28:12. Linked with verse 13 by the image of “hiding/concealing,” this saying draws a contrast between loud rejoicing in the open and silent hiding to show how political power can be used to help or oppress (cf. 11:10; 28:28; 29:2, 16). People know that the character of a leader will have consequences for them, but the “triumph” of the righteous is not the victory of a political group or party. Rather, it is the people’s exultation when righteous rule is established (cf. 28:2–5).
Fates of the Wicked and the Righteous (28:13–28)
CRIMES OF THEFT and the practice of greed that shuts its eyes to the poor will bring destruction, but the one who repents finds mercy. Yahweh is named or implied as actor throughout this cluster.
28:13. Verses 13 and 14 are linked by Yahweh’s response to human choices. The image of hiding in verse 12 is repeated here in the “concealing” of sin (cf. 17:9); the remedy for this cover-up is to “confess” and “renounce” (ʿozeb; lit., “leave, abandon”). People may forgive a person who truly changes, but the phrase “find mercy” also looks for grace from another direction (cf. Num. 14:41; Ps. 32:1–5).4
28:14. If the previous saying hinted at divine grace, here human fear of Yahweh leads to blessing or happiness (ʾašre; cf. 8:34; 20:7; Ps. 1:1). Note the contrast between one who “fears continually”5 and one who “hardens the heart.” A hard heart knows no correction and therefore no change; it will hide, not confess (Prov. 28:13), a sure path to “trouble.”
28:15. Verses 15 and 16 both deal with matters of unjust rule. Hard hearts do not know proper fear and make trouble for others as well (cf. 28:14). Two metaphors for a wicked ruler use the well-known behaviors of two fearsome animals. The lion roars and the bear charges (or, possibly, “ranges” or “roves” over a territory); whether the behaviors are linked to hunting or defending territory is not clear, but the first is most like a wicked ruler, who preys on the poor. In Proverbs, the king’s wrath (presumably a just wrath) is like the lion’s roar (19:12, 20:2); only here is the roar like a wicked person ruling over the helpless poor (dal; 28:8, 11; cf. v. 12).
28:16. Linked with the previous proverb by the theme of government, this saying presents a contrast between the tyrant who rules with (lit.) “great oppression” and the good ruler who (lit.) “makes long the days,” that is, has a long life. One must choose how one defines greatness; the ruler who is lacking in understanding and abundant in oppression has bet on the wrong horse.6 The word for “ill-gotten gain” appears only at the start and middle of the book and finally here near its end (beṣaʿ; cf. 1:19; 15:27).
28:17. Verses 17 and 18 both treat the subject of guilt and consequences. Although difficulties with translation and therefore with identifying the background to this proverb make interpretation provisionary, we know that the person “tormented” is (lit.) “oppressed by lifeblood” (28:3; cf. 14:31; 22:16).7 The translation of “fugitive till death” is one way to make sense of “flees to a pit.” While most agree on “let no one support him” as the concluding phrase, Proverbs often uses tmk for placing hands on a person, yielding, “Let no one touch him,” in the sense of capture.8 In either case, the warning against interference is clear, and thus the cities of refuge may be in the background (Ex. 21:12–14; Deut. 19:1–10). While the original context remains uncertain, clearly sins of blood start a justice in motion that cannot be derailed.
28:18. The one “whose walk is blameless” has appeared before, as has the matching contrast with the one “whose ways are perverse” or crooked (28:6, 10). Verse 10 also pictures one who “will fall”9 into his own pit, although the word is not the same as that used here. The blameless are “kept safe” (or “saved,” yšʿ; cf. 20:22), although the protector is not named.
28:19. Read together with verse 20, this proverb makes a comparison of rewards. Not only is the wordplay on (lit.) “plenty of bread . . . plenty of poverty” a wry contrast in outcomes (repeating yiśbaʿ, “filled”), the contrast of behaviors also sets staying home against riding off in pursuit of vanities. If the goals are empty at the start,10 the final outcome will be also. This saying is nearly identical to 12:11 (except for the last two words in that proverb, “lacks sense”).
28:20. Like verse 19, this saying asks its hearer to choose outcomes. Do you want to be blessed richly, or are you only in a hurry (ʾaṣ; cf. 19:2; 20:21; 21:6; 29:20) to get rich? The first requires faithfulness, the second abandons virtue to chase after material gains, cutting corners in work and ethics. Once again, it comes down to aims in life; if one seeks the higher goal of virtue, other goods will come. But if one seeks the lower goal of possessions alone, even more will be lost, perhaps even one’s integrity. The one who does “not go unpunished” in Hebrew will (lit.) “not be acquitted.” The theme of riches is picked up again in verse 22.
28:21. The contrast in the saying is ironic. Although it is “not good” (cf. 18:5) to show favoritism in judging (lit., “recognize faces”; cf. 24:23; Deut. 1:17; 16:19), people will risk great penalties for small amounts of gain, even a piece of bread (cf. leḥem, “food,” in Prov. 28:19; cf. 20:17). We often see this with news reports of judges and elected officials who sell all for the pottage of bribery. Perhaps this is one of the ways one can hurry to get rich (cf. 28:20, 22).
28:22. In this second portrait of one who is “eager to get rich” (cf. 28:20; bahal can also mean “hurries”), the motivation appears. The “stingy man” is one (lit.) “of evil eye,” that is, “miserly” (NRSV; cf. 23:6; “good eye” in 22:9), and will do anything to acquire assets. Given the context of the previous verses, readers are not surprised that what waits is not wealth but poverty. In God’s economy, hoarding and acquisitiveness put riches in bags that are full of holes (Hag. 1:6), but that irony does not occur to this person who “is unaware” (lit., “does not know”; cf. Prov. 7:23; 9:18). Once again, a proverb makes clear that acquiring wealth just to hold onto it makes a poor goal for a life. What is condemned is not work or wealth but making them the center of one’s life and everything else peripheral.
28:23. The reversal of this saying is like the one just before; what one hopes to get eludes the grasp, whether it be riches or favor. Rebuke in teaching and personal feedback may be costly to those who give it and painful to those who receive it (cf. 9:7–9; 27:5–6), but it pays back in time (“at the end”). However, flattery (cf. 6:24; 26:28) earns little real favor, although it is not clear whether the flattery is given with that end in mind or to gain some other unscrupulous advantage. In any case, the reversal shows that it is the honest tongue that earns favor, not a “smooth” one.
28:24. The point is in the comparison; while destruction is heinous in the view of the community, so is the act of cheating parents (cf. 18:9). The robbery is not specified, but one can imagine scenarios of mooching or usurping property. To do such a thing and say (lit.) “no transgression” (ʾen pašaʿ; cf. 29:16, 22) not only adds insult to injury, it betrays a seared conscience (cf. 30:20). Parents who have given of their means and very selves to their children deserve care when it is their turn in their later years. There is a lesson here about returning thanks and service to those who have given much.11
28:25. This proverb and the one that follows are linked by the repetition of “he who trusts” (boṭeaḥ; cf. “confidence” in 28:1). The wordplay puts together greed (raḥab nepeš, “great appetite”) and prosperity (yeduššan, “growing fat”; cf. 1:25; 13:4; 15:30; 28:5). Outcomes are also compared: Greed brings “dissension” (root grh; cf. 28:4; also 15:18; 29:22), trust brings prosperity. As in 28:14, Yahweh’s presence is understood but not named in Hebrew.
28:26. The punch of this saying comes from what is left out of the syllogism. Those who trust in themselves (lit., “in his own heart”; cf. 3:5) are by definition “fools,” headed for a destruction with no escape (cf. 28:18). To trust in one’s own heart is to believe that one’s own thoughts and intentions are sufficient guides to life, that they will lead us to what is good for ourselves. The sages knew better. Although it seems logical that we know our needs and can look out for our own best interests, nothing is further from the truth.12 It is not specified whether the destruction is self-inflicted, imposed by Yahweh, or both.
28:27. If the greedy one defrauds, hoards, and comes to poverty (see 28:22, 25), one who gives to and cares for the needy suffers no want. The key is to be able to see need, but many prove unwilling to try, shutting their eyes. Here is no blessing (28:20) but curse (cf. 3:33; Deut. 28:20–27), perhaps a way of stating that one will be poor of health, status, and provisions. The “many [rab] curses” find their echo in the righteous in the next verse, who become many or “thrive” (yirebu).
28:28. The picture of verse 12 is repeated, beginning with people in hiding (cf. 27:12), but then giving, as Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story.” The wicked will perish, and not from natural causes; after that, the righteous will thrive (see comments on 28:27; cf. 29:2, 16).
Bridging Contexts
RULERS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS. Readers who are attentive to proverb placement and the arrangement of proverb clusters will note the righteous/wicked contrasts that form the framework of chapters 28 and 29 (28:1, 12, 28; 29:2, 16, 27). They may also notice that each of the middle four of these sayings cites the one that comes before, picking up where the other ends (all are also linked by use of the key word rab, root rbh, highlighted with italics):
• 28:12—When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.
• 28:28—When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.
• 29:2—When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.
• 29:16—When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.
These four verses relate the righteous/wicked contrast to the matters of government and its effect on the people, a topic treated directly in 28:2, 3, 15, 16 and 29:4, 14, 26, but also implied in the proverbs about righteousness, justice, and fair dealing (28:1, 5, 10; cf. 1:3). While righteous rule has appeared before as a fruit of wisdom (cf. 8:15–16; 16:10–16; 20:8, 26, 28; 25:1–6), the matter comes to center stage for the climax of chapters 28–29 and will be treated again in chapters 30–31.
The last two verses of chapter 28 link care for the poor and righteous rule. The choice between “many” curses and a “thriving” population of righteous people (28:27–28, root rbh in both cases) makes an age-old association of political thinking. If there are too many people who are poor and unjustly defrauded, government has not done its job. Verse 16 places responsibility on the monarch: “A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment, but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.” However, the rare term for “ill-gotten gain” is also used in proverbs that do not mention the king, appearing at the beginning and middle of the book (1:19; 15:27) and here near the end. The proverbs leading up to 28:16 juxtapose piety (28:13–14) and the devastating effects of wicked government (28:12, 15) in a way that adds this dimension of rule to the general concern for worship and ethics introduced at the very start of the book.
The two proverbs in this chapter that name Yahweh do the same, contrasting evil people who do not understand justice with those who seek Yahweh and understand all things (28:5)—a contrast between the one of great appetite who only stirs up a pot of strife with the one who trusts in Yahweh and (lit.) “grows fat” (28:25). It was every person’s responsibility to live in righteousness, justice, and equity, but rulers had the additional responsibility to enact laws and judgments to accomplish the same.
Certainly the themes of rule and righteousness have their outworking in matters of economics and power, the dynamics of which are never separated. While the differences between the democratic governments of North America and the monarchies of Israel and the ancient Near East are many, certain principles do carry over into our day. One is the standard of measure by which governments are judged, ensuring justice for all its constituents and taking care that a deficient understanding of justice does not leave out the poor. Drawing from all that has been said in previous chapters, the proverbs of this collection make a strong connection between personal character and good government, not to claim that the issue is simple but to show that the concerns of wisdom permeate every level of society.
Therefore, while the proverbs will not advise us about means—for example, trickle-down economics versus strong government involvement, private versus federal action, government support of religious charities—they do hold out the standards of fair dealing and inclusion that help leaders and voters navigate their way through the details of living and working together. When United States president Jimmy Carter quoted Micah 6:8, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” his inaugural speech addressed the character of a people, not only his own leadership.
Therefore, Christians who seek to understand these proverbs will ask their leaders to exhibit good character—and not just in matters of personal holiness, such as marital fidelity, honesty, and rejection of ill-gotten gain. They will also ask their leaders to use their power and influence to establish the expectation of justice, mercy, and even humility throughout the land. For a start, the evangelical church can learn from its wins and losses in political involvement and broaden its agenda to include personal holiness and social justice, rejecting the false division between the two that biblical teaching frequently speaks against. Jesus criticized the Pharisees not for ignoring personal religious practices but for ignoring the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42 adds “love of God”). Could the Pharisees’ problem of compartmentalization speak to a common human tendency? A faith that has no concern for fair and just treatment of the poor is found wanting (James 2:14–18; 3:13–18; 5:1–6).
Politics and faith. Yet the proverbs do not stop with the matters of righteousness, justice, and fair dealing in human relationships; they typically go on to talk about fear of Yahweh (cf. 1:3, 7), urging their readers to seek and trust in him (28:5, 25). In between the two Yahweh proverbs are others that imply his presence by mention of prayer, confession, and fear (28:9, 13, 14). In the sage’s understanding, righteous rule and fear of God were inseparable.
Today, however, American Christians live in a pluralist society that separates matters of justice from matters of faith, even as it has traditionally made a distinction between church and state. That distinction has received greater attention in recent years as greater numbers of people representing other religions have joined the first immigrants to the land. Previous assumptions that Christmas nativity scenes can be displayed on civic property have been challenged because of increased recognition that Christians are not the only voice.
The relationship between American society and the Christian faith is complex and beyond the scope of our discussion, but a growing secularism is beyond dispute. Can Christians require their leaders to be people of faith as well, and is it in their best interests to vote for professing Christians? The proverbs do not answer such questions directly, for they assume that kings and queens will consider themselves answerable to the Lord as part of the royal charter. Two extremes certainly are to be avoided: to assume that faith necessarily makes one a better ruler and that a strict secularist cannot appreciate matters of justice as necessary for the common good. The relationship of Christians to the political scene will be taken up in the next section, but here we note that while one may love justice without a corresponding love for God, the proverbs show us that the reverse can never be true; one cannot claim to love God and have no interest in justice.
Avarice and rulers. More at the center of these proverbs, however, is the problem of persons in power using their positions for their own gain, richly illustrated in Israel’s history and almost as frequently in today’s local and national politics. The sages stress that the righteous will not only reject such practices but resist them (28:1, 4), knowing that wickedness will eventually fall (28:28: cf. 29:16) and that the righteous will do all that is necessary to oppose evil while they wait, sometimes hiding, sometimes standing strong as a lion (28:1, 28). Such concern to stand for what is right can be both personal and political. One can speak for fair treatment of a friend or of a whole people group, even speaking against governmental leaders when necessary.
Torah. While the mysteries of power and leadership are complex and never completely understood, what is clear here is the call to faithful character. The tradition was clearly communicated to Israel in the torah delivered through Moses, the basis of a covenant relationship between God and the people, a covenant that the people broke and Yahweh promised to restore (the New Testament points to the new covenant in Jesus). In Proverbs, the torah (teaching) is that of wisdom, not the covenant with Israel, yet that teaching is never in conflict with the torah of Moses. So, for example, if the commandment says to love your neighbor because “I am your God,” the proverbs says to love your neighbor because it works better that way. The references to torah in chapter 28 show that there are good reasons for recommending the neighbor love of the covenantal torah through the teaching/torah of the proverbs.
Contemporary Significance
THE CHURCH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and politics. These proverbs of righteous character and righteous rule lie side by side, suggesting that whatever the differences between personal and political choices, the concern for fairness and compassion are sure guides for both. As Christians deliberate about their involvement in the political process, it is important to remember that these lessons about personal and corporate character must first be put into practice by the church.
Robert Webber reminds us that the early Christian movement was a countercultural movement, nonaligned with political powers. The early church was seen as subversive because the Christians would not say that “Caesar is Lord,” reserving that phrase for Jesus and his kingdom. Webber recovers that stance of nonalignment, chiding Christians who align themselves with conservative Republicanism and liberal Democratic politics alike. He believes that Christians are citizens of another kingdom with another form of politics—
the politics of forming and nurturing a society in the world that images the new creation through forming a people with Christian virtues and a Christian view of life. The social and political work of evangelicals is counter cultural. However, the calling of the church is not to “clean up America for God,” but to be the church, a radical counter cultural communal presence in society. The ultimate question is not “How is America?” but “How is the church?”13
However true it is that Christians are first called to live as an alternate community to the ways of the world, balancing radical identification and distinction, Christians are also called upon to vote and serve as community leaders. They will be (or should be) asked to lend voice and muscle to the business of living in neighborhoods, towns or cities, and nations. While the church exists as a model of what might be, challenging and inspiring the rest of the community, its members are also faced with the daunting prospect of stating their views on matters social and political and of lending support to local civic bodies and service organizations.
We should cooperate and lend support when we can, but we should also speak when we disagree—and at root, Christians disagree with the rest of the world over the question of political authority, that is, who really is in charge. If we serve and speak as though we had no higher allegiance than the One who calls us to learn and live wisdom, we may be cheered, but we may also be jeered or something worse. William Willimon claims that
the church is, for better or worse, God’s answer to what is wrong in the world. Just let the church begin telling the truth, speaking the truth to power, witnessing to the fact that God, not nations, rules the world, that Jesus Christ really is Lord, and the church will quickly find how easily threatened and inherently unstable are the rulers of this world.14
Christians, wealth, and society. While comprehensive, this general distinction between Christian and secular views of authority guides but does not make decisions about positions on issues of the day. If these proverbial reflections on government and life together critique our separation of what is personal and political, they also challenge us to respond on both levels. Christians seeking to live under the tutelage of these sages’ wisdom will make important choices about life vocation and lifestyles, but they will also have opinions that are exercised about matters corporate and societal.
(1) Just as the church should present itself as a community set apart from any others, yet in service of all, believers should make life choices that say no to the greed and climbing that characterizes so much of contemporary culture as well as refuse to shut their eyes to the poor (28:27), keeping them open to notice the overwhelming needs around us. One begins to reject the world’s values and appetites by making room in one’s life for those who have need. It is a matter of call—vocare or vocation.
John Westerhoff critiques the assumptions of modernity, including its attempt to eliminate dualisms. He claims that when the dualism of the material world and the spiritual world was abandoned in favor of material monism, vocation came to be understood only as a career. “When you ask people about their vocation, they talk about what they do to make a living.”15 There is a better way, says Westerhoff, for the Christian life of faith comes by living it, not by thinking about it:
We are more apt to act our way to a new way of thinking than we are to think our way to a new way of acting. . . . Robert Bridges, a friend of the poet and Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins, so admired Hopkins’ faith and spirituality that he wrote him a letter asking how he might also have that experience of God. The return letter from this man of words contained just two words: Give alms.16
The funny thing about money is that we can give it away and draw close to God, or we can hoard it and find ourselves far away from him. Certainly the proverbs that name the poor in this collection intend to teach us something about the life of faith and the influence that money has in our lives, for good or for bad. Where did we ever get the idea that life was about getting all we can and maybe giving some away? Reversing those priorities may be better for our souls than we know.17 It can be as simple as learning to give generously to those who are in need.
(2) Christians are challenged to support good government and work with it to resist evil in all its forms. If the principle is clear, the ways to work it out are not always easily articulated. It is clear that giving alms alone will not keep some from taking unfair advantage of the poor, and one way that Christians can open their eyes to the poor is to become aware of policies that impact people of low income, support those that help, and vote against those that work against them. Yet a recent survey of students at evangelical Christian colleges found that 77 percent agreed that “social problems are best addressed by changing individual hearts,” and 55 percent agreed that “individuals are poor because of structural causes”; only 9 percent agreed that “social problems are best addressed by changing social institutions.” They believed that the church should focus on personal morality (54 percent) more than social justice (12 percent).18
Certainly other issues come under the umbrella of righteousness and wickedness, but for these proverbs, the central issue is that greed and grasping exemplify wickedness, and when it is characteristic of political leadership, the results are devastating. Wickedness or righteousness alike can thrive and wane, but the final outcome is that the wicked will “perish” (28:28). While the responsibility for these outcomes clearly belongs to Yahweh, people and their leaders are both responsible for establishing the environment in which righteousness gets the upper hand. This chapter is a challenge to develop wisdom’s character, both as individuals and as a people.