Proverbs 17a

By now you might be recognizing certain forms that proverbs take. The first verse of Chapter 17 displays one of those forms. We might call it, “Better this than that,” or just “Better…than.”

Note that this form is comparative. If it was superlative, it would begin with, “The best is….” Clearly, this kind of proverb is not a law. In fact, what is ‘better’ sometimes seems undesirable. Who wants to eat “a dry morsel” or “to meet a she bear robbed of its cubs.” Both sound rather unappealing, even frightful. The genius of this kind of proverb is that it begins with something that is not the best even though it is paired with something desirable, in order to make a statement about something that seems all right at first, but not when it is paired with something that is far worse.

17: 1.                  Better is a dry morsel with quiet

                                          than a house full of feasting with strife.

Of course we would rather feast than dine on a dry piece of bread. But, what if the dry piece of bread comes with a peaceful setting. A poet has even written something similar. “A jug of wine, a loaf of bread—and thou.”[1] A simple table made grand by quiet conversation or meditation.

This table begins to look better and better when contrasted with a table full of food in a crowd full of fools who are constantly arguing and fighting. When you think about it, you may get your fill of strife before you get your fill of food. We all realize that trouble can bring anxiety, and we know what that means for our digestion. What good is a belly full of food that turns into a bellyache?

We have already seen similar proverbs, and another one follows in this chapter.

15: 17-18.                       Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is

                                                         than a fatted ox and hatred with it.

                                           Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife,

                                                          But those who are slow to anger calm contention.

17: 12.                Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs

                                            than to confront a fool immersed in folly.

This expands our understanding. Peace is a companion of love. Strife follows fools wherever they go and whatever they say. These are proverbs about character and relationships. Many of the proverbs, in other forms, have been about these two areas of our lives.

Character grows from the fear of the Lord, according to many proverbs. A person devoted to the Lord will seek wisdom, will show humility, and will do justice. Ask yourself if you see that in people who call themselves ‘Christians’.

Relationships begin with our Triune God who exists in three persons in perfect unity made possible by self-giving, reaching-out, other-embracing love. It is to share this relationship that God calls us, and it is to spread the Good News about our relational God that God sends us.

Diversity alone separates and scatters. Unity alone enforces uniformity. Diversity in unity is possible only through Trinitarian love. Find a community of people with godly character held together by self-giving, reaching-out, other-embracing love. Shun all the rest.

16: 8.                  Better is a little with righteousness

                                           than large income with injustice.

Jesus said that “You cannot serve two masters. … You cannot serve God and Mammon” (Matthew 6: 24). He hit the nail on the head; nothing distracts us more than accumulating wealth in order to accumulate things, in order to impress others, in order to avoid being dependent on others, in order to avoid being dependent on God. Mammon, or wealth, is personified in Jesus’ teaching because we tend to accept bad behavior and infidelity, preferring instead a relationship with money. This further isolates us from others and from God. What’s a little isolation and a little injustice; after all, its only business.

Business on our terms. Jesus also said not to be anxious about what we will eat or what we will wear. Yet, we tolerate slave-like labor conditions as long as the product arrives at our store with a low price. There is even a trend now called ‘fast fashion’ in which low-priced clothes are worn once or twice and then discarded. The sweat shops are full of under-paid workers to get that done. I just saw some close-up pictures of a valley in the Atacama Desert in Chile that is filled with discarded ‘fast fashion’ clothes.[2] Divorcing oneself from concerns about the production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of goods while worrying only about the price is a form of worshipping Mammon.

15: 16.               Better is a little with the fear of the Lord

                                           than great treasure and trouble with it.

That’s what I said.

[1] By Omar Khayaam (1048-1123), from The Rubaiyat (translated by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859.

[2] National Geographic, April 10, 2023. Also ecowatch.com, “Child’s Atacama Desert: Where Fast Fashion Goes to Die.” November 15, 2021..