Proverbs 1b

1:8-9                   My child, hear your father’s instruction,

                                           and do not reject your mother’s teaching,

for they are a fair garland for your head

                                           and pendants for your neck.

Question: Is this a generic “my child” that is used to address anyone reads this? Probably not; it seems like a more specific address to a child of Solomon, and we know the name of only one child of the King. That seems odd, since Solomon surely had nearly as many children as he had wives. Kings and Chronicles record that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Why is only one child mentioned in the accounts?

Observation: It is praiseworthy that Solomon includes the child’s mother as an important teacher of wisdom. This inclusion presages the personification of Wisdom as a woman later in this chapter. More on that point next week.

Observation: It is also commendable that Solomon considers a child to be capable of understanding the teaching of wisdom. That makes children agents in their own education; a rather modern idea. There is no hint of a heavy hand here in child-rearing.

Question: Is Solomon is pursuing a parenting path that was modelled by his father David? If so, that model had some commendable characteristics, but it also had some flaws, like failing to correct errors that a child makes. David had several children who went off the rails.

David’s son, Amnon, raped his half-sister Tamar; both were David’s children with different mothers. “When King David heard of all these things, he became very angry, but he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, for he was his firstborn” (II Samuel 13:21). Several problems: David did not consider Tamar’s rape important enough to punish Amnon. Second, David let the family problem stew instead of addressing it directly.

However, Tamar’s full brother, Absalom, would not let it go. He waited patiently, then took revenge by killing Amnon. Again, David did little except to ban Absalom from his presence; a light sentence. Then “David mourned for his son day after day. Absalom, having fled to Geshur, stayed there three years. And the heart of the king went out, yearning for Absalom; for he was now consoled over the death of Amnon” (II Samuel 14:37-38). What happened to Tamar?

Later, when David was older and had reinstated Absalom in the family, Absalom led a rebellion to replace the aging king. When David sent the army after him, he told his officers, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom” (II Samuel 18:5). However, Joab, the hard-core commander of the army, was not so soft-hearted; he killed Absalom. When news reached David, “The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you. O Absalom, my son, my son” (II Samuel 18:33). David’s extreme grief was seen as an affront to the army because many lives had been lost in putting down Absalom’s rebellion.

Later, when David was near death, another son rebelled and tried to crown himself king. Adonijah was younger than Amnon and Absalom (both deceased now), but still older than Solomon. However, David had already named Solomon as his successor. So David moved quickly to have Solomon crowned in a counter-ceremony. Adonijah stepped down, but was not punished. After David’s death, Adonijah still intrigued to usurp the throne; Solomon had him executed.

Against this background of family chaos, it seems commendable that Solomon is concerned about bringing up children correctly. However, as we shall see, Solomon himself was not very good at parenting. So, this advice may be the product of learning from failures.

1:10-14              My child, if sinners entice you,

                                           do not consent.

If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;

                                           let us wantonly ambush the innocent;

like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole,

like those who go down to the Pit.

We shall find all kinds of costly things;

                                           we shall fill our houses with spoil.

Throw in your lot among us;

                                           we will all have one purse”—

It is unlikely that Solomon is trying to recreate an actual conversation since no one would be enticed by this argument. Rather, this is the result of throwing in with friends and drifting with them into questionable behavior. Peer pressure is strong; the desire for relationships is strong. The temptation usually comes one step at a time. But, even then, the child has to agree to take the next step, and the next step.

Contrary to the false promises of riches and a life of ease, Solomon offers wisdom gained at the expense of his own bad decisions. One wife, two wives, three wives…and before you know it, he has 700 wives. One pagan temple for Milcom, one pagan temple for Chemosh, one pagan temple for Astarte … and before you know it, the Temple of Yahweh is just one among many temples, and Yahweh is only one among many gods. Solomon was miserable in his elder years. Don’t believe it? Read his lament in Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!”

1:15-19              My child, do not walk in their way;

                                           keep your foot from their paths,

for their feet run to evil,

                                           and they hurry to shed blood.

For in vain is the net baited

                                           while the bird is looking on;

yet they lie in wait—to kill themselves!

                                           and set an ambush—for their own lives!

Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain;

                                           it takes away the life of its possessors.

Greed, or as Jesus said, the love of money, is the root of all evil. Time and again we read stories of greedy people who got what they wanted, then found out that it was never enough,; they always want more.

That is the theme of “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck, and “The Wolf of Wall Street” by Jordan Belfort. It’s a never-ending story. Such people are trapped by their own ambush. We all are trapped at times by desires in our lives; desires that do not emerge from our relationship with God.  

“Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.”

Charles Ponzi, Bernie Madoff, Sam Bankman-Fried, and ….