THE BOOK OF PROVERBS- MESSAGE TO THE WORLD
THE BOOK OF PROVERBS AND ITS MESSAGE
TO THE WORLD
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
What is Proverb?
Authorship of the Book of Proverbs
Aim/Purpose of the Book of Proverbs
CHAPTER TWO
NATURE AND CONTENT OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
Literary Features Of the Book Of Proverbs
Repetition
Synonyms
Other Literary Features
Poetic Feature of the Book
Parallelism
Personification
CHAPTER THREE
MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
Fear of God And Wisdom
Wisdom And Parents
Prudence In Speaking And Diligence In Action
Respect And Obedience
Humanity And The World
RELEVANCE OF THE MESSAGE TO THE MODERN AGE
Fear Of God
Proverbs Advises The Modern Humanity
Gossip: Weapon Of Mass Destruction
CHAPTER FOUR
RELATIONSHIP OF THE MESSAGE OF PROVERBS TO THE IGBO CULTURE
The African World Rapped In Proverbial Teachings
Proverbs: An Aid To African Life
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The book of proverbs is the 21st book of the Catholic Biblical canon of the Old Testament and it is one of the wisdom literature books. The book is a collection of articles about wisdom. The actual Hebrew title for this book is mišlê sělōmōh. Septuagint later has it as paroimrae; while Vulgate translated it to be proverbia – from which the English, proverbs is derived. Proverbs is a collection of literary and folk maxims and adages, often sententious, , compiled as a source book for the education of the youth. It is a kind of guide to practical wisdom, showing the way to a virtuous and successful life. Compressing the book of Proverbs in the form of summary is a bit difficult due to its nature as a wisdom literature, for unlike many other books of the Bible, there is no specific plot or storyline found in it also there are no or specific characters in the book. However, we shall examine the book under the headings below.
What is Proverb?
A proverb is a saying that, under the guide of physical thing, signifies intelligible things. It is called parable in Greek and simile in Latin – “the parable of Solomon, son of David, the king of Israel”. This title was given to encourage us to understand more deeply, not only according to the literal sense, because the lord would speak to the crowd in parables, just as he also announces the everlasting kingdom of Christ and the church both in his won name and through the peaceful state of his kingdom. A proverb is a riddle or enigma that prints to a deeper meaning, often by way of moral instruction or exhortation wisdom for the living of life. It is a sign or roadmap that directs users (Wright, Robert & Oden, Thomas: 2005: 1)
Authorship of the Book of Proverbs
The authorship of this book is not emphatically certain, in the sense that some section is ascribed to Solomon, but “other names still occur in connection with specific sections of the book” (Freedman, David: 1992: 513). This subscription that Solomon is a major author of this book erupts from the ancient Israeli tradition that Solomon composed three thousand proverbs and one thousand and five songs and it is conceived that his wisdom is the most excellent among the inhabitants of the Ancient Near East. More still following the Hebrew tradition that obtained every law from Moses, Sacred Songs from David and Wisdom from Israel’s wisest king, this wisdom book cannot but be arrogated to this considered wisest king – Solomon.
Aim/Purpose Of The Book Of Proverbs
This question is asked about every book of the Bible because there is always a purpose for which each is written. In the case of the book in question, it is attempts to address almost all life situations. When we examine history, we may validly argue that knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of real and concrete facts, but wisdom is the ability to see people, events, and situations as God conceives them. Through this book of Proverbs, there is a kind of revelation of the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations, too. It appears as though no topic escaped the attention of the author. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, alcohol, politics, revenge, godliness and many more, are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.
CHAPTER TWO
NATURE AND CONTENT OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
It must be restated here that the book of Proverbs is among the Wisdom Literature books as we observed in the previous essay. As such, it has the common qualities peculiar to their category. The central theme of this book wisdom itself. Then it presents the fear of the Lord as the genesis of wisdom. On the other hand, the book conceives fools as those who despise wisdom and instruction. This central theme of knowledge of God (evident in the fear of God) runs all through the book. One outstanding characteristic of this book is that it contains proverbial sayings which tend to make comparison between two realities or phenomena, though not in all its contexts. The book is designed to flow like a monologue in which a father (who speaks in the first person) advices and reminds the son of the norms of life. This father underscores the dangers that accompanies all sorts of misconducts and encourages the son to extricate himself from any such situations. The advice of the father here is sustained by his appeal to different sources beginning from himself as once a child, moving through the torah and anchoring finally on the divine to endorse the authenticity of his admonishment. Most of the discourses in the book which are modeled on instructions are similar to the classic form of Egyptian wisdom literature. (New Jerusalem Bible: 964). Looking at its literary form one discovers a hemisphere of instruction and another of proverb.
Secular wisdom is not rejected n proverbs. As we know both in Moses and in the prophet there are passages cited from gentile books.
If we follow the headings of the Hebrew test, the book of proverbs can be divided into:
1 – 9: 18 – Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.
10 – 2216 – Proverbs of Solomon.
2217 – 2422 – the words of the wise.
2423 – 34 – Also sayings of the wise.
251–2927 Proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.
301 – 33 – The words of Agur.
311 – 9 – words of king Lemuel.
3110 –31 – Praise of the virtuous woman (James, Hastings: 1963: 812).
Literary Features Of The Book Of Proverbs
The basic characteristic features of the book of proverbs as a member of the books called wisdom literature includes:
The absence of any reference to the sacred tradition. This is in the sense that there is no mention of the promise to the Patriarchs, the Exodus, Moses, the covenant and Sinai, or even the promise to David. All these are lacking in this literature. Instead of focusing on Israel, the book of proverbs concerns itself with definition of what constitutes wisdom, advising on how to get it and how to conduct one’s behaviour.
A kind of international flair runs through the literature. This is evident in the addition of non-Israelites like Agur and Lemeul (Prov. 30 – 31) and Job with his three friends; the comparison of Solomon’s wisdom to that of the east and of Egypt.
The several collections that make up the book contain of different literary forms. The one-line proverb exhibits parallelism its halves are balanced in antithesis or synonymity, varied occasionally with a lire in synthetic parallelism. In CHs 10-15; 28-29, the antithetic form heavily predominates, but beginning with the sixteenth chapter, the synonymous form is strongly favored. Approximately half the proverbs in chapter 25-26 are graphic similes, one of the more popular forms of synthetic parallelism. The comparison in 26:17 may serve as an example:
He who meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears. Mother common variant of this type of parallelism is the “better…..than” form example. 25:24:
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with contentions woman. (Buttricketal, George: 1962: 937)
Every given age, tradition, culture, or epoch have their peculiar style of viewing the world and making sense of reality. This finds expression in their pattern of literature. This is the case of the people of the Ancient Near East. Israel being a member of this environment was influenced by her neighbours and thus their literature follows the same nature as their neighbours’. The book of Proverbs which is under discussion here is one of such books that depicts or unveils this Israelite’s literary style. Consequently, certain features are unique to this literature.
The book of Proverbs is what the title implies – a collection or anthology of individual proverbs. In addition to being teachers and authority figures, the wise men of ancient cultures were literary craftsmen – careful observers of the human condition and masters of a particular kind of discourse (the proverbs).
The first nine chapters of the book are wisdom poems that extend over several verses, urging the reader to pursue wisdom. The proverbs proper – the concise, memorable statement of two or three lines – begin in 10:1.
A proverb works by making a comparison, and leaving it to the reader to work out how the proverb applies to different situations, following current cultural conventions. In English, “You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink” is regularly applied to human relationships rather than ranching, and the competent reader knows this. Thus, the meaning of the proverbs goes beyond what is literarily obtainable by mere reading through it.
A feature of wisdom literature is its concreteness: that is, the principle is often given in terms of a specific circumstance or a specific person, rather than in terms of a generalization about people (plural). The false balance, contrasted with the just weight (11:1), is a particular instance of the difference between swindling and honesty in one’s work ethic and commercial dealings. A father speaks to his son, recalling his own boyhood (4:1–4), as a specific parent speaking to a particular child (rather than to one’s children or to children in general). The idea is not to exclude, say, fathers speaking to daughters (or mothers speaking to sons and daughters); rather, by reflecting on a specific instance the wise reader will perceive the application to his or her own situation (making the appropriate adaptations).
Proverbs of necessity focus on consequences, and this raises the question of whether they are “promises.” Proverbs by nature deal with general truths, and are not meant to cover every conceivable situation. Consider the English proverb, “Short cuts make long delays”; the very form of the proverb forbids adding qualifiers, whether of frequency (often, usually, four times out of five) or of conditions (except in cases where); these would lessen the memorability of the sentence. The competent reader knows that the force of the proverb is not statistical, but behavioral – in the case of the English proverb cited, to urge due caution. In biblical proverbs, the consequences generally make God’s basic attitude clear, and thus commend or discourage behavior.
Proverbs often seem to be mere observations about life, but their deeper meanings will reveal themselves if the following grid is applied: (1) What virtue does this proverb commend? (2) What vice does it hold up for disapproval? (3) What value does it affirm?
Most of these are clearly evident in the literary features of the book of proverbs as we would see below and of course in most of other Hebrew literature.
Repetition
This is a major device in biblical poetry for showing emphasis. In the Hebrew text of Proverbs 30:11–14, the Hebrew word translated as “kind” stands at the head of each verse.
11 There is a kind of man who curses his father; and does not bless his mother.
12 There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes; yet is not washed from his filthiness.
13 There is a kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.
14 There is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords; and his jaw teeth like knives, to devour the afflicted from the earth, and the needy from among men (bold print reflects my emphasis).
Synonyms
The use of synonyms will also show an emphasis in a passage. This is demonstrated in Proverbs 6:20–35. After an exhortation to follow his commandments in vv. 20–23, Solomon provides his “son” with a proverbially packaged treatment of “You shall not commit adultery.” He uses a number of synonyms to describe a potential partner in adultery. She is called an “evil woman,” an “adulteress” (v. 24), a “prostitute” who has cheap price tag and a “married woman” who “hunts down a precious life” (v. 26). She is also characterized in v. 25 as having “beauty” and knowing how to use her eyes (“eyelashes”). The build up of synonyms shows that the adulteress is an evil and cunning foe of God’s moral will.
Through the use of synonyms for wisdom and folly, as well as examples of each, the overall unifying theme of Proverbs 1–9 is an extended conflict between wisdom and folly. The addressees of these chapters are encouraged to choose wisdom over folly (Ryken: Words of Delight: 317–19).
Other Literary Features
Certain literary aspects of a given text may show the emphasis of a passage. For example, the numerical saying places an emphasis on the enumerated item that corresponds to the highest digit in the last line. In Proverbs 30:18–19 the sage indicates that there are four items which are too wonderful for him to understand. The emphasis of the text is on the fourth enumerated item, “the way of a man with a virgin” (see earlier discussion of poetic parallelism with the first principle of interpretation).
Poetic Feature Of The Book
Parallelism
Proverbs is written in the language of poetry, that is, in words that stimulate the senses and invoke deep feelings. As such, there is an immediacy about Proverbs, something about its sayings that “reach out and grab” the reader. Form-wise Hebrew poetry utilizes parallelism, where two lines are related to each other in various ways. These include synonymous, antithetical, synthetic, and comparative. (Ronald B. Allen, “Notes on the Book of Proverbs,” unpublished class notes, Dallas Theological Seminary, n.d.),
Personification
An obvious feature about the Book of Proverbs is that rather than an author merely writing about wisdom, wisdom speaks directly to the reader by means of personification. By this literary device “we are able to think more directly about an abstraction. By this we may ponder more directly the wonder of the wisdom of God, an attribute of his excellence singled out for special display. At a given instance, the author clearly presents wisdom as “Lady Wisdom”, as though she has a concrete, tangible existence.
CHAPTER THREE
MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
Paging through the book of Proverbs, one discovers a kind of staccatos of values at different intervals. The book consists of many free-standing, apparently unrelated thoughts. However, it s in when all these are fixed together appropriately that one would be able to excavate the message infused in the book. In the book, there is always that comparison between the positive and negative. Here the negative is used to demonstrate to the audience the significance of the positive. Thus, we mostly get such interplay as: wisdom versus folly, generosity versus stinginess, joy versus anger, love versus lust, diligence versus laziness, good versus bad life-styles, real versus false security, justice versus injustice. The teaching of proverb is so multidimensional such that it covers almost all aspects of life: practical, moral and religious. It is notable that here, “the ideals represented by the figures of the wise man and the righteous man are not opposed to one another but are twin aspects of one and the sure ideal” both lead to divine approval and so to happiness. (Whybray, P.N: 1972: 8)
Fear of God And Wisdom
The Book of Proverbs emphasizes repeatedly that true wisdom comes from God. This is unveiled in the phrase: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (1:7; 9:10). The relevance of this view induces St. Paul to points out that God’s wisdom looks foolish to the world, yet God saves sinners by the foolishness of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:18-25). Paul calls Jesus “wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:30). Isaiah (29:14) predicted that God would destroy the wisdom of the world by His own wisdom.
How do we get to the true wisdom of God and avoid the false wisdom of the world? God uses certain channels to communicate His wisdom to us, such as His Word (13:13, 16:10), devoted parents and elders in our biological society. There we learn the basic rules of life - what is good or bad for us, as well as for others.
Wisdom And Parents
Family values and traditions may become contaminated by man’s sinful nature, therefore they have to be tested and purified by the Word of God continuously. It is stressed right through the book of Proverbs that wisdom has to be taught by parents, and it has to be learned by children. Yes, wisdom can be taught and learned. We’re not born with it. This is a fact because no individual is a compendium of wisdom from birth. It is not hereditary but acquired through experience. Proverbs 6:20-22 states: “My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching." proverbs refer 15 times to fathers and 11 times to mothers. The honoring of parents is the fifth of God’s Ten Commandments. Probably, St. Paul extracted this message of proverbs concerning wisdom from parents when he admonishes children to obey their parents in Eph. 6 and Col. 3.
Prudence In Speaking And Diligence In Action
A good analysis of the tradition of the Ancient Near East, one discovers that the geography and era of this society is one that is defined by oral tradition. In other words, what one says matters a lot. Again, in general words or statements can recreate or destroy community. This is why Proverbs instructs the wise in the ways of utterances when it states: “the mouth of the wise is a fountain of life (Prov. 10, 11); pleasant words are like honeycomb; sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Prov. 16, 2).
The anchor of the teaching Proverbs on diligence hinges on responsibility. This very horizon of the teaching of Proverbs applies to not only the young but to everyone. There is a call to every individual to channel his or her strength to where it should be reasonable – to his or her responsibility. The ability of one to do so is what defines the person as wise. For instance, the one who spares the rod hates the child, but the one who loves him is diligent to disciplines him (Prov. 13, 24).
Respect And Obedience
Fear of the lord and as it is put is the start of wisdom. It is in the sense of ones humility and gentility in obeying God’s precepts. To fear the lord is to remember sin. The fool lack this far and denies God (Wright, Robert & Oden, Thomas: 2005: 1 & 4). This fear of God must not be understood in the sense of that which one so dread to the point of avoiding association with him. Instead, this is a fear in realm of obedience and respect to the one who made all things. This fear however begins from creation since it is the most outstanding work of God’s hand.
Humanity And The World
The book is concerned above all to recommend to the student of proverb the appropriate course of behavior which will dispose him to take on the path to a long, happy and successful career. This was to be achieved, however, not by a selfish careerism but through the recognition of the pervading divine order that controls the world. Thus, the basic requirement of everyone is simply to conform to this minimum principle-order in every department of life. This is the key, as it were, to happiness and prosperity. The implication is that standing against this order amounts to one meeting disaster in the events of existential phenomena.
RELEVANCE OF THE MESSAGE TO THE MODERN AGE
Fear Of God
This is the very first and most important message one may assert communicated through the book of Proverbs to the contemporary world. In our present day society, the atmosphere is saturated with secularism and the climatic condition of realities of life now being defined with the language of science and technology. There is great negligence on the divine dimension of the world. Fear of the lord becomes an option for the weak. In this way wisdom has been sent on exile since the fear of God is the genesis of wisdom. Through fear of the lord, the modern humanity realizes in wisdom that there is need for balance in the ecosystem and that nature is not to be destroyed but nurtured. This wisdom would enable humanity to reduce the magnitude of inquires they inflict on the ecosystem and in this way reduce natural deserters that arise from reactions from nature.
Furthermore, people in different spheres of life need wisdom and since it arises from the fear of God, there is urgent need for first, the fear of God. For instance, in the consecrated life of the religious who ought to expose wisdom to others, there is the necessity of fear of God in their various vows – poverty, chastity, and obedience (and others).
However, it must be noted that though it may be difficult to arrive at a universally accepted definition of proverbs, we know what it is, because proverbs are a universal phenomenon. What differs from one culture to the other is the meaning that is attached to proverbs. Hence, ‘proverb must be analyzed in each of its unique social contexts’. In other words, “the proverbs of a community or nation is in a real sense an ethnography of the people which if systematized can give a penetrating picture of the people’s way of life, their philosophy, their criticism of life, moral truths and social values”. Also in Africa, proverbs ‘have a different function and level of theoretical meaning that make them key components, as well as expressions of a culture’s viewpoints on a variety of important topics and problems.’
It must be noted that though “proverbs do not introduce themselves to us as universal truths, as generalizations that always apply. Their pith, their point, their punch is situational or context-dependent to an essential degree”. Hence, proverbs are products of peculiar and particular experiences of a people.
More importantly, proverbs serve as charters of social and ethical norms in human interactions, extol what the society considers to be virtues, and condemn anti-social patterns of behaviour. Taylor Acher, a foremost scholar on proverbs, asserts that ‘proverbs are the simple truths of life and contain the ethical or moral values of a society’
Proverbs Advises The Modern Humanity
The human society is built on the natural phenomenon of balance of opposites. Almost every reality in the world has its equivalent opposite. In the case of moral dimension to life, the opposite is usually negative and unpleasant. In the book of Proverbs one discovers a division between the admired life and undesirable actions in life. The book constantly encourages people of the 21st century to pitch their tent o the part of wisdom which produces good actions. If we learn from this, the unrealistic evasion of weaker countries by stronger ones will not arise.
Gossip: Weapon Of Mass Destruction
It is only an unreflective person who would easily ignore the power of the tongue. About eighty percent of damage the modern society is suffering today, without exaggeration is the product of misuse of the power of the tongue. May be the author of Proverbs also lived in the world where gossip served as a silent instrument of Armageddon. Similar message is therefore transposed to the modern inhabitants of this universe to take strong caution as regards the use of the tongue. Prophetically, the author of Proverbs symbolically demonstrates the extent to which gossip detested and should be avoided: “there are six things which the lord hates, seven which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that makes haste to run to evil, a false witness who breaths out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers” (Prov. 6, 16-19). If we are to analysis the above text exegetically, it will become clear that the anchor or emphasis of the author is on the seventh thing – “a man who sows discord among brothers.” Discord is sown by words of the tongue and majority of the chasm among ethic groups, even to international level are mostly products of this kind of vice.
CHAPTER FOUR
RELATIONSHIP OF THE MESSAGE OF PROVERBS TO THE IGBO CULTURE
The African World Rapped In Proverbial Teachings
Proverbs is not the prerogative of the Israelites or specific element belonging exclusively to them but permeates every human culture. As it were, every society and environment develops its own style of wisdom literature, in which local religious and cultural characteristics modified the common pattern. It is within this that they unveil the realities of their everyday existential issues.
The Igbo world has proved to be a rich source of proverbs and sayings, encapsulating in a few words, profound principles that bespeak wisdom. Many philosophers, thinker and theologians in the western world are now beginning to learn from the simplicity and brevity of the Igbo proverbs that are unclouded by too many words. More importantly, when we think of African proverbs, the smilingly most popular that comes to mind is the Igbo proverbs due to their wide use in most African movies and forums. The meaning of proverbs is easily understood because so much can be said with a minimum of words. The Igbo people are renowned for its wise proverbs, which add colour to our lives and gives us lessons for life we can all apply to our benefit. Concerning proverbs they state: “Ilu bu mmanu e ji eri okwu” – Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. Igbo people are amongst the most prolific in the world at producing proverbs. In fact, is may be correct to assert that it is almost impossible to speak with an elder in Igbo culture without him inviting at least one proverb to garnish his point.
Of all the biblical books, in Proverbs one discovers a constant movement that stipulates to all categories of people (father, mother, and the youths) how they ought to live for a good and godly future. Also, different facets of life are displayed to emphasis the necessity of adherence to the instructions and advice of wisdom embedded in the proverbial sayings. One of the dramatic characteristic feature of the Igbo proverbs is its unlimited nature in the sense unrestricted nature. By implication, one may argue that just like the biblical wisdom literature books, the Igbo proverbs enjoy great level of internationality. The Igbo proverb can be interpreted into any language and yet it communicates the desired objective. For instance, when the Igbo sage says: “anaghi ano otu ebe ekiri mmanwu” (one does not stay at a place to watch the masquerade). The interpretation of this proverb states reads that one does not achieve all he or she wants just at a place. Thus, there is need for diverse view of realities – multidirectional in life. This very proverb, though in evolved from the Igbo world, is not restricted only to the Igbo people, but is also relevant to peoples of other cultures.
Furthermore, the Igbo race use proverbs to communicate what could not be communicated directly or very hard truths. Following from the scripture, one discovers this kind of use of proverbs when Nathan, the prophet, confronted David with a scandal the king committed. Ordinarily, if the prophet had presented the situation as plane as it is, probably he would not have been alive to witness the repentance of the king. Instead of laying bare the raw truth, Nathan coded the truth in a simple analogical proverb (). This is the kind of function the Igbo proverbs accomplish. As it is said, “Aso Eze anya, ekpuru nkata gwa ya okwu” – since we are afraid of the king, we wear the basket on the head to tell him the truth. This is closest to what Nathan did to the king, David. Events that would erupt rage and catastrophe when displayed as they occurred can be calmly handled by very simple proverbs.
Proverbs: An Aid To African Life
The sayings of the Igbo people are some of the most profound words you’ll ever hear. As already established, proverbs has an international character, thus, the message of the biblical proverbs finds its way into the Igbo world and takes up new meanings for the people. In fact, the people never fail to throw in a handful of proverbs to keep in mind and keep everyone grounded whenever we are deep in conversations. Take the famous Igbo proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”. These words of wisdom span the globe even appearing in international movies and books. Proverbs have had a great influence on the lifestyles of many people, mainly through means of religion and culture. The word “proverb” from the Latin “pro-verbium” (“pro” meaning “in front of” and “verbium” meaning “word”), suggests that a proverb takes the place of ordinary words.
Fruits Of Proverbs In The Igbo World
Proverbs eagerly advertises the fruits of wisdom (2:9-22), and solemnly warns against the fruits of foolishness (1:20-32, 26:1-12). Usually, society honors a wise person and despises a fool. The wise enjoy material and spiritual riches while the fool shoots himself in the foot time and again. This teaching of proverbs reflects in the Igbo saying: “atuoro omara, omara. Atuoro ofeke, o fenye isi n’ ohia” – if the wise is advised, he takes. But if a fool is advised, he speeds towards foolishness. Jesus told parables about wise and foolish people. The wise virgins thought ahead and brought enough oil, the foolish ones did not. The wise servant was diligent in his Master’s service, the foolish one was not. The wise builder built on the rock, the foolish one on sand. When Proverbs stresses the importance of intellectual activities such as knowledge, understanding and wisdom, it does not forget the importance of emotional activities such as charity and compassion as we would see later.
Charity In Wisdom Of The Igbo People
The Bible maintains a close link between work and charity. The main motivation for helping the needy is that God cares about them. If we neglect the poor, we insult God and arouse His anger (Prov. 17:5). As evident in Proverbs 22:22-23 – “Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.”
This is especially true if we ignore those who are heading for destruction. We may apply this to genocide, starvation, epidemics, addiction and to lost souls. “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering towards slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (24:11-12). In the light of the Igbo culture, one discovers that no one lives for him/her self in among the Igbo people. To exist is to exist with others which then implies that everyone helps everyone to exist. The rich helps the poor and the poor helps the poorer, while the poorer helps the poorest. This chain is continuous.
Therefore, it is important that we do not delay our help when we can help (3:27-28), and that we do not shut our ears for the cry of those in need (21:13, 28:27). We should rather be forgiving towards the mistakes of others and have compassion on the poor (14:21). When we share food with them, we lend to God (19:17), and He will repay us when we are in need (22:9).
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
The book is not the highest height to which in the bible the soul can soar. It is neither profound nor dramatic. It is a manual of prudence, a guide to right living. Prudent and moral behavior is the concern of proverbs; it is a “how-to” book. The skill it teaches is how to please God and live sensibly as well. Virtue is not commended for its own sake; it is related to the will of God, and it leads to success. The book is a moral book and a fund of wisdom, neither priestly nor prophetic, but human wisdom, and the fruit of human experience-its distinction: that it relates sensible living inextricably with walking humbly. All these anchored on the fundamental theme: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.
Unfortunately but truly, despite proverbs being the backbone of a lot of societies by helping to identify and dignify a culture, their potential value for modern thought and life is still to be recognized. Even in Africa as a whole, proverbs are a vanishing heritage associated mostly with the rural world. They seem never to have found a home in the modern world, especially in the imported system of education because schools don’t bring out the great importance of proverbs in the lessons being taught. Now we are taking a fresh adventure of re-thinking Israelite proverbs to see how their values also filter into the Igbo world and culture so that the modern world of the Igbo culture can read through the importance of the biblical proverbs and use the messages to understand their own traditional proverbs.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Raymond (ed), (1968) The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, London: St Pauls.
Buttricketal, George A., (1962) The interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Nashville:
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Roberts, J. J, (2002) The Bible And The Ancient Near East: Collected Essays, Indiana: Eisenbranus.
Schmidt, Werner (1984), Old Testament Introduction, New York: Crossroad.
Whybray, P.N (1972) The Book of Proverb Commentary, Cambridge University press.
Wright, Robert & Oden, Thomas (eds) (2005) Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament volume ix, Illinois: Intervarsity Press.
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BY ANYANWU PASCHAL. C
BY ANYANWU PASCHAL. C
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