"Don't Be Stupid," Proverbs
A reflection on Proverbs 18
As soon as I read it I started laughing. Eugene Peterson, paraphraser of The Message, is cheekier than I suspected. Preparing for a spiritual direction session I was re-reading Proverbs 18. Often in direction I use The Message instead of another form of Scripture as it helps us move from autonomous knowing (and assuming) of what God is speaking through the Bible and invites us to think differently about even well worn and familiar passages. What I was not expecting today was a whole dose of sass from Mr. Peterson. His paraphrase of Psalm 18:13 goes as follows:
“Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.”
He’s not wrong. But his bluntness took me by surprise. The verses above and below it are nearly as striking in Peterson’s verbiage:
“The rich think their wealth protects them; they imagine themselves safe behind it.”
“Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor.”
“A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?”
What a great question to ponder: What do we do when our spirit is crushed? It might be reasonable to think that the original author of this Proverb (likely King Solomon) would offer an answer, but here we find only more questions and seemingly unrelated observations. He simply leaves that weighted question unanswered like an elephant in the room.
It might even be reasonable to leave this passage mad or annoyed. Many of us from Christian traditions and upbringings are taught that these Proverbs are all promises. The thought that may follow reading a passage like this one is that we are owed an outcome. If this then that must happen. Or, in this case, Solomon is posing a question so he must answer it. However, one of the most freeing things I learned in seminary is that these Proverbs are not promises; they are essential wisdom. Wisdom and promises are neither the same, nor mutually exclusive to one another.
Lady Wisdom, as it is often referred to in the Old Testament, is personified as an intelligent woman who seeks understanding, loves learning, and makes often slow but informed decisions. She is not reactionary. She is patient and honest. She understands life is not always fair.
Promises, however, are closer to contracts or agreements. In the Bible God’s promises to people are known as covenants. These agreements that God offers to people are God’s promise — they are “if this, then that” arrangements. You can place the full weight of your being on them and rightfully expect them to hold.
So, with this understanding of the nature of this Proverb: how do I respond to my own crushed spirit? How do I respond to the crushed spirit of those around me? Well, I take Peterson’s interpretation of verse 13 to heart: I try and listen first. Listening to my own heart, listening for God’s still small voice through it, and listening to others not only who are part of my spiritual direction practice, but all who are in my life — friends, family, peers, co-workers. And I do this quite imperfectly.
May you listen kindly to the spirit inside you, and of those around you; and may you experience being deeply listened to, no matter the state of your own spirit.
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One way to cultivate a wisdom is through the Christian practice of Lectio or Visio Divina. Simple free instructions can be found online in a number of places, and on my Substack, like in this post. If you’d like a bit more guidance getting started with either forms of this meditative practice I can help you through 1:1 spiritual direction, or through the Visio Photo Prayer Cards I created, available here.
Wow . . . wonderfully written and insightful!!