Do you like the proverbs?

[xdisciplex]

I don't know but somehow I'm having a hard time to accept the proverbs as inspired. I mean the first 9 proverbs sound inspired but then it becomes so strange. They sound like normal sayings which don't have a real meaning and which are not applyable. For example what about this here:

Pro 25:17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

Is this a universal statement from God which applies to everybody?

Does this mean that supposing you have a friend who you like to hang out with then you must not hang out with him too often because otherwise he will become sick of you? Does this mean that if you have been over at his house yesterday and you played videogames and today he calls you and asks you to come over again then you have to say: No, I cannot because proverbs 25:17 says that it's not good.

I mean if the proverbs are inspired then every single verse has to be correct, right? But I think that there are many statements where you cannot simply say that they always apply and that they are always correct. For example when I say that it's not wise to help an ungrateful person because the ungrateful person will not be grateful then this can be true but it could also be wrong. There could also be an ungrateful person which becomes grateful due to having been helped. You simply cannot make a general statement. But this is exactly what proverbs does and I have my problems with this.
And what about all the repetitions? Sometimes the same statements are repeated over and over again. Why is that?

 

[donnA]

Pro 25:17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

It means don't over stay your welcome, don't stay so long they wish you'd leave.

 

[ktn4eg]

Proverbs is one of the OT Poetical Books. One needs to know a little about the nature of OT Hebrew poetic writings to understand its purpose. The purpose of the book of Proverbs is different than, for example a NT doctrinal book (e.g., Romans).

While the statements in Proverbs are inspired, they are not primarily intended to teach doctrine or to lay down hard-and-fast, no-exceptions rules that always apply to all people at all times in all situations. In other words, they are simply a collection of statements based on Godly wisdom from a writer (primarily Solomon) to which God gave special wisdom (2 Chron. 1:7-12).

While Proverbs is filled with this Godly wisdom as it relates to many areas of our lives, none of the statements in it ought to be understood as iron-clad rules or guarantees (e.g., Prov. 22:6 is NOT a guarantee that parents who train their children in "the things of the Lord" will always have children who will never once stray away from God.)

I like what the Life Application Bible [(c) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers] has to say in its introduction to Proverbs:

"...In this book, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, [Solomon] gives practical insights and guidelines for life.

"...These proverbs are short poems (usually in couplet form), containing a holy mixture of common sense and timely warnings. Although they are not meant to teach doctrine, a person who follows their advice will walk closely with God."

In other words, a person who heeds these nuggets of Godly wisdom will generally find himself more successful (as God counts success) in life as opposed to a person who ignores or lives his life counter to the wisdom that they offer.

Also, just as with any other Bible text, one needs to understand and interpret a specific passage in the light of its context and what its primary audience was (including various aspects of that audience's culture).

BTW, DonnA gave you an excellent interpretation of how you ought to apply what Proverbs 25:17 is telling you!

 

[BobRyan]

Pray through 1 chapterof proverbs each day -

Enjoy life.

In Christ,

Bob

 

[Chemnitz]

The one thing that should really be noted about proverbs is that it is a classic example of Wisdom Literature. Wisdom Lit. by nature is going to sound like commonsense because it is. The general view of proverbs is that it is a collection of sayings run through God's theological filter. The one thing proverbs should not be viewed as is a book of rules, because there is an implicit theme that part of wisdom is knowing which bit to follow.

 

[xdisciplex]

Thanks. :wavey:

I simply had my problem with inspiration on the one hand and the fact that it also isn't rules or laws which apply to all cases.

 

[Nicholas25]

I love the book of Proverbs. The Lord drew me to rededicate my life to him in Sep. 2004 through the book of knowledge.