Our lesson today is from Proverbs, considered to be the primary book of "Wisdom" in the Old Testament. Its poetry, credited to be the work of King Solomon, seeks to teach its readers the "wisdom" of how to live life well. It is the kind of wisdom handed down from parents to children (1:8) – a wisdom based on experience and observation rather than revelation. And yet this wisdom literature is grounded in a right relationship with God: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (1:7; 9:10; 15:33).
The task of Wisdom literature is character formation. It seeks to “train up young people in the way they should go” (22:6) – in other words, making right choices. It advocates the virtues of honesty, hard work, self-control, and respect for those in authority. And it addresses issues of every part of everyday life. Religion scholar Ellen Davis says, "The proverbs are spiritual guides for ordinary people, on an ordinary day, when water does not pour forth from rocks and angels do not come to lunch."
Proverbs is a collection of short poems, little bits of wisdom from everyday experience like today’s verse, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." Generally speaking, these tidbits are to be understood individually, although sometimes they can be grouped according to common words or common themes. William Willimon has said Proverbs are, “moralistic, often trite, and sometimes true.” And yet, Proverbs provides words to live by – wisdom preparing us for life – far beyond our youthful years, or as the Beatles sing, “When I'm sixty-four.”
Old people like me love to hand out proverbial wisdom to young people. It makes us feel needed. It gives the impression that the accumulation of years actually teaches us something. Proverbs is that kind of advice. When you read Proverbs, it’s pretty obvious that it’s an older person trying to give advice to a young person.”
Historically speaking, such advice comes out of chaotic times, when things come unglued and old truths are questioned, when people begin to wander off course and don't know which way to turn. Proverbs are the product of a society that loves its young enough to show them the way, to point to the path, to tell them what others have learned. They are an affirmation that life has answers, and that each generation doesn’t have to learn for itself by trial and error. It is someone saying “Sit down kid, listen carefully, and I'll tell you what works in life.” That's Proverbs.
It is little bits of wisdom like, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise?" – although those are Ben Franklin’s words and not Solomon’s. Something like that may be good advice, but as some of us may know, it may not always be true. Those rising early each day and putting in long hours of work don’t always get ahead, let alone wealthy, or necessarily healthier. In the real world, health, wealth, and wisdom require more than getting up or going to bed early. Yet, that is the sort of world reality Proverbs offers - a predictable, dependable, if-you-do-this-you-always-get-that kind of world. But is that actually the world we live in?
You've seen the way the world works. Maybe you’ve even noticed a difference between the way we (in the church) say the world ought to work and the way it really works. They seem to be two completely different worlds. So it’s easy to become skeptical and cynical about the value of any proverbial advice – whatever its source. Take today's proverb as an example: "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, favor (to be held in high esteem) better than silver or gold." (22:1).
Is that really true? A good name is more important than money in the bank? It sounds like something you might hear in church, from a preacher or a Sunday school teacher, right? And hopefully it sounds like good advice when you are young and starting out your life, making your own choices for the first time, trying to decide which path to take and which to avoid. A good reputation is better than having a lot of money, check. But is that the wisdom of this world? Is that a wise thing if you want to be successful in life?
In Hebrew culture, a person's reputation was the most important thing in a person’s life. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, “A good name is better than precious ointment…” and 1 Kings 1:47 when the servants came to a dying King David and said, “May God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours…” Your name or what people thought of you was very important. And a good name wasn’t confused with celebrity or fame, or based on appearance or special talents as it may be today. It wasn’t given to us. A good name, a good reputation, was something earned over many years. It implied integrity, honesty, and responsibility. A good name, a good reputation, could not be bought. Indeed, it was worth more than all the riches in the world.
I recently read of someone who, upon graduation from college, decided to teach in an inner-city school. He was an excellent teacher. His students enjoyed learning and thought the world of him, his fellow teachers admired his enthusiasm and effort, his principle held him up as a model teacher. But after a couple years, he turned in his resignation and told everyone he was leaving. When asked by his friends why he would no longer be teaching, he said, "I've wasted two years in that school. Now, I've got to face facts, get real, and move on. I'm going to apply to law school."
The reality of the world in which we live – the way it works – is if you’re going to be successful and make money (and that is how most people define success, isn’t it) you choose, as William Willimon points out, “power, riches, things, and if there is any free time left over at the end of the day, you work on your reputation."
When a list of the most successful people in America is mentioned, who comes to mind? What names would we expect to see on that list? When articles are written about successful people, who is it we read about? Is it someone who has spent their entire life teaching high school chemistry or getting up early every day to do the morning chores before going off to work… or is it someone rich and famous? And these names that are on the list – what do we know about those people – is it their good name or is it their wealth?
So when we hear today's proverb: "Choose a good name rather than great riches," what do we think? Is it a wise thing to do, or not? In the world we live in, which is more valued? Does it say what everyone around us believes, or does it run counter to our beliefs and make us rethink our priorities in life.
Wisdom that says “a good name is better than all that (other stuff)” is more than good advice – it can change lives. As William Willimon has said such, “…proverbial wisdom (can) don combat fatigues, with a grenade in her hand… (ready to) pull the pin." It can be subversive – a wisdom that dislodges and invites rebellion. Such wisdom might actually give us a whole new outlook on life – and maybe life itself!
Come to think of it, Jesus shared a related an equally subversive proverb with his followers, when he said “it is possible for someone to gain the whole world and still lose his/her life.” Sound familiar? “A good name is better…”
Proverbs frame life as a choice. We are always making choices, aren’t we? Proverbs says not all paths taken in life are equal. Choose wisely. Choose the right path. A good name is better than riches, power, and all the world has to offer.
When people say about us, regardless of our years, things like - "She can be counted on, through thick and thin," or "He is a kind and generous person," or "She does a lot of good for others without telling anyone about it." - we will have lived well and done a wise thing indeed.
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