Prov 1:5
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
When looking at the great themes of Proverbs, and after recognizing ‘Wisdom’, and ‘Honour thy Father’, I would like to point out a third large theme: which I have a hard time naming. In finance, it might be called ‘compounding’. In politics, ‘spiraling’. But here I have merely named it ‘The Great Divide’.
What is the issue? It is that the book of Proverbs makes a large issue of the idea that there are two basic people: the wise man and the foolish man. And that these divisions are not merely where people start out, nor where they end up, but how they will receive the book. Or, more generally, how they will receive wisdom in general.
It is not merely that the wise man has wisdom, and the foolish man does not. It is that the wise man continues to get wisdom, and the foolish man rejects it.
Prov 17:10
A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.
Here we have a dramatic contrast. One man has another man confront him, and give him some correction. The other man is hauled in front of the court and beaten half to death. (Indeed, under Jewish law, it was illegal to give a hundred stripes, it was considered a death penalty). And the end result of these two things is not equal, and definitely not proportionate.
Time and time again we will see this same contrast in Proverbs: the merest whisper of advice to a wise man has far more effect than the most dramatic rebuke of the fool. And this contrast means that the wise man will continue to become wiser, and the fool will sing deeper and deeper into his own folly.
Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
Being ‘restacked’ and mentioned in ‘notes’ is very important for lesser-known stacks so… feel free! I’m semi-retired and write as a ministry (and for fun) so you don’t need to feel guilty you aren’t paying for anything, but if you enjoy my writing (even if you dramatically disagree with it), then restack, please! Or mention me in one of your own posts.
If I don’t write you back it is almost certain that I didn’t see it, so please feel free to comment and link to your post. Or if you just think I would be interested in your post!
If you get lost, check out my ‘Table of Contents’ which I try to keep up to date.
Von also writes as ‘Arthur Yeomans’. Under that name he writes children’s, YA, and adult fiction from a Christian perspective. His books are published by Wise Path Books and include the children’s/YA books:
The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid: A Christian historical fiction chapter book about four orphans who go to live with their aunt on a dairy farm.
The Bobtails and the Cousins: The sequel to Preacher’s Kid. The aunt has married, and the cousins come to visit. Meaning town kids dealing with chores and manure and…
The Bobtails go to France: The sequel to cousins. The Bobtails, and Preacher’s Kid, get to take a trip to New York, London, Paris, and a small town in France. To get some cheese.
and
No Ordinary School: A brilliant but socially clueless boy gets recruited for a special school. Where he makes a lot of money, gets a girl, and solves a mystery.
As well as GK Chesterton’s wonderful book, “What’s Wrong with the World”, for which ‘Arthur’ wrote most of the annotations.
Arthur also has a substack, and a website. On the substack you can listen to some of his published books. Free.
Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von