Proverbs 20a

Our lessons in Proverbs have been mainly focused on what is wise and what is good. Yet, the writer of proverbs is also adept at highlighting the wise by contrasting it with the foolish, by shining a light on the righteous path then contrasting it with wicked ways. 

Some wise and foolish ways are obvious, or at least seem obvious, but political circumstances and popular culture can make bad look good, and good look weak. Novels, movies, and songs have played it both ways. 

The old movie, “High Noon,” turned on the tension between Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly over whether they will leave town, as planned, for a new life as a married couple, or whether Cooper must stay to confront a released convict who is coming back to town seeking revenge.The convict has threatened the judge, so the judge is running away. The deputy says he will support the marshall, but only if Cooper puts in a good word for him to be hired as the new marshall. Cooper refuses, and the deputy resigns. No one is willing to stand with the marshall. 

The train will arrive at ‘high noon’, the convict will join his gang to get his revenge; and Kelly will leave on the same train. The sound track, including “Do not forsake me, Oh my darling,” was written by a Ukrainian immigrant, Dimitri Toimkin. The film has a deeper meaning as a protest against the current (1952) hysteria of ‘blacklisting’ anyone suspected of Communist leanings. That is why John Wayne, and several others, refused to play the lead. But Cooper stood alone both in the film and in Hollywood. So, on many levels, the issues we still experience today are reflected in the movie, and in our readings for today.   

20:1. Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,

     and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Alcohol promises a good time, even a high, but the promise is empty as any one with a hangover or DUI can tell you. One of the gifts of the Spirit is self-control; he who has it is wise (Galatians 5: 22-23), he who lacks it is not wise.

20:3 It is honorable to refrain from strife,

     but every fool is quick to quarrel.

Paul said, “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all" (Romans 12:18). In Gary Cooper’s case, it depended more on the released convict who was quick to quarrel and be a brawler. Cooper did all he could to avoid the quarrel. One work of the flesh is ‘strife’, but one gift of the Spirit is ‘peace’ (Galatians 5: 18-19, 22-23).

20: 11. Even children make themselves known by their acts,

     by whether what they do is pure and right.

The difference between Cooper and Lee Van Cleef, the released convict, is clear given their acts, that is, “by whether what they do is clear and right.” But neither the mayor nor judge, not the deputy and none of the townspeople, will name wickedness for what it is. Nor will they support the right against the wrong. They may be short-term wise (flee evil) but long-term foolish (but evil will follow after you). 

It is interesting how we make allowances for adults for behavior that we would not tolerate in children. We tell children, “That’s not a nice thing to say,” but we are getting numb to the outrageous things that politicians say and do. Such behavior is becoming ‘normal’, or ‘normalized. It’s OK because that is the way politicians talk, or that’s the way the news is ‘normally’ reported. If such behavior is normalized and thus numbs us to the truth, then God help us all.

And, God has helped us all: 

20: 12. The hearing ear and the seeing eye–

The Lord has made them both.

It is still true that “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” are good things, and the wise person recognizes and values these practices; the fool does not appreciate kindness, gentleness, and self-control. 

20: 24. All our steps are ordered by the Lord;

How then can we understand our own ways?

20: 27. The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord, 

Searching every innermost part.

So, we have no excuse for not hearing and not seeing, nor are we excused for not having the wisdom to know ourselves or to figure out the layers of meaning in people’s behavior. God says we have no excuse:

20: 5. The purposes in the human mind are like deep water,

But the intelligent (wise) will draw them out.