It's Elementary
The Case of the Mysterious Maxims
Around our home, my wife has placed several pieces of decorative wood or stone that display a wise saying or a famous quote. There are enough of them that I often wonder if she has strategically scattered them throughout our home as subtle hints. I wouldn’t blame her. I can often use the reminders.
Similarly, a significant portion of the wisdom literature in the Bible is dedicated to short, relatively concise sayings. Generally, wisdom literature itself is not very exciting. It is much easier to become engaged in a story or a parable. Also, when I read wisdom literature, I expect to have an “ah-ha” moment, or glean some new, life-changing insight. So, when I pick up my Bible and turn to Proverbs or Ecclesiastes, I anticipate discovery. Instead, my mind often responds with an uninspired, “No kidding … ” I don’t mean to sound disrespectful. But, to be honest, I often find the wisest sayings to state the obvious. Or, in some cases, they express basic truths that should be obvious.
Perhaps wisdom literature, like my wife’s decorative signs, are meant to be reminders — voices calling us back to the basics. We identify these sayings as wise, meaningful, or familiar precisely because they are part of our created identity. When you read or hear something particularly profound, have you ever wondered why you think, “That is pretty wise! I need to remember that.” Why does it connect? How do you recognize it as something worth remembering? In some miraculous way, we seem to be hard-wired by God to identify and engage with our original and most basic programming.
However, over the course of our lives, we allow corrupt data to flood our souls like a computer virus. At first, these viruses appear to be relatively harmless and simply run in the background undetected. But over time, their sinister programming silently begins to infect our conscious thoughts. And by the time they reveal themselves in erratic emotions or dangerous behaviors, it is often too late to prevent a system crash. So, from time to time, we need to force a reset and remind ourselves of where true wisdom is found.
Below, we will explore a few examples of wisdom literature from the book of Proverbs. However, to make this exercise a bit more exciting, I thought we would add some mystery to these maxims — in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes.
The Mystery of the Missing Maize
The lazy person does not plow in season; harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found.
~Proverbs 20:4, NRSV
Even if you have never set foot on a farm, I doubt this is new information and hardly a mystery. You can’t expect a harvest if you have never planted seeds. No matter how much you complain or how unfair and corrupt you think the system is, corn (or maize) does not grow on good intentions. That’s Farming 101. And no matter how hard you stomp your feet, if you don’t spend time in the field of hard work, you shouldn’t expect a reward for your lack of responsibility. That’s Life 101.
Apparently, the author of Proverbs thought his community needed this reminder. And those who first read this maxim thought their children needed the reminder as well, and so on. So, across the generations, this bit of wisdom has been passed along until it reached our doorstep. Like I said, this is a Life 101 principle.
For generations, we have forgotten, repeatedly, that God has ordered our world in such a way that if you want to benefit from something, then you have to put in the work. And this is good news. Work and discipline are invitations to participate in the magnificence of God’s creation. But here’s the best part. When it comes to the harvest, God has designed the return on investment to be beyond extraordinary. Let’s say you decide to plant an ordinary seed of corn. You water it, care for it, protect it from being trampled by the ghosts of baseball players, and so on. What return would you expect? 25%? 50%? Maybe even double your investment? In God’s economy, that solitary seed can produce a stalk holding one to two ears of corn, with each ear producing 600-800 kernels neatly organized into sixteen rows. So, from the single kernel you planted, you can reap a harvest of 600 to 1600 new kernels. And, in case you haven’t counted, there are about 170 kernels of corn in a typical bag of microwave popcorn. So, your single kernel could earn you three to nine bags of delicious microwave popcorn for you and your friends to enjoy while watching Field of Dreams.
Hard work: Elementary …
The Riddle of the Restless Respite
As a door turns on its hinges, so does a lazy person in bed.
~Proverbs 26:14, NRSV
I can identify with this one. There are days when I don’t want to get out of bed. The alarm goes off early in the morning, and I roll over like a door on its hinge, taking a wild swing in the vicinity of the alarm clock, which happens to be blaring Eye of the Tiger. Well, that is not entirely true. I still roll over like a door on a hinge, but these days I have to search blindly for the small button on the side of my cell phone because opening my eyes means I am no longer asleep. Then, I hinge my way back to the dark side of the bed.
Now, a door repeatedly turning on its hinges is not doing its most basic job. A door is either open, to allow entry, or closed, to prevent access. The entire function of a door is to be open or closed. (Although, technically, a revolving door is always open and closed at the same time. But to my knowledge, there are no discovered archaeological remains of revolving doors, so we can exclude them from our discussion.) To swing back and forth, with no apparent purpose, is the only thing a door should not do. A swinging door appears to be busy. It is in constant motion, endlessly squeaking its way between open and closed. The door moves, but without purpose.
Ever thought, “The boss just walked in … look busy!” We can look busy while merely going through the motions. We can even be busy without being productive. But those wasteful moments fail to honor the opportunities that we have been given. We betray the time we have been blessed to inhabit. After all, you set Eye of the Tiger on your alarm before going to bed for a reason. “Rising up to the challenge of our rival” starts by getting out of bed.
The Puzzle of the Pesky Predator
The lazy person says,
“There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”
~Proverbs 26:13, NRSV
This one is a bit more serious. Here, we allow fear to bully us into inaction. We permit fear the power to paralyze us. And this momentary paralysis can quickly turn into habitual laziness.
Typically, this form of laziness begins with the words, “What if.”
What if
…I can’t meet the deadline?
… I fail?
… someone disagrees with my decision?
… I have to sacrifice something, or anything?
… everyone looks down on me?
… there is a lion, or tiger, or bear out there?
Oh my!
So, let’s start by answering a “what if” question. What if there isn’t a lion in the street? What would you do? Your answer to that question is your initial plan to move forward, your intent for the future.
Now, let’s say there is a lion in the street. You can still have the same basic objective. You might need to modify that plan a bit to deal with the predator. Maybe you learn to use a whip or have the number for animal control on speed dial. But if your only answer is to cower behind the couch and hide, you have already failed. You sacrificed your mission without a fight. Fear wins, and you lose, along with anyone else who is depending on you. Real-life teaches us that there will always be a lion in the road if you look hard enough. The question is: What will you do about it?
The Investigation of the Industrious Insect
Go to the ant, you lazybones;
consider its ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief or officer or ruler,
it prepares its food in summer,
and gathers its sustenance in harvest.
~Proverbs 6:6-8, NRSV
The first case we investigated reminded us that to reap a harvest, we need to put in the work. Building on that lesson, we are now told where to go for advice and direction. And we don’t have to go very far. According to Iowa State University entomologists Larry Pedigo and Marlin Rice, there are 400 million insects on an average acre of land. Right now, under your feet there are 400 million lives working to eat, build, multiply, and survive. We rarely notice them. They don’t make a big fuss; they work. And they are incredibly efficient. Every day, all over the world, without managers, CEOs, BR departments (Bug Resources), mayors, governors, or other elected officials, they find a way to work together effectively.
No one has to tell ants to gather food. They don’t need to attend a seminar on motivation or wait around for a detailed order of operations. They do what they can each day for the good of the colony … and us. Ants aerate the soil, help water and oxygen reach plant roots, and provide food for other species. Ants don’t worry about a lion that may or may not be in the street. Ants don’t roll around in their beds all day or hang out in the anthill enjoying popcorn. They simply make the most of their days. Even if what they do is relatively small, everyone one of us benefits from their labors.
So, did you learn something new? I hope not. There is really nothing mysterious or puzzling in these sayings. Just a few powerful reminders that laziness and procrastination were never part of our original programming. These straightforward, wise sayings remind us that we can decide, each day, to work toward making our life or the life of someone around us better. We label these statements as wise, not because they offer new information or the secret to a better life, but because they connect to a reality that we know is true, along with every ant, lion, door hinge, and bag of microwaved popcorn.
We hope you will join us for our latest episode of The Trail: Encounters. In Episode 11 we ask the question, “What do we do when God seems silent?”
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