The Wisdom of Jael

Judges 4 and 5 tell the story of Jael. She is in the Bible for a reason.

And that reason is not to give male theologians an opportunity for “mansplaining.”

“Mansplaining” is typically a pejorative word used to cow men into silence. As such, it is a manipulative and cowardly expression. But sometimes men communicate in such a bad way and/or with such bad content that the insult seems justified.

So Tim Keller:

Job Marked “Safe” from Calling Wife a Fool

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:21–22 ESV

The Mindset: Glory, Faith, Patience

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Proverbs 13:11 ESV

I recommended a certain kind of “mindset” in my book, Solomon Says (though I don’t know if I ever used that word). Recently, I’ve been listening to the book The Slight Edge. It isn’t a Christian book, but it has got me thinking about the relationship of faith to hope and future-orientation.

Solomon the Riddler

What follows is based on a blog post I published exactly 13 years ago today, long before I even planned to write Solomon Says. This was part of my reason for arguing that the proverbs are riddles (Proverbs 1:6; 25:2), but I never used this material in the book.

Consider Proverbs 10:15:

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?

The Duty to Rest

In Solomon Says, I wrote a great deal about the temptation to sleep (or “sleep,” since I don’t think only literal unconsciousness is being warned against).

But notice that sleep is also a blessing:

My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Proverbs 3:21–24 ESV

So what happens when you get sweet sleep?

Are You a False Balance or a Just Weight?

Sometimes, when a Biblical writer is addressing one thing, he is actually talking about something else.

According to the Apostle Paul, the Biblical law about not muzzling the ox while he is treading the grain (Deuteronomy 25:4) is actually about people.

For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
1 Corinthians 9:9–11 ESV

Psalms & Gender

When I wrote my book on Proverbs, I pointed out that the book was framed as advice to a son from a parent–first, from Solomon as father, then ending with the wisdom of a mother (who also represents Wisdom–v. 32). I stressed that, the literary device of a father advising a son, or a king talking to a royal heir, Proverbs was to be read and heeded by everyone.

Thus, I wrote on page X of the preface, that the “intended audience of Proverbs is more than just those who are set to inherit political authority. Proverbs was published as wisdom for everyone.” And again: “Proverbs seems to be Wisdom’s call to everyone to seek to be true sons (and also daughters) of Solomon.” And again: “Young men are in a transitional stage. They are on the cusp of adulthood. Proverbs is especially aimed at them, though everyone can and should profit from the book.”

It is obvious to me that, to the extent that one is concerned about Biblical masculinity, that Proverbs is especially relevant. But the results may surprise some. One would expect a book on masculinity to contrast it with femininity. There is some of that (i.e. Proverbs 11:16) but more attention is paid to the difference between children and adults. Proverbs has far more to say about the authority of mothers over their sons than about the authority of husbands over their wives.

Reminding Yourself of Your Future

Back in August, I recommended Henry Hazlitt’s self-help book, The Way to Will Power. I still do. I thought of that book recently when I read Peter’s exhortation:

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, staying sober, fully place hope on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13

In my opinion, this exhortation is strongly related to becoming a better man and guarding your heart. Writing to believers, Peter basically tells his readers to regularly remind themselves of where they are headed and why. He wants them to develop a strong habit of doing this and not let anything distract them from maintaining the habit.

Why?

Paul, the Apostle of Bourgeois Capitalism

(This post originally appeared at TownHall.com)

People with means should help those without means. Many societies in history have failed to affirm this value. But with the spread of Christianity the idea has taken root that we all have an obligation to help others.

Weirdly, this idea has come to be associated with another one: that capitalism is evil or at least morally questionable. Helping others is thought to conflict with wanting to make money.

This is morally and logically backwards. If you don’t make money, then how can you have anything worth sharing with someone in need?

That Time Jesus Had to Strengthen Himself in His God: What It Means to You

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:6 ESV

And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luke 22:41–44 ESV

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Proverbs 24:10 ESV

I wrote a post about David to persuade you that you need to occasionally and perhaps regularly strengthen yourself in God. An issue that might obstruct a reader from following that advice is a conviction that one is already strong enough. One might have an unjustified confidence in one’s strength and might mistake that confidence for faith.