Page 107 - The Poetic Books - Student Text

The sixth section of Proverbs stretches from 25:1 through 29:27 and is titled “more proverbs of Solomon,
compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah (25:1).” Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings of Israel,
ruling from 715-686 B.C., some two hundred years after Solomon. His father Ahaz had taken Israel a long
way from Yahweh, and the first actions of Hezekiah begin to rectify the damage. His legacy is great. “In
everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the
commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered (2 Chron. 31:21).”

Somehow the proverbs in this section were left out of the original book. Somehow Hezekiah and his men
found them and decided to add them. We wonder if
Solomon, perhaps in his older years after he had turned
from Yahweh to worship foreign gods (1 Kings 11:1-13), had
not liked these proverbs. The unit begins with instructions
on kings and other officials. “It is the glory of God to
conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of
kings (25:2).” Solomon, of course, was known for searching
out wisdom in nature. Is it possible that he went too far and
his pride in knowledge led him astray? “It is not good to eat
Figure 52: Seal of King Hezekiah too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters
that are too deep (25:27).”

The section deals with a variety of people: the fool (26:1-12), the sluggard (26:17-22), the enemy (26:23-
28), and the friend (27:1-22). Oddly enough a paragraph on a shepherd is in the middle (27:23-27). The
paragraph mentions a crown (v. 24) and is probably using “shepherd” as a metaphor for a proper
Israelite king. He is to know the people and pay careful attention to them (v. 23). Like a literal shepherd
who knows the times and seasons, so a good king will be a blessing to his people.

Chapters 28 and 29 highlight the righteous and the wicked, beginning and ending with these opposites.
“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion (28:1).” They have little
in common and little regard for one another. “The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the
upright (29:27).” Within the two chapters, the wicked and righteous are contrasted bluntly on four
occasions (28:12, 28; 29:2, 16). Whichever is in power has a great effect on others. We can almost see
the differences between an older, wicked Solomon and a
righteous Hezekiah in the contrasts. “When the wicked
thrive (Solomon?), so does sin, but the righteous
(Hezekiah?) will see their downfall (29:16).” These four
proverbs very much point out the responsibility of a
sovereign to reign righteously.”
177

The topics are powerful. In 28:2-11 proverbs concentrate on
the use of God’s law in ruling (vv. 4, 7, 9), especially with
reference to wealth and poverty. In 28:13-27 verse after
verse details the behavior of wicked people. In 29:2-15 Figure 53: Choosing

177 Waltke, Proverbs, vol. 2, 4.
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