Proverbs and Civil Discourse

Dan Hawk posted the following on his Facebook page.

The Book of Proverbs, among other things, is concerned with commending and cultivating those practices that enable people to live in peace with God and with each other. Wise people enhance communal wellbeing. Stupid people ruin it.

Few things build up or tear down community more than the ways people talk to each other. The Sage, therefore, devotes considerable attention to the way stupid people and wise people express their opinions. Viewing today's polarized Christian speech through his eyes, we see a church awash in a tsunami of stupidity.

The Sage would insist that we can turn back the tide only by recognizing and rejecting stupid ways of speaking and intentionally practicing wise ones. So, here’s the Sages challenge to us, transposed into the cadence of an old Jeff Foxworthy routine:

"You might be a stupid speaker if”:

You don’t care about understanding an issue but only about expressing your opinion (18:2).
Your argument is hot with emotion but short on knowledge (19:2).
You are quick to express how someone has offended you (12:16).
You just spew your thoughts as they come to you (12:23; 15:2).
You feed on and applaud stupid arguments (15:14, 21).
You step on others while they’re speaking, rather than listening to what they’re saying (18:13).
You feel angrily secure in your opinion (14:16; 29:11).
You mock reasonable arguments (23:9).

On the other hand, “You might be a wise speaker if”:

You hold your tongue when stupid people are ranting (10:19).
You overlook insults and ad hominem attacks (11:12; 12:16; 19:11).
You try to bring healing rather than strife (12:18).
You resist ranting and keep a cool head (17:27).
You support your arguments with sound knowledge (15:2).
You value education (15:7; 16:23).
You are patient and don’t let anger get the best of you (14:29; 29:8).
You try to scale down strife and to bring calm (29:11).

We Christians can model civil discussion to a watching world. All it takes is for those who claim to take the Bible seriously to actually take the Bible seriously.

The Latest Issue of the Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews can be accessed by clicking the links below but unfortunately you must be a SBL member to read them.

Niv Allon, Writing, Violence, and the Military: Images of Literacy in Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt (1550–1295 BCE)

Reviewed by Rune Olsen

Craig G. Bartholomew, The God Who Acts in History: The Significance of Sinai
Reviewed by Andrew Abernethy

Daniel I. Block, David C. Deuel, C. John Collins, and Paul J. N. Lawrence, eds., Write That They May Read: Studies in Literacy and Textualization in the Ancient Near East and in the Hebrew Scriptures; Essays in Honour of Professor Alan R. Millard
Reviewed by Kurtis Peters

Paul M. Blowers, Visions and Faces of the Tragic: The Mimesis of Tragedy and the Folly of Salvation in Early Christian Literature
Reviewed by Courtney J. P. Friesen

Sebastian P. Brock, Singer of the Word of God: Ephrem the Syrian and His Significance in Late Antiquity
Reviewed by Lucas Van Rompay

Steven Fine, ed., Jewish Religious Architecture: From Biblical Israel to Modern Judaism
Reviewed by Shalom Sabar

Roy A. Harrisville III, The Faith of St. Paul: Transformative Gift of Divine Power
Reviewed by Nélida Naveros Córdova, CDP

Nyasha Junior, Reimagining Hagar: Blackness and Bible
Reviewed by Jennifer M. Matheny

ChoongJae Lee, Metánoia (Repentance): A Major Theme of the Gospel of Matthew
Reviewed by Robert H. Gundry

Mar Pérez i Díaz, Mark, a Pauline Theologian: A Re-reading of the Traditions of Jesus in the Light of Paul’s Theology
Reviewed by Michael F. Bird

Shai Secunda, The Talmud’s Red Fence: Menstrual Impurity and Difference in Babylonian Judaism and Its Sasanian Context
Reviewed by Marjorie Lehman

Joshua Joel Spoelstra, Life Preservation in Genesis and Exodus: An Exegetical Study of the Tebâ of Noah and Moses
Reviewed by David M. Carr

Michael J. Thate, The Godman and the Sea: The Empty Tomb, the Trauma of the Jews, and the Gospel of Mark
Reviewed by Albert L. A. Hogeterp

Howard Thurman; David B. Gowler and Kipton E. Jensen, eds., Sermons on the Parables
Reviewed by S. D. Giere

Markus Tiwald, ed., The Q Hypothesis Unveiled: Theological, Sociological, and Hermeneutical Issues behind the Sayings Source
Reviewed by John S. Kloppenborg

A Biblical Theology of David and Goliath

Jason Hood has a very interesting treatment treatment here of the David and Goliath story (1 Sam 17). His biblical theology treatment is interesting and even persuasive. But, I am wrestling with how his approach is different from the allegorical approaches that he rejects at the beginning of the article. I see two differences. First, Hood replaces anthropocentric allegorical approaches with what he sees as a theocentric biblical theology approach. Second, he approaches the David and Goliath within the broader story of the Bible whereas some other popular allegorical approaches fall outside of the biblical story line. But some of Hood's connections, his tracing of the biblical theology, seem a bit of a stretch for me. In any case, the article is worth checking out.

A Chronology of Paul

Ken Berding shares his Pauline chronology here. I like the fact that he dates the death of Christ to AD 33 and that Paul writes Galatians before the Jerusalem council.

The Value of the Talmud

This article does a fair job of explaining what the Talmud is and why this Jewish text it might be beneficial for Christians.

Social Media Toxicity

Thom Rainer has a good post here on six ways toxic social media affects pastors. I think Rainer's comments also apply to Christians in general. I recently saw an online exchange where a fellow preacher's reasonable comments were labeled dumb and ridiculous by a fellow preacher. Although I did not agree with the first preacher's comments, I winced when I saw the second pastor's demeaning response.

Psalm 52 Links

I have been working on a commentary on the Psalms. I have decided to compile some helpful links that I discovered during my research. It includes a mix of exegetical and sermonic links. Here is what I have for Psalm 52 (in no particular order). Feel free to mention any that you find helpful in the comments section.

Into the Word with Paul Carter: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/into-the-word/psalms-52-54

Analysis by C. J. Labuschagne: https://www.labuschagne.nl/ps052.pdf

William Barrick’s notes: https://drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Psalms/Ps_052.pdf

Psalm 52 devotional: https://www.generations.org/devotionals/65

Psalm 52: The Fate of the Arrogant Man: https://claudemariottini.com/2019/07/18/psalm-52-the-fate-of-the-arrogant-man

J. Ligon Duncan Sermon: https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/denouncing-doeg