Stack Study: Proverbs & the Life of Solomon Lesson 4
A guide for reading and studying Proverbs via Substack | words + heart
If you’ve ever studied James, you know he doesn’t pull any punches regarding our words—the tongue can set your whole life on fire, he says. I can’t help but wonder if James, the half brother of Jesus who was often revered for his Jewish heritage and devotion, framed his theology of the tongue from boyhood studies of Proverbs. Just a wondering from one Bible nerd to hopefully another…
Today, we get into the nitty gritty of how our words are connected to our hearts and our hearts are connected to…you guessed it…our actions. Solomon offers us a narrative that will resonate even with those of us who have never been king over an entire nation. May we learn from his example rather than setting our lives ablaze.
If you are new or want to share with a friend, here’s a link to the beginning of this series.
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.” - Proverbs 2:1-5, NIV
Proverbs 10-22 offer a shift in the poetic style to the more typical Hebrew “mashal” characterized by brief statements conveying some kind of moral truth.
Initially, Solomon uses his wealth wisely during temple construction, but soon forgets God’s commands for how a king should rule over Israel. His wealth appears to be the root of this forgetfulness.
Proverbs and the life of Solomon reveal that wealth can be used as a blessing and tool, but is more often a huge stumbling block for living in the Kingdom way.
Jesus offers us hope that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). We are invited to follow and be equipped by the Spirit to steward what we have with wisdom.
Remember these chapters take a shorter and more direct approach such that we are studying themes sprinkled through the verses, but not necessarily in any particular order. Last week, we highlighted any text referencing wealth. This week we are continuing this practice as we examine what Scripture has to say about our words.
We all use words. If we pause for a moment and think about all the ways we use them throughout our day, I think we’d be surprised by the sheer volume of words we use in a day to communicate with the world—text messages, DMs, emails, phone calls, in-person conversations and those are just the words going out of us. Who knows the volume of words we consume?
Words are arguably one of our most essential resources for daily living. Just as wealth can be used wisely for flourishing or foolishly for destruction, so it goes with our words. We know this intuitively, but let’s engage our intellect in what Proverbs has to say very clearly about the matter.
For this exercise, choose a red colored pencil and mark every reference in chapters 10-22 related to words, mouths, speech, or something similar.
Examine your red markings and begin to glean some insights regarding the function and purpose of our words. In true Proverbs fashion, you will find there is more than one way to use them. Let’s sort out of our observations…
When words are used wisely they nourish, build up, protect, spread wisdom and knowledge, bring healing, promote instruction, give pleasure.
When words are used foolishly they tear down, destroy, spread lies, bring violence, deceive and mislead, cause pain.
Words are a tool. Their volume and the timing of their delivery matter. If we’re speaking too much or we’re impulsively “gushing out,” we can be sure that our communication is set on a trajectory that will not lead to health. “Where words are many, sin is not absent” (v. 10:19).
Words are also an indicator and this one stings a little. How our words show up in the world reflects the internal state of affairs and this is obvious based on the number of times the text links the mouth and the heart. “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth” (v. 16:23).
Simply put, our words are like symptoms. My daughter has a few “tells” for when she’s going to be sick. First, she falls asleep abruptly which is very out of character for her. Sleeping during the day is a sure sign that puking is on the horizon. She wakes up, throws up, has a slight fever for one day, and then she’s back to normal and this cycle has repeated itself many times over the course of her 8 years. Why it matters for our little analogy here is that her symptoms are not the actual problem. The actual problem is whatever little virus is going through her small body. I know that when I am tending to her symptoms—cleaning up, covering her with a blanket, giving her Tylenol—I am not actually addressing the real problem. The real work has to happen internally by way of her young immune system. Only this kind of deep work can get to the root of the issue.
Consider the source. Because we believe Solomon to have authored, or at least heavily influenced, the collection of Proverbs, we can acknowledge that his words have been used for good—at times, even in spite of himself.
Examine the following aspects of his life with an eye for how he engages his speech. What did he say? How did he say it? Who was he listening to? What did this indicate? This reading is lengthy so I’ve linked only to the main portion of Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple and the blessing he speaks over the people. For a deeper dive, consider reading the entirety of chapter 8.
Read 1 Kings 8:22-30, then verses 56-61
What does it say?
With the ark now in the Temple, Solomon begins his prayer by remembering God’s promises and asking God to keep his word.
Solomon asks God for things. He asks God to hear his prayer and ends with a request for forgiveness.
Solomon stands up and speaks a blessing in a loud voice to all the people, reminding them that “not one word has failed” of all God has promised.
Solomon uses his blessing to remember the promises of God and to ask God for his presence, provision, and praise.
To answer this question, let’s return to the law given through Moses in Deuteronomy for how kings should rule over Israel.
Read Deuteronomy 17:18-20
The king is supposed to write and read the scrolls and to carry them with him wherever he goes. Essentially, the king is to know the words of God so intimately that when he prays and blesses the people, he echos the very words of Yahweh. God is warning future kings that if they are not anchored in His words, their hearts will be led astray.
Solomon knows that words are powerful and to use them wisely requires knowing the One from whom all wisdom flows. This is what we see him doing in 1 Kings 8 at the dedication of the Temple with hands raised reciting God’s promises back to the people.
So when do things start to change for Solomon? God appeared to Solomon twice over the course of his life to remind him to follow the Deuteronomic laws. Last week, we saw a preview of him forgetting these laws when he used his wealth to acquire horses and flood the economy with silver. For the sake of chronology in our story, God’s second appearance to Solomon happens right now—after the temple dedication. A quick survey of chapters 9 and 10 include Solomon’s foray into slave labor, intermarriage with foreign wives, and the building a huge army. Things are slipping.
Read 1 Kings 11:9-13
What does it say? Solomon’s heart has turned away from God.
While the evidence of this is seen in his outer life, the wisdom of Proverbs tell us that his heart was surely involved. Considering he has rejected the other instructions for kings in Deuteronomy, I believe its safe to assume Solomon was no longer studying the scrolls and herein lies the connection: When Solomon turned away from the words of God, his heart did also.
For the rest of Solomon’s story, we don’t hear much about his actual words, but we do see a lot about the condition of his heart. He grows old and is led astray.
Proverbs teaches us that our words are a tool and our words reveal the condition of our heart. While the early part of Solomon’s life offers a beautiful picture of how our words can echo the promises of God, his later life gives a sad glimpse into a future disconnected from God’s word and a heart ultimately led astray.
We are not too dissimilar from Solomon. There are seasons we feel anchored in the words of God, his promises ringing in our earbuds as we walk the dog around the block. And there are seasons when we barely remember to run the dishwasher, let alone practice any kind of spiritual discipline, even the ones as simple as breathing out a memorized verse here and there.
Yet there’s simply nothing more essential for the anchoring of our lives than the very words of God. Somehow knowing what He says changes what we say. We begin to consider not what we want, but what others might need from us. We ask not that He would give us what we desire, but that He’d change our hearts to desire Him. When this happens, we’re less concerned with the outcomes of our daily lives and more focused on seeing God’s vision for His kingdom to advance here on earth.
And it’s irresistible.
Jesus also said a lot about words. In fact, he was called the word in John 1:14: “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Once again this all starts and stops with Jesus who became flesh and for a time made His dwelling on earth—His presence ushered into our reality just as the cloud of God’s glory descended on Solomon’s finished temple. In the same way that Solomon’s prayer came from his encounter with God’s presence, our words can flow from Christ living in us. We have the gift of the Spirit available in real time, minute by minute, hour by hour, such that we don’t have to go to the temple to make sacrifices and beg God’s presence to descend. He is here with us and His words are available to us in Scripture. May we never forget.
Consider and take inventory. Use the wisdom of Proverbs to evaluate the condition of your heart by way of your words. Invite God’s presence to move in you so that your words reflect all His goodness to the world that desperately needs it.
Questions for reflection
What am I saying and how is it coming out of me? (frequency & delivery)
What do my words reveal about the condition of my heart?
Who am I listening to? Do I know their words better than I know God’s words?
Reminders from Proverbs & the Life of Solomon
Our words are a tool with functions that can build up or tear down. Our words are an indicator of the condition of our heart.
The wise way to use words is in response to God’s movement and pointing in the direction of God’s promises.
The words that go into us shape the words that come out of us.
If we want our words to bring life and wisdom, they have to be anchored in God’s promises and Christ in us.
