Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. – Proverbs 17:28

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 31, 2016): Proverbs 17

“It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.” This proverb has moved through several phrasings, but all have carried the same message. And just as the phrasings have changed, so have the authors who have supposedly originated the proverb. Among the best well-known of the possible originators are Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain. But both of those have received late attributions, attributions that have not appeared in media until well after their deaths. So the question is – if they had originated the saying, then why is there not a record of them saying it closer to the period of their lives. While it would not be impossible for either Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain to have written the saying down in what is now a lost document, we have so many lists of their proverbs that one might think that this one would have been included if they had indeed said it.

The proverb as it stands here is the earliest rendition of which we have a confirmed source. This proverb is found in the 1906 book “Mrs. Goose, Her Book” by Maurice Switzer. The book is filled with nonsense poetry, and you can look up and find this jewel on page 29. The book itself seems to be a follow-up or attempted sequel to the L. Frank Baum classic “Father Goose, His Book.” It was this book that set the stage for all of L. Frank Baum’s later writing, including “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Maurice Switzer apparently did not find the same success with “Mrs. Goose.”

But the idea behind the proverb has an even more ancient source – The Bible and the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 17:28 holds the inspiration for all later versions of this proverb - Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. And it might be one of the most needed Proverbs of our day. Somehow we have been infected with the idea that our speech is our strength. We have also been infected with the notion that we have a voice and a right to use it. But often it is the reverse that is true. Strength doesn’t come from our voice, but from our silence. When we are silent, which I need to be more than I am, it lends strength to what we say when we do speak. And yes, we have the right to speak in our culture, but more often than not that right coincides with another right in our culture – the right for the world to know for certain that we are fools.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 18

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness. – Proverbs 16:31

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 30, 2016): Proverbs 16

I live in a youth-dominated culture. I am acutely aware that not every culture on the planet is youth oriented. A good friend of mine is from Africa, and Africa seems to need to be continually reminded of the value of youth. But in my culture, we need to be reminded of the value of age and experience. In fact, it is often a mixture of youth and age that provides the strength that we need. Both are essential to the way that we live and the culture that ultimately shapes us.

So Proverbs reminds us of the value of age (and, later, Paul in Timothy will remind us of the value of the youth side of the equation.) But the NIV also seems to be missing a word in the Proverb. Older translations have included the word “if” between the two clauses. Gray hair is a crown of splendor; if it is attained in the way of righteousness. Those two letters would seem to be incredibly important to the way that we interpret this verse. I know many people with gray hair that would appear to be a waste of space. They are bitter, and judgmental, and have very little to offer the generations that are coming after them. But when the gray hair is the natural result of a person’s faith and chasing after what is right, then they have a roadmap to give to the next generation. They will have the ability to allow the next generation to possess their own individual character, while at the same time guiding them into an honest lifestyle. This has always been the task of the older generations.

Do not overlook the older person in your midst and believe that they have nothing to add of value to your community. The truth is, especially if they have spent their lives in following righteousness, that their value is immeasurable – and their guidance on the path of righteousness will be greatly missed, something that we do not realize until they are no longer present with us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 17