Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day three)
“A man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.”
Why don’t they just say it plainly? Why all these allusions and riddles? This was also the question of Jesus’s disciples. Time and again, they asked him to explain what he meant. Jesus could have said, “Your neighbor is anyone with whom you are in effective contact regardless of station in life.” Instead, he told the parable of the Samaritan. Proverbs could have said, “Some things are beyond the control of even those with absolute political power.” Instead, it says, “A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.” Plain talk will eventually get lost in the noise of life. Riddles, parables, and puzzles will intrigue hearers and invite curiosity for generations.
