I think verse 19 is the crux verse here: “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” I’ve been reading John Eldredge lately ( Wild at Heart Beautiful Outlaw ), so I’m kind of pumped on guy stuff right now. Crucibles: subjected to the heat of purifying fire. Death and Destruction never being satisfied: ’nuff said. Feel the crushing pain of missing the anvil and striking your thumb, times ten! And what about the verses that come after? Guarding, protecting: sounds like dangerous guy stuff. Hear the clank of hammer and steel on the anvil. You still don’t believe me? An obnoxious morning person? A quarrelsome wife? She’s compared to oil, wind, a dripping faucet.
Granted, that could be for the better, but I think the context may suggest otherwise. It sounds like they might be getting on each other’s nerves. It sounds more like two guys battling each other just to stay ahead. Habakkuk uses it to describe the fierceness of horsemen going out to battle. Solomon’s use of the word in Proverbs 27:17 seems rather innocuous if we fail to look past the popular modern interpretation, but it is the second half of the verse that really got me thinking that this might not be the comfortable camaraderie often portrayed: “one man sharpens the face of a friend.” Now I ask you, does that sound like mutual encouragement? Does that sound like a slap on the back? NO! The passages in Ezekiel speak of the sword being sharpened for the slayer going out to slaughter. The Hebrew word for “sharpen” ( חָדַד, ḥā∙ḏǎḏ ) here is only used six times in the Old Testament: twice in Proverbs 27:17, three times in Ezekiel 21:9–11, and once in Habakkuk 1:8. When iron strikes iron, or even when iron sharpens iron, sparks fly. It is at that step of the process that we see the true nature of Proverbs 27:17. Once it has the length and temper it needs to be a good sword, the smith gives it its sharp edge by grinding and polishing. Then once the sword has its basic shape, it’s repeatedly subjected to the hot fire and hammered on an anvil to refine its shape and give it its edge. Have you ever watched someone forge a sword? First of all, you have to get the metal hot enough to melt into the basic shape of the sword. A look at the Hebrew of the verse and a little common sense about metallurgy will help make the point. But as I’m prone to do, I’m about to shatter that long-held belief that the verse refers to positive male camaraderie.
This brings me to Proverbs 27:17, a verse that is at the heart of nearly every men’s ministry message and program that’s ever been published. Your hands feel slimy until you can get the oil off of them. And trying to reason with a quarrelsome wife? Forget about it! Not only is it difficult to hold oil in your hand, but it’s also hard to get off unless you use some hot water and soap. It was a mess, to say the least, and a pain to keep up with. About a year ago, the same week I was moving out of my mom’s basement and into my own place, their upstairs toilet started leaking pretty bad into what had been my bedroom. If you’ve ever had a leaky roof, you know exactly what he’s talking about. The imagery Solomon applies to quarrelsome wives is even more striking. In fact, the next two verses seem to have a similar theme: being obnoxious doesn’t win you any friends. If you’re obnoxious early in the morning, some people just aren’t going to like that. They are statements that ring true to us about the way things are, but they were never intended to be transformed into commands. Keep in mind that Proverbs is not a book of commands, but a book of pithy generalities about life. “Hi, Scott! Beautiful morning, isn’t it? Just breathe in that fresh morning air!” You want to turn around and smack the guy silly, right? Now of course, I’m not advocating that. You know the type, the one who sees you dragging into work before the coffee or other caffeinated beverage kicks in and decides to have a little fun at your expense. I think most of us know what this verse is really talking about. Morning people are a curse to their neighbors! Now admittedly, I’m dealing with this a little tongue-in-cheek. But many years ago, when I came across Proverbs 27:14, I was in utter disbelief that such a verse would be in the Bible. I get up daily by 5:30 to get my Bible study in and get ready for work. Here it is from the newest version of the NIV:ġ4 If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,ġ5 A quarrelsome wife is like the drippingġ6 restraining her is like restraining the windġ8 The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit,Īnd whoever protects their master will be honored.Ģ0 Death and Destruction are never satisfied,Ģ1 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, One of my favorite sections of Proverbs is 27:14–21.
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