A Good Name and Sound Teaching

Chapter 22 begins with values that money cannot buy. A good name is more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have this in common: Yahweh is the maker of them all. This truth calls us to honor every person. The result of humility and the fear of Yahweh is wealth, honor, and life.

Verse 6 is often quoted: Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Like other proverbs, it describes a wise pattern rather than a guarantee. Early habits shape a whole life. He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender.

At verse 17 a new collection begins, the words of the wise. Turn your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Apply your heart to my teaching. I teach you today, even you, so that your trust may be in Yahweh. The goal of wisdom is trust in God. Don't exploit the poor because he is poor; and don't crush the needy in court; for Yahweh will plead their case. Don't befriend a hot-tempered man. Don't associate with one who harbors anger, lest you learn his ways and ensnare your soul. In the New Testament, Paul writes that from infancy Timothy had known the holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15).