Wisdom Is To Be Sought And Pride Must Be Avoided By The One Who Would Walk In The Right Way With Trust In YHWH (Proverbs 16:16-21).
In this subsection the envelopes of wisdom (Proverbs 16:16) - pride (Proverbs 16:18) - pride (Proverbs 16:19) - wisdom (Proverbs 16:21) surround the call to the reader to walk in the way of the upright and guard his way (Proverbs 16:17) and to give heed to the word and to trust in YHWH (Proverbs 16:20).
The subsection is presented chiastically as follows:
A How much better is it to obtain wisdom than gold! Yes, to obtain shrewdness (binah) is rather to be chosen than silver (Proverbs 16:16)
B The highway of the upright is to depart from evil, he who keeps his way preserves his life (Proverbs 16:17).
C Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
C Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the spoil with the proud (Proverbs 16:19).
B He who gives heed to the word will find good, and whoever trusts in YHWH, happy is he (Proverbs 16:20).
A The wise in heart will be called shrewd (bin), and the sweetness of the lips increases learning (Proverbs 16:21).
Note that in A it is better to obtain wisdom than gold and to obtain shrewdness than silver, and in the parallel the wise in heart will be called shrewd and sweet lips increase learning. In B the upright departs from evil and preserves his life (thus enjoying good, wellbeing and happiness), and in the parallel the one who heeds the word (of wisdom) finds good, and whoever trusts in YHWH will be happy (filled with wellbeing). Centrally in C pride and haughtiness will result in judgment, and in the parallel it is better to be of lowly spirit and poor than to get involved with the proud.
‘How much better is it to obtain wisdom than gold!
Yes, to obtain shrewdness is rather to be chosen than silver.'
These words carry us back into the atmosphere of the Prologue. ‘My (Wisdom's) fruit is better than gold, yes than fine gold, and my revenues than choice silver' (Proverbs 8:19). Compare also Proverbs 3:13-14; Proverbs 8:10; Proverbs 2:4. Wisdom and shrewdness (understanding - binah) are regularly connected (Proverbs 1:2; Proverbs 2:2-3; Proverbs 4:5; Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 7:4)
So to obtain wisdom and shrewdness is far better than the obtaining of silver and gold. It is to obtain a treasure beyond price, an inner treasure that nothing can take away. For they lead man into the highway of the upright, so that he walks uprightly, and enable him to keep his way and preserve his inner life (Proverbs 16:17). In Proverbs 16:21 wisdom produces shrewdness, whilst sweet lips increase learning. Thus the wise seek nuggets of wisdom, rather than the outward trappings of wealth. They seek shrewdness and learning rather than ill-gotten wealth, for they do not seek to ‘divide the spoil with the proud' (Proverbs 16:19)
‘The highway of the upright is to depart from evil,
He who keeps his way preserves his inner life.'
Here the highway (beaten and smooth path) of the upright (the straight) into which wisdom leads men is defined as ‘to depart from evil'. So wisdom is highly moral. To depart from evil is an abomination to fools (Proverbs 13:19), but it is beloved by the wise. It is to choose the right way, the narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14). It is to walk in the fear of YHWH (Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 16:6). The world does not want this way, for to depart from evil (all that is not good) involves avoiding the illicit pleasures of the world. It involves avoiding self-seeking. But it is the wise way, for the one who so guards his way preserves his inner life, and ensures the building up of his spirit. He obtains something far better than gold (Proverbs 16:16).
In Solomon's days ‘highways' provided relatively smooth roads throughout the land, and bypassed cities. To enter a city you turned aside from the highway and took a by-path which led into the city (compare Judges 19:11; Jeremiah 41:5-7). Thus the one who walked in the highway of the upright ignored the distractions of the city, and continued on his upward way. He walked in the path of the righteous which is as the shining light of day, getting ever brighter and brighter (Proverbs 4:18). This picture of life as a way was common in the Prologue (Proverbs 2:13; Proverbs 2:15; Proverbs 2:18-20; Proverbs 3:6; Proverbs 3:17; Proverbs 4:11; Proverbs 4:14; Proverbs 4:18-19; etc.).
‘Pride goes before destruction (before being broken),
And a haughty spirit before a fall.'
In contrast the one who walks in the way of pride and of a haughty spirit will face destruction rather than life, and will finally stumble and fall. It is best not to walk along the highway (Proverbs 16:17) with your nose in the air. For the way of pride and arrogance is one that God hates (Proverbs 8:13), and in Proverbs 6:17 ‘haughty eyes' are described as being an abomination to YHWH. This is, of course, because of what pride results in. It was man's pride and self-seeking which led to man's fall in the first place, as man sought to experience what was forbidden to him, rather than to obey God (Genesis 3). Such pride results in contention (Proverbs 13:10), whilst the proud sweep the humble out of their paths (Psalms 10:2). They have no time for them. They see themselves as above them. In their pride they think that they can even thrust God aside (Psalms 10:4). In their self-confidence they ignore His warnings (Isaiah 9:9-10).
And in Proverbs 16:19 they are seen as those who ‘divide the spoil'. They are those who are ready to obtain wealth by any means, even if it means overriding the rights of others. In Proverbs 1:10-19 they were exemplified by the young man's contemporaries, who in total disregard for the wellbeing of others, sought to entice him into evil ways, encouraging him to obtain wealth by false means (Proverbs 1:10-19). They are men who are too proud to heed the wise words of authority (Proverbs 1:8).
There is an interesting contrast between those who are ‘upright' (straight), and those who are ‘haughty', (the word indicates high and lofty, with their noses in the air). The former walk securely, seeing the way ahead, the latter stumble and fall because their eyes are off the highway. The fact that pride leads to ‘destruction' is a reminder of the broad way spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14. That also led to destruction. The word for destruction means ‘broken'. The proud break others. They will themselves be broken.
‘Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.'
The haughty spirit of Proverbs 16:18 is now compared with ‘a humble spirit' (compare Isaiah 57:15). It is better to be among the lowly and have a humble spirit, and thus to know God (Isaiah 57:15), than to obtain ill-gotten wealth by consorting with the proud, who disregard God. We can compare Proverbs 16:8, ‘better a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice'.
The Scriptures lay great stress on lowliness of spirit, a genuine humility before God. The lowly in spirit are those who are aware of their own sinfulness, and who come to God seeking His forgiveness and compassion. They give careful heed to God's wisdom (Proverbs 16:20). They are of a humble and contrite heart (Isaiah 57:15). They are those who have been blessed by God, and have entered under the Kingly Rule of Heaven (Matthew 5:3). They will obtain honour (Proverbs 29:23; Luke 1:52), for men will recognise their worth.
‘He who gives heed to the word will find good,
And whoever trusts in YHWH, happy is he.'
This proverb might be seen as a definition of the one who is humble in spirit (Proverbs 16:19). He is one who gives heed to ‘the word' (the word of wisdom, compare Proverbs 19:8), and who trusts in YHWH. In Proverbs 13:13 ‘the word' is paralleled with ‘the commandment'. Here is one who listens to the voice of God in order to obey Him. He walks in the highway of the upright (Proverbs 16:17). And the consequence is that he will ‘find good'. He will be blessed in spirit, he will prosper (compare Proverbs 3:16-18), he will preserve his inner life (Proverbs 16:17).
And especially the one who gives heed to the word of wisdom will trust in YHWH (compare Proverbs 3:5). He will look to God, and his dependence will be on God. He will not lean on his own understanding, but will know God in all his ways (compare Proverbs 3:6). And the consequence will be that he will be blessed. he will be happy in his heart. He will enjoy the blessednesses of the Psalmist in Psalms 1. He will experience joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8).
‘The wise in heart will be called shrewd,
And the sweetness (or ‘pleasantness') of the lips increases learning (or ‘persuasiveness').'
The subsection is summed up in these words. Those who are wise in heart, and have demonstrated it by their humbleness of spirit (Proverbs 16:19), by their heeding of the word (Proverbs 16:20), and by their trust in YHWH (Proverbs 16:20), will be called shrewd, that is, sensible, intelligent, men of understanding. They have received the wisdom that is better than gold, and the shrewdness which is better than silver (Proverbs 16:16).
And such men will be capable teachers. Unlike the proud and haughty (Proverbs 16:18) they will speak sweetly so that their words are persuasive (compare the use of ‘learning, fair speech' in Proverbs 7:21). For the wise in heart, who know the wisdom of God, will always seek to pass that wisdom on to others. And they will do it with sweet words, for thereby they will obtain a hearing.