Proverbs and the Tree of Life—Part 2

 

Review and Introduction

Part 1 of this series studied the Tree of Life as it is mentioned throughout the Bible and the literary structures that reveal its deeper meaning. This article will explore the bigger picture in the book of Proverbs, along with its allegorical and metaphorical meanings. 

King Solomon shares his wisdom.
Isaak Asknaziy

An Introduction to the Book of Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs will provide us with a deeper insight into how the event of eating from the forbidden tree was about much more than just food selection. It was about knowing, or could we say, shacking up with an immoral woman and forsaking the virtuous one, which are both presented in chapter two of the Book of Proverbs. Before examining the two women, we will discuss the book, its author, and the book's purpose.

The Book of Proverbs is credited to King Solomon's wise sayings. It begins with what the Tree of Life in the Garden had on its menu.

To know wisdom and instruction, 
To perceive the words of understanding, 
To receive the instruction of wisdom, 
Justice, judgment, and equity; 
To give prudence to the simple, 
To the young man, knowledge and discretion— 
A wise man will hear and increase learning, 
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 
To understand a proverb and an enigma, 
The words of the wise and their riddles. 
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge ... 

— Proverbs 1:1-7 
 

The Wrong Crowd

The next section of the first chapter of Proverbs features a father's heartfelt plea to his son to choose good paths over evil. He clearly advises him to be careful about whom he listens to and what he chooses to engage in. Evil is personified here as "the wrong crowd," a term many parents of teenagers can relate to. This illustration shows who Adam was spending time with on that fateful occasion. Why were Adam and Eve hanging out near this forbidden fruit and talking with a snake-like being?

The father in Proverbs makes a desperate plea to his son not to partake of the crowd's evil offerings, and, just like in Genesis, the father includes the consequence of death for choosing this particular path. He begins his warning.

My son, if sinners entice you ... 

— Proverbs 1:10

The "sinners" in this Proverb's verse could be compared to the evil being residing in the tree in Genesis. One, in particular, was mentioned. In our English translation, he is referred to as a serpent, but this term can also be interpreted as a shiny, sparkling one. He is part of the wrong crowd, enticing the newly created man to run with him. The father instructs his son as follows. 

Do not consent.
If they say, "Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse"—
My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
Surely, in vain, the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

— Proverbs 1:10-19

The Proverbs discourse reveals God's prohibition along with the resulting death sentence expressed as "taking away the life of its owners," compared with the "you shall surely die" clause in the Genesis narrative. The above description also strongly resembles what happened to Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve, after their fall from grace in the fourth chapter of Genesis. The language of good and evil is presented in terms of doing well and not doing well.

So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well (good), will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well (evil), sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. 

Now Cain talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. 

— Genesis 4:6-8 

Jesus' disciple John explains a bit about the behind-the-scenes "good and evil" workings of this event.

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 

— 1 John 3:11-12

Two Trees and Two Women

In the third section of Proverbs, chapter one, we are introduced to wisdom personified as a virtuous woman who represents the tree of life. She is contrasted with an immoral woman in the second chapter, who depicts the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The section begins with wisdom calling out in the open square. 

Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
She cries out in the chief concourses
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words,
Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you

— Proverbs 1:20-21

This theme is elaborated on in chapter eight of Proverbs.

Does not wisdom cry out,
And understanding lifts up her voice?
She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, (Eden was on a hill)
Beside the way, where the paths meet. (cross)
She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
"To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.

— Proverbs 8:1-4 (parentheses inserted are mine)

 "The way where the paths meet" is an interesting phrase. It symbolizes the moments when we have to choose between good and evil. It's a crossroads. The decisions we make at these intersections depend on who we serve and where our loyalties lie.

Notably, the two "crying out in the streets" episodes in the Lady Wisdom bookend this section of Proverbs, with the first in chapter one and the second in chapter eight. Both events place Proverbs 4 at the center. This chapter is titled "Security in Wisdom" in the NKJV translation and contains the full appeal of wisdom. Nothing compares to the pure and chaste lady wisdom in this chapter. 

Aside from chapter four, wisdom is contrasted in Proverbs with the immoral woman who also calls out in the street. She is like the second tree in the garden. Both of these women, the wise and immoral, cry out in the streets. They both hope to win the hearts of men and animate the two trees in the garden.

... she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat by the highest places of the city,
To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way:
"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
"Stolen water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

— Proverbs 2:16-19

In Proverbs chapter five, the immoral woman is vividly portrayed as a seductive adulteress. She offers a glimpse into the cleverness of temptation and how the same event in the garden was essentially an illicit affair.

For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil.

— Proverbs 5:2

The father explains that if his son chooses the right woman (wisdom, the tree of life), she will save him from the seductress. In chapter two, the immoral woman is revealed to be an adulterous apostate, just like the inhabitant of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  

When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
To deliver you from the way of evil,

To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,
Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.

— Proverbs 2:10-12, 16-17

God is not present during the temptation in the garden. It had to be their own, voluntary decision; otherwise, it wouldn't be genuine love. Love that isn't chosen isn't true love. God doesn't force or manipulate us into loving Him. This same absence is shown when the seductress makes her appeal.

For my husband is not at home;
He has gone on a long journey;
He has taken a bag of money with him,
And will come home on the appointed day.”

With her enticing speech, she caused him to yield,
With her flattering lips, she seduced him.

— Proverbs 7:19

As in Genesis, there is a word of warning from the father concerning where this path leads if he chooses the adulterous journey.

For her house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life

— Proverbs 2:18-19

Before we are quick to blame temptation itself, wisdom corrects us.

His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly, he shall go astray

— Proverbs 5:22-23

Temptation likes to imagine that God won't know and won't see.

He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

— Psalm 84:8-9

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,

— Proverbs 5:21

Temptation always minimizes or completely dismisses the consequences.

Then the serpent said to the woman,
"You will not surely die".

— Genesis 3:4

Or flat out denies it is wrong.

This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.

— Proverbs 30:20

Temptation twists the truth and invites us to be our lords.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

... Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

— Isaiah 5:20-21,24

The father in Proverbs advises his son differently. Imagine the "Father" in heaven with Adam in the garden. As you read, consider the possibility that this was part of God's appeal for Adam to choose the right woman or tree, metaphorically speaking.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh
And strength to your bones.

— Proverbs 3:5-8 

 

Proverbs Chapter Nine—Pulling It All Together

Proverbs chapter nine, in its entirety, is in a chiastic form that ties all of these themes together. It summarizes concepts that announce an impending narrative shift just around the corner.

This Proverb starts with "Lady Wisdom" and ends with the immoral woman. The message between them is very direct and aligns with all the previous eight chapters. Let's compare and contrast these two women in this summary chapter.

Lady Wisdom:

Lady Wisdom has built her house; 
She has supported it with seven pillars. 
She's prepared a feast: 
She's slaughtered her animals, poured a spiced wine, and set her table.
She has sent out her servants with the invitation to come; 
She, too, calls out from the highest point of the city:

Whoever is gullible (impressionable, easily persuaded and enticed, open to anything, broad-minded), turn in here. 
Then, turning to those who are naive (lacking heart in Hebrew), she says: 

Come in. Come, eat my bread, 
and drink my spiced wine. 
Give up your gullible (impressionable, easily persuaded and enticed, open to anything, broad-minded) ways, and live. 
Set your course for understanding. 

The central theme.

Whoever tries to discipline a scoffer should expect insults in return.
Whoever tries to correct an evildoer is likely to get hurt in the process.
So do not correct a scoffer unless you are ready to be hated,

But correct the wise, and you will be loved.
Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser.
Teach upstanding people, and they will learn even more.
Reverence (the fear of the Lord) for the Eternal, the one True God, is the beginning of wisdom; true knowledge of the Holy One is the start of understanding.

Through me (wisdom), your days will be lengthened,
And years will be added to your life.

If you are wise, wisdom is its own reward.
If you mock what you don't understand, you alone will suffer the consequences.

Lady Folly:

Compared to Wisdom, the Lady Folly is rowdy and loud, naive and ignorant.
She sits by the door of her house,
on a bench at the highest place in the city,

Crooning to passersby
who hurry straight on to their destinations:

Whoever is gullible (impressionable, easily persuaded and enticed, open to anything, broad-minded), turn in here.
You are welcome in this place!

Then, she turns to the naive.

Stolen water tastes so much sweeter!
Bread secreted away is much more satisfying to eat!

But those who pause to listen to Lady Folly do not know death is the next stop,
that her guests are walking cadavers. (The Voice Version)

— Proverbs 9 (inserted parentheses are mine)

Lady Wisdom differs from the "immoral woman in that she prepares a sacrificial meal, pours spiced wine, sets the table, and sends her servants to invite those who will come. Alternatively, the immoral woman is presented as loud and obnoxious. She has prepared nothing. Both of them are calling out to the same crowds of the broad-minded and those lacking heart. 

Lady Wisdom's invitation is to come and eat and drink, and it requires forsaking the broad path. Responding to Lady Wisdom's call is similar to the idea of repentance discussed in Matthew's Gospel.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 

'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.'" 

— Matthew 3:1-3 

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 

— Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus' parable of the wedding feast allegorizes this scene again of a Father seeking a bride for His Son.

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

— Matthew 22:1-10

The immoral woman, by contrast, offers an invitation to drink stolen waters and eat secret bread. Lady Wisdom proposes that her way will lead to life. The immoral woman's path suggests nothing but temporary pleasure that inevitably leads to death. Between these two ladies' appeals are examples of two different responses to Lady Wisdom's proposal. Those who reject her are willful, abusive, resistant, and defensive. Those who embrace her will become wiser and be rewarded with a long life.

The key to the entire discussion is at the core of this chapter. The fear of the LORD and an understanding of His greatness and holiness are the beginning of a meaningful, creative existence. The main takeaway is the reward or the consequence, depending on who one listens to.

It's About Loyalty

When God renews His covenant (marital contract) with the children of Israel before they enter the Promised Land, an image of Eden or paradise, He again presents them with a decision of loyalty that echoes back to Eden. The terms of this covenant are not hidden in fine print. They are loud and clear, and He repeats them twice—once at the beginning of Deuteronomy and again at the end. The choice is between life and good, death and evil, and all are connected with blessing and cursing. There were blessings in the tree of life and curses in the other.

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. 

— Deuteronomy 11:26-28 

See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.

— Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Joshua further details this scene upon their entry into the Promised Land.

Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in faithfulness and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 

— Joshua 24:14-15

God's presentation of options came with a strong appeal for their love and faithfulness that could only be expressed by their choosing to obey Him.

Fresco of a basket of figs at Villa Poppaea, Oplontis, Italy.

It's About Obedience

In God's economy, loyal love is demonstrated through obedience. In Jeremiah's book, God warned His people that they had crossed the line in terms of unfaithfulness, idolatry, and evildoing, and that Babylon was coming to take them captive. God explains that those who resist captivity are evil, and those who submit in obedience are good. He uses the metaphor of baskets with both good and bad figs to convey the warning. Interestingly, the scene takes place in front of the Lord's Temple. Many scholars consider the Garden of Eden the very first earthly temple. This conversation begins in chapter 21, of which I will include a small portion of this very familiar Genesis language.

Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death ... The Lord showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first ripe, and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten; they were so bad. Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?" 

And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad." 

Again, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. ‘

And as the bad figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad—surely thus says the Lord—so will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. I will deliver them to trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them. And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, till they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.'” 

— Jeremiah 21:8; 24 

The comparison again highlights the issue of obedience.

The world and the desires it causes are disappearing.
But if we obey God, we will live forever.

— I John 2:17

The figs are significant in relation to the Jeremiah account and the garden event. The following section will explain.

This concludes part 2 of this series. All parts of this series are linked below.


 

 

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