Walking with Wisdom 6: Wisdom’s Party

A few years ago, I heard a man recount his family gathering for Thanksgiving. Everyone crowded into the kitchen, busily preparing the meal, bumping elbows and bodies. Suddenly, his grandmother hollered, “Too many cooks spoil the broth!” Everyone scattered, leaving her to prepare the meal in a more orderly manner. After the Thanksgiving dinner, as she walked into the kitchen with a load of dirty dishes, she announced, “Many hands make light work!” At that, everyone came running to help clean up.

This is a perfect example of what the theologian Michael Fox calls "Dueling Proverbs." This concept suggests that some wisdom may not be applicable to every situation. Indeed, there are times when proverbs are wise in certain contexts but can be catastrophic in others. Fox goes on to say, “Proverbs are like a collection of coins; their value remains latent until the coin is spent on something.” Knowing when and where to spend these coins is precisely what Proverbs 9 aims to teach.