Real Education

To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding,  Proverbs 1:2  NASB

Instruction – Hebrew education?  Well, let’s see.  Rabbi Ishmael’s answer to the question of Ben Damah (Menachoth 99b): “May one such as I who have studied the whole of the Torah learn Greek wisdom?—He thereupon read to him the following verse, ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.’ [Joshua 1:8]  Go then and find a time that is neither day or night and learn then Greek wisdom.”[1]

But, of course, that isn’t our view, is it?  Western Man has adopted the Greek view of education, the Renaissance view—to be expert in everything.  Our model is Leonardo, not Moses.  And we have the proof.  Just look at all the advances we’ve made.  Oh, but don’t look too closely at the moral catastrophe that’s followed in the wake of those advances.  Why, we could even point to the fact that more Jews have won Nobel prizes than any other ethnic group.  What’s the really significant difference between Greek education and Hebrew education?  It’s not discovery or facts or theories or applications.  It’s morality.  Hebrew education is moral education.  Torah comes before everything else because Torah is God’s instruction to men.  It’s about how we treat each other and how we fulfill our obligation to God.  Greek education is about the world, how it works, how to control it, what to think about it.  Everything in Hebrew education is governed by one principle: it’s God’s world.  That’s what matters.  The rest is what you learn when it’s neither day nor night.

When we read this verse in Proverbs, we need to keep this difference in mind.  The Hebrew word used here is mûsār.  The LXX translates this with paideuo, but it’s not the same in Greek.

The LXX translates primarily as paideuo, which emphasizes the notion of education. The Ugaritic cognate ysrmeaning “to chasten, instruct” (UT 19: no. 1120).  From the usage and parallels in the ot, one must conclude that yāsar and mûsār denote correction which results in education. The theological basis for discipline is grounded in the covenant relationship which Yahweh establishes with his people. . . Key to an understanding of mûsār is Deut 11:2ff’., “Consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, … his signs and his deeds which he did in Egypt to Pharaoh … , and what he did to the army of Egypt … , and what he did for you in the wilderness.” In short, the mûsār of Yahweh is his mighty activity in covenant history by which he reveals himself (cf. v. 7 with 4:35f.).^[2]  [my emphasis]

That Deut 8:5 uses the comparative expression “as a man disciplines his son” is not without covenantal and theological significance. The ancient treaties often refer to the suzerain king as a father and to the vassal as his son (cf. McCarthy, CBQ 27:144–47). In Moses’ covenant hymn we read that Yahweh is referred to as Father (Deut 32:6; cf. 1:31; Isa 1:2) of the covenant people (although Ex 4:22; Deut 1:31 teach the same concept). Hence, the theological basis for an earthly father’s discipline over his son is in the covenant. He bears the image of his covenant Lord, and as such stands in parallel relationship over his children—chastening, correcting, instructing, providing—which are expressions of an interpersonal relationship of love. So also the thirty usages in Prov and elsewhere, e.g. Prov 3:11–12 where mûsār and tōkaḥat “reproof, correction” are said to come from Yahweh “for whom the Lord loves (ʾāhab) he reproves (yākaḥ), even as a father the son in whom he delights.” Hence, discipline gives assurance of sonship, for mûsār primarily points to a God-centered way of life, and only secondarily to ethical behavior. Proverbs 1:7 couples it with the “fear of Yahweh,” and 1:8 with tôrâ “instruction, teaching.” Hence, also the pricelessness of mûsār (8:10) and the reason why fools despise it (15:5, 32). Proverbs and other wisdom literature speak of discipline with emphasis on instruction. It is tempting to see that the seemingly disparate notions of correction and instruction converge beautifully only in the covenant.^[3]  [my emphasis]

Oh, if we only had Ph.D.’s in God-centered living!  Ah, but we can.  The course is open to all.  It just requires acknowledging that the world is God’s, not ours, and that everything we do affects the shape of that world.  That means we gladly accept discipline, correction, punishment, and reproof because we desire above all things to fully represent the covenant God made with His creation and His people.  This course is hard because it is opposed to our penchant to follow the yetzer ha’ra.  But it’s not difficult, at least not in terms of understanding.  It’s a moral challenge, not an intellectual one.  It confronts our behavior in the smallest detail day and night.  All the rest of the time, you can do what you want.

Topical Index:  mûsār, instruction, correction, education, Proverbs 1:2

[1] Thomas L. Pangle, Political Philosophy and the God of Abraham, fn. 42 to pp 43-45.

^[2] Gilchrist, P. R. (1999). 877 יָסַר. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., pp. 386–387). Chicago: Moody Press.

^[3] Ibid.