Trust, God and Understanding

Proverbs 3:5-8
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and lean not on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be a healing for your flesh
    and a refreshment for your body.


The first verse of this section ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding) is a favorite passage among Christians, especially fundamentalists. They use it as justification for taking the Bible absolutely literally. If someone turns to the trappings of science, and does not rely on Genesis 1 as a definitive account of not just why but how the universe is created, they are supposedly relying on their own understanding, and not God. Of course, if one pointed out to them that it is circular and thus fallacious (an example of the 'fallacy of begging the question') to use a passage of the Bible to argue for plenary inerrancy, I guess to them that too would be leaning on one's own understanding. 

But in point of fact this passage, to paraphrase THE PRINCESS BRIDE "does not mean what they think it means". As is usually the case, it is important to look at it in context. The seventh verse really gives us a foundation for interpreting the rest of the text. The issue is NOT one of taking the Bible as an end-all be-all when it comes to knowledge. It is about being comfortable with mystery and accepting the limited nature of all human knowing.

If you say 'well I know this because the Bible tells me so', guess what? You are relying on your own understanding no less than the scientician who thinks that science gives all knowledge. For it is not God who translated or reads the Bible, it is you. And it is not God who interprets what you read (and it is impossible to read anything without interpretation) it is you. This passage is about trusting in the fact that we do not know, but God knows. That we are not love, but God is. It is about saying, 'yes, well, I cannot be sure if this is the right thing, but I'm going to do the best I can and throw myself on the mercy of God.' It is about acting in uncertainty, repentance and most importantly humility.

The Bible-thumper who thinks he 'knows' and is comfortable in that knowledge is just as guilty as violating this seeming commandment as the scientician who is confident that the human mind is capable of discerning any and all truth. We stand before mystery, and are confronted with the unknowable every day. Christians and non-Christians alike. Believers and non-believers alike, are faced with the limits of their own knowing. The issue is what attitude one will take before that mystery. Will one admit that one does not know, but be able to act anyways in the confidence that God does know? Can one accept that they don't even really know themselves, but that they are loved by a God who knows them? These are the questions that the passage brings up.

It is not about the ability to discern God's will. It is about the limit of that ability. I am not wise, but I stand before wisdom. I do not know, but I am known. This is the meaning of the passage. Or, rather, I think it is, I believe it is. And if I'm wrong, after all, it is God who judges.