Proverbs 27:23

SHORT TREATISE ON ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds:

For riches are not forever; And doth the crown endure unto all generations?

The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.

The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field;

And there will be goats' milk enough for thy food, the food of thy household, And maintenance for thy maidens."

The purpose of this passage is to emphasize and glorify the type of lifestyle that prevailed in early Israelite history. The wealth of Job, it will be remembered, was in the numbers of his flocks, herds and domesticated animals. In later Jewish history, vineyards, olive yards, and orchards were stressed; but in the patriarchal period, animal husbandry was the source of Israel's livelihood and of their wealth.

"The hay is carried" (Proverbs 27:25). This means it was carried to the barn.

Agriculture is still the means by which mankind is able to live. "The king is fed from the field."

Kidner called this passage "A Pastoral Symphony"; and his words supply an appropriate close for this chapter:

"This scene is not designed to make farmers of everybody, but to show the interplay between man's labor and the nurture of God, which a sophisticated society neglects at its mortal peril. It recalls the reader from the scramble for money and position (Proverbs 27:24) to the satisfaction of doing a worthwhile job well (Proverbs 27:23), and to a recognition of the rhythm (Proverbs 27:25) and sufficiency (Proverbs 27:26-27) of God's care."[28]

Illustration: The Ukraine was once the granary of the continent of Europe; but when its efficient farmers rebelled against the stupid regulations of the Communist overlords, Stalin murdered millions of them; and the Communists were never afterward able to feed themselves, which necessitated their annual purchase of 200,000,000 metric tons of wheat from the United States. This destroyed Communism.