In | Moral and Wisdom Literature, Part 2

The Ten Commandments explicitly prohibit immoral behavior. They tell people how to act and what not to do. The proverbs, while in agreement with the commandments and their values, aren’t prescribing anything. They’re not telling us what to do, but rather describing consequences. Wisdom Literature describes what moral literature prescribes. For example: 

He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,
But he who ignores reproof goes astray. 
Proverbs 10:17 (NASB)

While Proverbs is not moral instruction like the Ten Commandments, it is no less dogmatic. And it certainly makes its points with dramatic emphasis. 

There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death. 
Proverbs 16:25 (NASB)

One way to think about it is that Wisdom Literature gives us a holistic, integrated worldview perspective to approach life’s decisions.

For some of us, this relatively indirect and general approach may feel underwhelming or unsatisfying. When we’re looking for commands, we can look to the moral literature that populates other biblical genres. While we’re in Proverbs, we would do well to appreciate it for what it is and learn to navigate the map of reality that it offers in place of more explicit directives.