The wisdom tradition in the Bible in the book of Proverbs in the Bible parallels the Karma doctrine traditions of the far east. Everyone gets what they deserve. The notion of ‘Karma' can be a useful concept, and is repeated in various forms in the Bible, most notably in the saying, "you reap what you sow." As a simple example, you can pollute a river and you will drink polluted waters. Each act of pollution contributes to ‘the Karma' (the destiny) of that river, and the end result of that river is the accumulation of individual actions. However, as Mark Twain noted, there are two sides of every coin, and two sides to the ancient Jewish wisdom tradition in the Bible. The doctrine of Karma becomes a snare, however, when it becomes a type of blinkered dogma, such as that of the ancient Jewish wisdom tradition, collected as groups of proverbs in the bible, which purports to explain all reality as being the result of ‘the will of God' (the poor are punished in this reality for past sins, and this can then be seen as resulting in their own ‘bad Karma'). Ideas have limitations, something that very often the dogmas of religion refuse to acknowledge, preferring to think that in a certain religious concept all reality is explained. The critique of this doctrine is the subject of the following page on the book of Job.

     Biblical ideology in its various stages was subject to the same limitations, but this truth has been submerged under the doctrine of that teaches that everything recorded as a doctrine on the pages of the Bible is part of one consistent ‘revelation' and it always completely reveals the truth, in all of its parts.

      The ancient Jewish religion had as one of its core doctrines the notion of 'divine law,' which was received through 'divine intervention and revelation.' (It is not well understood that this doctrine of 'divine law' was subject to the critique of the Jewish prophets.) From this concept developed a notion of 'divine wisdom,' a wisdom which permeated and governed the universe. The wise and righteous were those who actively sought out this divine knowledge while 'fools' were those who did not seek to conform to 'the spiritual laws which governed the creation.' From this concept then came another fundamental doctrine of the ancient Jewish faith, thenotion that God is revealed through history, that history and events are the mode through which the precepts of the cosmic wisdom and law are seen to be revealed through the sovereign action of God in human history. It is these concepts that informs the writings of later history books such as Kings and Chronicles and that is encapsulated in the book of Proverbs.

      At this stage of the tradition there was little interest in attempting to plumb the depths of 'ultimate reality.' The outlook is mainly pragmatic and concerns itself only with human behavior, and bringing it into line with the precepts of cosmic wisdom. The world is as it was ordained by God, who is completely in control of human history. The ideological outlook that naturally follows from this point of view is uncritical of the social order, and rigidly conservative, even reactionary in orientation. To critique the social order would be to criticize God who has ordained and sustained that order through sovereign intervention in human affairs.

      It does not take much probing at all to begin to sense the weaknesses of such an orthodox, uncritical religious ideology. Indeed the structural weaknesses inherent in this mode of thinking strongly parallel the conservatism and the failings of the Far Eastern tradition, when it becomes dogma to be accepted uncritically. "Everyone gets what they deserve," became one of the fundamental principles of the Israeli wisdom tradition. To deny this 'truth' would be to undermine the foundational premise of this orthodoxy, that God's revelation is found through the observation of divine actions in human history. The ideological underpinnings of this tradition, as encapsulated in the proverbs, continues to have a profound influence over the church, and by a process of 'osmosis,' upon society at large.

      Consider the following dogmatic slogan.

"YAHWEH never lets the righteous starve, but God thwarts the desires of the wicked." (Proverbs Chapter 10 verse 3)

      You can compare this to the ideology of the modern fundamentalist movement. "God's people have always been historically prosperous. The reason why countries like India have starvation and such great poverty is because they worship a false god." The parallels between this modern slogan, and the simplistic sloganeering of the proverbs should be obvious. If a nation is prosperous, it must be because God has intervened in history to make them prosper. Similarly, it follows, that when masses of people starve, or children go begging through the streets, it is because God has also intervened in human affairs to create exactly that situation. However, if a rich nation sits beside a starving poor nation, it is hardly sensible to think that the rich nation is 'righteous' as proved by their riches, which were bestowed by God. This notion is the opposite of that found in the gospels, where poverty stricken Lazarus (the poor nation) is blessed and the rich nation cursed. When one examines the function of such an ideology (it justifies cruelty and blames the victims of injustice) one can understand the reactionary form the doctrine has taken (it is hardly 'divine wisdom' but rather self serving and provides the ideological justification for oppressive systems). Furthermore, action can thwarted and rather than working for justice, the religious can work for 'conversion' and 'salvation of the soul of Lazarus.' As the modern dogma states, when 'heathens' see the prosperity of 'God's people' they will be filled with desire for the true faith, and thus be rescued from God's curse of starvation, for the root cause of all poverty is religious error. For,

"simpletons learn wisdom when the wicked are punished, but when they see the wise prospering they draw a lesson from it. God deals effectively with the wicked, and brings them to ruin."

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

"Blessed is the nation whose God is YAHWEH ... Behold, the eye of YAHWEH is on them ... God will deliver their soul from death, and keep them alive in famine."
(Proverbs Chapter 21 verse 11; Proverbs Chapter 14 verse 34; Psalms Chapter 33 verses 12, 18)

      There are other examples of facile, unthought out dogmatic slogans peppered through the book of Proverbs.

"The fear of YAHWEH leads to long life, but the lives of the wicked are cut short." (Proverbs Chapter 10 verse 27)

      Those who live long are holy. Those who die young are wicked. Everyone always gets what they deserve, and bad things never happen to good people. For,

"no trouble will ever come upon the righteous, but the wicked get nothing but adversity." "Right conduct always protects the righteous, but wickedness brings sinners down." "Bad luck always follows sinners, but good fortune rewards the righteous." (Proverbs Chapter 12 verse 21, Proverbs Chapter 13 verses 5, 21)

      Similarly, good people (and 'holy nations' with 'the rightgod') are rich, while sinners are poor.

"In the house of the righteous there is much wealth." "Godly conduct brings riches, honor, and long life." "YAHWEH watches over the courts of the land and always upsets the case of the perjurer." (Proverbs Chapter 15 verse 6, Proverbs Chapter 22 verses 4, 12)

      Justice is always done, and the sentence of the court is invariably just. We all know, from experience, just how true this dogmatic slogan is.

      The uncritical acceptance of social norms (seen in this context as 'expressions of God's activity') are best expressed in the harsh and uncritical acceptance of slavery. Slavery existed. What exists was ordained by God. To criticize slavery was to criticize God.

      It has been said that the Bible is completely ‘pro slavery' and has no passages within it which condemn the practice. This is not true. The Bible, once again, proves to be a smorgasbord of doctrine, as much on the subject of slavery as on any other. The core of the Jewish story, is a redemption of the slaves from the slave drivers of Egypt. It is ironic that, with such a story at the very center of the Jewish religion, so much of the rest of the tradition would become pro-slavery, even in the most vulgar form. In the law we read:

"If a man beats a slave so that the slave dies on the spot, he is to be punished. However, If a man beats a slave so hard that he dies in a day or two, he is not to be punished, for the slave is his property." (Exodus Chapter 21 verse 20)

      This ideological position is picked up in the Book of Proverbs:

"A fool at the helm is out of place. How much worse would be a slave in command over men of rank?" "Mere words will not keep a slave in order. He may understand but he will not respond. Pamper a slave and he will be ungrateful. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey and a rod for the back of a fool." "A good beating drives out evil, and hard blows chasten the inmost spirit." However, "you can pound a fool like mortar in pestel, but his folly will never be knocked out of him." "Like vinegar to the teeth or smoke to the eyes, is a lazy slave to his master." (Proverbs Chapter 19 verse 10, Proverbs Chapter 20 verse 30, Proverbs Chapter 27 verse 22, Proverbs Chapter 10 verse 26)

      Similar treatment is advocated for children.

"Take a stick to a child and save their life; protect them from eternal damnation." "Folly is rooteddeep in the hearts of children. A good beating will drive it out of them." "Beat your children while there is still hope for them, only just be careful not to beat them to death." (Proverbs Chapter 23 verse 14, Proverbs Chapter 22 verse 15, Proverbs Chapter 19 verse 18)

      One must wonder how many children were actually beaten to death, before someone was inspired to write down this 'proverb' as 'a reminder'.

      The bible is pro-slavery, but once again the situation proves to be complex. At the core of one tradition is a story of redemption from slavery (the Exodus from Egypt). We also read, in the law:

"You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you; You will let him stay with you anywhere he chooses in your settlements, wherever it suits him best." (Deuteronomy Chapter 23 verse 15)

      It is obvious that the tradition that is found in the Proverbs is not connected with the egalitarian threads running here and there through the Bible, but rather came from a conservative, even reactionary alternate source. You have a choice. You can beat your slaves, even beat them to death, or you can harbor escaping slaves. There is a common refrain in the law books which reads:

"but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and YAHWEH your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this." (Deuteronomy Chapter 24 verse 18)

      Commanded them to do what? To remember what? My point is that while it is true that the Bible contains passages which are ruthless and reactionary, it also contains an alternate tradition that is egalitarian, and a person is forced to make choices. As Mark Twain noted:

"The Christian Bible is a drug store. Its contents remain the same; but the medical practicechanges. For eighteen hundred years these changes were slight -- scarcely noticeable. Thepractice was allopathic -- allopathic in its rudest and crudest form. The dull and ignorant physicianday and night, and all the days and all the nights, drenched his patient with vast and hideous dosesof the most repulsive drugs to be found in the store's stock; he bled him, cupped him, purged him,puked him, salivated him, never gave his system a chance to rally, nor nature a chance to help. Hekept him religion sick for eighteen centuries, and allowed him not a well day during all that time.The stock in the store was made up of about equal portions of baleful and debilitating poisons,and healing and comforting medicines; but the practice of the time confined the physician to theuse of the former; by consequence, he could only damage his patient, and that is what he did.

"Not until far within our century was any considerable change in the practice introduced; and thenmainly, or in effect only, in Great Britain and the United States. In the other countries to-day, thepatient either still takes the ancient treatment or does not call the physician at all. In the English-speaking countries the changes observable in our century were forced by that very thing justreferred to -- the revolt of the patient against the system; they were not projected by thephysician. The patient fell to doctoring himself, and the physician's practice began to fall off. Hemodified his method to get back his trade. He did it gradually, reluctantly; and never yielded moreat a time than the pressure compelled. At first he relinquished the daily dose of hell and damnation, and administered it every other day only; next he allowed another day to pass; then another and presently another; when he had restricted it at last to Sundays, and imagined that now there would surely be a truce, the homeopath arrived on the field and made him abandon hell and damnation altogether, and administered Christ's love, and comfort, and charity and compassion in its stead. These had been in the drug store all the time, gold labeled and conspicuous among the long shelf loads of repulsive purges and vomits and poisons, and so the practice was to blame that they had remained unused, not the pharmacy."
(Bible Teaching and Religious Practice, from "Mark Twain: Selected Writings of an American Skeptic" )

      The Bible does indeed represent ‘a drug store with equal parts of cures and poisons.' And what is specifically called ‘the wisdom book', the Book of Proverbs, is anything but. The attitude towards slavery and children presented as ‘wise' comes straight from the most reactionary sources. The attitude towards the political and social order is equally conservative, even seeming downright slavish in its uncritical acceptance of rank and authority.

"The King's mouth is like an oracle of the gods, and henever makes an error in passing judgment." No doubt. For, "the King'sheart is in God's hands, and he turns it whichever way he wishes." Oh, forsure. "Many subjects are the King's glory. A lack of subjects makes him of noaccount." (Proverbs Chapter 16 verse 10, Proverbs Chapter 14 verse 28)

      Hence, the need for imperialism, I would suppose, so as tomake the King 'more glorious.'

"The King's favor is with a useful servant, but his wrath falls on those who displease him." "The King's anger brings death, and a wise person will act quickly to appease him. In the light of the King's face is life; his approval is like the rain in spring." Yes, "the King's rage is like the roar of a lion, but his approval like the dew in spring." For, "the King's threat is like a lion's roar. Anyone who ignores him puts their life in jeopardy." For "subversive talk I hate. Understanding and power are mine. Through wisdom King's hold power and enact just laws. Through wisdom King's wield their authority and all the rulers on the earth derive their rank." (Proverbs Chapter 14 verse 35, Proverbs Chapter 16 verse 14, Proverbs Chapter 18 verse 12, Proverbs Chapter 20 verse 2, Proverbs Chapter 8 verse 13)

      It should be noted here that the book of Proverbs is composed of a conflation of source materials, as is indicated by certain sections that expound conflicting ideology. We are told that the King's rage leads to the death penalty, and the ideological premise in these slogans is that the person so executed is fully responsible for their own death. Then again, one should,

"rescue those being dragged off to death. Save those about to be executed." (Proverbs Chapter 24 verse 11)

      (One must wonder if this included those about to be stoned or burned at the stake under the system of Torah law. ‘Let those who are without sin cast the first stone! Apparently some people knew how to pick and choose among their Bible ideologies.) How wonderful is the approval of the King, like rain on a spring day! Or, then again, maybe not, for one should,

"have nothing to do with people of high rank. They will come to sudden disaster, and who knows what their ruin will entail." (Proverbs Chapter 24 verse 21)

      We can well imagine that these proverbial sayings were the favorites of the despots and feudal Lords. It was "the divine right of King's to rule," or so the priestly caste insisted, immersed as they were in the ideology of the Proverbs. We can well imagine the priest reminding the King, that,

"it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of the King to reveal it. The heavens for height, the earth for depth, likewise unfathomable is the mind of the King." "A king on the throne with his mind set on judgment, always has a mind that sifts out all evil." Far be it for any King to do wrong! For, "wrongdoing is abhorrent to Kings, for his throne rests firmly on righteousness. Honest speech is what pleases Kings, for they hold dear those who tell them truth." (Proverbs Chapter 25 verse 2, Proverbs Chapter 20 verse 8, Proverbs Chapter 16 verse 12)

      Thus, no doubt there was no need for 'court jesters,' the King holding dear those who told him the truth, after all.

      One would think that these priests would have kept to the proverbs, and not bothered that 'truth loving King,' by digging into the prophets, where social criticism comes to the fore.

"Listen you Kings. Surely it is for you to know what is right, and yet you hate good and love evil. You flay the skin of my people and tear the flesh from their bones. They devour the flesh of my people, strip off their skin, and lay bare their bones. They cut them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat for the cauldron." "On the day of YAHWEH, I will punish the Royal house, all who dance in the Temple of God, who fill God's house with violent fraud. I shall wipe out from that place the last remnant of Baal, the very last trace of any heathen priests. Woe betide the tyrant city, so filthy and foul. The Kings were like lions, who roared as they tore at their prey (see again Proverbs 18:12, 20:2, where a 'king roaring like a lion,' is portrayed as 'a good thing,' and the victim of his murderous rage is condemned). The prophets were reckless liars. The priests profaned the sanctuary and did violence to God's law." "Unaware that I am watching them, their evil deeds encircle them. They are constantly before my sight. They delight the King with their wickedness, princes with their treachery. On the festive day of God, they become inflamed with wine, and the King joins himself with arrogant men. Their hearts are heated like an oven by their intrigues." (Micah Chapter 3 verse 2, Zephaniah Chapter 1 verses 4, 9; Zephaniah Chapter 3 verse 1, Hosea Chapter 7 verse 3)

      No doubt the priests would have kept to the reactionary conservatism of the Proverbs, if they wished to keep their heads on their shoulders, rather than rolling in the bottom of a basket.