The Calcium of the Soul
By J.B. Hixson. Ph.D.
09/30/2015
“A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones." (Proverbs 14:30)
Like many Proverbs, this one puts forth a contrast. It is an example of contrastive parallelism in Hebrew poetry. In this type of poetry, the first line states a principle and the second line amplifies that principle by stating the opposite. The contrast in Proverbs 14:30 is between a “sound heart” and “envy.” According to Solomon, a sound heart brings a certain freshness (translated “life”) to the body; whereas envy brings a decaying rottenness. The Hebrew word for “rottenness” literally means “to decay by worm-eating.”
That is precisely what envy does: it eats away at us like a worm. It is easy for us to comprehend the idea of envy. We all understand how envy can eat away at us from the inside out because we have all experienced it. At times we have all allowed the desire for something we do not have to consume us to the point that it is all we think about. Envy is such a powerful and common problem that it is even included in the Ten Commandments (“Thou shalt not covet.”). But what is the opposite of envy? According to this Proverb it is “a sound heart.”
The word “sound” literally means “health, healing or cure.” In Hebrew the word is used concretely to refer to a medicine and abstractly it is used of a cure. In the context of this Proverb it carries the idea of a sound or “whole” mind. That is, a heart that is steadfast and content, cured of any ill or unproductive thoughts, will bring freshness to the body. Do you see the contrast? Envy is a parasite that eats away at you, making you sick and eventually unable to function. Contentment, on the other hand, is a medicine that makes you whole. It energizes and revitalizes the soul. It brings healing when outside forces might otherwise make you sick.
The key to good health, then, lies not in the body at large but in the heart. That is why Solomon reminds us to “guard our heart” (Prov. 4:23) because a “merry heart does good like a medicine” (Prov. 17:22). Contentment is the calcium of the soul. If I may borrow a line from a popular ad campaign: “Contentment--it does a body good!” Are you suffering from a heart that is weakened by envy and discontentment? Perhaps you need a contentment supplement. Get into the Word of God and allow it to nourish and satisfy your soul.
09/30/2015
“A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones." (Proverbs 14:30)
Like many Proverbs, this one puts forth a contrast. It is an example of contrastive parallelism in Hebrew poetry. In this type of poetry, the first line states a principle and the second line amplifies that principle by stating the opposite. The contrast in Proverbs 14:30 is between a “sound heart” and “envy.” According to Solomon, a sound heart brings a certain freshness (translated “life”) to the body; whereas envy brings a decaying rottenness. The Hebrew word for “rottenness” literally means “to decay by worm-eating.”
That is precisely what envy does: it eats away at us like a worm. It is easy for us to comprehend the idea of envy. We all understand how envy can eat away at us from the inside out because we have all experienced it. At times we have all allowed the desire for something we do not have to consume us to the point that it is all we think about. Envy is such a powerful and common problem that it is even included in the Ten Commandments (“Thou shalt not covet.”). But what is the opposite of envy? According to this Proverb it is “a sound heart.”
The word “sound” literally means “health, healing or cure.” In Hebrew the word is used concretely to refer to a medicine and abstractly it is used of a cure. In the context of this Proverb it carries the idea of a sound or “whole” mind. That is, a heart that is steadfast and content, cured of any ill or unproductive thoughts, will bring freshness to the body. Do you see the contrast? Envy is a parasite that eats away at you, making you sick and eventually unable to function. Contentment, on the other hand, is a medicine that makes you whole. It energizes and revitalizes the soul. It brings healing when outside forces might otherwise make you sick.
The key to good health, then, lies not in the body at large but in the heart. That is why Solomon reminds us to “guard our heart” (Prov. 4:23) because a “merry heart does good like a medicine” (Prov. 17:22). Contentment is the calcium of the soul. If I may borrow a line from a popular ad campaign: “Contentment--it does a body good!” Are you suffering from a heart that is weakened by envy and discontentment? Perhaps you need a contentment supplement. Get into the Word of God and allow it to nourish and satisfy your soul.
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