The Sayings of the Wise – Part 5

THIRTY SAYINGS OF THE WISE

SAYING NUMBER FOUR

“Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.” (Proverbs 22:28, NIV)

This proverb sits here all by itself.  There is no parallel thought to explain or develop it.  "The landmark was protected by the ancient laws of Israel. The landmark stood as a memorial of each man’s rights as bequeathed to him by his ancestors. Its removal was prohibited in the Torah and censured as a greedy and unjust invasion of a person’s rights." ^[1]  We read in

Deuteronomy 19:14 (NIV) Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess"; and in,

Deuteronomy 27:17 (NIV) “Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbor’s boundary stone. Then all the people shall say, 'Amen!'”

The idea seems to be that you do not unlawfully, inappropriately take possession or encroach on another person's property.  "The boundaries were sacred because God owned the land and had given it to the fathers as their inheritance; to extend one's land at another's expense was a major violation of covenant and oath."[2]  To encroach or steal another man's property was to pilfer his ancestral heritage.

"The only other reference to the boundary marker in Proverbs names the widow."^[3] (“The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.” (Proverbs 15:25, NIV))  Some presume that the prohibition is limited to defrauding those that are vulnerable. I don't think so. There are legal and lawful decisions made through God's appointed governing officials, law and courts that determine the lawful possession of property and such. To ignore such is not only contrary to right civil behavior but is contrary to the very edicts of God.  " The land-marks, or meer-stones, are standing witnesses to every man’s right; let not those be removed quite away . . .."^[4]  

 

Respect of property rights is entrenched in the Ten Commandments: ““You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15, NIV).  Unless God had given right of ownership, there would be no such thing as stealing.  I live in a province and a point on the calendar where hunters will soon be invading the land in search of game. The saddest testimony of farmers and landowners is the sad tales of fences and gates broken through by hunters of questionable integrity.  Christian hunters should be different. 

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^[1] Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 1240). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Proverbs/Exposition of Proverbs/IV. The Sayings of the Wise (22:17-24:34)/A. Thirty Precepts of the Sages (22:17-24:22), Book Version: 4.0.2

^[3] Koptak, P. E. (2003). Proverbs (p. 535). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

^[4] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1006). Peabody: Hendrickson.