Proverbs: Day 27 - Boasting About Tomorrow - [Chapter 27]

Chapter 27, the first verse: "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."  I've also heard it translated as "you do not know what tomorrow may bring".  

Great verse to begin the conversation!  The first thing I want to know more about is this: what does Solomon mean by "boast about tomorrow"?  Yes, we know what it means to boast - by definition, to boast means to talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.  I'm not quite convinced of how that definition relates to Solomon's wisdom for tomorrow.

I know that humans have limitations about what we can know about the future.  Based on our past experience, we can know with a high degree of certainty that the sun will come up tomorrow morning.  Our weather departments can predict what kind of weather we can expect the next day (which helps in our planning for the next day).  Political parties are banking on reports and trends and surveys that point to which candidate has the edge.  Currently, the sports world is making their best estimate on who will win the Super Bowl in February.  Yes, we are limited, but we still can't help ourselves from speculating about what tomorrow may bring.

But is speculating the same as boasting?

Sometimes, it's helpful to turn to a different translation or paraphrase.  The Message has been a resource that can offer insights into verses written long ago in the language of today.  Listen to how The Message reports chapter 27 verse 1 of Proverbs:

"Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow;

you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow."

Now, that seems a bit more helpful.  Brashly announcing what you are going to do tomorrow might set you up for failure.  I remember when Joe Namath was leading the New York Jets into Super Bowl he was responding to a comment made by someone in a news conference before the big game and he said "I've got news for you.  We're gonna win the game.  I guarantee it."  Sure enough, Broadway Joe led his upstart Jets to win Super Bowl III over the Baltimore Colts 16-7.  Namath obviously didn't read Proverbs 27:1 before making that statement.

But neither did the outside world that expected Baltimore to handily defeat New York.  They didn't know the first thing about tomorrow.  The point is to choose your words carefully, especially when you are ready to announce to the world what tomorrow might bring.

I'm guessing Namath would have never predicted he'd be wearing pantyhose for a television commercial!