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STUDIES
IN PROVERBS
BY GLENN PEASE
CONTENTS
1. A WORD TO THE WISE Based
on Prov. 1:1-4
2. OLD DOGS AND NEW TRICKS
Based on Prov. 1:5-6
3. WHERE KNOWLEDGE BEGINS
Based on Prov. 1:7
4. HOW TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE
YOUTH Based on Prov. 1:8-9
5. HOW NOT TO BE A JUVENILE
DELINQUENT Prov. 1:10-11
6. THE VOICE OF WISDOM
Based on Prov. 1:20-29
7. FIRST PLACE ONLY Based
on Prov. 2:4-5
8. GOD-GIVER AND GUARD
Based on Prov. 2:6-7
9. THE PATHS OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS based on Prov. 2:8-9
10. GOD'S USE OF MEANS
Based on Prov. 2:10-14
11. DO NOT FORGET Based on
Prov. 3:1-2
12. A BROKEN CRUTCH Based
on Prov. 3:5-6
13. BRIDGING THE GAP OR
CHRIST IN THE WORKPLACE 12:1-14
14. DROP YOUR BUCKET WHERE
YOU ARE Based on Prov. 17:24
1.
A WORD TO THE WISE Based on Prov. 1:1-4
The legend is told of
a flock of crows who had an awful battle with a farmer over a corn field. It
came to the point when every time they returned he shot at them. They assembled
on the edge of the woods and took council. One young an vigorous crow trust out
his chest and said, "As far as I can see there are more crows than men,
and we fly, which men cannot. So why not assemble and destroy these creatures
who presume to govern us and drive us from our food? Then we could get all the
corn we wanted, and there would be no one to stop us." An old crow on the
edge of the flock interrupted him and said, "That is all very well, but in
my lifetime I have observed one thing. Where there are no men, there are also
no corn fields."
Enthusiasm is good,
but it cannot take the place of experience and wisdom. The present generation
can only truly make progress if they learn from the experience of the past. We
can learn both by the wisdom and the follies of the past how to be more
effective servants of God in the present. Therefore, we are going back almost
three thousand years to the days of Solomon to see how relevant the wisdom of
B.C. is to our A. D. lives in the modern world.
Solomon was a man with
a great deal of experience in both wisdom and folly. He started well and did
what was pleasing to God, and he became one of the wisest men who ever lived as
an answer to his prayer that he be a wise ruler. He had riches, glory and
honor, and he had wide spread fame, but he yielded to the evil influence of his
foreign wives and became a fool as he departed from God's will. There are
several lessons of value in this fact alone. The first is to recognize that he
who stands must beware lest he fall. One must not be content wherever he is in
his relationship to God. He must persevere in drawing nearer to God at all
times, or he is in danger of being subtly led astray. One must put God first
above all other values or he leaves himself open to folly, even though he be
the wisest man alive.
The second thing we
learn from Solomon as the author of this part of God's Word is that it is an
error to say if a man does not practice what he preaches, it is of no value.
This is not true, for God used Solomon to tell us how to be wise and live
wisely even though the one he used did not always practice it. The truth is
just as true when spoken by a sinner as by a saint. Never dismiss a truth
because of its source. A tin cup carries water as well as a gold one, and you
can be refreshed out of either vessel. Truth makes us free from ignorance even
if it comes through a person who has made poor use of it. In spite of his
failures God inspired Solomon to write three of the books of the Old Testament
for the guidance of men for all time.
William Arnot wrote,
"The fatal facility with which men glide into the worship of men may
suggest another reason why some of the channels chosen for conveying the mind
of God were marred by glaring deficiencies." To get a picture of what
Solomon was before his folly let me read for you I Kings 4:29-34, "God
gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as
measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the
wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He
was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite-wiser than Heman,
Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. His fame spread to all the surrounding
nations. He spoke 3 thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a 1005. He
described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of
walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all
nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world,
who had heard of his wisdom."
We see that Solomon's
wisdom covered a great deal of ground, and so there is a great variety in the
study of the proverbs. They are usually short, weighty, authoritative sayings
that are the wisdom of experience compressed into few words for easy
memorization. Tennyson described them as,
Jewels five words
long,
That on the stretch'd
forefinger of all time
Sparkle for ever.
W. A. L. Elmslie
writes, "The proverb does for human life something that science does for
the world of nature. It rouses the unseen eye and the unheeding ear to the
marvel of what seems ordinary. As we study these proverbs we must come with a
mind eager to discover new truth and wisdom. We must come with the attitude
expressed by S. Hall Young in his poem:
Let me live, thinking.
Let me fare forth
still with an open mind,
Fresh secrets to
unfold, new truths to find,
My soul undimmed,
alert, no question blinking;
Let me live, thinking.
Verse 2 begins,
"To know wisdom." If there is one thing true faith is not, it is
anti-intellectual. The Bible is anti-ignorance from beginning to end. The only
time is condemns wisdom is when it refers to the godless wisdom of the world,
and the proud knowledge of the unbeliever, which is synonymous with folly. The
Christian is to be aware that all truth has its origin in God. There can never
be any real conflict between science and Christianity, or any other field of
study. The Christian is all for investigation and deep study, for he knows that
all truth will confirms his faith.
Solomon says these
proverbs are for the purpose of aiding the believer in his intellectual life.
Wisdom here is the ability to use knowledge for the highest ends. The believer
must not just know facts and truths, he must know how to use them for the good
life and the glory of God. To know how to do this is the Hebrew concept of
wisdom. This means that wisdom is not just intellectual but also ethical and
practical. It determines conduct as well as character. The intelligent man can
write literature, but the wise man can write literature for the glory of God.
Biblical wisdom is related completely to the pleasing of God. No matter how
brilliant and talented a person is, if his knowledge and skill are not being
used for God, he is not wise. This is important to note, for it makes all the
difference in the world as to what is a good education. All the learning in the
world that does not make one a better servant of God is only sophisticated
foolishness. Someone defined wisdom as, "The expression in conduct of
divine ideals for human life."
Another word Solomon
uses is instruction. The idea here is discipline in training for character.
These proverbs will rebuke, chastise and discipline you if you read and heed
them, and prepare you to live as God wants you to do. Here again the practical
is stressed. Solomon is not concerned about speculating, but is concerned that
men know how to live right. Another purpose is to perceive the words of understanding,
or as the RSV has it, "To understand words of insight." It is
important how to learn from the wisdom of others. One will not go far on his
own no matter how intelligent he is. He has to build on the insights and
understanding of many who have gone before him.
Knowledge is not
everything, but it is important, and God wants every believer to be as wise and
intelligent as they can be. This is more important now than ever, for we live
in an age of rapid growth in knowledge. Education is a bigger thing than ever,
and the standard of intelligence is rising. Believers must be of the best
quality in every field to be as effective as possible in their Christian
witness. The book of Proverbs is in the Bible for the purpose of helping the
believer be his spiritual, moral and intellectual best. The Bible does not say
wisdom and knowledge are the cure-all, but it makes it clear that it offers a
great deal more hope than ignorance.
Verse 3 continues to
give the purpose of the Proverbs. It is to receive the instruction of wisdom,
or as the Amplified and RSV have it, "Receive instruction in wise
dealing." Here again is practical living in relation to others. In fact,
all of these words in verse 3 concern the social relationships. God wants the
believer to be the most honest, just and fair of all people in society. Justice
means to be right or straight, and to act toward others in accord with the will
of God. Judgment is justice, and it refers to delivery of correct judgments on
human actions. Much folly and heart ache come from false judgments, and it is
God's will that His people learn to be just and not make snap or prejudice
judgments on others. The believer is responsible for thorough knowledge before
he makes judgments.
Gamaliel Bradford
began his book on Robert E. Lee in a spirit of hostility. He had little
sympathy for the South, and so he titled his book Lee the Rebel. As he studied
the material and came to know this man better he decided that rebel was not
quite the word he wanted, and so he changed the title to Lee the Southern.
After he read more and came to know Lee well he changed his title again, and
the biography was published with the title Lee the American. This illustrates
the need for the believer to beware of making judgments based on inadequate
information. We will see this truth often in Proverbs.
In verse 4 we have
another purpose, which is to give subtlety to the simple. Modern translations
use prudence or insight. Simple means the open hearted who are susceptible to
impressions and are easily mislead. There are believers who are over-trustful
and unsuspecting. They are often duped into supporting all kinds of worthless
causes. Christians are more susceptible to this than anyone since they want to
be kind, and they want to have faith in people. The early Christians were so
loving and trusting that some decided to take advantage of it. They posed as
evangelists and the Christians took them in, fed them, and treated them like
brothers. They were not wrong for doing so, for it is better to error in
kindness than in meanness, but their gullibility was not an ideal. God wants
His people to be discriminating. He wants them to try the spirits and be
suspicious of some things until they are tested. The proverb is right that
says, "All is not gold that glitters."
The fifth purpose is
forgiving knowledge and discretion to the young. The proverbs are mainly
intended for youth, for they most need the lessons it contains. Jerome gave
these instructions to a friend for the education of his daughter: "Let her
have first of all the book of Psalms for holiness of heart, and be instructed
in the Proverbs of Solomon for her godly life." Jesus was, no doubt,
instructed in the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is not just for the old, but to
train the young to be wise all of their life. The sooner the wiser the better.
Age is no limit. Paul said to Timothy, "Let no man despise your
youth." A young person can be just as wise as an older person. God wants
young people to grow in knowledge. Every youth should pray,
O, God, I offer thee
my heart-
In many a mystic mood,
by beauty led,
I give my heart to
thee, but now impart
That sterner grace-to
offer thee my head.
The young person who
has given their heart and not their head is losing precious blessings and
opportunities to be used of God. God wants you to gain knowledge so He can use
you in more effective ways. Discretion means thoughtfulness and discernment.
Gambetta said, "Great ability without discretion comes almost invariably
to a tragic end." Youth is often so full of enthusiasm but so lacking in
ability to discern the consequences of their actions that they thrust
themselves into dangers. The Proverbs will help young people to stir their
energy and enthusiasm into proper channels where they can bear fruit. The proud
young crow, you recall, had a daring plan, but had he not been advised by the
wisdom of the old crow, he would have been the author of the greatest folly.
What the old crow was to the young crow the Proverbs are to Christian youth.
They will caution and guide, and keep the minds alive to the ways of wisdom.
Jesus walked this way, and we can find no better road.
2.
OLD DOGS AND NEW TRICKS Based on Prov. 1:5-6
Proverbs by their very
nature are often paradoxical, and they often seem to contradict one another. They
only do so, however, if we take them as absolutes which are true in every case.
If we take them as stating a truth of a segment of reality, and not all of
reality, we will see there are no contradictions. This will come up in our
study of inspired proverbs as well, but for now let me give you an example from
manmade proverbs. Aeschylus, the ancient Greek, said, "It is always in
season for an old man to learn." A more modern saying is, "You cant'
teach an old dog new tricks." They appear to be contradictory, but they
can both be true if we apply them to what we know of human life.
We know that once a
pattern of life has been established an older person often resists any change.
He is content with his pattern of life and has no desire to adjust to new way
of thought or action. It is when one meets such persons and finds it impossible
to alter their pattern one iota that he goes away quoting the proverb,
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks." It fits the facts of life,
and so it is true, but a thing can be true and not be the truth. If you make it
an absolute truth and apply it to all people you ignore other facts of life.
History is filled with examples of old people who have broken out of the ruts
of the past and become pioneers of new ideas. The facts of life prove the
proverb true that you are never to old to learn.
John Stuart Blackie
says that the Scottish people have a reputation of being prudent and of having
foresight because of their custom of printing the book of Proverbs in a
separate volume so that farmers and workingmen can carry them in their pocket
and read while they rest. They believed that old dogs could learn new tricks,
and they took deliberate steps to teach them. This is the attitude of Solomon
as well, and we see this brought out in the sixth purpose for the writing of
the Proverbs.
In verse 5 he says,
"A wise man will hear and increase learning." He had just referred to
the young men, and now he goes on to say that the older men can and will go on in
their learning by the reading of these proverbs. They are not only for youth,
but for people of all ages because God knows that old dogs can still learn new
tricks. A wise man is one who has learned to use his knowledge for the glory of
God, but he is well aware of his lack of knowledge. He wants to know more
because the more he knows the more he has to use in serving God.
It is only the
ignorant and the superficially educated who think they know all they need to
know, the wise man is well aware of how little he knows. Someone said,
"Knowing is largely a means of discovering the vastness of one's
ignorance." The truly educated man is one who is never embarrassed by a
new idea. He knows that there are thousands of ideas he has never heard. Many
times I have heard Christians say, "I never heard of that before."
They imply that it cannot be valid if they have never heard of it. This verse
tells us that it is God's will that we go on and increase in learning, and
never be content with our present status. Depth is to be our goal. There is a
well-known proverb that is the first line to a longer poem written by Pope that
expresses this point well, that shallowness leads to folly, but depth will lead
to a life pleasing to God and appealing to man.
A little learning is a
dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste
not the Pierian spring,
There shallow draughts
intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely
sobers us again.
Shallowness always
leads to folly, but depth, when it is directed by wisdom, will lead to a life
pleasing to God and appealing to man. Very seldom is a truly wise man proud. He
is humbled because he knows so well how little he really knows. Paul is a good
example, for his pattern of life and philosophy had already been established,
and yet, by the grace of God, he learned some new tricks. His life was changed,
and he became the greatest theologian in Christianity. Right to the end he kept
studying and learning, and God could use him to impart His Word to the world.
Who else but a man of Paul's depth could write letters that would be used of
God to change the course of history and instruct millions down through history?
Paul never stopped
learning, but he was eager to read right up to his death. He asked Timothy to
bring him the books and the parchments when he was in captivity waiting to be
executed. Paul was an intellectual and revealed it. Festus even thought he was
a fanatic and had studied himself into insanity. In Acts 26:24 he shouted,
"You are out of your mind Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane."
It is not believers who are anti-intellectual, for we believe that depth
knowledge in every realm leads one to God. The unbeliever is almost always
superficial in his understanding of God's revelation. They would be ashamed to
speak on any other subject with so little knowledge, but in their blindness to
the vastness of God's wisdom in His Word they speak against it. This is the
truly anti-intellectual attitude, and God rightly brands them as fools.
Solomon says that the
wise man will go on learning and adds, "A man of understanding shall
attain unto wise counsels." The Berkley version has, "Attain unto
leadership." The Hebrew word is used of sailors and their ability to steer
a ship. The idea is that the man of understanding might learn to apply what is
in his head to life, and become more competent in whatever he does. He has to
really know the ropes to become a leader in his field. This is a very practical
goal, and it is God's will for each of His children to become skillful and
competent. It may be that one will only learn how to be skillful with a needle,
but let us not underestimate any skill, for Dorcus used her skill with a needle
for the glory of God, and she became a marvelous servant. Whatever you do, you
are to do your best and keep striving to do better. Nothing can be too high of
a quality for God.
Verse 6 says,
"For understanding proverbs and parables, and sayings and riddles of the
wise." One of the values of the proverbs is that they are what might be
called brain food. They cause you to gain skill in the understanding of other
men's thoughts and wisdom. The Bible becomes a textbook to train our minds in
the understanding of non-biblical sources. The Bible makes no claim to contain
all truth, even though it does contain the most essential truths, and is the
only source of saving truth. There are many things outside the Bible that are
just as true as those in the Bible. The value of knowing the Bible well, and
the proverbs specifically is that it increases the believer's ability to grasp what
is of value in other sources. In short, Proverbs is a course in the liberal
arts. It broadens one's vision and enables one to reap from many fields.
In the second part of
the verse it sounds as if Solomon assumes that believers are just delighted in
going deep into the knowledge and wisdom of the universe. This does not fit the
facts always, for many Christians are content to look for only that which will
entertain them. Erasmas in his book Praise Of Folly, which was published in
1509, said that Christians cared not for what was solid. He wrote, "Does
anyone need proof of this? Let him visit the churches, and assuredly he will
find it; if solemn truth is dwelt on, the listeners at once become weary, yawn
and sleep, but if the orator begins some silly tale, they are all
attention." Has almost 500 years changed things? Not if Roger Hazelton's
judgment is correct. He writes in his book Renewing The Mind, "Who can
deny that the power of sustained and searching thought has been all but lost
among us? We live, it is obvious, primarily at the beck of interest and the
call of impulse rather than under the guidance of illuminating ideas.
Relentless pressures from without determine choice and dictate conduct long
before there is any chance to weigh alternatives or foresee results."
If this be true, and,
like he says, who can deny it, there are not going to be too many people who
profit from this purpose of the proverbs, which is that of becoming able to
understand the deep and often obscure words of the wise. The vast majority has
already concluded there is nothing to it anyway. Everything worth knowing is
right on the surface is their conclusion. We do not have to have anything
against the virtue of simplicity to recognize that not all that is of value is
simple. There is real depth of knowledge and wisdom to be gained from God's
Word that few ever find because it costs to much to dig for it. It takes
discipline to descend to the depths.
We have to beware of
thinking that confusion is depth, however, for this is what we see in much
theology. It sounds profound, but it does nothing for the soul. Authentic truth
and deep insights will prove themselves by thrilling the soul and causing the
believer to praise God. The object is not just to go deep, but to strike
riches. Many go deep, but they bring back no gold. Solomon feels that knowing
these proverbs will help the believer not only to go deep, but to strike it
rich. They will help him grasp the deep insights of others, and help him to
unravel their riddles. We have to admit that when Solomon did something he did
it big. He sets a very impressive list of goals for himself to achieve in the
lives of others. He offers great gifts to those who will pay the price of
thought and obedience. As we begin our search in these mines of Solomon I trust
that all of us will be more healthy, wealthy and wise as a result, and thereby
prove again that you can teach and old dog new tricks.
3.
WHERE KNOWLEDGE BEGINS Based on Prov. 1:7
A millennium and a
half ago Diogenes said, "The foundation of every state is the education of
its youth." Both ancient and modern philosophers have recognized that
education is basic to the making and keeping of any great and strong nation
great and strong. Lowell said, "It is in making education not only common
to all, but in some sense compulsory on all, that the destiny of the free
republic of America was practically settled." No one can deny that there
is a correlation between our greatness as a nation and our education system.
The opposite is equally obvious. In nations where people are kept ignorant we
do not find greatness, nor anything that is attractive and appealing to man's
highest and noblest desires. In America, however, we find these things such as
freedom, rights, justice and multitudes of opportunities to develop and expand
one's life.
Christians cannot
doubt, nor can any historian deny that this is due in large measure to the fact
that God's Word played a major role in America's educational system. The
tragedy is that men in their worldly wisdom have come to the point where they
are willing to play the fool and remove from our educational system any
biblical teaching. The removal of prayer has also made our educational system
closed to God. It is the very foundation that has been removed if our text is
true.
Verse 7 cause me to
see the whole issue of prayer and the Bible in the public school in a new
light. This verse brings God into relationship with all knowledge. In essence
it is saying that any education that ignores God, and which does not seek to
instill in students a reverence for God, is merely training then in being more
effectively evil with better and more modern means. Aldous Huxley said,
"We have improved means toward unimproved ends." Maybe what was
practiced in many schools before prayer was forbidden was not too effective,
but I can see why even as a symbol it is important, for to deny God any place
in one's education is to deny that He is important in one of the most important
aspects of our life and nation, and this easily leads to denying that He is of
any importance at all. It tends toward the secularizing of all of life. America
could well be destroying that foundation that made her great.
Verse 7 says,
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." The first thing
preachers always tend to do is to assure people that fear does not mean fear,
but reverence. This is correct, and it is wrong to get the impression that we
are to be afraid of God. C. S. Lewis reminds us, however, that it is possible
to so water down the concept of fear that it is useless to motivate us. He
writes, "Servile fear is, to be sure the lowest form of religion. But a
god such that there could never be occasion for even servile fear, a safe god,
a tame god, soon proclaims himself to any sound mind as a fantasy. I have met
no people who fully disbelieved in hell and also had a living and life-giving
belief in heaven."
Jesus said, "Fear
not those who can kill the body and that is all they can do, but fear him who
can destroy both body and soul in hell." Paul said, "Knowing the
terror of the Lord we persuade men." Reverence for God must include the
awareness that there is real danger in not walking in His will. Reverence must
never be limited to merely being quiet in church. Reverence must characterize
our whole pattern of life. To fear God is to live constantly a life that
pleases God. Such an attitude, if it is kept consciously before us, is that
determining factor in what we become as believers. Without this we do not even
begin to become what we ought to be. To fear God is to fear all else less, and
this enables one to do what is best and right without the fear of men that
enslaves so many and compels them to walk in paths that lead to destruction.
Young people who truly
fear God will rather disappoint their friends then Him. They will rather face
the disapproval of men than the disapproval of God. To fear God is the only way
to freedom. For those who do not are bound by their nature and environment to
be fools. Only the believer who is a God-fearer is free to be wise, and to
choose a course of life that bears fruit for time and eternity. The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Lord equals Jehovah. It is not just fearing
any god, but Jehovah only. The fear of other gods is the beginning of ignorance.
Volumes could be written on the tragic follies that exist because men fear
false gods. Franklin O. Nelson tells of a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the
leg. He was a Christian boy with a pagan father. He was taken to the mission
hospital and cared for, for 4 days, and then the father came and took him out
to a place where he sacrificed a cow to appease the evil spirits. Meanwhile he
and others had a drunken feast, and the boy bled to death. Fear of a false god
was the cause of this folly. It is only the fear of Jehovah that has led to all
the knowledge that daily saves people from foolish suffering and death.
The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge. We have made it clear that fear means reverence,
and the Lord means Jehovah, but the hard part is still ahead. What does it mean
that the attitude of reverence toward the one true God is the beginning of
knowledge? The facts of life compel us to recognize that there are brilliant
atheists, learned agnostics and scholarly skeptics who do not fear God at all.
Like the unjust judge in the parable of Jesus, they fear not God, nor regard
man, yet this does not mean that the judge did not know his law practice. He
was, no doubt, an excellent lawyer, and had a vast knowledge in his field. All
godly people are not learned, nor are all irreverent people stupid. These facts
make it clear that this verse does not mean that without reverence for God men
cannot learn any knowledge.
The Hebrew word for
beginning is from rosh, which means head, and so it can mean either the
starting point or the chief point. G. Campbell Morgan feels very definitely
that the proper reading here is chief point. The Amplified Version combines the
two concepts and says, "The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is
the beginning, and the principle and choice part of knowledge-that is, its
starting point and its essence." In other words, though a man may learn
many things, if he does not reverence God, he remains a fool, for he does not
know the most important thing there is to know in all human knowledge. It is
better to know nothing else and reverence God than to know all else and not
fear God. Faust complains,
I've studied now
philosophy
And juris prudence,
medicine,-
And even, alas!
Theology,-
From end to end, with labor
keen,
And here, poor fool!
with all my lore
I stand, no wiser than
before....
These ten years long,
with many woes,
I've led my scholars
by the nose,-
And see, that nothing
can be known.
He was wrong on his conclusion
because he started wrong. He did not start with the fear of God, and the result
was, he ended up with many facts but no meaning and purpose. The end was
pessimism and despair. The beginning is the only place to start one's
education. The Christian is optimistic and believes man can know much and be
very wise, but he must begin at the beginning for reverence for God. This is
the alphabet of knowledge. Teach a child the alphabet and all the literature of
the language becomes available to him as possible knowledge. When we fear God,
we have the foundation laid on which we can build wisely in any area of study.
The believer is not always the most brilliant in his field, but he has the most
enduring foundation, for when all else ceases to be, that which he knows
endures forever. To fear God then is the chief part of all knowledge.
Education will not
bring men to God, but God brings men to be truly educated. The Christian has
high regard for education, but not a part from the reverence for God. Horace Mann
felt if there were enough schools there would be no need for jails, but we know
this is superficial optimism based on an inadequate view of man's sinful
nature. We must not react by denying the value of education, but by pointing
out what is missing in such a view, and that is the fear of God. We do not
oppose knowledge and instruction, but we must oppose the attempt to eliminate
the reverence for God from our educational system.
Fools despise wisdom
and instruction. This does not mean a fool does not think he is wise and
instructed. He feels just the opposite, for he feels he is wise and so does not
need anything from others. A well known traveler was on a journey, and he was
being bored by a man who forced himself upon him, and made a great deal of his
vast learning. He stood it as long as he could and then said, "My friend,
you and I know all that can be known." The man smiled with the sense of
satisfaction and said, "How is that?" "Well," said the
traveler, "You know everything except that you are a fool, and I know
that." It is important to recognize our limitations, and not try to talk
people into believing we are all knowing. Someone said, "None but the fool
is always right."
The Hebrew word for
fool comes from the root for thick brained and stubborn, but it carries the
idea also of moral deficiency. Such persons laugh and mock at what they do not
understand, as if that was proof that it was of no value. This can be true of
the intellectual as well as the ignorant. The intellectual is often very anti-intellectual
in his attitudes toward fields of knowledge outside of his own. Without the
fear of God they become their own absolute, and they judge all by its appeal or
lack of appeal to themselves.
The fool has said in
his heart that there is no God, and the result is that there is no fear of God,
and so even though he may be a learned man he does not know the alphabet of
ultimate knowledge. Thomas Carlyle has a unique way of saying this. He wrote,
"The man who cannot wonder, who does not habitually wonder (and worship),
were he president of enumerable royal societies, and cared the whole of
Mecanique Celeste and Hegel's philosophy, and the epitome of all Laboratories
and Observatories with their results, in his simple head,-is but a Pair of
Spectacles behind which there is no eye." This is but another way of
saying that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
4.
HOW TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE YOUTH Based on Prov. 1:8-9
Every young person
wants to be attractive. Teens suddenly discover that they are drawn to each
other because of their attractiveness, and they want to be attractive
themselves. It is then that the mirror, mirror on the wall become the idol of
them all. They become very sensitive about their body, and if they are slow in
development they worry about being different. Teens don't want to be different.
They all want to be beautiful and handsome, and in every way attractive.
This is not only
natural, but it is also wonderful. It can lead to vanity, but it is also
important for maturity. God loves beauty in the physical and spiritual realm.
He is the author of all the beauty in creation as well as the beauty of
holiness. Jesus was attractive in His humanity. He had all the qualities of a
man that every teen dreams of having. He was attractive to men, women and
children. He was powerful and yet gentle. He was forceful and yet kind. He
could melt hearts with His love, but also throw fear into hearts with His
anger.
Jesus, no doubt, took
good care of His body, and was always pleasant in appearance. This was not the
essential ingredient of His attractiveness, however, for He urged His followers
not to be overly concern about the external to the neglect of the internal.
Solomon in all his glory was not so beautiful as the lily, which does not work
at being attractive at all. It just grows according to its nature. Jesus said
we too can become attractive on the same principle. It can be a natural process
if we do as He did and taught. He said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." The
key factor in becoming attractive with eternal beauty is obedience. Nature
simply obeys the laws of God for it, and it produces beauty.
You may be asking,
what does this have to do with the text in Proverbs where the theme is
obedience to parents? What is the connection between obedience to parents and
obedience to God? The connection was one that was important in the life of
Jesus, and is important in the life of every young person who desires to be all
that God wants them to be. You recall how Jesus remained in the temple when he
was 12, and he caused quite a scare on the part of Joseph and Mary. When they
asked Him why He did it He told them that He must be about His Father's
business. But then Luke tells us, "He went down with them, and came to
Nazareth, and was subject onto them." All we know about Jesus from age 12
to 30 is found in that statement and one other. We only know that in those 18
years He was obedient to His parents, and that He increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and man.
Jesus lived through
His teens and 20's as a youth who was attractive. He had favor with both God
and man. He experienced what every teen wants, and that is attractiveness and
acceptance. All of this took place after He said He must be about His Father's
business, and I can't help but see that the Scripture is making clear that
learning to obey one's parents is God's business. One can never be a mature
servant of Christ until he learns to obey authority, and even Jesus in His
humanity needed to be trained in obedience. This played a major role in His
attractiveness as a man.
Young people seem to
feel that rebellion is the real way to maturity. To ignore authority and be
indifferent to standards of morality is their goal. They gain attention by
this, but it is not lasting or satisfying as a pattern of life. The only
adequate pattern is that which Christ established. Men through the centuries
have demonstrated this by growing up with respect for authority, and especially
the authority of parents, which is essential preparation for obedience to the
authority of God.
Our goal as believers
is obedience to God, but one of the basic means to this end is obedience to
parents. George F. Knight wrote, "The responsibility of being a Christian
is appalling. The Christian is called not primarily to being good, nor to
rejoice in a self-conscious faith, nor even to a search for holy living. The
ladder may even turn out to be the ultimate form of selfishness. The Christian
is called to obedience, utter obedience to the voice of God. And it is as he
obeys the voice that goodness, faith and holiness come to him." That which
made Christ attractive, and that which has made every person in history who has
been spiritually attractive is that which is still essential to be an
attractive youth today, and that is obedience.
Having established the
goal, let us now consider the wisdom of Solomon as to the means. This verse
tells us a great deal about what God expects of parents as well as youth. The
assumption on which the proverb is based is that the parents are both godly and
teachers. This is not unconditional and absolute wisdom. I know of young people
whose lives are repulsive, and whose characters are ugly because they have followed
their parent's teachings. This proverb is only truly wisdom when applied to the
homes, which fulfill the conditions, and that is where the parents are teaching
and training their youth to live godly lives.
This means that a
young persons spiritual attractiveness can be marred or hindered by parents who
are not living in obedience to God's will. The tragic truth is that few parents
are playing the role that the Bible assumes that they will. Young people are
left on their own to learn by trial and error. This is especially true in the
whole area of sex education. We read a great deal about sex in the Proverbs,
and there are many frank warnings of the dangers. Studies indicate that parents
in America are doing next to nothing to give guidelines to youth in this area.
Even Christian parents seem to be caught up in the cloud of indifference. We
wouldn't think of letting our children run about poorly clothed and poorly fed,
for care of the body is in harmony with the materialism of our age. But we
neglect the minds and souls of our children, and we leave them at the mercy of
the perverted influences of the world.
This proverb is
worthless to the millions of teens whose parents are not giving them guidance
and instruction. The best thing the church can do for the home is to seek to
make it what the Bible assumes it will be and that is a place of learning where
parents are preparing their children to walk in obedience to God. Where this is
true Solomon says in verse 8, "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction.."
The problem with young people is often that they just will not listen. They get
their mind set and will not take the time and effort to listen and think
through the instruction of their father. This is just as wrong in the parent,
of course, and we see here that the father is to instruct and not just demand
blind submission.
Often young people do
not listen because it is not instruction they hear, but only the sound of
opposition. Teens are yet immature in many ways, but they are rational and are the
peak of their demand for reason and logic. If parents seek to guide them by
emotion and poorly supported opinions, they will have none to blame but
themselves if they create rebellion. Look at how you get fed up with the
superficial arguments of public leaders. Young people expect sound evidence and
good sense to support the guidance received from parents. Everything that is
truly biblical and Christian can be taught with this being true, and when it
is, young people have the same obligation to obey their parents as they do to
obey God.
Fear of God is the
principle part of knowledge, and respect and obedience to parents is the path
that most young people take to reach that goal. It is rare, and maybe even
impossible, to find a young person who has no respect for his parents who has
reverence for God. The facts of life and your own experience will tell you that
obedience to God and parents are closely related, for young people's attitude
toward one is usually the same toward the other. This is why it is so important
for both parents and young people to work at building up a relationship of
teacher and student. Notice how Solomon includes both parents and adds,
"And do not forsake your mother's teaching." Mom and dad are equal
partners in this business of teaching, and again, we see that the piety of the
parents is assumed.
Often, even in
biblical times, the mother had the largest responsibility in teaching. Men had
to work and go to war, and the result was that the burden fell on the mother.
Jesus likely learned most of his basic knowledge from Mary, and we know this
was the case with Timothy, whose mother and grandmother instructed him in Bible
knowledge when he was only a little boy. A Chinese proverb says, "When you
educate a man, you educate an individual. When you educate a woman, you educate
a whole family." The essential thing to see here is that the home is a
unity, and children are obligated to obey both parents and walk in the ways
that they guide. There are many exceptions to this ideal, and homes are not
always characterized by this kind of unity. Even so, young people are obligated
to obey their parents teaching as long as it conforms to the will of God.
Solomon goes on in
verse 9 to say of the parent's teaching, "They will be a garland to grace your
head and a chain to adorn your neck." Here is the kind of jewelry that God
approves of. In other words, obedience to the wise teaching of your parents
will do for you what it did for Jesus. It will cause you to grow in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and man. It will attain for you the very thing
your heart desires, and that is to be attractive. A youth who is obedient and
respectful of authority is a gem, and they are soon appreciated and loved by
all who come to know them.
These ornaments of
character will last when all else decays, and when all the fads are faded. With
these one is always in style, and at the same time always in step with the
Savior. The necklace that obedience will place around your neck will make you
more attractive than all the diamonds in the royal crowns of Europe.
5.
HOW NOT TO BE A JUVENILE DELINQUENT Prov. 1:10-11
A father and his son
were riding in a trolley car and the father decided to have fun with his boy.
He lifted his cap off his head and pretended to throw it out of the window. The
boy started to cry, but the father solved the problem by snapping his fingers
and producing the cap before the boy. The boy's tears disappeared and he
grinned with delight at his father's amazing ability to bring back his cap with
the snap of a finger. He said, "That's fun, lets do it again." And
before his father could intervene he threw his cap out the window.
This was only innocent
fun, of course, but it illustrates how one who is admired can influence the
conduct of the immature. They can be made to do foolish things by the influence
of false impressions received from adults. Teens are not so immature as that
little boy, and they are not likely to be impressed with such sham magic as
bringing things back by finger snapping, but the fact is, they are still at a
very impressionable age. They can be deeply impressed by charming appeals to
follow a path that leads to the loss of far more than a cap, but to the loss of
their good name, and possibly even the crown of righteousness. Solomon was well
aware of the dangers that a young person faces in terms of being misguided by
alluring appeals to sin, and he makes this his first matter of instruction to
his son after he told of how obedience to instruction would lead to attractiveness
of character.
Verse 10 begins with a
negative on what not to do. It is important to recognize that youth need some
basic don'ts to follow to help them avoid many of the problems and sins that
youth fall into. Solomon says that if sinners entice you, do not give into
them. He prepares his son for what is almost inevitable. The word for sinners
means those who are habitual delinquents. They are those who delight in and
willfully follow the path of crime and sin. It is important to note that the
warning is not against the enticement of sin, but of the sinner.
Young people need to
recognize that the personal element is the source of the power of deception. If
you ever hope to escape the snare of Satan you must be aware of this fact. The
personal element is the power behind both sin and salvation. It is not only the
Gospel that wins people to Christ, but the person who presents and embodies the
Gospel. Likewise, it is not just sin in itself that attracts and entices, but
the sinner who embodies the life of sin. It is the attractive and glamorous
appeal of the movie stars, and not just their sins that entices young people to
follow their footsteps to folly. Many a sinful person has a very appealing and
persuasive personality that enables them to become heroes to many young people.
Many atheistic professors are charming, witty and intelligent, and they
influence many students to follow the path of unbelief. Atheism would never
attract them, but the atheist can and does.
In the realm of crime
that Solomon is concerned about at this point, it is almost the enticement of
persons that causes an otherwise good young person to become a part of a crime.
The smooth talking young thief who has gotten by with it may urge you to join
him for some easy money, and that can be a real danger. It is not robbery but
the robber who can entice you. You might think that all of this is quite
irrelevant to your life, and for some of you it may very well be, but for
thousands of youth, even from Christian homes, it is relevant. Remember that
Solomon is speaking to a young person brought up in a godly home. If it was not
possible for a godly young person to be deceived by devilish delinquents, there
would be no need for this warning in the first place.
Every Christian young
person must honestly recognize that the evils of their generation can ensnare
them. Do not try and fool yourself, and approach life with a blind and naive
attitude about your weak and sinful nature. All that happens to the
non-Christian can ensnare you as well. Studies show that 85% of the young
people who get into trouble with the police had a church background, and they
were from homes where parents were church members. The enticement to crime and
sin is universal, and reaches all young people to some degree. There is so much
money involved in enticing youth that it has become a major industry. Christian
youth are targets for this constant bombardment of enticement to evil.
What is Solomon's
instruction as to what to do in this situation? The cultures are vastly
different, and even the crimes may be different, but the answer is just as
simple as ever-say no, and do not consent. To be enticed is not sin, for sin is
an act of the will. It is saying yes to the enticement, or the enticer. Here is
the simple way of avoiding any danger of ever becoming a juvenile delinquent.
In my early teens I ran around with two boys who wanted to break into a
warehouse of a candy company and steal some candy. I knew it was wrong, and
event though I was a superficial Christian, I refused to take part. Both of
these boys became juvenile delinquents, and eventually ended up in prison. I
escaped it only because I had had enough instruction in Sunday school to be
sensitive to the evil of stealing, and I was able to say no. It is that simple.
Just say no and refuse to do evil, and Satan himself will be unable to plot
your record.
We need to be honest,
however, and recognize that it is not easy to say no. The will must be
conditioned to be able to resist enticement, and this is why obedience from the
earliest age is so important. Enticement to do wrong is often so strong
emotionally that the will if not well disciplined will not be able to resist.
This is the very reason why discipline plays so large a place in the
preparation of a soldier. In the midst of battle the emotional strain is so
strong that if the will has not been conditioned to obey orders under all
conditions a man could go all to pieces. He could act foolishly in some wild
attempt to save himself, and as a result place himself and others at the mercy
of the enemy. Christian youth face a battle also, and to be a good soldier of
Christ they must be disciplined to say yes to Him as their commander, and no to
the traitor within that would give you over to the enemy.
Your will must be
trained to be stronger than your want. Reason must be superior to emotion. For
example, you can want a piece of cake before supper, but you can will to wait
until after supper. The will must always keep the wants under control and allow
them only to be satisfied according to what is wise. A young person who lets
his wants control his conduct is almost certainly headed for trouble, for his
very nature wants much that is harmful to his life. The question of why do you
do this or that, or why do you have to go here or there is often answered by
saying, "Because I want to." Young people must beware of thinking
that everything that is a want should be pursued. Solomon's son may feel he
wants to join the boys and have some entertainment, and get in on some of the
fun and easy money, but Solomon is saying he is not to go by his wants, but to
go by his will, which is to obey his godly instruction.
I remember a professor
once saying that he does something everyday he would rather not do just to
discipline his will to be superior to his wants. This makes sense, and
especially for youth, for they must learn to obey what is wise and best even
when the strong enticements to evil confront them. A person who always does
what he wants is spoiled spiritually, and he will refuse to counter his wants
and say no even when the want is evil and foolish. The value of obeying parents
even when the happen to be wrong is the discipline of the will which will make
you a better person. A blunt refusal is the only answer to enticement, and those
who cannot say no to wants are going to have a very difficult time. Those who
can remember these basic ideas, however, will certainly victorious. They are,
beware of the personal appeal to sin and crime, and discipline your will to say
no to evil even though your sinful flesh wants to say yes.
Now we will consider
briefly the actual appeal of the sinner in verse 11. The first thing I notice
is the attitude of shocking independence. This appeals to the adolescent mind.
It says that we are somebody and we are tough. We can do in life as we please,
and need not bow to any law. There is an appeal here to ambush others. There is
a sort of bragging about the innocence of their victims. They are not enemies,
but just poor creatures who are not as fit to survive as we are. These are the
words of depraved rough necks who kick old people to death just for fun. Such
wicked attitudes should make us realize that it is nonsense to imply that youth
are worse today than they have ever been. Brutal crimes by youth have been a
part of human society ever since Cain maliciously murdered his unsuspecting
brother Abel.
The violence pictured
here is still relevant, for in many parts of the world there is very little law
enforcement, much like it was in the early days of our own country. This lying
in wait to rob and kill was a regular part of the West. This may not be as
relevant to our particular environment, but it is relevant to people somewhere
in the world at all times. Robbery and murder is happening everywhere because
people are being enticed by the appeal from evil minds. The only way for youth
to escape the dangers of such minds is to learn early to say no to all
enticements to evil. This is the only way to not become a juvenile delinquent.
6.
THE VOICE OF WISDOM Based on Prov. 1:20-29
"Integrity and
wisdom are essential to success in this business," said the boss to the
new employee. He said, "Integrity means that when you promise a customer
something, you keep that promise, even if we loose money." "And what
is wisdom," asked the employee? "That," replied the boss,
"Consists in not making such foolish promises." Even the voice of
worldly wisdom must sometimes be silent. There is a time to speak and a time to
refrain from speaking. In our text we see the wisdom of God varies from
shouting from the housetops to being stone silent depending on the response of
the listeners. We see the voice of wisdom as a shouting voice, then as a
shunned voice, and finally as a silent voice.
I. THE SHOUTING VOICE.
Verse 20 says,
"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public
square." The call here means to vibrate the voice in loud clear ringing
tones. Wisdom is pictured as a public voice available to every ear that will
listen. She is in the streets and markets where the people are not in some
secluded ivory tower where the voice is available to just a few hermits and
introverted scholars.. There is nothing secret or private about wisdom. It does
not fear the light as does sin and folly. Like Jesus, it goes in search of the
lost and ignorant. The common people heard Jesus gladly, for he came to them
and sent his disciples into their villages to reach them where they were. This
is God's method. He makes the truth that people need to know available to all
the people, and not just to the great and mighty. The voice of wisdom is
shouting for all to hear. Whatever is wise is the voice of God.
Notice that wisdom is
personified. It is pictured as a person and not a mere abstract idea.
Personhood is of the very essence of God, and so whatever represents God is
personified. It is interesting that wisdom is pictured as a woman rather than a
man. Women would like to believe that the reason Solomon was so wise was
because he had so many wives to consult. It is true that in Judaism there is no
thought of women being unwise. The Jewish scholar Plaut wrote, "Unlike
many other cultures, Judaism never considered women mentally inferior."
Christians inherited the concept of the equality of women, and so it is no
surprise that wisdom should be pictured as feminine.
Verse 21 just adds to
the emphasis of her availability. The Amplified Version has it, "She cries
at the head of the noisy intersections-the chief gathering places, at the
entrance of the city she speaks." Even at this point where the competition
is greatest, and where the voices of the world seek to drown out anything else,
there is the voice of wisdom shouting to be heard amidst all the racket. Anyone
who truly wants to know what is wise, and what is the godly path and pattern
for life, can find out. This was true in Solomon's day, and in our day as well.
The truth is available to all who will listen. The problem has never been that
God has not spoken. The problem has always been that men choose to be deaf and
refuse to listen to the shouting voice of wisdom.
All of history and
every daily paper shouts out the truth with contemporary evidence to prove it
that the wages of sin is death, but the vast majority ignore the voice and
continue on the path to destruction. That is why we hear the voice of wisdom
shouting in verse 22, "How long will you simple ones love your simple
ways?" Ignorance is bliss is the attitude of the simple. They enjoy not
knowing wisdom, for it calls for commitment, and this leads to sacrifice and
inconvenience. The simple want to follow the path of least resistance in which
they only have to decide what is for their best interest. They choose to be
indifferent and thoughtless about others.
There have been periods
when even believers thought that being ignorant and uninvolved was an important
part of piety. It was this way for the early Baptists of America. Many of the
old preachers were not only indifferent to education, but they fought every
attempt to improve the training of young ministers. Men can be just as proud of
their ignorance as they are of their brilliance. Solomon is not likely to
referring to the believer here, however, but to the sinner who refuses to
believe. Arnot wrote, "The simple are those who are characterized more by
the absence of any good rather than positive evil." The world is full of
people who do not live outright wicked lives, but who likewise do not live
lives of positive witness of the glory of God. They are content to be neutral
in the great battle between good and evil. The Bible makes it clear that there
is no neutrality, for one who does not love wisdom is a fool, even if he does
not oppose wisdom.
The scoffer is more
actively evil, for he does not just ignore wisdom, but has an attitude of
contempt for it. The scoffer exalts his own ego by tearing down and ridiculing
whatever he does not understand. He assumes that he is the measure of all
things, and if something does not appeal to him it is just nonsense. He glories
and delights in his supposed superiority. We always feel superior to that which
we scoff at. This brings out the worst in human pride. We laugh at what we do
not understand and feel superior, but we are being fools in doing so. A
Christian needs to be very careful about what he scoffs at, for he may very
well be copying the ways of the fool. If you do not understand something, be
silent until you do.
We live in an age of
rapid increase in knowledge, and there is so much that none of us fully
understand, and so it is a constant danger to be proud and scoff at that which
we do not grasp. Scoffers of godly wisdom increase in proportion to the
ignorance of spiritual values. It is no wonder that the Bible indicates an
increase of scoffers in the last days. How long, cries wisdom to the scoffer,
will you delight in scoffing? The answer is, of course, until they close their
foolish mouth and open their ears to hear the voice of wisdom.
Wisdom moves on then
to the fools who hate knowledge. The word fool, says Maclaren, is short hand
for mental stupidity, moral obstinacy, and dogged godlessness. It is the fool
who says in his heart there is no God, and mainly because he does not want
there to be a God. Note the progressive nature of these three. The simple
ignore knowledge, the scoffer ridicules it, but the fool hates it. The truth is
his greatest foe. We have here a picture of that which is just the opposite of
what a believer ought to be. The believer is to love wisdom and truth, and they
are to delight in understanding and knowledge. They are to hate ignorance and
folly. Wisdom cries out to the fools asking how long they will remain in that
state.
In verse 23 we see the
essence of the Gospel. It is a call to repentance with a promise of salvation
from folly. It is a parallel with the Gospel, which is a call to forsake sin
and become saved, but here is it a call to forsake stupidity and become wise.
The Old Testament, like the New Testament, assumes that men can listen to the
voice of wisdom and choose to turn from folly. The voice of wisdom is sincere,
and offers great promises to those who will respond. The sinner must give heed
to the voice of wisdom and respond, and that is all he can do, but God will
accomplish the rest. God will pour out His heart to them and make His thoughts
known. Here we see the free will of man and the sovereignty of God working
together to bring the sinner out of darkness into light. God takes the lead in
proclaiming the good news that salvation or wisdom is possible, and where it
meets with an obedient response, God fulfills the promise. So close is the
parallel that if you put Christ in the place of wisdom you have the New
Testament Gospel in the Old Testament. We see next that the Old Testament
Gospel can also be rejected.
II. THE SHUNNED VOICE.
I use the shunned
because it means to deliberately avoid, and that is what we see in verse 24. It
is not the case that they did not hear, but that they refused to listen. Wisdom
calls but it does not compel or coerce. If a man chooses to remain a fool, God
will not make him wise in spite of himself. Wisdom has shouted and stretched
out her hand to help, but man can refuse to regard her offer. Arnot wrote,
"God will not put forth a hand to lift a man to heaven in his sleep, or
drag him in against his will."
Verse 25 shows them to
have ignored the offer of wisdom. They hear only what they want to, and they do
not want to hear God. Verse 26 pictures wisdom as laughing at the fools when
they reap the consequences of rejecting her offer. It sounds strange that she
would laugh, but if we think deeper we can grasp the experience pictured here.
When a person does something very stupid, and they get injured in the process,
it brings forth laughter. Let a foolish student throw an eraser when the
teacher is not looking, and it glances off the wall and hits him in the eye,
and all the class will burst out laughing, even if the consequences are a
damaged eye and expulsion from school. Acts of utter stupidity shock the
observer and produce laughter. It is funny to see evil plans backfire and trap
the planner instead of the victim. Wisdom is displaying a recognized humorous
emotion, which is laughter at the utter stupidity of rejecting God's offer of
light while they sit in darkness.
III. THE SILENT VOICE.
In verse 28 we see the
limitations even of God for acceptance, for those who constantly reject His
wisdom will not be heard. When His wisdom was shouting they ignored her, and
now when they shout in desperate need of her, she is silent. Let this stand as
a biblical witness against the effectiveness of foxhole religion. He who
rejects God when all is well has very little guarantee of being heard when
trouble strikes. That is, of course if the rejection has been many times over,
and the heart is hardened.
When one does not turn
to God except when in trouble it proves that if sin did not bring evil
consequences they would never call on Him. God is aware of any exceptions and
the different motives of men, but as a pattern we must say that the Bible
offers little hope to those who wait until judgment before they cry for mercy.
Even prayer may be powerless after persistent rejection, for there is a point
of no return.
Notice that they even
seek diligently, and not half hearted. They now have a desperate need for God,
but it is now nowhere to be found. The day of grace is gone and the night of
judgment has arrived. This is proof positive that they could have called on God
before this. Here is proof that they were aware of the voice of wisdom and
could have listened, but they refused. Man does have the capacity to receive
God's call and respond if they will. If they were unable they would not be
guilty, but because they were able, silence is now there only reply.
Verse 29 makes clear
their guilt. Plout writes, "Judaism has consistently supported the
doctrine of man's ultimate freedom of will." Verses 31 and 32 show that
God does not have to punish them for by just leaving them alone they receive
the consequences of their folly, and that is judgment enough. In verse 33 the
voice of wisdom closes on a note of optimism after portraying the end of those
who listen not. Those who listen are assured of salvation and security just as
the New Testament offers to those who hear Christ. The voice of wisdom is the
voice of Christ.
7.
FIRST PLACE ONLY Based on Prov. 2:4-5
Gerald Kennedy in his
book The Christian And His America tells of hearing the head of one of the
largest airplane companies at a luncheon where he was reporting on the
situation facing America in the field of air defense. He described the growth
of our air force, and the probable growth of the air strength of Russia. Then
he made a major point and said, "There is no such thing as a second best
air force." If your planes will reach an elevation of 50 thousand feet and
your enemies planes will reach 55 thousand feet, your fleet, for all practical
purposes, is obsolete. He added, "It is like having a second best hand in
poker." You don't have to know much about poker to get the point. There
are some things in which second best just doesn't count at all. Only first
place is a winner.
This being the case,
we must determine in our system of values what those things are which must be
supreme, and that can only be thought of as first place only goals. In the
realm of knowledge, for example, the believer must recognize that the knowledge
of God must be supreme. It is a goal that must be in first place only, for if
it is any less than first, and if he tries to make it his second highest goal,
then he has, for all practical purposes, displaced God for an idol of some
sort, which he has put in first place.
Idolatry is a constant
danger even for a Christian, just as it was for the Old Testament saints. We
must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. God said, "Thou
shalt have no other gods before me." This is God's supreme demand. By His
very nature God cannot tolerate any other position than first place in the life
of His children. He would not be supreme if anyone or anything stood in a place
of higher allegiance than Himself. That is why Solomon makes it clear to his
son that body, mind and soul must be committed to the search if one is to find
God's best. The first place prize in anything does not go to the idle and
indifferent, but only to the diligent, and so it is in the search for God's
wisdom. In a previous message we have seen that Solomon taught his son he must
be receptive, retentive and responsive, or aggressive, and we want to pursue
this last one a little further. God must be to us what gold is to the miner,
and what wealth is to the miser.
I. DILIGENCE IS
DEMANDED.
Solomon says the
search for God's wisdom and guidance is to be on a level with the search for
silver and hidden treasure. The zeal and passion, and even avarice of the human
heart that drives men to face great dangers and expend extra ordinary energy
for the sake of treasure is the stand by which our zeal for God is measured. If
we put so little value on the riches of God that we will not put forth the
effort men put forth for earthly riches, then we are unworthy of receiving
them.
The godless man will
search and labor for silver and wealth as if it were the ultimate value, and
ought not the godly then work for the true ultimate value as if it were silver
and wealth? In other words, saved and unsaved people do not differ in their
means, but they always differ in their ends. The saved person always has the
end of making God and His wisdom first place in life. The unsaved may work just
as hard using the same means, but his end is that self may be in first place.
The point Solomon is making is, that the believer must exert as least equal
energy to attain the knowledge of God as the unbeliever exerts to gain his
ambition of being rich.
This, remember, is not
just a wise suggestion, but it is actually a condition that must be fulfilled
if one is going to understand the fear of God and find the knowledge of God.
Never that knowing God is easy. Like treasure that is hidden it is only found
by diligent digging. To expect to know the infinite by being idol or indifferent
is to expect the impossible. The knowledge of God belongs only to those who
seek for wisdom as the greedy seek for wealth.
It is important to see
that our part is to seek and exert the energy in diligent search. It is God's
part to see that we find. In the New Testament we are urged to ask and it will
be given, to seek and we will find, to knock and it will be opened. It is our
duty to ask, seek and knock, but it is God's part to give, reveal and open.
Solomon puts the Sovereignty of God and the free will of man together in the
same context, as if there were no conflict. The Bible does not have a problem
with the reality of both. It is only a problem to systematic theologians who do
not want to include both in their system.
In verse 6, just after
showing that God demands a diligent search for wisdom, Solomon says that God
gives wisdom. How can it be both a reward for diligent effort and also a gift?
This is easy to see, for God in His sovereignty has chosen to give the gift of
wisdom only to those who diligently search for it. Without a willful commitment
of some kind to God there is no channel open by which God's gifts can be given.
Even in the New Testament where salvation is freely given through faith in
Christ man must will to receive that gift, or he is without hope. Even the song
most used to illustrate that man is not saved by anything he does shows that
man still has a part. It says, "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy
cross I cling." The act of clinging to the cross is a choice of the person's
will necessary to gain the benefits of the cross. I point this out to show that
the theology of the Old and New Testaments are in perfect harmony, for they
combine the major truths of both Calvinism and Arminianism.
In the New Testament
we say the free gift is not yours until you receive it. Solomon is here saying
that the free gift of God's wisdom is not yours until you search for it
diligently. Someone has said, "The truth without the search for truth is
only half the truth." In other words, the search is a basic aspect of
knowing the truth. It is certainly basic to knowing God. To lack the desire and
drive to dig diligently for this treasure is to lack the faculty necessary to
recognize it if you did discover it. However much treasure of truth is present,
it is not available to those who are without receivers, any more than all the
music being transmitted through the air is available to those without a radio
to receive it. An attitude of diligent searching is the only antenna that will
pick up the treasures of truth being transmitted by God. The New Testament says
that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Notice that
they are hid in Him, and that is why it is necessary to search.
The wise men never
would have found the Christ child if they had not been diligent and persistent
in their search. When the star no longer guided them, they did not give up and
go home. They used other means, and they asked questions and sought the help of
men. Their diligence was rewarded by the reappearance of the star that led them
to the child. This is an historical example of the truth that those who seek
shall find. They searched for Christ as men search for silver and hidden
treasure. This is the proof that they were indeed wise men. Diligence is
demanded in finding any of God's riches, but when the demand is met God will
certainly keep His promise, and so we look to verse 5 and see just what it is
that will be the result of our diligent search for wisdom.
II. DEITY DISCOVERED.
Here the conclusion of
all that has been said in the first 4 verses. Here is the reward and God's part
in the cooperative effort of God and His children to arrive at the highest
possible use of their lives. If believers fulfill the first 4 verses by being receptive
and retentive of wisdom, and are aggressive and diligent in their search for
it, God promises that He will be found. "Then we will understand the fear
of the Lord." It is not before this, but then we will understand and have
reverence and respect for Him, which we have seen is the principle part of
knowledge.
The immature and
uncommitted cannot be expected to understand what it means to fear God. This is
a sign of considerable maturity, for it can only be gained after much reception
of wisdom, and diligence search for it. This does not mean the immature cannot
be reverent, but it does mean that they do not really grasp the full
significance of reverence. It could well be that reverence for God is a key
factor in determining the maturity of a believer. As irreverence is certainly a
sign of immaturity, so the opposite is also true. A goal for our lives then in
all the diligence search for wisdom is not that we might be proud of our
attainment, but that we might be more humbly reverent before God. This goal is
that of being Christ like.
If Jesus is the truth,
and we believe it, and if in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge and we believe that, then the whole Christian life is a process of
education whereby we grow in our knowledge of the truth and our practice of
wisdom. Someone wrote, "The educated man is one who knows that he is not,
and never can be, educated in any final sense, but who has an unquenchable
thirst to continue his education. "
The second result to
come from fulfilling the conditions will be a finding of the knowledge of God.
We can literally discover deity in our search for hidden treasure. Discovery of
gold cannot compare with this fact, that men can discover God, or more
accurately, the knowledge of God. So many people insist on an entirely
different approach to finding God. They want to get an understanding of God and
then decide if they want to believe or not. God says that He reveals himself
only to those who already believe. Only the believer can really gain an understanding
of the fear of God and find the knowledge of God. Anselm of Canterbury in the
11th century said what has always been true, and always will be: "..I do
not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to
understand. For this too I believe, that unless I believe, I shall not
understand." They only find the knowledge of God who have put God in first
place in their lives. When God is first place only, then you are being truly
educated.
8.
GOD-GIVER AND GUARD Based on Prov. 2:6-7