[Hold up Bible.]
I love this book. You’ve heard me refer to it as “The Owner’s Manual.” It contains stories, history, poetry, adventure, drama. It contains hymns. It contains theology, philosophy, and it contains wisdom. Every book in the Bible is there for a reason. Believe it or not, not all the ancient writing made it into the Bible. The “Infancy Gospel of Thomas,” for example or “The Book of Enoch.” The Catholic church chose to preserve such writing as 1st and 2nd Esdras, Tobit, Ecclesiasticus, 1st and 2nd Maccabees, the Letter of Jeremiah, the Prayer of Manasseh, and the Wisdom of Solomon … which is different from the Book of Proverbs that we will be studying in this series. My point is this: every single book in this Bible was included in the canon for a reason. Great theologians and religious scholars and leaders read, examined, and debated over what to include and what to exclude and this [hold up the Bible] is the result of their ‘wisdom.’
So, let me ask you … when was the last time you read the Book of Proverbs? How many of you have studied its wisdom and tried to absorb its teaching and … here’s the challenge … live by the profound, tried-and-true wisdom that has been preserved and passed down to us in this book? The Book of Proverbs wasn’t included for sentimental reasons. The scholars and theologians included it for a reason and didn’t designate it as an extra-Biblical or deuterocanonical or apocryphal book like they did Tobit or Judith … and hopefully I will be able to convince you to not only read it but to live by the collective and inspired, Godly wisdom contained within its pages.
Today is a bit of an overview of the Book of Proverbs. Over the coming weeks, we’ll look at and listen … and hopefully learn … from it what it has to say about anger, finances, friendship, sharing, addiction, conflict, and family. You see, despite all the technology and gadgets that we have today, the basic issues and challenges of life are the same today as they were when the Book of Proverbs was put together.
Even the title of the book is a proscription for how we are to approach this book. “Proverbs.” Break it down. “Pro” means what? You might think “professional” but “pro” also means “positive” … as in, “I’m pro-Bible study” or “I’m pro-prayer.” “Verb.” What is a “verb”? In grammar it means “action.” Verbs are action words … run, jump, swim. “Pro-verb” means “pro” or “positive” action. This is a collection of sayings to encourage us to take positive actions in our lives that will produce the best results or outcomes … as well as warn us about the kinds of negative actions that can lead to suffering and destruction and ruin if we don’t follow the “proverbs” or “positive actions” that have been tried and tested for generations.
The Hebrew title for the Book of Proverbs comes from a derivation or root word that means “to be like.” Again, the idea is one of taking action, of engaging in a process that will make us more and more into the person that God wants us to become … and to do that, we have to know the teaching and follow the process as it is outlined in the Book of Proverbs.
The title “Proverbs” … whether in Hebrew or in English … comes right out and tells us that there is more to the Book of Proverbs than just pithy sayings and observations to be read and contemplated. They are meant to be read, taken seriously, and acted on.
The first nine books of the Book of Proverbs are written in the form of a father advising his son, giving him advice to help him live wisely in the world. It was used as an instruction manual for parents to help them raise Godly, hopefully righteous children. Chapters 10 through 24 is a collection of wisdom for people of all ages … and chapters 25 through 31 are a collection of wisdom teaching for leaders and future leaders. What the Book of Psalms is to prayer and devotion, the Book of Proverbs is to everyday life. The Book of Proverbs contains deep spiritual insight as well as practical advice for daily life … and the combination of the two … practical advice and spiritual insight … makes Proverbs a book that we should be reading and studying and discussing a whole lot more than we do.
And so, like any book, we should start at the beginning, especially since the beginning of the book sets the stage for what is to follow, amen? The first line of the Book of Proverbs states: “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel” … which, obviously, establishes the authorship of the book … though other authors, like Agur, the son of Jakeh and King Lemuel … are included. In 1st Kings 4, it says that King Solomon “composed three thousand proverbs … He would speak of trees … he would speak of animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish. People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon; they came from all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom” (vv. 32-34).
Verses 2 and 3 state the purpose of the book: “for learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, for gaining instruction in wise dealings, righteousness, justice, and equity” … and verses 4 and 5 explain who the book is for … “to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young – let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill.” Even though verse 4 says that the purpose of this book is to teach “shrewdness to the simple” and “knowledge and prudence to the young,” verse 5 says it is also written so that the wise … that’s you and me, right? … can also “hear and gain in learning” … and the “discerning” … again, that’s us, right? … can “acquire skill.” Guess what? No matter how old you are, you should never stop learning, amen? The minute we know it all is the minute that we stop learning. The amazing thing about the Bible is that there is always something new to learn, some new insight to be gained no matter how old you are or how many times you’ve read it … and none of us here this morning are too old or too wise to not gain from reading and studying the wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, amen? … which is what Solomon is saying in verse 6 … that simple, young, old, or wise, we read and study the Book of Proverbs to “understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.” No matter how young you are or, in the words of Solomon, how simple or unacquainted you are with the wisdom contained within the Book of Proverbs, read it, study it and it will teach you how to “understand” it. In fact, the first seven verses of Proverbs 1 introduce you to key words and concepts that are repeated throughout not only the Book of Proverbs but the Bible itself. Terms like: wisdom, righteousness, justice, equity, and “fear of the LORD.” For example, Psalm 1 states that the purpose of the Torah or the Pentateuch is to advise the reader to avoid the “advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread” but to “meditate day and night” on law of the LORD so that they may prosper and not perish (Psalm 1:1-3, 6).
Solomon was known throughout the world for his “wisdom” which he acknowledges comes from the LORD in verse 7: “For the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” We hear the same sentiment in Psalm 111:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.” When Job asked, “Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of its understanding?” (Job 28:20), his answer was that “fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).
You will note that the word “LORD” is in all capital letters. It means specifically the personal name of God … YHWH … or “Yahweh.” With very few exceptions, Proverbs refers to God as LORD … all caps … as Yahweh … because it reminds the reader that the beginning and the source of all wisdom come from Yahweh. When Yahweh entered into a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, He gave them a command:
“So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God will all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and [My] decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
Solomon goes on to say that “fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverb 1:7). We live in a time where we have the whole world of information at our fingertips, so we turn to Google instead of God and we think that all this information … all this knowledge …makes us “wise.” It might make us smart. We might know a lot of things … but wisdom … true wisdom … can only come from God.
According to the dictionary, “wisdom” is the ability to discern what is true or right. Our English word “wisdom” has moral implications … as in discerning what is right … and it has intellectual implications … as in, discerning what is true … but the Hebrew word that Solomon uses … Khokmah (hokmah) … has a much more useful and practical meaning to it. It distinguishes between wisdom and knowledge because a person can have a mind full of facts and, well, so what? What good is having a head full of facts or all the information in the world at your fingertips if you don’t do something with that information. “Khokmah” is the “skill” that it takes to use knowledge in the right way for the right purpose. Wisdom is the ability to use the tools of knowledge and intellect to live righteously. Khokmah is the skill or the ability to discern and to judge which aspects of our knowledge are true, right, lasting, and applicable to our lives. Verse 5 calls the wise to hear and gain in learning and the discerning to acquire skill. As author and religious scholar Gerhard von Rad explains it, wisdom is “becoming competent with regard to the realities of life. Knowing how things really happen, knowing how things really are, and knowing what to do about it” (von Rad, G. Wisdom in Israel. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International.; 1972; trans. By J.D. Martin; p. 97).
“The fear of the LORD” … of Yahweh … “is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). As we all know, the “fear” that we’re talking about here is not terror. It means reverence … awe … it is the fear that comes from the awareness that we, the finite, stand in presence of the Infinite … the sinful in the presence of the Holy. “Fear of the LORD” means more than simply acknowledging God in our lives. “Fear of Yahweh” refers to a special kind of relationship … one that is best described as a “covenant” relationship … a relationship based on mutual trust and commitment.
“Fear” of the LORD is the “beginning” of knowledge. The “beginning.” It is the start of a life-long process of getting to know God and, in the process of getting to know God … and, in the process of getting to know God, we love Him more and more … and because we love God and want to know God more and more, we want to walk in all His ways. The more we love Him, the more we want to serve Him until we are serving Him with all our hearts and with all our strength and with all our minds and with all our souls.
Verse 8 starts out, “Hear, my child.” The father, who is farther along in his journey, shares his knowledge, his insight, his wisdom with his son or daughter that he has learned so far on his journey … and, in passing on this wisdom to his son or daughter, he remembers and reaffirms what he has learned and he remembers that his learning is not over … that he, like his child, is still on a journey to learn more about God, so that his fear, his awe, his reverence will continue to grow along with his love of God and his desire to serve God.
Every journey has a beginning and every journey must follow a certain path. A journey also involves “action.” There’s the old proverb of three frogs sitting on a log and one of them decides to hop off the log, how many frogs are on the log? Three. A decision to leap off the log is just that … a decision. You can think about leaping off a log or taking the journey that Solomon is inviting us to take with him but nothing … absolutely nothing … will happen until we take that first step … and then another … and another … amen? Psalm 1 says that there are two paths. “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread” (v. 1). That path leads to destruction. But those whose delight in law of the LORD, who meditate on God’s law day and night, they will prosper. Proverbs 1:9 says that if we follow our father’s instructions, if we do not reject our mother’s teaching, the “wisdom” that we receive from them … the wisdom that they received from God … will be like a “garland for your head, and pendants for your neck. My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent … do not walk in their way, keep your foot from their paths; for their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed blood” (Proverbs 1:9-10, 15).
The image of paths is common in Proverbs. For example, Proverbs again describes two paths and makes it pretty clear which path we should choose. The choice is ours but, unfortunately, we can choose the wrong path, the path that leads to destruction. Again, the father beseeches us to listen to his instruction:
“… be attentive, that you may gain insight; for I give you good precepts: do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, and my mother’s favorite, he taught me, and said to me, ‘Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a fair garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.’ Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on…. the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over” (Proverbs 4:1-15, 18-19).
The path of the righteous starts out as a glimmer but grows brighter and brighter as we continue to seek wisdom, as we continue to learn more about God, as we grow closer to God. The other path is one that keeps getting darker and darker, one that is littered with objects and obstacles that we stumble and trip over because we can’t see them.
Notice the father keeps referring to “wisdom” as a “she.” The word “Khokmah” is feminine. In the Book of Proverbs, Wisdom is described as a woman calling outside the house, in the open square, from the middle of the road and on the busiest street corner. If we listen, we will hear her voice:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own device. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without disaster” (Proverbs 1:22-33).
Personification … such as portraying “Wisdom” as a woman … is a poetic and personal way of capturing and conveying the message. Wisdom is not a matter of mastering a bunch of rules. It is something that you must seek, embrace, and fall in love with. The ultimate personification of wisdom was Jesus Christ Himself … Emmanuel … Wisdom incarnate. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” says Jesus. “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does His works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:9-11). In other words, wisdom in not a body of principles or rules to memorize. It’s knowing Jesus. It’s living for Jesus. It is learning from Jesus. Like the father and mother in Proverbs 1, if we listen to Jesus’ instruction … if we do not reject his teaching … they will become a fair garland for our heads and pendants for our necks. “Listen to me,” says Jesus, “for your well-being fear me, walk in all my ways, love me, serve me with all your heart and all your soul, keep my commandments and decrees” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
Proverbs … pro-action. Remember, we are on a journey. The Bible is pathway, not a door. It’s not a destination, it’s a process. Wisdom calls for us to listen for her voice and then calls us to take action. Our lives are to be ones that are constantly seeking the Lord and His wisdom and His instruction. To live wisely, we need to passionately pursue wisdom. “Get wisdom, get insight; do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake [Wisdom], and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you,” says Solomon (Proverbs 4:5-6).
We start our pursuit of Wisdom by reading the Bible. So, I want to help you with that today. Like I asked you at the beginning of the sermon, when was the last time you read … and took it to heart … the teaching in the Book of Proverbs, huh? Well, take a moment to look in your “Owner’s Manual” and tell me how many chapters there in the Book of Proverbs. Yes … there are 31! And most months have how many days? That’s right … 31. See where I’m going with this? September only has 30 days so, starting next month, October, get pro-active and read a chapter of the Book of Proverbs every day. To find Wisdom, we must passionately pursue it. The pursuit of Wisdom is one of the most important things that we can do in life. If we honor Wisdom, Wisdom will lift us up. If we embrace Wisdom, Wisdom will pour her thoughts into us and make her words known to us. If we listen to Wisdom, if we pursue Wisdom, then we will be secure, we will live at ease, without dread of disaster.
“My son,” says the father in Proverbs 3, “do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:1-8).
You can’t remember the father’s teaching or keep his commands if you don’t know them, amen? How can you bind them around your neck or write them on the tablet of your heart if you never read them … over and over and over again if necessary. The love and faithfulness that the father is talking about is the love and faithfulness that comes from having a personal, intimate, covenant relationship with God and you can’t have a personal, intimate, covenant relationship with Yahweh unless you do what? Seek Him out. Follow His ways. Going down the path of wisdom means that you adopt certain practices, certain daily disciplines. It’s not enough to know that God absolutely, positively loves You … that He can and will do anything for you … that He is committed to you and will never leave you nor forsake you here [point to head] … we have to know it here [point to my heart] in our heart of hearts and the way that we write God’s love on our hearts and on our very souls is through prayer, worship, music, poetry, and memorization.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverb 1:7). I pray that there are no fools here today, amen?
