INTRO.- There is all kinds of wisdom in this world. Some good and some not so good. Here are some non-american, non-biblical, proverbial sayings that I think are good.
A quarrel is like buttermilk: once it’s out of the churn, the more you shake it, the more sour it grows. Irish Proverb
A rich widow weeps with one eye and signals with the other. Portuguese Proverb
Advice is least heeded when most needed. English Proverb
Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in changing him. Scottish Proverb
Beware of the young doctor and the old barber. Benjamin Franklin
Choose a wife with your ears, not your eyes. French Proverb
A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple. French Proverb
Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork. English Proverb
Don’t speak unless you can improve on the silence. Spanish Proverb
Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm. Malayan Proverb
Every path has its puddle. English Proverb
Give to a pig when it grunts and a child when it cries, and you will have a fine pig and a bad child. Danish Proverb
Here are some more non-proverb, proverbial sayings.
- Most people who sing their own praises can’t carry a tune.
- Many people are too busy making a living to make a life worth living
- The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without it.
- More people are going on diets tomorrow than today.
- Politicians who promise pie in the sky are planning to use your dough.
- Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
- There is less pain in biting your tongue than in losing a friend.
- Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.
- A good place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.
- It’s ok to ask dumb questions. They’re easier to handle than dumb mistakes.
- Tact is the ability to close your mouth before somebody else wants to.
- Most of us are willing to give a fellow a helping hand if he’d only pick a more convenient time to need it.
- Your ulcer won’t grow very fast while you are laughing.
- The family that stays together probably only has one car.
- When a man proposes on his knees, it sometimes takes him years to get back on his feet.
- The worst thing about accidents in the kitchen is that you usually have to eat them.
- Church is where you go to find out what your neighbors should do to lead better lives.
- Middle age is that time in life when you convince yourself it’s only a vitamin deficiency.
- You can usually tell what makes a man tick when he’s unwinding.
- The page of instructions on the income tax form is religious experience – it passeth all understanding.
- If you want to keep your teeth in good condition, brush them after every meal and mind your own business.
- We are all like eggs – we either hatch or go bad.
Here’s a little proverbial test.
1. Fix something right away or it will get worse. A stitch in time saves nine.
2. An overabundance of culinary help is detrimental to the pot’s contents. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
3. Just because something is shiny, doesn’t mean it’s a precious metal. All that glitters is not gold.
4. That which pleases the eye doesn’t go beyond the epidermis. Beauty is only skin deep.
5. The capital of Italy was constructed over a long period of time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
6. There comes a time when your canine friend is through matriculating. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
7. If you’re going to give advice to others, be sure you follow it yourself. Practice what you preach.
8. Just because you aren’t punctual doesn’t mean you should quit. Better late than never.
9. If you never try to do anything, you’ll never get anything done. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
10. It doesn’t take long for a person without good sense to be separated from his financial assets! A fool and his money are soon parted.
Now to the book of Proverbs. My preaching from this book is going to go here and there, from one subject to another, and they may be completely unrelated to one another. We will cover a variety of subjects pertinent to life. After all, variety is the spice of life. Or so the proverb says.
Prov. 1:1 “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.” Did Solomon write the Proverbs? All the Proverbs? No, not all of them. Check out chapters 30 and 31. According to I Kings 4:29-34 Solomon did utter 3,000 proverbs.
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. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 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.”
I. ORIGINALITY
Originality is the word that comes to my mind. It may well be that Solomon was an original thinker. After all, he did utter or speak 3,000 proverbs and 1005 songs. Have you ever written a song? How about a poem? Or a proverbial saying?
ILL.- About the only original saying that I have said is: “Less said, best said.” And even that comes from the idea that less is sometimes better. And I have no idea who said that. Less said, best said is very applicable to preachers and their sermons. A sermon can always be too long, consequently, less said is best said. We who preach are often too wordy. Less is often better. Shorter sermons are sometimes better. Of course, I’ve even heard some short sermons that were not good. I have preached some!
Now when it comes to Solomon’s originality or his wisdom, I’m sure he got it from God. Since God is our Creator and all good things come from him. If Solomon said it and it was good, it was from God. At least, God inspired.
God created the heavens and the earth. He is the original originator, thinker, and creator. Do you ever have any original thoughts?
ILL.- Samuel Johnson in THE BOOK OF INSULTS wrote, “Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.”
This could be true of us. The truth is most of us are not very original. We learn most things in life from others. We learn from our parents, schoolteachers, close friends, grandparents whom we admire greatly, Christian friends, etc. And, of course, we learn some things from bad people.
I Cor. 15:33 “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Prov. 1:10 “If sinners entice you, do not give in to them.”
Prov. 16:29 “A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good.”
Prov. 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” People also “dull” one another with their dullness and deadness.
Prov. 13:20 “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
ILL.- Charles E. Menches was one of 50 vendors serving saucers of ice cream at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Mo. Business was booming on a hot August day when he ran out of clean saucers. Menches turned to the stand next door, operated by a Syrian who had come to the fair from Damascus to sell a pastry baked on a waffle iron. What Menches did was to roll the still soft pastry into a cornucopia and filled it with ice cream and handed it to customers. Success was instantaneous. And now you know the rest of the story.
What Charles Menches did was original even though he borrowed the product from someone else. Even originality requires some stimulus or motivation.
Most of us are motivated to do certain things by others. Some one does something admirable and we may think, “I can do that.” Or “I can do something like that.”
ILL.- I might never have started running had it not been for a 60 plus year old runner whose story was in a publication called STAR that was a supplement to Southern Illinoisan newspaper.
Prior to this time I had been jogging some, maybe three miles a day several times a week. I read this guy’s story how he ran marathons (26.2 miles), but not only marathons. He also ran 50 mile and 100 mile races and I thought, “Hey, if this old guy can do it I can surely run more miles.” After that, I started running 5 miles a day and in no time I was running 10 miles a day. I started running longer runs and finally got to 20 miles. Then I ran my first marathon. The rest is history.
We are often motivated by others, both in our thinking and our doing. And I want to motivate you to be original in something.
ILL.- “Innovate, don’t imitate.” That was Minnesota meat packer George Hormel’s advice to his employees. So when the company that bears his name found itself with several thousand pounds of leftover pork shoulder, they transformed some of it into a unique product, a canned, minced pork and ham loaf that required no refrigeration. To market the product, Hormel offered a $100 prize for a catchy name, and the winning entry—SPAM—has since become a genuine slice of American folklore.
Can you believe that? A $100 for the name SPAM, a name which has now exploded into the internet world!
DO YOU KNOW WHAT SPAM IS? It’s electronic junk mail. Anyone who has internet service knows what I’m talking about. We who have internet service get junk mail. And I suppose SPAM is considered something like a junk meat product, but not by the Hormel Company.
But the idea is this: someone had the original thought to dream up the word SPAM! And what it means, I don’t know. I’ve read these:
Spiced Ham.
Specially Processed Army Meat.
Specially Processed Armadillo Meat.
Super Pink Artificial Meat.
Squirrel, Possum, And Mouse.
Silly People Ate More.
Salted Pork And More.
I want to motivate you to be original or do something original. Be creative. God has given us this power and no telling how we can use it to His glory.
ILL.- For example, millions of people have written books, but how many of those books have blessed others? But perhaps you could write a book that would bless others! Or a poem! Or a short story! Or perhaps you could be a blessing by teaching a Sunday School class?
Hey, if the likes of Madonna can write a children’s book, what about you? You know things that she doesn’t know. And you know the One person who truly counts in life!
The people of this world have often capitalized on their talents and abilities, but not Christian people. It’s time, however, for us to rise up and be counted for Christ!
Brothers and sisters, you are gifted in certain ways whether you realize it or not. Perhaps not in writing, but in other ways. You need to use what God has given you to bless others!
Be original as best you can. There are things that you can do with your mind and body that you have never even considered, but you need to consider them now! Silence is golden. It is golden because many good things have come as a result of it. Perhaps you need to be silent before God. Then, after a period of time, pray, “Father, what can I do to bless others and bring glory to you? Lead me. Guide me. Show me. Direct me.”
I Cor. 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Be an originator for the glory of God!
II. WISDOM
ILL.- H. L. Mencken said, “The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” Just because we grow older it doesn’t mean that we grow wiser. I’ve seen some old guys whom I considered just to be old cusses. They weren’t smart at all. They were young cusses at one time and later on they became old cusses.
The book of Proverbs contains the wisdom of God. I have also heard that it contains probabilities but not necessarily promises. What is written in the book is probably true. These things probably hold true, but not always. Certainly not if we don’t practice them.
Prov. 3:7-8 “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body…”
This is a probability. Fearing the Lord and shunning evil will probably bring good health to your body, but not necessarily. Why? Because many saints of God have suffered poor health even though they feared the Lord. It’s a probability and a pretty good one, however.
Prov. 3:9-10 “Honor the Lord with your wealth…then your barns will be filled to overflowing…”
Some believe this is a solid promise of God. It could be a probability. When we honor the Lord with what He has given us He will take care of us. This is a sure promise of God’s Word. However, I don’t think we can always say that our barns will be filled to overflowing.
This gives the impression that if we honor the Lord with our wealth he will bless us with great material wealth. And this doesn’t always hold true.
God has blessed some of his people with great wealth, but not all of his people even though they were faithful in their giving. So this is more of a probability.
ILL.- One writer put it this way. “I know some Christians who think of Proverbs as a sanctified version of How to Win Friends and Influence People. I think they are wrong. While it is true that Proverbs teaches us how to be happy and prosperous, this is not the primary aim of the book. More than anything we are encouraged by Proverbs to be godly and righteous in our conduct.
“Those who pursue happiness as their goal in life will not find it, but those who seek holiness will find happiness as a pleasant by-product. Proverbs never promises that everyone who works hard will get rich or that honesty always is more profitable than crime. As a rule, this is the case, but there are many exceptions. If I live life wisely, I will not suffer the consequences of folly. If I stay within the speed limit, I will not suffer by paying speeding tickets. If I don’t rob others, I won’t have to worry about going to jail for robbery. But Proverbs hints at what other Scriptures tell us clearly--the righteous will sometimes suffer because they are righteous (cf. II Tim. 3:12).”
Always keep in mind as you study the book of Proverbs the difference between a promise and a probability.
Prov. 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”
Prov. 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom….”
Promise or probability? Sounds like a promise and it is to God’s people. Fearing or reverencing the Lord always brings knowledge and wisdom. And the reason is because when we reverence the Lord we will study God’s Word and it always contains good knowledge and wisdom.
I am not trying to be technical or split hairs with this matter of promise and probability. I think we just need to realize there is a difference and be discerning.
God does give us wisdom. There is no doubt about it and more people need the wisdom of God.
ILL.- Max Born died in 1970. A close friend of Albert Einstein and a colleague of Max Planck and Otto Hahn, the nuclear physicists, he was one of the great minds of the twentieth century. In an interview on German television before his death, Born commented: “I’d be happier if we had scientists with less brains and more wisdom.”
I’d say this is true and could be applied to any and all professions. We need more politicians with less brains and more wisdom. More of God’s wisdom, for sure. And so with preachers, teachers, educators, actors, actresses, news people, rich, and poor, etc. We all need a big dose of God’s wisdom!
ILL.- Bob Jones said, “Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge so as to meet successfully the emergencies of life. Men may acquire knowledge, but wisdom is a gift direct from God.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Wisdom comes from God’s Word and from asking God for it. It never hurts to pray for God to give us wisdom to know what to do and how to handle life.
ILL.- A young man who had just received his degree from college rushed out and said, “Here I am world, I have my A.B.” The world replied, “Sit down, son, and I’ll teach you the rest of the alphabet.” And this is where the wisdom of God comes in.
No matter how intelligent a person is or how many degrees he has, life will always teach you something more. Life is a learning process. We are always learning and we are always being confronted with situations that often perplex us. This is why we need the wisdom of God. God knows all about everything. We need His wisdom most of all.
ILL.- Someone else put it this way, “Secular education can make men clever, but it cannot make them good.” Only the wisdom of God makes people good. Secular education will help you make a living but it will not necessarily help you live the best kind of life, a life that is pleasing to God.
CONCLUSION-------------------------------------
James 1:22 “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only…”
The proverbial sayings of the book of Proverbs are not just cute sayings to quote to one another. They are good to quote, but they are more than just quotations! We can philosophize all we want, but the bottom line is, are we doers? Are we practitioners?
