Category: Proverbs

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Studies in Proverbs 10, Part 4: A Biography of Good and Evil

Open water lead above Canada, Arctic Ocean

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Text: 10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
14 The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

Our brief text provides a biography of evil and good. The righteous grow up in wisdom, while the fool grows to master evil schemes. The fool becomes artists of evil. They design everything without thought to the consequences of their actions. Their words start fires around them. Even their very bodily gestures and movements communicate evil. We see this in verses 10: “Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” He is a troublemaker, and everyone around him knows it. Fathers and mothers keep their kids away from him.

What does he do? He winks his eye. He is not being cute or playful. Literally, he is “compressing the eye.” That is, he is meditating on what evil to do next. He is a restless schemer.[1] He stays up late at night strategizing. He doesn’t greet his wife or children; he rushes to his room to plot the next thing. He gives his approval to every societal and cultural evil. But there is a corresponding backlash.[2] It boomerangs back to him. Every evil word or idea comes back to haunt him.

In verse 11, we are back to the antithetical lines: “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”

Solomon says four things are a fountain of life: “…the teaching of the wise (13:14); honoring Yahweh (14:27); wisdom (16:22); and the mouth of a righteous person.”  St John says: “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” “The heart is the core of what you are and who you are. Our words will reveal what is really there in our hearts in the long-run.”[3] If you want to live life manufacturing an impression of who you are, eventually, you will be found out. St. James says: “The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” Is it that bad? Are the consequences of our words that earth-shattering? They absolutely are. Our speech needs to be brought under the Lordship of Christ. Our speech needs to be like fresh clean water bringing life wherever it travels. That’s why societies must return to good etiquette and norms, especially between guys and girls.

Verse 13 says: “On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.” Here’s a literal translation to clarify the pairing: “On the lips of the discerning is found wisdom, on the back of a fool, the rod.” The two results: wisdom and a rod.

In our denomination, I think of men like Pastor Mickey Schnider, Randy Booth, Douglas Wilson; men who love and speak wisdom. Wisdom flows from their tongues like a flowing stream of pure water. But have you ever looked at someone’s back and expected it to talk to you? Of course not. That is absurd. Solomon says that when the fool speaks, it is as if his back were speaking. Nothing comes out of it that is beneficial, discerning, or good. What happens to this person? He accumulates so much foolishness that foolishness begets a beating. Foolishness becomes an addictive sport. As Matthew Henry puts it, “(The fools) are preparing rods for themselves, the marks of which will be their perpetual disgrace.”[4] 

On the other hand, verse 14: “The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.” We saw this in verse 10, which says that the babbling fool will come to ruin. He can only talk his way into things for so long, but then it all comes back to bite with a vengeance.

I think if there is something the book of Proverbs makes abundantly clear is the idea of building up and accumulating. We see this pattern in Genesis when God says to the first human beings created: “Have dominion over all things.”[5] This is a pattern throughout the Scriptures. We see this in verse 14. It says: “…the wise lay up knowledge.” Literally, “the wise store up or build up knowledge.” This is what it means to have dominion: it means to build up and store up. Dominion is a long-term project. But what’s the purpose of this storing and building? Everything we gain and everything we have is for others. The wealthy Christian does not grow in possession simply for his own satisfaction and pleasure; no, God gives to him so he may bless and bring peace to others. In the same manner, we see this pattern with wisdom. We are called to have dominion over wisdom. The unbeliever uses his intellect and knowledge for selfish gain, but the believer stores up knowledge so that he not only has sufficient provisions for himself but a supply for others as well.”[6] He is always seeking wisdom. He is asking questions of grown-ups. Succession is the heart of his pursuit. We store wisdom by listening and learning, reading and writing, communing and caring, forgiving one another, and forsaking the company of the fool.

We accumulate wisdom so that others may benefit. The pursuit of wisdom is a succession plan. It is built up to be given to.

[1] Richard Clifford, Proverbs’ commentary.

[2] Bruce Waltke, Commentary on Proverbs.

[3] Professor David McKay.

[4] Commentary on Proverbs found in Bible Works 10.

[5] Genesis 1.

[6] Steve Wilkins.

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Studies in Proverbs 10, Part 3: Walking in Integrity

Part 1, Part 2

Text: 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

Sermon: People of God, we continue our examination of the second collection of Proverbs in chapter 10. Proverbs 10 summarizes what the rest of Proverbs is accomplishing. Proverbs is training sons and daughters to make their Father glad. Solomon argues that we please our Father by living and possessing wisdom.

And if there is such a thing as wisdom, there is such a thing as foolishness. In our circles, we talk a lot about antithesis and the myth of neutrality. Proverbs confirms this idea. In the Scriptures, you are either a wise person or a fool. But wisdom, like everything else, does not come at once. We must work hard to mature it in our own lives. Just as the Christian works hard to grow in wisdom, the fool works hard to develop in foolishness.

We read in verse 6: “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” Proverbs trains us in wisdom by taking our bodies and changing our habits, table manners, etiquette, etc. That’s why blessing in the Bible is very much connected to the reshaping of your rhythms and rituals. The work of the Spirit is through the body; if this is the case, we need to learn to use it wisely and appropriately. In fact, you will see that in this section of Proverbs, there is an emphasis on body parts: “head” and “mouth” (vs. 6), “heart” and “lips” (babbling vs. 8), “eyes and lips” (babbling vs. 10), “mouth” (twice in verse 11), “lips” and “back” (vs. 13).[1] The body and how we use it becomes central in gaining and growing in wisdom. The fool, on the other hand, prostitutes the body. He gives it away and uses it without ever considering what is right and wrong in God’s eyes.

In these verses, there is a strong play on the idea that our words will carve out a particular eulogy in our funerals. Our use of language will paint a picture of who we are and what people will say when we die. Funerals are not made for flattery but for Christian legacy, which is why Proverbs says that blessings are on the head of the righteous because he uses his tongue with wisdom. Words are powerful.[2] Words constantly change the people around you. Consider that when God spoke, things came into being. His words are transformative. We don’t bring something into existence but we do shape our surroundings with words. So a wise man does not pretend that his words and actions are insignificant. He carries his words and actions like sacraments; like holy things.

Continue reading “Studies in Proverbs 10, Part 3: Walking in Integrity”
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Studies in Proverbs 10, Part 2

Part 1

A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Proverbs is deeply interested in the fullness of life. God provides us wise words so we may live a life of wisdom. The salvation of God in history is not simply a broad category to discuss; it is a category to live. God wants to impart wisdom to His people. The danger, of course, is that we become a people so enamored with a desire to know what to do that we become no better than self-help gurus. We don’t want to accumulate a biblical TO-DO list to be wiser than everyone else; instead, we want to learn how to apply the Bible because when we do so, we are more and more conformed unto Christ. This is essential for us to grasp. Proverbs is about Christ. He is the wise Son who always makes His Father glad. So, wisdom is good, but wisdom divorced from Christ is tainted by sin. This is why it is so crucial that when we impart wisdom to our children, we must never end our instruction without pointing them to the Wisdom made flesh, Jesus the Christ. Wisdom leads to works only because we are Christ’s and Christ made us for good works.

Proverbs argues that our works must be done in the sight of God. The works we do is earthy work shattering the nice, civil discourse so prevalent in the so-called elite; in fact, wisdom shatters the elite and makes us all human again. It brings us to the day-to-day struggles from the ivory towers to diaper changing to the sweat of our brows. The type of discourse that typically offends our more refined sensibilities is the type of language the Bible loves to address. Once you grow up into the language of the Bible then, you learn to judge everything else by it.[1]

It is here in these two verses of Proverbs 10 (verses four and five) that we find a sample of the grandiose picture. In Proverbs, wisdom is not ethereal or abstract; it is real and tangible. You can even take a picture of a wise person; that’s how visible it is. Proverbs despises the dichotomy between spiritual and physical. Instead, it loves to unite ideas to the work of your hands.

This is what we find in verses 4 & 5 of Proverbs 10: the unity of wisdom and wealth. Wealth without wisdom is destruction, but wealth with biblical wisdom is to be desired. G.K. Chesterton once said that the central matter of education is not learning things, but unlearning things.[2] Godly pursues righteousness by undoing poor habits.

 Look at verse 4: “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” A man’s character is reflected in his attitude toward work.[3] “A diligent man is more than one who works hard; he is one who works efficiently. He recognizes time as a stewardship that must be given account in the Day of Judgment.”[4] What good is it to have wealth and not be wise? As Proverbs 21:20 says, “…the foolish man may take money, but he spends it all up. The hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Man is created to be diligent.[5] And this is why a slack hand produces poverty; not just simply a financial poverty, but a poverty of the mind. A slack hand causes you to think of the world not as a harvest, but as a barren land. Where there is a slack hand, wisdom is not present. Wisdom leads to work and the hand of the diligent makes rich. The practical foundation of wealth, the simple biblical economic principle is that those who are diligent, that is, wise and efficient, become rich. “If you don’t maintain a home it will rot to the ground. Time, nature, and circumstance all conspire to consume and destroy our efforts because we live in a sinful world. Unless people realize that they are responsible for their own financial condition they will never be delivered from poverty.”[6]

This section of Proverbs concludes with a further observation on the contrast between diligence and laziness. Verse 5 says: “He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.” There is a a strong contrast in this text. He who gathers in the summer is like the exemplary ant in Proverbs 6:8. Bruce Waltke writes: “He represents any child who brings his parent joy by earning the accolade of being declared prudent.” By contrast, he who sleeps “denotes a person in a state of sleep that is so deep, traumatic, and narcotic-like that he is totally unconscious of his surroundings.” “The fact that he is sleeping in harvest underscores the urgency of the situation.”[7] To be very clear, Solomon is not saying that sleeping or taking a nap is wrong, but what he is saying is that the sleeper “has failed to understand the relationship between timing and success. He has assumed that he can rest at his discretion. The Bible says no…This proverb testifies to the existence of rhythms in life. A man must pace himself according to the conditions of the market. No successful distance runner runs equally fast throughout a long race, irrespective of the conditions of the course, the distance remaining, his energy reserves, and the speed of his competitors.”[8] 

So, we are called to embrace a new rhythm. This rhythm requires us to have a strong commitment to the future. The pessimist works without the expectation of reward and blessing. The hopeful works with the expectation that his labor is not in vain; that God is rewarding and blessing his efforts and building the kingdom upon the work of our hands.

[1] See Against Christianity by Peter Leithart for a fleshing out of these ideas.

[2] Found this quote in Douglas Wilson’s Glory and a Covering.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Rev. Max Doner; sermon on Proverbs 10

[5] Let me also state that Proverbs is assuming that this individual is able to work, but he prefers to keep his hands unharmed from the dangers of the ground, or a keyboard, or whatever it is one may do for work.

[6] Ibid. see sermonaudio.com

[7] Ibid.

[8] Gary North, Economic Commentary on the Book of Proverbs.

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Studies in Proverbs 10, Part 1

A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

I would like to explore a little bit of this vast depository of wisdom found in Proverbs 10 in our subsequent few gatherings for Vespers. The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom divided between covenant blessings and curses. Wisdom teaches how God wants you to live in this world and how to establish the good life in the way God intends it to be. It is a pity that the idea that the Bible applies to all areas of life is so neglected today. In fact, it is neglected even by Christians. The fundamental reason for claiming the Bible does not speak to all areas of life is that, for some, life is ghostly. The center of the Christian life is the spiritual center. The physical stuff is irrelevant compared to the glories of spirituality. They only exist to distract us from the life to come. After all, if the ship is sinking, why polish the brass?[1] “This world is not my home; I am just passing through.”

The book of Proverbs corrects this mindset. In fact, the Hebrew Scriptures challenge the distinction between the spiritual and physical. The soul is not a ghost-like figure wandering around divorced from your body. When the Bible addresses the soul/spirit, it also addresses your body. When the Bible addresses the body, it is also addressing your Spirit.[2] The implications of this thinking are revolutionary for how we think about the Scriptures. God is concerned about the spiritual. He cherishes your inner holiness, but he also teaches about wealth, poverty, food, wine, water, trees, and everything else under the sun. When God said that creation was very good, He meant it. Our goal as image-bearers is to mimic the life of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, who live in eternal happiness and communion

The book of Proverbs is made up of five or seven collections. The longest of these collections begins in chapters 10-22. These are labeled the Proverbs of Solomon. As we read these proverbs, the first thing we realize is that it does not seem to be very organized. Still, the organization is present when you read through it carefully. For example, you will find the themes of creation and, in the end, the theme of weddings and marriage. In other words, Proverbs begins with child-like faith and ends with a mature servant.

Another point to observe is that Jesus says in Luke 24 that all of the Old Covenant Scriptures speak of Him. Of course, Proverbs will teach us how to mature in wisdom, but Proverbs also points us to Jesus Christ. For instance, Proverbs 10:1 says, “a wise Son makes a glad father.” The One and only Son who never failed his Father and who pleased him from his first breath to his last was Jesus. The ultimate and truly wise Son was not Solomon but our Lord. Jesus is the greater Solomon; in fact, Jesus is the wisdom of God incarnate and made flesh. This teaches us that doing and possessing wisdom is following the One who is true wisdom. You cannot be truly wise while denouncing or rejecting Jesus. Today, the wisdom of the world is displayed for everyone to see its foolishness. As the academicians/experts of this world put on their masks of wisdom, God unmasks them and shows their utter incompetency and folly.

The wisdom of Proverbs is not merely intellect but also practical. The wise man knows God’s truth, but He does those things. He lives in light of it. He may never have graduated from college, but He is wise. Wisdom is always manifested by righteousness.[3]

With that in mind, Proverbs 10:1 sets the stage for the rest. It reads: “A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.” These are what we call antithetic lines. The second line will offer the opposite picture of the first line. The text says that a wise son, and by implication, a wise daughter, makes a father glad. The word “glad” signifies an intense and heightened joy. What is it that brings this intense joy to fathers? Athletic children, academic children, artistic children? No, wise children. If children are everything but not wise, it brings grief and despair to the mother. Notice how the book of Proverbs is not merely a father/son dialogue, but a mother/son dialogue, and by implication, a mother/daughter and father/daughter conversation. Children, this is your fifth commandment duty: to honor Father and mother. Your goal is to make your mom and dad so proud that every time they think of you, they want to throw a party in your honor and say that there is wisdom and discernment within you. If the greatest joy of parents is wise children, then the most significant duty of parents is to train them up to be wise.

This is how we are called to live. As one early Church Father said:

“…the complete Word of God is not a multitude of words but a single word of truth.”[4]

God is building his sons and daughters in the way to wisdom through Jesus Christ. All of the Scriptures speak to this one fact. The wisdom that Jesus offers is a wisdom that is carried out into life. It is a wisdom that leads to service and causes our Father to look upon us with favor and delight. In The Name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

[1] This quote is perhaps first attributed to J. Vernon McGee.

[2] An interesting text used to argue for this distinction is in Matthew’s Gospel: “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” But this is clarified by Paul in Romans 7. The spirit is simply a reference to the disposition.

[3] Steve Wilkins.

[4] Origen. Ancient Christian Commentary on the Scriptures.

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When Productivity is Not Biblical

Someone once asked R.C. Sproul–author of over 40 books and thousands of lectures–what he most regretted in his ministry. Sproul replied: “How much time I wasted!” When I heard him say that, I did not know how to relate to it at any level. Here is the world’s premier defender of Reformed orthodoxy who up to his last years of life was being productive and fruitful in the kingdom saying that he was ashamed of how much time he wasted.

Now, Sproul was no gnostic. He understood the importance of rest and relaxation. He was an avid movie watcher, golfer and a fanatical Steelers’ fan. In fact, the few memories I have of talking with him in a larger group was hearing his detailed analysis of the Steelers’ chances for the next NFL season. As a soccer fan, I did my best to act interested in the conversation because it was after all R.C. Sproul. I relate those facts because R.C. still believed he wasted time though his labors will probably live on for centuries.

As an adult Christian I have read a myriad of books on productivity. I consider myself someone who is always looking for the next project. There are things I am currently working on that folks will never know until it is completed. I have a goal to write around 500 words a day whether on an FB post or an article or a dissertation. It’s a habit I’ve had for years. Some of these things will never see the light of day, but it’s a fruitful activity nevertheless.

I have familial goals; husbandry goals and even keep a journal of my comings and goings to keep myself in check. On most days I try to get up before everyone else so I can get ahead of the world. It’s an annoying aspect of my personality that my family is grown accustomed. Yet, what I discover about myself daily is that I do not have a healthy theology of work.

What I mean is that often I don’t view work as the Bible views it. In Douglas Wilson‘s new book, “Ploductivity”, he elaborates on the nature of doing work. Quoting Peter Drucker, Wilson observes that there is a distinction between “efficiency” which is doing things right and “effectiveness” which is doing the right things. The efficient person has a mechanical dimension to him. He produces like a printing machine designed to print words on paper all day long. It does its job efficiently. But the Christian is called to a higher calling. As Psalm 1 says, he is like a tree planted by streams of living waters. We are to be effective. Work and productivity serve the purpose of fruitfulness. We work not merely to produce like machines, but we work to bear good fruit which serves as a benediction to others.

In many ways, the missing element of productivity ought to be its accompanying thankfulness. When productiveness is divorced from gratitude, we are no better than the pagans. If we are given the ability and capacity to produce, but yet treat our labors as a manufactured side-effect of our productivity we have missed the point altogether. But if our work is the acceptance of wealth as a gift; if, as Wilson notes, we treat the blessings of technology with fullness (technofulness), we are better prepared to view our labors unto the Lord.

Too often we work without purpose. It is too common to labor and produce without bathing our typing and accounting in thankfulness. I too regret and repent wasting time. Ultimately, I repent of being productive without God, which ultimately bears no fruit.

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What can we learn from the Josh Duggar scandal?

By now the entire Christian community is aware of the Duggar debacle. Josh Duggar, son to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, has not only been found out for his despicable acts of molesting five girls in 2002, but also his name turned up when hackers released stolen customer data from cheating site AshleyMadison.com earlier in the week. So far social media celebrity, Matt Walsh, has apologized for giving Josh a pass after the molestation revelations. Walsh used his gigantic platform to treat Josh as a victim of leftist propaganda. If I could summarize Walsh’s first reaction, it would be like this: “Yes, he sinned, but don’t you see why the left is making such a big deal out of this? This is a selective political sniper kill.” The good news is that Walsh’s most recent statement has been very clear in his criticism. Here is a lengthy quote:

So I was wrong about Josh Duggar being a repentant man. Clearly, he isn’t. Or at least he wasn’t. Maybe now he’ll finally begin the process, but it’s certainly impossible to believe that someone could be truly sorry for past sexual sin while currently in the process of fishing for affairs and “experimental” one night stands.

He’s a traitor to his family. I feel awful for them, and I pray that Josh really does come to Christ. Beyond that, I pray his wife and kids somehow recover from all of the shame Josh has brought upon them. Because, let’s be clear, if you sign up for an adultery website and then your information gets hacked and your family ends up embarrassed and devastated — that is YOUR fault. You are the one who victimized them. The hackers acted illegally, but this all happened because of your choices. Don’t want your information stolen from an adultery website? Don’t sign up for an adultery website. Pretty simple formula.

I must also admit that the more I think about this, I realized I was too easy on the the Duggar parents as well. Jim Bob and Michelle knew that their oldest son was struggling with severe sexual sin, they knew their daughters had been abused, they knew their family was in the midst of moral and spiritual turmoil, yet they STILL decided to put themselves and their children on TV for ten years.

I hope others will take the same path and recognize that no matter what royal family one is born into and no matter the influential position he may have in the culture war, no man should be exempt from the lawful discipline of the Church or state, or both.

I concur. Josh Duggar is guilty. Repentance bears fruit (Lk. 3:8). There is a long continuous pattern of sexual misconduct  by Josh Duggar. At this point we should stop and think why are we so comfortable giving a pass to these Christian celebrities? And then we should consider very carefully how we can begin fighting passionately to protect the many victims in our culture who suffer at the hands of such men, but yet are trivialized into a category of “wrong place and wrong time.” Where is the safest environment for them to be restored and emotionally healed from such torments? Who will care for their trauma? The difference is vast.

I am deeply saddened for Josh’s wife and children who will have to live and re-live these awful events due to hyped media attention. As for Josh, words of contrition only go so far. His next few years will prove whether his repentance is genuine or not. I have learned long ago that not all sin is created equal. Repentance can be easily couched in evangelical lingo. Those who defended Josh Duggar without second thought or who assumed his initial incoherent words of confession made everything just fine or who treated repentance like some nebulous concept divorced from the reality of the pain caused to victims will hopefuly have learned a significant lesson: God is not mocked. Sins are not inconsequential. This is not a left vs. right issue. This is an issue of morality  and God has made clear that his justice will not be in vain. Josh Duggar affirmed that, “He is the biggest hyprocrite ever.” But hypocrisy can only be dealt with by understanding what God hates and what he loves.

Paul spoke of temptations that are stunningly difficult to face. When he says “flee from temptation” he is not simply using a 1st century  bumper sticker. This is more profound. Paul’s context is an ecclesiastical one where confession and collective sorrow manifests themselves continually in a community of grace. But even then sin is subtle. You must flee temptation, but you must first understand what temptation looks like. Yahweh speaks about the seven sins that he hates and provides this list as a step-by-step calculation made by those who embrace evil:

16 There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;

18 A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

Duggar’s long history of sexual perversions was not born after a particularly miserable day. There is a pattern of thought and action. There is an anatomy of evil involved. There is a whole-body determination to follow these sins from the eyes to the feet. There is a calculated narrative that culminated in sexual abuse and adultery. For those who do evil the feast of the wicked is incredibly appetizing. One drink leads to another and only increases the hunger.

Where do we begin then? If situations like this do not cause us (particularly men) to be ever cautious then we will not have learned from it. Every person’s crime is a reason to re-consider our strategies to fighting sin and living righteously. If I had five minutes to counsel Josh I would tell him to look at this list and begin to detail where his narrative went awry. Where and when did his eyes become arrogant and haughty? At what point did he think he was invincible? At what point did he rationalize the presence of God away from his actions in secret? Then, when did he begin to put into words his pride by lying about his reality? I would be sure to point him to Jesus; not the Jesus that dismisses sins, but rather takes them with utmost seriousness and urges him to put on Christ and put off the deeds of darkness.

Josh needs to re-consider this list. He needs to see grace as redeeming the mind and abolishing calculated plans for evil. God has plans of his own. His plans involve demolishing our plans and replacing them with plans that are good, true, and beautiful. The task is great. Josh is only a clear example due to his high profile status. There are many Joshes out there currently afraid that they may be found out; afraid that their secret adventures will come out in Duggar fashion. The good news is God has already found you out. The bad news is that God has already found you out. In the end of the day to be found out by God is the best news. His throne is justice. He makes no mistake. His discipline will hurt, but it will not damn you. Accept it. Receive it. Confess it. Find refuge in Him.

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Like a Bad Tooth

John Gil elaborates on Proverbs 25:19:

Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
(Proverbs 25:19 ESV)

It is not good to put confidence in any man, not in princes . . . much less in an unfaithful, prevaricating . . . man; and especially in a time of distress and trouble, depending on his help and assistance, which is leaning on a broken reed, and trusting to a broken staff.

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Sermon: Proverbs 11:26-31; To Fall or to Flourish?

People of God, this is our last look at Proverbs for this Pentecost Season. We will certainly come back again and again in years to come. It is impossible to grow as a people without the wisdom of King Solomon.

Proverbs are not merely suggestions for better living, rather they are commands for the good life on earth as it is in heaven. Proverbs define the true meaning of success, wealth, and joy. Proverbs is a dictionary whose substance is not subject to change with time or modern fashion. Proverbs is not just true for all times, it is at all times true.

This is why there are so many lessons to learn in Proverbs, and this is why the more we read it the more we will gain from it. “A proverb a day keeps the devil away,” said my old P.E. Teacher. He was right. There is nothing more anti-devilish, anti-Screwtape than drinking deeply at the fountain of kingly wisdom.

Read. Meditate. Memorize. Apply. Proverbs is for you! You have the responsibility to embrace it and allow it to shape you. C.S. Lewis once wrote:

What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.[1]

The sort of person you are and will become is largely based on how well you receive wisdom. If you look at wisdom and say: “Well, this is just too complicated and it has the potential of causing some pain, so I will choose to overlook it for now.” At that moment you have made a decision. You are shaping the person you will become one day. But if your response is: “This is the wisdom of God, and though it will not be easy at times to live by it, I know that this will shape me to be more like my King.” This is the proper attitude: one that is not blind to the consequences of wisdom, but one that knows that wisdom is worth pursuing.

The question before us is “to fall or to flourish?” Solomon is demanding an answer from his son. Life is filled with decisions, and the primary decision you make as a Christian each day is whether you will make it your life-long goal to pursue wisdom, or whether you will choose to cavalierly walk through life? The latter makes you susceptible to falling, the former makes you more like our Lord. Decision-making is unavoidable. Solomon puts it into perspective in verse 26:

The people curse him who holds back grain,

but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.

In verse 26 the market is at the center of the king’s attention. It is amazing how much the Bible has to say about the economy! Solomon here is describing someone who does not want to see the market run its course. He does not want to see competition. He withholds from the people the wealth of the nation. He keeps what rightly belongs to the people. Joseph withheld grain for seven years because he knew that a famine was coming. He was working on behalf of the people, but this leader has large stores of grain at his disposal but he will not allow the market to possess it and sell it at a fair price. He withholds because he knows the people are dependent on it for survival. He manipulates the market.

We see this in communistic countries. Communism is a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state. When this happens the people curse their government, their leader, and their king. Government is not to hold back wealth. Government is not to keep wealth; they are not to stop competition, they are to allow the market to function. They are to encourage people to buy goods from sellers. Continue reading “Sermon: Proverbs 11:26-31; To Fall or to Flourish?”

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Exhortation: Consider the Ways of Wisdom

Proverbs presents Christ, but it also presents our works in the sight of God. This Wisdom Book is an earthly book. It shatters the nice and politically correct discourse so prevalent in our culture. Proverbs makes us all human again. It brings us to the day to day struggles; from the ivory towers to diaper changing to the sweat of our brows. The type of discourse that typically offends our more “refined” sensitivities is the type of language the Bible loves to address. Proverbs is a shocking, adventurous journey into exploring our own natures and realizing that we are never mature enough; that growing and following the steps of our Lord is the way to wisdom. If you want a view of sex, wealth and wisdom the Bible will provide that for you, and once you grow up into the language of the Bible then you learn to judge everything else by it. What standard is going to shape the way you think about life? As we prepare for worship this morning, consider that God has spoken, and He is not silent. Consider that living in wisdom is not an easy path, but it is the righteous path. Let us prepare our hearts and enter into his gates with praise!

Prayer:

God of grace, you have given us minds to know you, hearts to love you, and voices to sing your praise. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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The Tree of Life

The tree of life is the result of the fruit of righteousness. It is the tree that would have been granted to our forefathers had they exercised godly patience. The tree of life means discernment and the ability to act and direct the economy of your own home. Economy means the managing of your own house, so Solomon uses this image in Proverbs 11:30, which is connected to verse 29. The tree of life is the language for those who reach some level of maturity in their walk, and thus is able to use his money wisely with the covenantal vision of passing on his inheritance to his children.