Tawa Baptist

Mind That Child

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6 and Proverbs 13:24 and Matthew 18:3-6

Video Link: https://youtu.be/qaaKStX-yjU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Train your child
  • Protect your child
  • Trust your child to God
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When I was five, and about to start school, my parents taught me how to tie my shoelaces. For some reason the method I learned was different from the way most other people tied their shoes.

There’s nothing wrong with the method I learned. It has worked for me as long as I’ve been wearing shoes, but I still get the occasional comment from people along the lines of, ‘Gee you tie your shoes in a weird way.’

Some years ago, I asked Robyn to show me the normal way of tying shoes, but it was too late. I had been tying my laces my own unique way for so long I couldn’t unlearn it. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks I suppose.  

Earlier in the service we had a graduation ceremony for the children moving up a level in Kids’ Church.

With this in view it seems appropriate to conclude our series in the book of Proverbs by focusing on chapter 22, verse 6, which reads…

Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us. 

Train your child:

Although this translation uses the masculine pronoun ‘he’, the principle is the same whatever the gender of the child. Train a child in the way he or she should go and when they are old, they will not turn from it.

Now, when we read this verse we might think, ‘Oh, that’s straight forward enough. If I teach my kids the right way to do something, then that will become the pattern or default setting for their life. They will get in the habit of doing things the way they were taught and find it very difficult to change’. Sort of like me and my laces. 

There’s nothing wrong with reading the verse in this way, but really there’s more to it than that. Something is lost in the English version.

The original Hebrew word translated as train, doesn’t just mean teach or instruct. It can also be translated as dedicate. As in dedicating a temple to the worship of God. Or dedicating a house to use as your family home.

When you dedicate something, you set it aside for a special purpose, you bless it. In the context of the book of Proverbs, parents are to dedicate or train their children to live a life of wisdom.     

When you walk into the train station in Wellington city you notice several different tracks. At first glance all the tracks appear to be headed in the same direction. But they are not of course.

Each track is dedicated or trained to a specific location. If you want to end up in Tawa or Porirua, then you must be careful not to get on the Hutt line. You need to get on the Waikanae line.

Training your child is like putting them on the right track. That is, the pathway that is dedicated to wisdom and leads to life.   

As I said before, earlier in our service of worship today we held a graduation ceremony for the children moving up a level in Kids’ Church. It is important to mark transitions and special occasions with a formal ceremony like this because it validates the child’s journey. It says, you are on the right track, keep going.

The graduation ceremony is a tangible, visible way of dedicating our children to a particular path of wisdom. It’s a way of publicly acknowledging the importance of learning about Jesus and how to relate with God through Christ. 

In Proverbs 22, verse 6, where it says, train a child in the way he (or she) should go…’ that literally translates, ‘train him according to his way…’

In other words, the way is specific to the child. There is no universal, cookie cutter, one size fits all approach for training a child to be wise. Each child is different and needs a different approach suited to the way they are wired.      

This means parents and grandparents need to seek to understand their children and respect each child’s individual personality, gifts and way of learning. 

When one of our daughters was still at school and wondering what she might do for a job, we took her along to see a careers advisor. The careers advisor suggested a job in agriculture.

I looked at Robyn in disbelief. I couldn’t decide whether the careers advisor was trying to be funny or was just really bad at her job.

There is nothing wrong with being a farmer, it’s good honest productive work. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with women being farmers.

But it was plain to me that putting up fences and shearing sheep was not going to come naturally to our daughter. Sending her to Lincoln to get a diploma in agriculture and work on a farm would have been the wrong path for her.

The point here is that when training children in the way they should go, parents need to go with the grain of their child. If your child is not good with animals but is good with children, then don’t encourage them into farming. Help them explore options that involve working with kids.

Likewise, if your child is not academic but is good with their hands, then don’t force them down the path of university. Help them find their way into a trade.

Of course, training a child in the way they should go is not limited to career advice. Training a child also has a moral aspect as well. We don’t just want our kids to be good at their jobs. We want them to become decent human beings who contribute positively to society.   

Character formation tends to be more caught than taught. Generally speaking, children often learn more from their parents’ example than anything their parents might say. Words are still important, but actions speak louder.

All my parents and grandparents had a strong work ethic. I learned how to work by being immersed in a family that worked all the time. We were always doing something productive. This was good up to a point, but we may have benefited from learning to take a Sabbath as well.

What rhythms and routines do you maintain as a family? Children pick up a great deal unconsciously from the regular daily and weekly patterns their parents set.

Some of you may be wondering about the discipline aspect of training children. Sometimes kids are delightful and a joy to be with. But they can also be really demanding and test our patience.

How do we teach children self-discipline, so they are capable of achieving worthwhile goals. How do we correct a child when they cross the line? What is an appropriate response to poor behaviour? 

Again, parents need to respond in ways that fit the child and the situation. Train him according to his (or her) way…

You may have heard the saying, behaviour is communication. Behaviour is like the tip of the iceberg; the part you can see above the water line. Behaviour is driven by what’s happening beneath the surface.

If your child is behaving in a way that does not meet your expectations, then you have to ask yourself, ‘What is my child telling me?’ ‘What are they trying to communicate by their behaviour? ‘What’s going on beneath the surface?’    

Maybe they are simply tired or hungry or sick, but they are not able to use their words, so they throw a tantrum. In that case, they don’t need to be punished. They need some food and a sleep.

Or maybe they are bored, in which case they might benefit from some responsibility, being given a household task which is a bit challenging without being overwhelming. Ideally something they can do with you.

Behaviour is communication. What is your child saying when they throw their toys or yell at you or pull their sister’s hair? Well, they might be telling you they are angry. Anger is the normal reaction to injustice. Kids like things to be fair.

Everyone wants things to be fair, but kids are especially tuned in to matters of justice, at least as it pertains to them. Unfortunately, the world we live in is not always fair, and so part of training a child means acknowledging the injustice and helping them find constructive ways to express their anger.

Your kids need you to be consistent and fair. Then they will learn to trust you and they will know where to turn when life gives them lemons.

Protect your child:

So, what about physical punishment? Is it okay to smack your kids? Afterall, doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’? Meaning, a decent hiding is good for a child.

Well, no, the Bible does not say that at all. Spare the rod and spoil the child is an old English proverb. Those words are not found in Scripture. 

What the Bible actually says, in Proverbs 13 verse 4, is this…

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline.

The rod in this proverb is a metaphor for discipline in the sense of training or correction. This is poetry, not to be taken literally. The emphasis is on loving your children and being careful in what you teach them and how you correct them. This is not a recommendation for hitting children.   

Literally hitting children is likely to teach them fear, anger and violence, more than anything else. Positive reinforcement and encouragement is a far more effective way of correcting children. Kids need to grow up around adults who have gentle hands, kind words and a positive, warm presence.

In the 23rd Psalm, David says of the Lord, …your rod and your staff they comfort me. Here the rod is associated with comfort, not punishment.  

The shepherd’s rod was like a club (a weapon) the shepherd used to fend off wild dogs and other predators that threatened the sheep. The shepherd did not hit the sheep with his rod. He protected the sheep with his rod.

Likewise, loving parents will not use the rod to hit their children. They will use the rod to protect their children from harm.

For example, loving parents will put safeguards in place to ensure their young children don’t have access to content on the TV or internet that would be disturbing to them. And, as their children get older, loving parents will teach them how to navigate the internet safely.

We might think of the rod as a metaphor for setting boundaries. Boundaries tend to make kids feel safe.  Loving parents will create healthy boundaries for their children. They will say ‘no’ to their kids when that is appropriate.

Of course, you don’t want the boundaries to be too tight or too strict. Kids need room to explore and learn and have fun. By the same token, it’s not helpful to let your kids run wild either. You set boundaries to fit the soul and temperament of the child.

Do you get what Proverbs 13 is saying? The rod is not used for hitting children. It is used for protecting children from those things which do harm.

Jesus was very strong on protecting children. Listen to what he says in Matthew 18, verse 6…

“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Okay, we have unpacked the first part of Proverbs 22, verse 6. Train a child in the way he should go. This is about dedicating a child to the path of wisdom, or putting them on the right track, in other words. But the right track is not a generic, one size fits all. The right track is tailored to the needs of the child.

Understand and respect your child’s individuality. Train your child in the way that fits who they are. Remember, behaviour is communication. So called naughty behaviour might actually be a cry for help. Are you listening to what your child’s behaviour is saying?  

Trust your child to God:

What about the second part of that verse? Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not turn from it.

Hmm. The thing we need to remember here is that this is a proverb, not a promise. A proverb is a like a general rule or a principle. There will always be exceptions to the rule.

As a general rule, training a child in the way he should go will result in that child sticking to what they have learned throughout life, like the way I tie my shoelaces.

However, there will be times when even the best training does not stick and children walk a different path from the one their parents intended for them. So, we should not blame parents for the sins of their children. As adults we need to take responsibility for our own actions.

We also need to be aware of the historical and cultural differences. The Old Testament book of Proverbs was written maybe 2,500 to 3000 years ago at a time and place in history that is very different from our own.

In the world of the ancient near east, adulthood was marked by taking on responsibilities for your family and the neighbourhood. To be an adult was to look after your parents, your wider family and your community.

By contrast, in modern western culture, adulthood is defined by individuation, leaving home and becoming independent.

Another key difference between then and now is the number of influences people face. In the ancient near east, people did not have TV or the internet or social media. They were mainly influenced by their own family and the people they lived with in their community.

Also, parents and children worked and lived together much of the time. So, children were not exposed to as many alternatives as they are today. A young person back then might be more inclined to go along with what their parents taught them because they did not know anything else.

These days our children can literally access a world of different alternatives at the press of a button. Kids don’t spend as much time around their parents, which means parents don’t have nearly as much influence as they once did.        

The point I’m making here is that these days, when you train a child in the way he should go it does not necessarily follow that when he is old, he will not turn from it. Your kids might stick to what you taught them. But then again, they might pick and choose what bits to adopt and what bits to discard.

Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of stories like Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, was born into a Christian home. Both of his parents were devout Presbyterians, and his grandfather was a Church of Scotland minister. Stevenson’s nurse was fervently religious too.

All of this is to say that, as a child, Robert Louis Stevenson had plenty of people training him in the way he should go. He knew about God and he knew his parents loved him, but this did not guarantee a life time of walking closely with Jesus.   

In 1873, at the age of 22, Robert Louis Stevenson no longer believed in God and had grown tired of pretending to be something he was not. His father was devastated to hear that his son was an atheist saying, ‘You have rendered my whole life a failure’. His mother was equally wounded.      

Parenting is one of the hardest things you can do. To learn that your child has rejected what you hold dear is difficult indeed. Sometimes there is nothing you can do but pray and trust your child to God’s grace.

Stevenson’s rejection of God and the church did not turn into a lifelong atheism though. About five years later, at the age of 27, Robert wrote to his father saying…

Christianity is, among other things, a very wise, noble and strange doctrine of life… I have a good heart and believe in myself and my fellow-men and the God who made us all… There is a fine text in the Bible to the effect ‘that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord’.

Robert Louis Stevenson returned to Christian faith in the second part of his life, but it wasn’t the same faith he had as a child. Nor was it exactly the same as his parents’ faith. Stevenson emerged from his time of spiritual disorientation with a new orientation.       

Churches are full of faithful people who do their best to encourage their kids to follow Jesus, only to have those same kids walk away from Christ and the church. Not that their kids are bad people. They often operate out of some very Christ-like values, perhaps without realising it. They just don’t embrace everything their parents tried to teach them.     

Life and faith are a journey with many unexpected twists and turns. As parents we have a responsibility to train our children and to protect our children. Ultimately though, we must trust our children to God. We are not responsible for the choices our adult children make.

Conclusion:

The other thing to remember here is that children have something very important to teach adults. As Jesus says in Matthew 18…

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Let us pray…

Loving Father, help us to train children in the way they should go. Help us to protect children and to trust our children to you. Help us also to learn from children. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Can you think of something you were taught when you were young that has stayed with you throughout your life? What was it? Has it served you well?
  • What does it mean to train your child in the way he or she should go? How might you do this?
  • What rhythms and routines do you maintain? How are these rhythms and routines shaping you and those around you? What would a child learn from your example?
  • Discuss / reflect on the statement, behaviour is communication. What does this mean? Can you think of examples from your own experience?
  • How do we teach children self-discipline? How do we correct a child when they cross the line? What is an appropriate response to poor behaviour?
  • How might we protect children? Why do children need boundaries?
  • What can we learn from children? (c.f. Jesus’ comments in Matthew 18)   
Tawa Baptist

Wedded to Wisdom

Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31

Video Link: https://youtu.be/kEbqD1U8ugQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wonder Woman, or
  • Wisdom Woman
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

If someone says to you, ‘His head is in the clouds’, they don’t literally mean that his head is high in the air floating around in the mist. They are using picture language to convey the idea that he is day dreaming.

Likewise, if someone says to you, ‘I feel like a pizza’, you know they are not talking about feeling hot and cheesy. They are speaking figuratively. They are saying, I feel like eating a pizza.

And if someone says, ‘I worked my socks off’, they don’t mean their socks literally came off while they were working. They mean I worked really hard.

Today we continue our series in the book of Proverbs. Much of Proverbs is poetry. It uses metaphor or picture language to convey ideas. Because Proverbs uses picture language you cannot take everything at face value. If what you are reading doesn’t make sense literally, then think figuratively. 

This morning’s message focuses on a poem at the end Proverbs. In the original Hebrew this is an alphabetical acrostic poem which means each line of the poem begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

An English acrostic might go something like, she is Admirable, she is Beautiful, she is Clever, she is Discerning, she is Empathic and so on. 

Some readers see this as the A to Z of being the ideal wife because, if we read it literally, the poem seems to describe a kind of Wonder Woman with superpowers for doing housework, raising children, making money, helping the poor, giving wise advice and making her husband successful. 

If we read this poem metaphorically though, it is not talking about who you marry. It’s talking about wisdom. It’s saying, whoever you are, whether you are male or female, single or in a relationship, make wisdom your partner for life. Wisdom is the ideal help mate. From Proverbs 31, verse 10 we read…

10 How hard it is to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels! 11 Her husband puts his confidence in her, and he will never be poor. 12 As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm. 13 She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth. 14 She brings home food from out-of-the-way places, as merchant ships do. 15 She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and to tell her servant women what to do. 16 She looks at land and buys it, and with money she has earned she plants a vineyard. 17 She is a hard worker, strong and industrious. 18 She knows the value of everything she makes, and works late into the night. 19 She spins her own thread and weaves her own cloth. 20 She is generous to the poor and needy. 21 She doesn’t worry when it snows, because her family has warm clothing. 22 She makes bedspreads and wears clothes of fine purple linen. 23 Her husband is well known, one of the leading citizens. 24 She makes clothes and belts, and sells them to merchants. 25 She is strong and respected and not afraid of the future. 26 She speaks with a gentle wisdom. 27 She is always busy and looks after her family’s needs. 28 Her children show their appreciation, and her husband praises her. 29 He says, “Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all.” 30 Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears, but a woman who honours the Lord should be praised. 31 Give her credit for all she does. She deserves the respect of everyone.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

As I said earlier, there are basically two ways to understand this poem at the end of Proverbs, literally or metaphorically. Is the poem describing an actual human being, the ideal Wonder Woman that every man should aspire to marry?

Or is the poem describing wisdom herself, so the capable wife is not an actual human being but a metaphor personifying wisdom from God? Let’s starts by exploring a literal interpretation.

Wonder Woman:

We might summarise the qualities of the wife described in Proverbs 31 with the following C’s: character, commitment, capability, compassion and confidence. 

She is a woman of noble character (verse 10). Character has to do with virtue. Things like, honesty, faithfulness, courage and so on. Good character creates and maintains trust and trust is the foundation of any relationship.

Another important quality necessary for any long-term relationship is commitment. As Abraham Lincoln said, ‘Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality’.

Verse 12 says this wonder woman does good to her husband as long as she lives. That’s real commitment.  

There are times in a marriage when it is simply hard graft because of circumstances outside of your control. There are times when you just have to grit your teeth and commit yourself to getting through the tough stuff together.

The wife described in Proverbs 31 is a capable woman, meaning she has skills in working with her hands (verse 19) and in making good business decisions (verse 16). But she also has the capacity and the strength to work her socks off and get the job done (verse 17).

Verse 13 says, she keeps herself busy making wool & linen cloth. The original Hebrew text does not actually say ‘busy’. It literally translates ‘pleasure of her hands’ (or ‘eager hands’), meaning she enjoys working. Creative work is not drudgery to her. [1]

She is compassionate, opening her arms to the poor and helping the needy (verse 20). There is wisdom in taking care of those less fortunate in your neighbourhood. If you do, they are more likely to take care of you and your family when it is in their power to do so.      

Verse 26 shows us another aspect of her compassion. She speaks with gentle wisdom. The idea here is that she has just the right word in season. Truth with grace. She knows how to turn away wrath with a gentle word. 

Verse 21 tells us she is confident, not a worrier. She is not anxious about her household because she is prepared. Confidence is contagious. This wonder woman inspires confidence in others.

Most people are attracted to a partner by charm or beauty. But charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting. So, if you are looking for a marriage partner then competence, commitment, capability, compassion and confidence are all helpful qualities to keep in mind.

One quality that is conspicuous by its absence, in Proverbs 31, is compatibility. Compatibility has to do with how easily you get along. You want your partner in marriage to have a personality that fits with yours and doesn’t grate. You want to have the same values and be heading in the same direction, otherwise life will quickly become a grind.

A literal reading of Proverbs 31 paints a picture of a woman who is high performance and low maintenance. It is hard to imagine anyone living up to the standard set by this poem though. It seems a bit unreal, sort of like the Cosby Show – trying to hold up an ideal that is often divorced from the reality of everyday experience.

There are perhaps only three women in the entire Bible who come close to fitting the description of the wife in Proverbs 31…

Ruth probably fits the ideal best. She honours her first husband after he dies by looking after her mother-in-law and finding a relative of her husband to marry and provide an heir.

She works extremely hard, is good with her hands and demonstrates wisdom and loyalty, so much so that Boaz (a man of standing in the community) marries her and praises her. Indeed, she is praised by everyone in the community who say she is better than seven sons.

Abigail is another (almost) example of the Proverbs 31 wife. She is an astute business-woman who manages her household well. However, her first husband seems to take her for granted and she doesn’t have a great deal of respect for him either.

Looking at the New Testament; Lydia (possibly) approximates the ideal woman.

I’m not sure what her marital status was but Lydia was a wealthy trader in purple cloth, she honoured God and she provided for the apostles.

The point is this wonder woman of Proverbs 31 is hard to find even in the Bible. So how realistic is it for us to read this passage in a literal way? Because a literal reading seems to exclude most women…

It excludes single women and women who cannot have children.

It excludes women who can’t sew or cook. 

It excludes women whose children have gone off the rails.

It excludes women who don’t work outside the home.

It excludes women whose husbands share the domestic duties because she does work outside the home. It excludes women who don’t have servants.  

And it excludes women whose husband or children take them for granted.

It basically excludes any woman who needs more than 4 hours sleep a day.  

Apparently, some Jewish men used to recite this poem to their wives on Sabbath evenings. [2] If we give them the benefit of the doubt it was perhaps a gesture of their love and appreciation. A way of saying, ‘I see all that you do for our family’.  

But I imagine there were some weeks when the woman did not appreciate it – like she was being reminded of all the ways she did not measure up.

And this is one of the dangers with reading Proverbs 31 in a literal way. Girls might think this is how I should be. This is my duty or else I fail and am not worthy.  

The other danger with reading Proverbs 31 literally is that boys might think this is how my wife is supposed to be. She is supposed to do everything for me and the kids. Then there is disappointment when she does not live up to his expectations.

Ladies, if you try to live up to this, then you are just going to wear yourself out and you will probably end up alienating your husband for all your efforts. When I look at Proverbs 31 from a literal perspective, I find myself asking, ‘When do this couple ever spend any time together?’

She is so busy doing things apart from him that there is not much opportunity for companionship or intimacy in their relationship.

It’s like the chorus line in that song by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay. I’m not looking for somebody with some superhuman gifts, some superhero, some fairy tale bliss. I just want someone I can turn to, somebody I can kiss.

So, is there anything redeemable from a literal reading of this poem?

Well, yes. On the positive side we see a woman who is empowered and trusted by her husband. She has freedom and independence to use her initiative, to buy land and trade.

We could view this as quite enlightened for its time. It’s sort of a ‘women can anything’ text centuries before that became fashionable. It also shows men they don’t need to feel threatened or insecure if their wife is more competent than they are.   

The poem finishes by saying, a woman who honours the Lord should be praised. Give her credit for all she does. She deserves the respect of everyone.

This can be taken literally. Here we see a man who appreciates his wife and does not take her for granted. Men, don’t wait for your wife or mother or sister to meet some perfect ideal before you say good things to her.

Express your appreciation with words and with listening. Say it by helping with the kids and the housework. Say it by taking her out to a nice restaurant. Say it anyway that she can hear it, as long as the message is ‘I love and appreciate you’.

Wisdom Woman:

Okay, so a literal reading of the text can offer some helpful advice, but it also comes with some hooks. On the whole it is probably more helpful (and truer to the context) to understand the woman in Proverbs 31, not as a literal human being, but rather as a metaphor personifying wisdom.

Personification is when we give human characteristics to something that is not human. For example, in A.A. Milne’s stories of Winnie the Pooh – Pooh Bear has a friend called ‘Owl’. Owl is a personification of wisdom, just as Eeyore personifies melancholy and Piglet personifies loyalty.   

In a similar vein the writer of Proverbs 31 personifies wisdom, giving the abstract concept of wisdom, human characteristics.

As Kathleen O’Connor writes…

Rather than supplying the image of the correct marriage partner the poem [in Proverbs 31] serves as a summary of the whole Book of Proverbs. Its central character is no typical woman but the Wisdom Woman herself… this poem demonstrates what life is like once one has chosen to live with wisdom. [3]

In other words, the poem in Proverbs 31 is not suggesting that human wives need to wear themselves out trying to attain an impossible ideal. It is saying that men and women should intentionally seek wisdom like they would look for a marriage partner.

We should love wisdom, live with wisdom, sleep with wisdom, make a lifetime commitment to wisdom. Because then we (and our families) will enjoy all wisdom’s benefits.  

If we read Proverbs 31 metaphorically this is what it might sound like…

Verse 10 – How hard it is to find wisdom. She is worth far more than jewels.

This echoes Proverbs 8, where wisdom speaks as a woman saying…  

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Verse 11 – The man who puts his confidence in wisdom will never be poor.

(As opposed to the man who puts his confidence in luck or dishonest gain.)

As long as she lives wisdom does him good and never harm.

Verses 13 & 14 – Wisdom works with eager hands. Wisdom brings home food from out of the way places. Wisdom gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family…

In other words, a wise man works to provide for his family. He doesn’t wait for things to fall into his lap. He doesn’t waste time doing busy work that bears little or no fruit. He enjoys working for a meaningful purpose, putting food on the table for the people he loves.

Verse 16 – Wisdom looks at land (she considers it first without rushing into a decision) then she buys it, and with money she has earned wisdom plants a vineyard.

This is like saying, a wise man does not leave his land lying unproductive. A wise man puts what he has to good use. Verse 16 is talking about stewardship.

Verses 17 & 18 – Wisdom is a hard worker, strong and industrious. Wisdom works late into the night.

This does not mean burning the candle at both ends or becoming a workaholic. That is not wisdom.

It could mean, a wise decision will go on working for you through the night, so you can sleep and have peace.

But it might also mean, if you have a problem to solve or a difficult decision to make, then often the wisest thing to do is sleep on it. As you sleep, wisdom does its work so when you wake in the morning the way forward is clearer.

The main point is that wisdom enables you to work smarter, so you don’t have to work harder.

Verse 20 – Wisdom is generous to the poor and needy.

In other words, it is wise to show practical compassion to those who are less fortunate. Better to have the poor on your side than to have them cursing you or worse.  

Verse 23 – Wisdom’s husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

The city gate, in ancient times, was sort of like the local council and court room. It was a place where the leaders of the city gathered to make community decisions.

When a man is wedded to wisdom, he earns respect and influence in the community. He is listened to.

We could go on, but you get the point. When we read Proverbs 31 metaphorically, thinking of the capable wife not as an actual human being but as Wisdom personified, then it takes on a whole new meaning.

Conclusion:

As I keep saying throughout this series, Jesus is the personification of God’s wisdom (both literally and metaphorically). Jesus embodies wisdom.

Jesus came that we might have abundant life. The yoke of Jesus’ wisdom is easy, meaning it fits us perfectly. And his burden is light, meaning he does not ask us to carry the weight of unrealistic expectations.  

When we make a lifetime commitment to following Jesus, we find wisdom.  

May God grant you a long and happy union with wisdom. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  • How do you feel when you read Proverbs 31:10-31 literally? How do you feel when you read this same passage metaphorically?
  • What are the difficulties in reading Proverbs 31:10-31 literally? What parts can be read literally?
  • What sort of qualities are important to you in a long-term relationship? (E.g. marriage or friendship.)
  • How does the meaning of verses 17 & 18 change when read metaphorically? That is, Wisdom is a hard worker, strong and industrious. Wisdom works late into the night. 
  • How does Proverbs 31 point to Jesus?

[1] Graeme Goldsworthy, ‘Proverbs The Tree of Life’, page 163.

[2] Paul E. Koptak, NIVAC Proverbs, page 675

[3] Cited in Alice Ogden Bellis’ book ‘Helpmates, Harlots and Heroes’, page 198.

Tawa Baptist

Small Things

Scripture: Proverbs 30:24-31

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Jdd3YfZQhJ8

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Small things
  • Proud things
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Some would say that humility is the mother of all virtues. It is from humility that other virtues like patience, faithfulness, compassion and so on are born.

Rick Warren says, ‘Humility is not denying your strengths, humility is being honest about your weaknesses’. Charles Spurgeon said something similar, ‘Humility is the proper estimation of oneself’.

Humility then is closely related to honesty and truth. It is also the companion of wisdom. ‘True humility is staying teachable, regardless of how much you already know’.

Today we continue our series in the book of Proverbs, by focusing on chapter 30. Proverbs 30 contains the sayings of Agur. The main theme running through Proverbs 30 is the importance of humility and the danger of hubris or pride. 

Agur begins by saying he is the most ignorant of men. This is interesting, coming as it does near the end of the book. It is a little reminder to us that no matter how much we think we know, there is always more to learn.  

Agur also reinforces the point, made throughout Proverbs, that wisdom comes from knowledge of the holy one, from God.

We are not going to cover all of Proverbs 30 this morning. Just verses 24-31, which read…

24 “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26 hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; 27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; 28 a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

29 “There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: 30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; 31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt.  

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

A riddle for you. What can you put in a bucket to make it weigh less? [Wait]

A hole. Our reading this morning has the sound and feel of a series of riddles.

In these verses we are presented with two sets of four things. The first set describes creatures that are humble and small but, despite their size, they thrive by wisdom.

The second set of four describes creatures that are proud and fearless in the way they walk. Sort of the opposite of the small wise creatures. Agur is inviting us to consider the contrast. Let’s begin with the small things. 

Small things:

The first of the four small but wise creatures is the ant. We came across the ant two months ago, in Proverbs 6.  

In Proverbs 30, the emphasis is on the ants’ foresight in gathering provisions in season. Relative to their body weight, ants are strong. But relative to a human being, a single ant is a creature of little strength and can be easily crushed.

Physical strength is less important, though, than wisdom. God has made this world so that it is not always survival of the strongest but rather survival of the wisest.

One wise thing about ants is that they work together. Working on your own (especially doing heavy physical labour) can be quite tough. But when you work as part of a team, there is a certain buoyancy or energy that carries you. Somehow the work doesn’t seem so overwhelming.

Ants survive and thrive by using whatever is at hand. Ants gather from the environment around them. They don’t sow crops, but they do harvest. Ants make do with what they can find.

One point of application is to open our eyes and notice what is in front of us. Sometimes, when we are facing a problem, we may look elsewhere for a solution, when God has already provided what we need in our own backyard.

The second of our humble but wise creatures is the hyrax, also known as the coney or the marmot or the rock badger. The hyrax is a small mammal, about the size of a rabbit.  

Its feet are made for climbing, which is handy for finding a home in rocky crags, where no one can touch them. Like ants, hyraxes use what is at hand in their local environment.

The hyrax has good eyesight and can spot a predator from around 900 metres away. For protection they live in colonies of up to 50 and tend to stay close together. There is wisdom in sticking together.

Hyraxes are not the same as ants in every way though. Ants are always busy, always on the move, always working. Whereas hyraxes don’t move much. Hyraxes have the ability to remain still and keep watch. Keeping still conserves energy and it avoids unwanted attention from predators.

There is wisdom in being still. To paraphrase Blaise Pascal: All human evil stems from a single cause, man’s inability to sit still in a room. We human beings have an unfortunate tendency to react out of fear or get involved in things that we should stay out of. The hyrax knows how to be still and mind its own business.

When was the last time you sat still in silence for half an hour and simply allowed yourself to be? It’s a lot harder than you might think.

The third of our small creatures is the locust. Locusts are like ants in that they have no king or commander and yet they are organized. They cooperate and work together as one. The focus here is on leadership.

For centuries the people of Israel managed without a king. They didn’t need an earthly king because God was their King. But then, in First Samuel, we read how the people asked for a king like the nations around them.

The prophet Samuel warned the people that a king would tax their income, take their sons off to war and place burdens on them. An earthly king is not unlike a swarm of locusts in what he devours.

But the people did not listen and so God gave them what they asked for. Suffice to say, it did not go well. Power is corrosive to humility. Power feeds the ego and distorts a person’s perception of themselves and those around them.       

The leaderless locusts pose the question: ‘What kind of people do you want to be – strong and led by a king? Actually, you don’t need that as much as you need wisdom.’ [1]

Time for another riddle. What month of the year has 28 days? [Wait]

All of them. Every month has 28 days.

In verse 28 we read of the fourth small creature that is wise: a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

This verse is a bit of a riddle. I’m not sure what it means? Agur contrasts the lizard which is not powerful with the king who is powerful. Yet both share the same palace?

Is Agur saying that fortification and armed guards are no match for wisdom? Wisdom can breach the palace defenses in a way that military force cannot.

Or is he saying that wisdom is at home in the palace and that it is easily caught, like a lizard? The king needs to find wisdom in order to rule well.  

Or is Agur suggesting that kings are in some way similar to lizards? Is he saying that power attracts creepy crawly, reptile like people? Maybe. But not everyone in power is lizard like.

We do notice that lizards are different from ants, hyraxes and locusts in that lizards are not social creatures. The ant, the hyrax and the locust thrive in community together. Whereas the lizard is more territorial, more solitary.

Kings tend to be territorial as well. And the mantle of leadership is often lonely.  

Verse 28 remains a mystery to me. Perhaps that is the purpose of this riddle, to humble us. To show us how little we really know and therefore how important it is that we remain teachable.

Proud Things:

Okay, so we have touched on the small but wise things in verses 24-28. What about the proud and fearless creatures in verses 29-31. Let’s remind ourselves of what is written…

29 “There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: 30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; 31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt. 

The ant, the hyrax, the locust and the lizard were noted for being extremely wise, even though they are small compared to other creatures.

In contrast, the lion, the rooster, the he-goat and the king are noted for how they move. That is, the manner in which they carry themselves. How one moves has nothing to do with wisdom. How one moves is window dressing. It’s just advertising to create a desired perception. 

The smaller humble creatures get high praise, while the more powerful, stately looking creatures get a downgrade. What good is it to move with stately bearing? It’s almost like saying, the lion, the rooster, the goat and the king look impressive, but they are not that bright.    

Being brave and self-assured comes a poor second to being wise.

Perhaps we are meant to see some irony here. The he-goat and rooster are not like the lion. They are more like big fish in a small pond. Each would run from a lion. Which begs the question, is the king more like a lion or a farm animal? [2]

The goat and the rooster remind us there is folly in the small pretending to be great. The ant, the hyrax, the locust and the lizard are small but they do not pretend to be great. They embrace their smallness and use it to their advantage. 

Agur seems to be warning against illusions of grandeur. The message is, know yourself and your limitations. More than that, accept yourself and use what you’ve got to your advantage.

‘Humility is not denying your strengths, humility is being honest about your weaknesses’.

The hyrax has the humility and wisdom to accept its own strengths and weaknesses. The hyrax is good at climbing, but it is not a strong fighter. So, it makes a home in the rocky crags where predators cannot reach and therefore where it won’t need to fight.

The rooster seems to live in denial of its weaknesses and ends up on your dinner plate.

Parallel with this, Agur may be inviting us to discern what is a legitimate threat and what is not, so we make better choices for our own wellbeing.

The lion is an apex predator. Although lions do not normally hunt people, you wouldn’t want to get too close to one. Lions are wild creatures and do not follow any sort of moral code. They are driven by hunger, not mercy or justice. You are wise to stay well clear of lions.

Roosters and goats, on the other hand, may strut around like they own the place, but we don’t need to fear them. Roosters and goats look to us to care for them.

It’s similar with people. Some people are like lions. They are strong and powerful, a genuine threat. You cannot reason with them and so you are best to give them a wide berth. Other people though are more like roosters. They make a lot of noise and appear confident, but you don’t need to fear them.

The trick is being able to tell the difference. You don’t want to mistake a lion for a rooster.

The fourth thing that moves with stately bearing is, a king secure against revolt. This line can also be translated, a king with his army around him. Either way, there is an implied criticism here. If the king’s confidence is in his army or in the numbers supporting him, then he is not truly wise.

In Psalm 33 we read, ‘No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength… But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…’

Real power comes from wisdom that fears God and acts uprightly. [3]

To ignore God is as arrogant and ridiculous as a strutting rooster or billy goat.

In short, when we put the small but wise creatures alongside the strong and proud, we see the power of the weak and the weakness of those in power.  

Conclusion:

What is as small as a mouse but guards a house like a lion? [Wait]

A lock.

Jesus liked riddles. Many of his parables contained riddles.

Jesus also liked to champion the small things of God’s creation.

In Matthew 13, the Lord says… 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

God’s kingdom may start small, but it grows and provides shelter for those who (like birds) are small but wise. Jesus followed this parable with a similar one…

33 “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty poundsof flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Yeast makes the dough rise. The yeast of God’s kingdom, which is small, has the wisdom to raise and transform whole households and communities. Indeed, the whole world.

Small things done with great love are the mustard seeds and yeast of God’s kingdom. The mustard seeds and yeast of God’s kingdom are in your heart and hands.

What small thing can you do with great love this week?

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? How can you make the most of both your strengths and weaknesses?
  • Discuss / reflect on what we can learn from ants, hyraxes, locusts and lizards. What do they share in common? How are they different? What do these creatures reveal about God?   
  • When was the last time you sat still in silence? What happened in the silence?
  • Discuss / reflect on what we can learn from the lion, the rooster, the he-goat and the king. How are they different from the small but wise creatures of verses 24-28?
  • Can you think of a time when someone did something small for you, with great love? What did they do and what affect did it have? What small thing can you do with great love this week?

[1] Paul Koptak, NIVAC Proverbs.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Tawa Baptist

The Right Way?

Scriptures: Proverbs 16:25; 14:12; 16:2; 16:7; 12:15; Jeremiah 27;

Matthew 7:13-14; 5:3-12

Video Link: https://youtu.be/iCizzefULtY

The Right Way?

Good morning everyone.

Today we continue our series in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs offers practical wisdom for this life.

The ancient world, in which Proverbs was composed, was largely an oral culture. Most information was passed on by word of mouth, rather than reading and writing.  

There was no internet, so you couldn’t google something to learn about it. And books, as we know them, hadn’t been invented yet. The ancients did write things on scrolls or on walls but reading and writing was an expensive exercise and access to writing materials was not common or widespread.

If you wanted to know something, you had to ask a person who knew what they were talking about and then listen carefully. Storytelling, poetry and song were often used to help people remember what they heard. Repetition was another strategy used to commit ideas to memory.

One thing you notice as you read through Proverbs is the repetition. Some Proverbs are repeated word for word in different chapters and other Proverbs are rephrased in a slightly different way.     

The focus of our message today is Proverbs 16, verse 25, which reads…

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Where it says man, it means human being, both men and women.

This verse is basically saying that things are not always as they appear at first. The way something begins is not always how it ends. Or, as Bob Dylan put it, ‘What looks large from a distance, up close is never that big.’

More than this though, Proverbs 16 verse 25, is saying that we human beings are limited in our knowledge and understanding. We cannot rely solely on our own inner compass, or our own judgement. We need an external point of reference to check we are on the right path.  

If you are building a house, then you don’t just use your eye to determine if something is straight. You use a plumb line, a tape measure and a spirit level. Because what looks straight to the naked eye may be off by inches.

Or if you are a guitarist or a violinist then you don’t just tune your instrument by ear. You tune your instrument to a piano that you know is in tune or you use an electronic tuner, as an external point of reference.

Or if you are travelling a great distance in the wilderness or on the open sea, you don’t just follow your gut or your instinct. You use a compass or a sextant or the stars or GPS.      

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death, is repeated, word for word, in Proverbs 14, verse 12.

We also find similar proverbs elsewhere. In chapter 16, verse 2, for example we read: All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.

This gives a slightly different nuance of meaning. The idea here is that our mind has a way of fooling us. Our brain has this unfortunate tendency to be biased and filter out (or deny) the inconvenient truth about ourselves.

We might genuinely believe we are doing something with pure motives, when in fact we have mixed motives without being aware of it. Maybe we are compensating for the guilt we feel over something we did in our past. Or maybe we are really more interested in making ourselves look good in the eyes of others. Disinterested virtue is rare.

Each of us has what Carl Jung called a ‘shadow’. Your shadow is that part of yourself that you cannot see. Both good and bad lie hidden in your shadow. God sees what’s in your shadow, but you can’t. None of us is as good as we imagine ourselves to be.        

Proverbs 12, verse 15, gives another take on chapter 16, verse 25… 

The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.

This is almost the same as saying: There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death, except Proverbs 12:15 puts the accent on listening to good advice. Seeking the advice of others is one way of using an external point of reference to check whether we are on the right track or not.

The Bible is another external point of reference. When we read the Bible with an open mind, we are seeking the advice of wise men and women from ancient times. Of course, interpretation is key. We still need other believers to moderate our reading of Scripture, so we do not mislead ourselves. More importantly, we need the illumination of the Holy Spirit to discern God’s word.   

Jesus may have had Proverbs 16, verse 25 in mind when he said…

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

The broad road seems right to a person, but it leads to death. While the narrow road seems wrong, but it leads to life.

I don’t think Jesus is talking about being broad minded or narrow minded here. I think the broad road is a poetic way of talking about the easy or popular option, maybe even the cheat’s option. While the narrow road is a poetic way of talking about the more difficult but more honest option. 

When Jesus was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, the Devil offered Jesus the broad road, the easy road, to power and success. ‘Bow down in worship to me and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world’.

But Jesus refused. Jesus chose the narrow road, the more difficult but honest road, of remaining faithful to God. Jesus stayed loyal to his heavenly Father, even though the narrow road went via the cross. Ultimately though, after the cross, the narrow road led to resurrection and eternal life.

So, if there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death, how then do we know we are on the right path? How can we discern the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death?

We may listen to the advice of others but if their advice is bad, then where does that leave us? Likewise, we may read the Bible but if we misinterpret what we read then we end up on the wrong path anyway.

Well, I believe that if you are genuine in asking God to show you the right way and you are honest with yourself, the Lord will guide your steps.

 In Proverbs 16, verse 7, we read…

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

So being at peace with your enemies is a sign that you are on the right path.  

We should note that Proverbs 16, verse 7, is not a promise. It’s not a guarantee. Rather, it is a general rule. When we live in a way that pleases God, we can normally expect to be at peace with those around us.

There are exceptions to this rule of course. But, for the most part, if you do justly, show mercy and walk humbly, then you are more likely to enjoy peace with your neighbours. Makes sense right.   

Scripture interprets Scripture. What examples do we find in the Bible to illustrate this idea that there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

One example that comes to mind is found in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet who predicted the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s message from God was, don’t resist the might of the Babylonian empire.

Any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon will be punished with sword, famine and plague… But any nation that does bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, will live in its own land.

In other words, do not try to defend yourselves against the Babylonian army because you are not going to win.

To the Jews of his day, Jeremiah seemed unpatriotic. He seemed to lack faith in God. Other prophets (false ones) were telling the people that God would fight for them and Jerusalem would never fall.

And what these false prophets were saying seemed right to the people. Afterall, only a century earlier, during the time of king Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, God delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrians.

Hardly anyone agreed with Jeremiah’s minority report and Jerusalem was destroyed with the survivors being taken into exile, just as Jeremiah predicted.

Jesus had a similar message for the Israelites of his day. Like Jeremiah, Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

Jesus’ message was, don’t resist the Romans. My kingdom is not of this world. Turn the other cheek. Walk the extra mile. This is the way of peace. If you fight against the Romans, you will cause yourself unimaginable suffering.

Tragically, the people ignored Jesus. Resisting the might of the Roman empire seemed right to most Jews at the time, but it led to death. Over a million people were killed in the siege of Jerusalem in AD70.

Jesus wept then and I imagine he still weeps now.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

God’s ways are not our ways.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day believed strongly that their way was the right way. They genuinely thought all their rules, which acted like a fence around the Law, were pleasing to God. But their way led to death.

Throughout the gospels Jesus challenged the Pharisees and religious leaders. Jesus called them out on their self-righteousness and hypocrisy saying things like…

Woe to you Pharisees, because you give a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

Also, “… you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness…”

This tells us something about the way of life that pleases God. It tells us God is pleased with justice and generosity. It tells us God is pleased when religion is based on love for him and our neighbour. It tells us God does not like it when people use religion as a way to hide evil. True religion, true faith, true spirituality needs to come from the inside out. 

It wasn’t just the Pharisees who got it wrong. Even Jesus’ disciples, his closest friends, misunderstood God’s ways at times.  

In Matthew 16 we read what happened when Peter thought he knew best…

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Simon Peter meant well. It seemed right to him that Jesus should not suffer. But Peter was well off track.  

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

This must have hurt. Imagine thinking you were doing something good, only to be told by Jesus himself that you are aligned with Satan, the one opposed to God’s purpose. The strength of Jesus’ response to Peter mirrors the seriousness of Peter’s error.

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

We may have heard those words so many times they wash over us without penetrating our heart. But Jesus’ message here is shocking. This is a slap in the face, a reality check.

Picking up your cross is a metaphor for suffering in very real ways. To carry a cross in Roman times was to face pain, shame and death. No one wanted to be crucified. No one thought, ‘Oh, carrying a cross, that seems right and good to me. Let’s do that’.

Jesus’ words are counter intuitive, they turn our thinking upside down. Jesus inverts traditional wisdom. Traditional wisdom says, ‘choose the line of least resistance’. Picking up your cross and following Jesus, is the opposite of that.     

The apostle Paul put it in similar terms when he talked about offering your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God for this is your spiritual act of worship.  

The point is, serving God’s purpose, following Jesus’ way, is not an easy or glorious experience. It is difficult. It will cost you.

As a Christian you probably won’t have to literally carry a cross or be flogged or nailed to a tree, like Jesus was. But there will be times when obeying Jesus in faith makes you feel uncomfortable, frustrated, vulnerable and powerless. You will look foolish at times. You will be misunderstood. You will lose and you will wonder what the point is.  

Not that it’s all bad. There are also times when serving Jesus feels like a good fit and a privilege. But the values of God’s kingdom are so different from the values of this world that staying loyal to God’s values will inevitably result in personal suffering. The good news is, if you share in Christ’s sufferings, you will (one day) share in his glory.

Not that glory will matter to you by then. In the end you won’t be interested in glory. You won’t care what other people think. You will simply want Christ to hold you.

In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us the beatitudes. The beatitudes spell out what the right way looks like. What we notice about the beatitudes is the ‘right way’ does not always seem right at first. The beatitudes could be summarised like this: ‘There is a way that does not seem right to a man, but in the end it leads to life’.

For example: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To be poor in spirit is to be emotionally depleted, at the end of your rope, weak and vulnerable, like you have been emptied of your courage and motivation. No one chooses to be poor in spirit. No one says, ‘I think I will be poor in spirit today because that seems right to me’. Being poor in spirit is something that circumstance forces on you.

Jesus said you are blessed or lucky if you are poor in spirit because being poor in spirit is a pathway to the kingdom of heaven. Being poor in spirit means you are aware of your need for God and willing to depend on him because you have nothing else.

Another example from the beatitudes of what the right way looks like.

Jesus said: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

In order to be merciful, you have to be in a position of power in relation to someone else. The merciful are those who use their power to save or help others, as opposed to ignoring or oppressing others. Mercy might mean forgiving a debt or lifting someone out of a hole (literally or metaphorically). 

Mercy, therefore, is a choice. Jesus is saying that the measure you use for others is the measure God will use for you. If you show mercy to others, God will show mercy to you.

Showing mercy usually feels like a sacrifice. Showing mercy will cost you and so it is not easy to show mercy. Forgiving someone may not seem right, when what you really want is revenge. But, as right as revenge might feel in the moment, it leads to death. Mercy, on the other hand, leads to life for you.   

We don’t have to time to go through all the beatitudes now. You can study them yourself later, if you want to know the way that does not seem right, but in the end leads to life.

Suffice to say that when it comes to discerning the right way, we need to look to Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is our best external point of reference when it comes to measuring decisions. Jesus’ example embodies the way we need to take.

May the Lord bless you and guide you by the light of his presence in all the decisions you make, large and small. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Discuss / reflect on the meaning of Proverbs 16:25. ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death’. 
  • Can you think of a time when you (or someone else) did what seemed right, but it ended badly? What happened?
  • What did Jesus mean by the broad road and the narrow road, in Matthew 7:13-14?
  • How can we know if we are on the right path? What are some external points of reference we can use to check if the way we are choosing is actually right? What do we know about the way that pleases God?
  • How do the beatitudes in Matthew 5 inform (and challenge) our understanding of the right way?
  • Why do we need to include Jesus in our decision making? How might we do this? 
Tawa Baptist

A Gentle Answer

Scripture: Proverbs 15:1; 1 Samuel 25; John 8:1-11

Video Link: https://youtu.be/_5yRXjKYZPU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • A gentle answer
  • Abigail’s answer
  • Jesus’ answer
  • Sometimes wrath prevails
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Did you know that ‘words’ (w.o.r.d.s.) is an anagram for sword?

Putting the s at the front turns ‘words’ into a sword.

They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Words are powerful things.

Today we continue our series in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs contains wisdom for getting through this life. Proverbs has lots to say about words. Our message today focuses on chapter 15, verse 1, which reads…

A gentle answer:

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

This proverb is basically saying, words and the tone (or manner) in which we say them, have the power to calm a situation or make it worse.

We cannot control what other people might be feeling in the first instance, but we can control how we respond, and our response can have a profound effect on the outcome. 

A gentle answer may seem simple enough but it’s actually quite difficult to do, especially in the heat of the moment. Four things to keep in mind…

Firstly, gentleness requires backbone. A backbone lends strength and flexibility to the body. Being gentle does not mean being a push over or a jelly fish. Gentle is not weak. Gentleness requires the strength to stand your ground and the agility to adapt to change.

Secondly, a gentle answer requires logic. Gentle is not emotional. A gentle response involves keeping your composure and speaking sense. There is a time to express emotion but too much emotion tends to get in the way of a gentle answer.   

Some people are naturally empathic in the sense that they quite quickly and intuitively pick up on what other people are feeling. This is both a gift and a curse. On the one hand it helps you to read the situation and understand what you are dealing with.

But if the other person’s emotion bleeds into yours, then it becomes very difficult to keep yourself calm. If you are naturally sensitive to other people’s feelings, you can end up on the emotional roller coaster with them.

Giving a gentle answer requires you to hold on to yourself and not be overwhelmed. You need to read what the other person is feeling without getting sucked into the vortex of their emotion. You have to turn your own feelings off and think rationally in that moment.

You might say to yourself something like, ‘That person is angry and their anger belongs to them. It does not belong to me. I will stay calm and keep breathing. What is the outcome I want in this situation? And what are the logical steps to achieving that outcome?’       

A third thing to keep in mind, if you want to give a gentle answer, is finding common ground. You don’t have to agree with everything the other person is saying or doing but try and identify what you do agree on. Finding common ground enables you to build a connection.

One thing that gets in the way of finding common ground is the ego. You have to put your ego aside if you want to give a gentle answer. As long as you are focused on defending your ego, you won’t be able to find common ground.

A gentle answer requires backbone, logic, common ground and, fourthly, freedom. A gentle answer allows the person you are dealing with to make a free choice. By definition, gentleness does not threaten or coerce or manipulate in any way. A gentle answer presents the other party with a sensible option, not a blunt ultimatum.

There is a fifth thing required for a gentle answer and that is grace. Each of us has a certain amount of grace in the bank account of our soul. This balance of grace is like the currency we spend in dealing with the difficulties of life. Whenever something bad happens, like we become ill or we don’t get enough sleep or someone is unkind or unfair, or whatever, it costs us a little grace.

Likewise, when you are faced with an angry person, giving a gentle answer will require you to make a withdrawal from your grace account.

We need to keep an eye on how much grace we have left in our account. If you are running low, do something to take care of yourself so your balance of grace is topped up and you have the resources you need to manage yourself in a challenging situation.    

A gentle answer will cost you, but not as much as a harsh word. 

Abigail:

There’s a woman in the Bible who had the grace to give a gentle answer and turn away wrath. Her name is Abigail. In the book of First Samuel chapter 25, David (who is on the run from Saul) finds himself in the desert of Maon.

He and his men, as many as 600 soldiers, needed to eat. There was a rich man in that area by the name of Nabal. David sends some of his men to Nabal to ask if Nabal can help out with any supplies. Afterall, David’s men have provided security for Nabal by protecting his flocks.

But Nabal spoke harshly to David’s men, and he insulted David saying…

“Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men from who knows where?”

Nabal’s response here shows a lack of grace and a large amount of ego. Nabal is no jelly fish; he is no push over. But he doesn’t have backbone either. A backbone combines strength with flexibility. Nabal is more like a brick wall, hard, brittle, inflexible. 

Nabal was not a wise man. Everyone in Israel knows who David is. David is the one who killed Goliath. David is a national hero, anointed by Samuel to be the next king. The smart thing to do was get on David’s good side.

When David’s men reported back to him, David told them to strap on their swords and he marched off with 400 soldiers to teach Nabal a lesson. David was angry and he did not intend to keep any prisoners.  

In the meantime, one of Nabal’s servants had a quiet word with Nabal’s wife, Abigail. The servant told Abigail how Nabal had hurled insults at David’s men even though David’s men had been good to them.

“Night and day they were a wall around us [protecting us] all the time we were herding sheep near them. 17 Please think this over and decide what to do. This could be disastrous for our master and all his family.” He is so mean that he won’t listen to anybody!”

Abigail didn’t need long to think about it. 18 She quickly gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two leather bags full of wine, five roasted sheep, two bushels of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dried figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she said to the servants, “You go on ahead and I will follow you.” But she said nothing to her husband…

Abigail understood that a gentle answer was going to cost her, but not nearly as much as her husband’s harsh answer would cost them if she did not intervene.

20 Abigail was riding her donkey around a bend on a hillside when suddenly she met David and his men coming toward her. 23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted and threw herself on the ground 24 at David’s feet, and said to him, “Please, sir, listen to me! Let me take the blame. 25 Please, don’t pay any attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing! He is exactly what his name means—a fool! I wasn’t there when your servants arrived, sir. 27 Please, sir, accept this present I have brought you, and give it to your men. 28 Please forgive me, sir, for any wrong I have done…

Nabal had reacted to David’s friendliness with arrogance and scorn. Now Abigail, responds wisely to David’s anger with humility and gentleness.

Notice though that a gentle response is not a weak response. There is real courage, real strength, real backbone in Abigail’s action here. Put yourself in her shoes for a moment. Abigail was facing 400 angry men and she was saying, ‘Let me take the blame’. 

Although Abigail has done nothing wrong, she offers to take the blame in order to save her household. This is a picture of grace. This reminds us of what Jesus did on the cross.

Notice too the way Abigail finds common ground with David. Abigail agrees with David that Nabal is a fool. She is wisely establishing a connection and acknowledging that David has every right to feel offended. At the same time, she is also putting distance between herself and Nabal.

To her credit, Abigail doesn’t burst into tears or allow herself to be overwhelmed by emotion. Rather, Abigail sets her gentle answer on the firm foundation of reason and logic. Abigail appeals to David’s conscience, his better nature. From verse 30 she says… 

30 And when the Lord has done all the good things he has promised you and has made you king of Israel, 31 then you will not have to feel regret or remorse, sir, for having killed without cause or for having taken your own revenge…”

This is wise. Abigail gently points out to David the logical outcome if he shows mercy. But she does it in such a way that David still has a choice. Abigail does not threaten David or try to force his hand in any way. She points out to David the benefit of showing mercy (you will be free from regret) and leaves the decision with him. Abigail gives David freedom.

Abigail’s gentle words turned David’s wrath away. The king accepted Abigail’s gift and did not carry out his revenge.

Jesus:

We are talking about how a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Jesus was a master at the art of the gentle answer. In the gospel of John, chapter 8, we read…

2 At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

The whole thing is a set up. We know the woman has been set up because it takes two people to commit adultery and the man isn’t there. The law said both the man and the woman should be stoned, not just the woman.

Primarily though, the Pharisees are trying to set Jesus up. If Jesus says, ‘Stone her’, then he gets in trouble with the Romans and if he says, ‘Don’t stone her’, he can be accused of breaking the law of Moses. 

Jesus is faced with a crowd, most of whom are either angry or confused. What does he do? Well, he holds onto himself. He does not let the anger or malice of his adversaries bleed into his soul or overwhelm his judgment. Jesus exercises the strength of self-control and says nothing at first. Instead…  

Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Jesus’ response is gentle. It is not harsh or emotional. His response is courageous and rational. Jesus does not beg for mercy for the woman. Nor does he try to appease the Pharisees. Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Let me take the blame’, like we might expect.

No. Jesus finds common ground and he uses logic. The law is the common ground. Yes, the law does prescribe the death penalty for adultery. But, before you start throwing stones, think about the outcome for yourself if you do kill her. You will find it hard to live with yourself, knowing you also have sinned and deserve the same punishment. Jesus’ logic is clear. 

There is no coercion, no threat and no manipulation in Jesus’ gentle answer. Jesus leaves the decision with each individual and their conscience. The people are free to choose.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus was gentle but firm with the Pharisees who were trying to trap him and he was gentle but firm with the woman too. Gentle does not mean weak. Jesus does not condemn the woman but nor does he condone adultery. Jesus shows back bone. Strength with flexibility.

Jesus makes a withdrawal of grace from his own personal account and deposits it in the woman’s account, not so she can carry on as she has been. But rather so she can make a fresh start in right relationship with others.   

Backbone, logic, common ground, freedom and grace. All these are on display with Jesus’ gentle answer.

Sometimes wrath prevails:

That being said, it must also be acknowledged that a gentle answer does not always turn away wrath. It did for Jesus in John 8 and it did for Abigail in Samuel 25. But there are times when no amount of gentleness will do.

When Jesus was made to stand trial before the Jewish council, the Lord did nothing to provoke their anger. Jesus stood his ground and responded with gentleness and reason, grace and truth.  

When one of the guards struck Jesus on the face, the Lord answered not with emotion but with logic, saying, ‘If I said something wrong, testify to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?’ 

And, when Jesus stood before the Roman governor and Pilate said, ‘Don’t you realise I have the power either to free you or crucify you?’ Jesus answered with logic and grace, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’

Jesus’ gentle answer convinced Pilate that Jesus was innocent. From then on Pilate tried to set Jesus free but the anger of the Jews prevailed and Jesus went to the cross.  

Even while he was hanging on the cross, bleeding out, thirsty, exhausted, in agony, with insults ringing in his ears, Jesus still managed a gentle answer: ‘Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.’

A gentle answer turns away wrath, most of the time, but not always. This life is not necessarily fair.

Conclusion:  

We are not likely to find ourselves in an extreme, life-threatening situation like Abigail or Jesus, for which we can be thankful.

But we may still be ambushed by a petulant child or a surly teenager. We may have to deal with an unreasonable adult or a grumpy husband or wife. And there may be times when people who do not know us that well, dump their prejudice on us.

Those moments often come without warning when we are feeling tired and otherwise distracted. We may not always be well equipped with the grace or the strength or the presence of mind we need to give a gentle answer.

Sometimes we will manage to hold on to ourselves and not be overwhelmed by the weight of someone else’s emotion. Other times our ego might get the better of us so that we seek to justify ourselves and respond more harshly than we would have liked. 

Try to have the same grace for yourself that you do for others. It does no good to get stuck in a cycle of feeling guilty and beating yourself up whenever you fall short of your ideals.

We can be our own worst enemy. Sometimes we end up shadowboxing with ourselves. Sometimes we need to speak a gentle answer to our own inner critic. 

Remember too, there may be times when a gentle answer is not called for. There may be times when it is better to give no answer and simply walk away from an angry person, give them a chance to cool down.

This is particularly relevant when communicating on social media. Best not to engage a keyboard warrior.

Life is messy. Sometimes we get it right. Sometimes we make the mess worse. None of us is perfect. We look to Jesus to be our wisdom and our righteousness, knowing that …he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Can you think of a time (in your own experience) when you observed a gentle answer turning away wrath? What happened?
  • Why is it necessary to keep emotion at arms’ length when giving a gentle answer? What can we do to hold onto ourselves and not be overwhelmed by emotion in the heat of the moment?
  • What is your ‘grace balance’ like at present? Are you running low on grace? What can you do, over the next few days or weeks, to top up your grace balance?
  • Discuss / reflect on Abigail’s gentle answer in 1st Samuel 25. How did Abigail find common ground with David? What logic did Abigail use to turn away David’s wrath?
  • Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ gentle answer in John 8:1-11. What common ground did Jesus find with his adversaries in this situation? How did Jesus use logic and freedom to turn away wrath?
  • What can we do when a gentle answer does not turn away wrath? What can we do when we fail to give a gentle answer? When is a gentle answer not appropriate?     
Tawa Baptist

Hope Deferred

Scriptures: Proverbs 13:12

Video Link: https://youtu.be/C-GvzmIqEsA

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Hope deferred
  • Longing fulfilled
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today we continue our sermon series in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs offers practical down to earth wisdom based on how the world operates. Whenever we read Proverbs, or any Biblical text for that matter, we need to be thinking, ‘How does this point to Jesus?’ ‘How does Jesus fulfil this wisdom?’

The focus of our message this week is Proverbs 13, verse 12, which reads…

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Hope deferred:

As with most of the proverbial sayings, there are two contrasting halves to this verse which give it a nice symmetry. Essentially though, this proverb is talking about one thing: the psychological effect of hope. ‘Longing’ is just another way of talking about hope in this context.

Deferred hope has a negative psychological impact on a person, but hope fulfilled has a positive psychological effect.

When hope is delayed by a long period of time or taken away altogether, it makes the heart sick.

You may remember from other sermons that the heart, in the Old Testament, usually refers to a person’s inner life. The heart is a metaphor for an individual’s mind, emotions and will.

When hope is deferred, a person’s thinking, feeling and motivation is negatively impacted, it is made sick. The greater the hope, the bigger the negative impact if that hope is not realized.

If you catch a bad flu, your body is made sick. You might experience aching joints and muscles. You might be shivering with cold one moment and sweating with fever the next. To say nothing of the headaches, sore throat, hacking cough, running nose and difficulty breathing.

The flu robs you of energy and impairs your physical functioning, so you cannot do all the things you are normally able to do.

It’s similar with hope. When hope is delayed for long periods of time, it impairs your psychological functioning, so you cannot handle daily life as well as you normally would. Even small difficulties, like being stuck in traffic, can seem overwhelming and put you in a spin.

Hope is the capacity to believe something good waits for you in the future. Hope sustains mental and emotional energy.  

Believing there is good in your future feeds your heart, your mind, your soul, your spirit so you have the psychological energy you need to get through and face the challenges that come with daily life.

The closer you come to realizing your hope, the greater the energy you feel. But, if someone moves the goal posts, if the finishing line is shifted and your hope is postponed, you become psychologically deflated.

All that emotional energy you were getting from hope drains away, like water in cupped hands. Take hope away and you take a person’s mental and emotional energy away.  

Let me give you an example to illustrate what we mean by the psychological impact of hope deferred…

Imagine you have been working away diligently for a whole year without taking a holiday. You have weekends off your regular job, but Saturdays and Sundays are pretty full doing household chores or running around after your family. Life is hectic and pressured.

After a hard year, carrying a heavy load at work and at home, you are tired and looking forward to some time away. In fact, you have had this holiday planned for months. A nice air b n b near the beach, just you and your family for ten whole days.      

Whenever the pressure comes on at work, whenever a client complains or the boss is unreasonable, you imagine swimming in the sea or building sandcastles with the kids. The very thought of the holiday gives you the energy to get through the daily grind with a smile on your face.

But then suddenly, just one week before you are due to go on leave, a cyclone passes over the country. There is flooding and slips and the access road to your air b n b by the beach is cut off. There is no way in or out for months.

Your dream of a relaxing holiday has been deferred. The hope you had been relying on to give you the emotional energy you needed to get through each day is gone. 

You are not even sure if you want to take your annual leave anymore. It’s too late to try and find another holiday place and if you stay home, you will end up painting the house or checking your work emails anyway. It feels like such a waste.      

Now, when a client complains about something, you reply with sarcasm. And when your boss asks you to stay late to get a project in on time, you drag your heels. What’s the point you think to yourself.

And when someone in your household doesn’t empty the dishwasher or leaves food on the bench to attract ants, you snap at each other. You just don’t have the energy to deal with minor irritations. Hope deferred makes the heart sick.

Typically, when we are young, our hopes tend to fly high. But as we grow through life, we face disappointment. Our heart is made sick when the people we trust let us down or when circumstance conspires against us. ‘The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’, as Shakespeare put it.  

With each disappointment we learn to lower our hope, to clip the wings of expectation and edit our dreams, so as to avoid the pain of more loss. The problem with this approach is that the less you hope for, the less mental and emotional energy you have. 

Secular wisdom would say, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t commit all your hope to just one thing. Hedge your bets. Have a plan B in case plan A doesn’t work out. We can see the sense in that kind of reasoning, but how does this compare with the wisdom of Christ?

Part of Jesus’ message was: Don’t put all your hope in the temporary things of this world, put the larger portion of your hope in the eternal things of God’s kingdom.

The eternal things of God’s kingdom include righteousness, love, trust, generosity, kindness and so on. Jesus talked about storing up riches for yourself in heaven where rust and moth cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal.

It’s not that you shouldn’t plan a nice holiday or save for a house or find a life partner. We live in this world and we still need things to look forward to in this life, even if they are temporary things.

The point is: Eternal hope lends perspective. Eternal hope helps us to cope better with the disappointments we experience in this world.

If someone you counted on in this life lets you down (a friend or family member maybe), then that sucks. That hurts. It’s painful. But if you also have Jesus as your friend, as your ultimate hope, it’s not the end of the world. You are not alone.      

Longing fulfilled:

Okay, so we have been talking about hope deferred. What about when hope is realized? The second half of Proverbs 13, verse 12, says: a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

We heard about the tree of life last week, so we don’t need to rehearse all that again now. Suffice to say the tree of life, in Proverbs, is used as a metaphor for wisdom and wellbeing.

In the context of Proverbs 13, to say a longing fulfilled is a tree of life, is like saying, ‘it is good for you, psychologically, when your hope is realized’.

A longing fulfilled restores your mental and emotional energy. It gives you confidence and strength to cope with the vicissitudes of life. In fact, a longing fulfilled enlarges your capacity for hope.  

Earlier, I asked you to imagine looking forward to a well-earned holiday only to have your hope deferred by a cyclone. Well, it wouldn’t be fair to leave you in limbo like that so let’s pick up the story again.

By this stage, three days have passed since you heard the disappointing news that you cannot gain access to your air b n b by the beach. It is now two days before your leave is due to start. You are still deciding whether you will take the leave or work through like a martyr and take it out on everyone around you.

Then the phone rings. It’s a friend you knew from youth group days. Your friend lives in a different town to you now. Tauranga, as it happens. They are going to be away for the next two weeks and wondered if you would be interested in house sitting for them. “I know it’s last minute, but you would be doing us a huge favour”, your friend says.

You can’t quite believe what you are hearing. You quickly gather your thoughts. “Let me just check my diary… Yes, we could make that work. Happy to help.”   

After putting the phone down, you take a moment to reflect on the providence of God. You thank him for his goodness.

In an instant your hope is restored and your emotional energy returns. You take your family on holiday to the sunny Bay of Plenty, have a wonderful time and come home refreshed and ready to carry on. 

There’s a true story, of hope deferred and longing fulfilled, in the gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 8 reads…

40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

Nothing threatens a parent’s hope like a seriously sick child. Jairus is longing for his little girl to live. All his eggs are in one basket. He has placed all his hope in Jesus.  

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,but no one could heal her.

Talk about hope deferred. Here is a woman who has been on a roller coaster of disappointment for twelve long years. This woman has suffered terribly during this time. She may have experienced ongoing physical pain from her bleeding.

She would most likely have dangerously low iron levels, resulting in tiredness and diminished immunity. Which means doing daily tasks, like carrying water, cooking meals and so on would be much more demanding. Not only that but she would be more susceptible to illness and infection.

As if the physical trauma of her complaint was not bad enough, this woman would have been excluded from community life as well. If she wasn’t married, then she would have no chance of finding a husband and if she was married, she would not be able to get close to her husband or have children.

Under Old Testament law her bleeding made her ritually unclean so she would not be able to participate in worship. She was probably poor as well, having spent all her money on doctors who could not heal her.    

It was a pretty miserable existence for her. But despite twelve years of disappointment, the woman put what hope she had left in Jesus. 

44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

The healing comes at a price. It is free to the woman, but it costs Jesus. Here we have a picture of God’s grace. Grace may be free but it’s not cheap.  

47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Jesus and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

We might wonder why Jesus calls this woman out so publicly. I mean, hasn’t she suffered enough humiliation and embarrassment. Wouldn’t it be more winsome for Jesus to use his discretion and say nothing.

Well, Jesus is not trying to embarrass her. To the contrary, Jesus wants to complete the woman’s healing. She has received physical healing by touching Jesus but what about the social and psychological healing she needs?

By inviting the woman to publicly confess the truth of her healing, Jesus is restoring her to the community.  Now, she can be included again. That’s social healing. And by affirming the woman for her faith, Jesus is giving her honour, dignity and respect. That’s psychological healing.

Perhaps Jesus is also helping the community think differently about women and about women’s health generally.  

The Lord has fulfilled the woman’s longing. Jesus has been a tree of life for her.

But spare a thought for Jairus, the father of the sick girl. Every passing minute must have felt like an age to him. The interruption and the slowness of the crowd is deferring his hope.     

49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

‘In the chilly hours and minutes of uncertainty, I want to be in the warm hold of your loving mind.’ (Donovan, Catch the Wind.)

Jairus is very much in the warm hold of Jesus’ loving mind in these minutes of uncertainty. The temptation here is for Jairus to abandon all hope, but Jesus calms Jairus’ fears and keeps his hope alive. Jesus encourages Jairus to believe something good is waiting in his future.

51 When Jesus arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Jairus’ hope had been deferred but now the longing for his daughter’s life to be restored is fulfilled. Jesus is a tree of life to Jairus’ whole family.

These twin stories in Luke 8 serve as a pattern for us in our journey of faith with Jesus. We come to Jesus in hope that he will help us in some way. But Jesus does not always give us what we want at first. Sometimes we have to wait.

In the waiting, we are sifted and refined.

Last week, we heard how God prevented Adam and Eve access to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. That is not how the story ends.

In John’s Revelation we read: To those who overcome, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God. 

We need to maintain our hope in Jesus, for he is our tree of life. In Christ our deepest longings are fulfilled.

May the Lord heal your heart and fulfill your longing for him. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is hope? Why do we need hope?
  • Can you think of a time when your hope was deferred? What happened? What psychological effect did it have on you?
  • How might we measure mental or emotional energy? What are your mental and emotional energy levels like at present? What do you need to fill your emotional tank?
  • What are you looking forward to (or longing for) at the moment? Where is your hope placed? How vulnerable is your hope?
  • Reflecting on the story in Luke 8:40-56, who do you identify with most? Why?
  • What does it mean to put your hope in Jesus? How do we maintain our hope in Christ? 
Tawa Baptist

Tree of Life

Scriptures: Proverbs 11:30 & 3:18 & Luke 7:1-10

Video Link: https://youtu.be/dqemajnLd6I

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Tree of life
  • Winning souls
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning, everyone.

Today we continue our sermon series in the book of Proverbs. Broadly speaking, we might think of the book of Proverbs like a sandwich. The opening and closing chapters are the bread holding together the filling of proverbial sayings in the middle. 

Chapters 1-9 offer poems extolling the value of wisdom. We have been focusing on these chapters over the past few weeks.

Chapters 10-29 contain hundreds of short sayings which serve as a guide for how the world operates. These little nuggets of wisdom tend toward generalisation and don’t explore the exceptions to the rule all that much.  

The proverbial sayings do not appear to be arranged in any sort of helpful order. It’s not like there is a nice, neat chapter on alcohol and then a chapter on sex and a chapter on money. The sayings are all mixed together. 

The book of Proverbs closes (in chapters 30-31) with the bread of more poetry.

Today we take a bite into the filling of the Proverbs sandwich, the actual wisdom sayings themselves.

Our message this morning focuses on chapter 11, verse 30, which reads…

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

The tree of life:

Trees are amazing. They have the power to heal and to make life better.

Trees turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, so we can breathe. The leaves of a tree also purify the air, removing toxins within a 100 metre radius. 

Trees promote biodiversity by providing a home for all sorts of wildlife including birds, insects and small animals.

Trees take care of the soil. Tree roots help to prevent erosion and they purify the water running off into streams and rivers.

Trees act as a natural air conditioner, helping to cool temperatures in urban areas. City streets are covered in tar seal which exasperates the heat. Trees shade the tar seal from the sun, thus reducing the temperature in the neighbourhood.

Walking or sitting among trees supports mental health too. Trees reduce people’s stress levels and calm anxiety. This is to say nothing of the beauty of trees. Trees are life giving in every way.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of trees though, is the fruit they produce. Trees are a source of food for humans and animals, birds and bees.

Proverbs 11, verse 30, is a verse of two halves. The first half describes the fruit of the righteous as a tree of life.

The righteous are people who, as a matter of principle and habit, routinely do the right thing in their relationships with others. Righteousness equates to right relationship.

The fruit of the righteous refers to the words and actions of righteous people. Things like justice, honesty, mercy, kindness, faithfulness, forgiveness, humility and so on. Let me give you an example based on something that happened to me when I was at university…

Imagine you go to a cash machine to get some money out. You try to withdraw $200 but the machine doesn’t give you the cash. The money comes off your account balance as a withdrawal but there’s something wrong with the ATM, so the money doesn’t physically come out.  

The ATM is right outside an actual branch of the bank, so you go inside and stand in line for 20 minutes. Eventually you are seen and explain your story to a bank teller. The teller listens patiently only to say, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.” She doesn’t believe you.

At that moment another customer walks up to the teller next to you and says, “I just withdrew $20 from the ATM outside but the machine gave me $220, so I’m returning the extra $200.” It is then clear to everyone the ATM had a hiccup and the $200 belongs to you. The teller gives you the $200, you thank the honest stranger and go on your way feeling strangely warm inside.

The person who got $220 when they only withdrew $20 could have walked away with the extra money and no one would be any the wiser. But she didn’t. She was righteous and returned the cash that did not belong to her. The fruit of her righteousness in this situation was justice and honesty.

Her justice and honesty were a tree of life to you. Not only did you have the money you needed to buy your groceries, but you also felt better about the world you live in. The fruit of this righteous woman strengthened your capacity for trust and helped you to be less anxious.

The thing about trees is they are always doing good. It’s not like they carry out random acts of kindness when it suits them. Trees do good for the environment all the time, simply by their living presence.

It’s the same with righteous people. They have a positive, life-giving effect on those around them all the time, through their presence and because that is who they are.

Sometimes we might think that to be righteous we must perform some grand gesture or carry out a heroic task of superhuman proportions. Maybe like working in a refugee camp or finding a cure for cancer or rescuing kittens from a burning building or raising lots of money for a good cause. And while they may be good things to do, righteousness is usually more routine, more ordinary than that.

Righteousness is not an isolated act. Righteousness is a state of being. Being there for your family, to support them. Being content with your husband or wife and not looking over the fence. Turning up to work, doing your best for your employer or your employees. Using your pay to put food on the table.

Righteousness is being patient when your child is having a tantrum. Righteousness is knowing when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’. Righteousness is owning your mistakes and putting things right to the extent you can. Righteousness is trusting God to make things right when you have been wronged.     

Another thing about trees is they do good silently, invisibly. Most of the time we don’t even notice the good trees are doing. Unless we consciously go out of our way to study trees, we probably take them for granted.   

Righteous people are like trees in that they don’t advertise the good they do. Most of the time we don’t even notice righteous people. Righteousness is not glamourous or attention seeking. In fact, righteousness may appear quite pedestrian or boring even.

Reflecting on your own experience for a moment; who, through their righteousness, has been a tree of life to you? [Pause]

Those of you who know your Bibles will be aware there is mention of the tree of life in Genesis. What connection (if any) is there between the tree of life in the garden of Eden and the tree of life in Proverbs? In Genesis 2 we read…

9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam and Eve were allowed to eat the fruit of any of the trees in the Garden of Eden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sadly, they disobeyed God.

Consequently, Adam & Eve were expelled from Eden and not allowed access to the tree of life in case they ate the fruit and lived forever. This tells us the tree of life in Genesis represents immortality. Living forever without dying.

It might seem unkind of God to keep the tree of life from Adam and Eve, but it was a mercy. To live forever with our Sin would be terrible. The essence of Sin is alienation from God, alienation from our neighbour and alienation from ourselves.

To be alienated from yourself is to hate yourself. Some people project their self-hatred out onto others. Some people internalise it. To hate yourself is a cruel torment. To not be able to live with yourself (or anyone else) for all eternity would be a kind of living hell in which one longs to die.

It is because God did not want us to suffer in this way that he kept the tree of life from us. God was limiting our suffering. Death and resurrection are the fresh start we need to be free of sin and alienation.  

So how does the tree of life in Genesis inform our understanding of the tree of life in Proverbs? Well, the writers of Proverbs were most likely piggy backing off the tree of life imagery in Genesis.

Proverbs 11, verse 30, is not saying that the fruit of the righteous will enable people to literally live forever. It’s simply a poetic way of saying, righteousness promotes long life and well-being. Righteousness feeds the human soul and spirit with good things. Indeed, righteousness blesses the whole community.

Proverbs 3, verse 18, says that wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her. This is another way of saying the same thing: the wisdom of righteousness is life giving.    

Winning souls:

The second part of Proverbs 11, verse 30, says: and he who wins souls is wise.

If you come from an evangelical background then, for you, winning souls might equate to convincing someone to become a Christian. Getting them to pray the sinner’s prayer, ask Jesus into their heart and be baptised.  

But I don’t think that’s what the writers of Proverbs had in mind, not exactly.

A soul is a person’s life force. So, the word soul is associated with life. It’s a term that describes your essence. More than that though, the term soul refers to a whole person. As in the phrase, ‘there were 250 souls on board’, meaning there were 250 living individuals on board.

You are not just a body, with a mind. You are a soul, with a body and a mind. Your soul (your life force, your essence) animates your body and lends uniqueness to your personality. 

In the context of Proverbs 11, to win souls could mean to save someone’s life or at least have a positive and lifegiving effect on their wellbeing. It may also mean being winsome in the way you relate with others.

Both halves of verse 30 shed light on each other. If the first part of verse 30 is saying that the words and actions of a righteous person are lifegiving to those around them, then the second half is saying wise people (who are also righteous) have a positive effect on the people around them.

Looking at verse 30 from another angle, we might also say, a wise person knows that righteousness is the way to influence other people for good. When someone is treated with kindness and fairness, it affects their soul in a positive way, so they want to be kind and fair too.

A wise person wins souls by their righteous and winsome behaviour, not by fast talking or manipulation.

Let me give you two examples of people who win souls through wisdom and righteousness. The first is from the movie The Shawshank Redemption.

Andy, a righteous man, is sent to prison for a murder he did not commit. Despite suffering abuse and mistreatment, Andy petitions the authorities to send him books so he can teach other prisoners to read and write. The fruit of Andy’s righteousness is a tree of life to those around him. Andy has a lifegiving effect on his fellow inmates.

Through his wisdom and righteousness, Andy wins souls. One soul in particular is that of a fellow prisoner nicknamed Red. Red has been in Shawshank for decades and it has destroyed his capacity for hope. Red does not dare to imagine a better future because he knows that hope can drive a man insane. Hope is dangerous.

But Andy has a different perspective. Andy says, “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

At the end of the movie, Red is released from prison and the last thing we hear him say is, “I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Through his righteous friendship, Andy won Red’s soul. Andy restored Red’s capacity to hope.

As inspiring as it is, The Shawshank Redemption is a fictional story, based on a book by Stephen King. This is not to suggest the righteous who win souls are a fiction, just a nice ideal that does not exist in the real world. 

There is a true story, a gospel story, based on historical fact, which shows us what soul winning righteousness looks like. From Luke 7, verse 1 we read…

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.

The Roman army were the occupying force in Israel at the time of Jesus. The Roman army were the enforcers. Mostly they restricted Jewish freedom and oppressed the people.

But here we have a Roman Centurion, in charge of 100 soldiers, who is not destroying or oppressing the Jews but actually helping them by building a synagogue. The Centurion does the unexpected. He overturns our prejudice.  

This wise and righteous army officer is a tree of life to the Jewish community. Through his fairness and generosity, the Centurion has won the souls of the Jewish elders. He has earned the trust and respect of those he is there to police.  

More than that though, this Roman Centurion wins Jesus’ commendation too. Not by some grand gesture or heroic deed but by his vulnerability and faith. From verse 6 we continue our reading…

Jesus was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to Jesus: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Jesus, who was Jewish, could not enter the home of a Gentile, like the Roman Centurion, without becoming ritually unclean. The Centurion knows this and finds a winsome way to save Jesus from this socially awkward and culturally embarrassing situation.

Here we have a greater quality of righteousness. The righteousness that comes from faith. The Centurion loves his servant, and he trusts Jesus to heal his servant from a distance.

9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Through his faith, the Centurion won the soul (or saved the life) of his servant, and he won the respect of Jesus in a winsome way. He continues to win souls even today.

Who do you identify with most in this story? The servant in need of healing? The wise Centurion? The Jewish elders who intercede? Perhaps you identify with Jesus? Or someone in the crowd following Jesus, bearing witness to it all? 

We may be reluctant to think of ourselves as the Centurion. Kiwi culture does not allow us to think too highly of ourselves. But we may not be too different from him. Like the Centurion, we too have put our faith in a Christ we have only heard of from a distance and not yet seen.

Conclusion:

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Jesus was crucified on a cross, nailed to a tree of death. The fruit of Jesus’ righteousness, in going to the cross in love and obedience to God, is a tree of life to all those who put their faith in Christ. Indeed, Jesus’ wisdom in obeying God, even unto death, has won millions of souls down through the ages.

In a few moments we will share communion together. Communion is a time to remember the abundant life Jesus has won for us.

It is through Jesus’ death that our alienation comes to an end.

It is through Jesus’ sacrifice that our relationship with God is made right.

It is through Jesus’ love that we are set free from self-hatred.

It is through Jesus’ resurrection that our hope is restored.

May the righteousness of Jesus bear fruit in our lives. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Discuss / reflect on the benefits of trees. When was the last time you planted a tree?
  • What does the fruit of the righteous refer to? Can you think of examples from the Bible or from your own experience?
  • Who, through their righteousness, is a tree of life to you? What do they do that is life giving? Give thanks to God for them. How might you be a tree of life to others?
  • Why does God restrict access to the tree of life in Genesis 3? Why is this a kindness?
  • What does Proverbs 11:30 mean by winning souls?
  • Thinking of the story of the Roman Centurion in Luke 7, who do you identify with most and why? The servant? The Centurion? The Jewish elders who intercede? Jesus? Or someone in the crowd following Jesus? 
Tawa Baptist

Origin Story

Scripture: Proverbs 8:22-31

Video Link: https://youtu.be/87rpvMSs4HM

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wisdom’s origin
  • Wisdom’s function
  • Wisdom’s delight
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning, everyone.

Today we continue our series in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. Proverbs contains the ABC’s of wisdom. The wisdom of Proverbs is not academic or abstract. It is down to earth and practical.

Over the past few weeks, we have been dipping into the opening chapters of Proverbs in which a parent is impressing upon their children the importance of choosing wisdom when making life decisions.

There are essentially two aspects to wisdom: character and competence. Character has to do with integrity and righteousness, while competence has to do with skill and the ability to do things well.

If we think of wisdom as a tree, then character represents the roots and competence the branches. Wisdom is about maintaining strong roots of good character and healthy branches of competence that bear good fruit.    

A couple of weeks ago we began looking at Proverbs 8, which personifies wisdom as a woman, Lady Wisdom. This morning our message focuses on the second half of Proverbs 8 which explores wisdom’s origin, function and delight. From verse 22 we read…

22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; 23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. 24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. 27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 30 Then I was the craftsmanat his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in humankind.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

As I mentioned before, these verses point out wisdom’s origin, wisdom’s function and wisdom’s delight. Where does wisdom come from? It comes from God. What is wisdom’s function? To create order. And what does Lady Wisdom delight in? She delights in creation, especially humankind. Let’s begin then with wisdom’s origin. 

Wisdom’s origin:

The movie, Batman Begins, tells the origin story of Batman. As a child, Bruce Wayne witnessed his parents being violently killed and this sowed seeds in shaping his future as a vigilante hero.

Wolverine had a similar origin story. His powers were realised when he witnessed his father being killed.

Spiderman’s ‘origin story’ involved Peter Parker being bitten by a radioactive spider. And the latest Guardians of the Galaxy movie explores the origin story of Rocket. Origin stories are popular in the comic book world.  

In Proverbs 8, Lady Wisdom tells us her origin story, how she came to be. Unlike these comic book heroes, wisdom did not have a traumatic childhood or get her super powers by accident. Wisdom had a wonderful upbringing and she was born with her powers. 

In verse 22 Lady Wisdom says of herself: “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works before his deeds of old;”

This tells us that wisdom comes from God and wisdom comes first, before time began and before the stars and the earth were formed. Because wisdom comes from God and because wisdom comes before creation, wisdom possesses a unique authority. 

Now, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, these verses are not suggesting that wisdom is an actual person. This is poetry and not to be taken literally. Lady Wisdom is a personification of God’s wisdom or God’s way of doing things. Wisdom is an aspect of God’s character or personality if you like.

In Job 38, the Lord God (Yahweh) says to Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand…”

Job could not possibly answer the Lord’s question. Wisdom could answer this question though because wisdom was there with God when the Lord was creating the universe.

Returning to Proverbs 8, the point is, the Lord did not make anything without wisdom. Wisdom is woven into the very fabric of the universe. This means there is design and purpose in the world. Some randomness, yes. Quite a lot of mystery and wonder but also discernable patterns. Everything is connected.

Given that wisdom comes from God, we need to look to God for wisdom. To imagine we could live without God is to turn our back on wisdom. Because God used wisdom in making the universe, it follows that we should use wisdom too. Wisdom is essential to our survival. We cannot live without it.

You might ask, ‘What difference does it make that wisdom comes from God?’

Well, it means that all true wisdom is God’s wisdom. There is no wisdom apart from God.

The Bible is a special book for Christians. It is sacred and carries more weight than other books because we believe the Bible to be inspired by God and therefore full of wisdom. That being said, without the wisdom of good character and competent interpretation, our reading of the Bible can do more harm than good.  

The Bible is not the only source of wisdom available to us though. The physical world in which we live is also a source of wisdom. A few weeks ago we heard how the humble ant teaches us skills for life. We can learn from studying creation because God made the universe with wisdom.

This is where science is helpful. Some people pit faith and science against each other, as if they were enemies. But faith and science are pursuing the same goal; the goal being truth. Of course, just as faith can be misapplied, so too science can be misapplied to harmful effect. Science needs the wisdom of good character and competence.   

Wisdom has the ultimate origin story. Wisdom comes from God and before creation. God made wisdom a priority and so should we.

Wisdom’s function: 

What about wisdom’s function? What purpose does wisdom serve? Put simply, wisdom creates order and order supports life. Said another way, wisdom’s function is to make the world functional and to make our lives functional.

Last Monday was a beautiful day so I mowed the lawns. I love the instant satisfaction you get from a freshly mown lawn. It distracts me from all the weeds in the garden.

Anyway, as I was mowing, the engine cut out for no apparent reason. A half mown lawn is not satisfying at all. I thought about it for a moment and deduced it was either a problem with the fuel supply or the spark plug. Sure enough, the spark plug was too dirty to fire. So I cleaned it and had the mower running again in no time.

My knowledge (or wisdom) about lawnmower engines enabled me to fix the mower and make it functional again. The function (or purpose) of wisdom is to make things work well.

From verse 27 of Proverbs 8, Lady Wisdom says of herself…

27 I was there when he [God] set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

This is a poetic description of God creating the universe. It is not a literal or scientific description of creation. The poetry here is saying that God uses wisdom to bring order to the chaos and make life functional. 

Notice the two basic things wisdom does to create order. Firstly, wisdom sorts things. Wisdom puts the elements in their proper place. The clouds go above; the foundations go below. The sea goes here and the land goes there.

Wisdom sorts things. A bit like when you are doing the washing. You keep the colours separate from the whites.      

Or to return to the anecdote about my lawnmower; the engine stopped functioning because dirt and grease got into the spark plug where it didn’t belong. Once I had removed the dirt and grease from the spark plug, the engine worked fine again.  

The second basic thing wisdom does to create order is to set boundaries.

God marks out the horizon. He gives the sea its boundary so the waters don’t overstep and he marks out the foundations. Sort of like when you are building a house; before you pour the concrete slab you measure out the footings and put in the boxing to hold the cement. Wisdom sets boundaries.

The Law of Moses is God given wisdom designed to create order in society and prevent chaos. The ten commandments set out clear boundaries to enable society to function well. Don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, don’t murder and so on are all necessary boundaries to prevent injustice and harm.

Sometimes this world gets a bit chaotic and we struggle to function well. What’s happening in the Middle East and Eastern Europe at the moment is what you get when boundaries are transgressed. It’s a tangled mess that can only be sorted by the wisdom of God.

We do not have the answers and so we pray, ‘Your kingdom come, Lord, your will be done’, in the hope that God will bring order to a disordered world.

When our personal lives are in chaos, wisdom says, ‘Stop. Think. Sort out in your mind what is in your power to control and what is not. What is your problem to deal with and what is someone else’s problem? Don’t waste time and energy on what you cannot control. Give yourself to that which you can control. Establish some boundaries in your life.’       

How functional is your life at the moment? Wisdom creates order by sorting things and setting boundaries. Are there things in your life which are out of place and need to be sorted? Do you have healthy boundaries? 

Establishing healthy boundaries might mean working less overtime so you have more time and energy for your family. It might mean drinking less so you have more control over your choices. It might mean telling someone, ‘No. Stop it. I don’t like this.’ It might mean being less of a people pleaser and honouring your own values. You will know the boundaries you need.

Wisdom finds its origin in God and before creation. Wisdom’s function (or purpose) is to create order and make life functional. And what does Lady Wisdom delight in? She delights in creation.

Wisdom’s delight:

If you are a baker, you will delight in making a cake that tastes delicious and looks yummy.

If you are a carpenter, you will delight in crafting a perfect dovetail joint or putting up a wall that is straight.

If you are a teacher, you will delight in seeing your students learn to read or do maths or play an instrument or gain understanding.

If you are an accountant, you will delight in reconciling the accounts and saving money.

If you are a parent, you will delight in seeing your children grow up to make good choices.

If you are a lawyer, you will delight in fair processes and seeing justice done. 

If you are a chess player, you will delight in out manoeuvring your opponent. 

If you are a gardener, you will delight is seeing your plants thrive and bear quality fruit.

What is it that you delight in? 

Wisdom delights in God’s creation and especially in humankind, for we are made in God’s image. From verse 30 of Proverbs 8, Lady Wisdom says…

Then I was the craftsmanat his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in humankind.

This is a poetic way of saying, wisdom is a source of joy for joy breaks out whenever and wherever the creator’s wisdom is exercised.

As Christine Yoder puts it: ‘Far from being burdensome or tedious, learning is a joy-filled, love inspiring, playful relationship with knowledge and God.’ [1]

It’s interesting that wisdom describes herself as a ‘craftsman’ by God’s side at creation. Jesus was a craftsman, a carpenter.

The writers of the New Testament make a connection between Jesus and wisdom. In John’s gospel, for example, we read of Jesus that he is the Word of God who was with God in the beginning and through whom all things were made.  

The original Greek noun translated as ‘Word’ is logos. Jesus is the logos of God, as in the logic or reasoning of God. When we look to Jesus we see God’s wisdom, we see how God thinks.

This is not to say that Jesus is exactly the same as Lady Wisdom. Lady Wisdom is a personification whereas Jesus is an actual human person, the Son of God. Nevertheless, Jesus embodies the wisdom of God.   

The apostle Paul picks up on this point in his letter to the Corinthians where he writes: but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Jesus, the master craftsman, the one who embodies God’s wisdom, delights in establishing God’s order, God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus came to restore and redeem creation, to make all things new.

There’s a lovely little moment, in Luke 10, where we see Jesus himself delighting in God’s handiwork. From verse 21 we read…

21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Wisdom comes from God. Wisdom makes life better. Wisdom is a source of joy and delight. Wisdom is embodied in Christ and wisdom is communicated by the Holy Spirit. Get the Spirit of Jesus and you get access to God’s wisdom and joy.

Conclusion:

There will be times in life when we don’t feel particularly wise. Times when things are not going so well and we feel a bit lost. Times when we simply don’t know which way is up or what the best course of action is.

At those times we may feel foolish, like the wisdom we desperately want is out of reach. If we find ourselves in that situation, then hearing a sermon about how we should be wise might make us feel worse. Be gentle with yourself and have some faith in God.   

When I look back over my life so far, I don’t think, “Gee, I’m wise. Man, I’ve made some smart moves”. No. I think to myself, “Gee, I’ve made some dumb decisions and man, I’m slow to learn. But wow, how wise is God to work my choices for good.”   

Wisdom does not consist in having all the answers. Wisdom begins with looking to God, who is the origin of wisdom. And wisdom continues as we trust Jesus to be our wisdom.

Let us pray…

Loving God, we pray for your Spirit of wisdom to shape our character and make us skillful in doing your will. May we delight in you and you in us. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is your origin story? What role has wisdom played in your life? Why do we need wisdom? 
  • What difference does it make that wisdom comes from God? How do you understand the relationship between faith and science? What can we learn from faith? What can we learn from science / creation?
  • What function / purpose does wisdom serve?
  • How functional (or chaotic) is your life at the moment? Wisdom creates order by sorting things and setting boundaries. Are there things in your life which are out of place and need to be sorted? Do you have healthy boundaries?  What needs to change?
  • What do you delight in? Why do you delight in this? How might you make time for delighting in God?  
  • What does it mean to trust Jesus to be our wisdom? How might we do this?

[1] Christine Yoder’s commentary on Proverbs, page 103.

Tawa Baptist

Guard Your Heart

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27 and Mark 7:1-23

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Kdy3Yj1uakc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The heart’s trajectory
  • Guarding your heart
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today we continue our series in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs offers practical wisdom for living. It gives handy life hacks for people starting out in the world. 

Our message today focuses on chapter 4, verses 20-27. As we move through these verses see how many different body parts you recognize. From Proverbs 4, verse 20 we read…

20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 24 Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. 26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Six different body parts are mentioned in these verses: the ear, the heart, the mouth, the lips, the eyes and the feet, plus the body as a whole is mentioned once. Following the path of wisdom is something that involves a person’s whole being.

The heart’s trajectory:

The organ that connects all the body parts is the heart.

For most people today, the heart (in a metaphorical sense) is considered the seat of a person’s feelings or emotions. For us, matters of the heart have to do with one’s affections and romantic love, in contrast to the head which is concerned with logic and reasoning.

People in the ancient world didn’t have the same head / heart dichotomy that we do. They didn’t separate matters of the head and the heart.

In the Old Testament, the heart is a metaphor for a person’s inner life, the core of their being. The heart includes your mind, emotions and will. It is essentially that part of yourself which is concerned with decision making.

The heart, in ancient thought, is sort of like the parliament or the board room of a person’s body and soul. The decisions made in one’s heart set the path for one’s life. The heart is like the rudder of a ship; it determines the course you take.

Airplane pilots are taught the 1 in 60 rule, which states that one-degree error in heading will result in the aircraft being off course by one mile for every 60 miles travelled. Which means that after 120 miles you will be two miles off course and so on.

One degree might not seem like much but it could mean the difference between arriving safely or crashing into a mountain.   

Repeatedly, throughout Proverbs 4, the father pleads for his children to listen and pay attention to his words of wisdom because following the father’s teaching sets the course for the young person’s life. If they are even one-degree off, it could mean the difference between life and death.  

Verse 21 reads: Do not let my words out of your sight, keep them within your heart; This is a poetic way of saying, commit the things I teach you to memory. Do not forget them. Keep my words of wisdom front of mind always.

The world we live in is very different from the ancient world. People in Old Testament times did not have the internet. They couldn’t google something on their phone. They couldn’t watch a Ted Talk or a YouTube clip at will. Books were not readily available either. So they had to remember things.

People learned by listening carefully and committing what they heard to memory. That involved time, concentration and repetition. Gaining and retaining wisdom took some effort but it was worth the effort because it could save your life.

That being said, we should not blindly follow everything we are taught. From time to time we need to check if the wisdom we follow is set to the right course. Because if it’s not, we will find ourselves further and further off track as time passes.

The Pharisees provide a classic example of how a particular tradition of wisdom got off track and led people away from God. In Mark 7, we read how some teachers of the law took issue with the way Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands in the proper way before eating. Jesus answered them…

8 “You put aside God’s command and obey human teachings. 9 You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching. 10 For Moses commanded, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ …11 But you teach that if people have something they could use to help their father or mother, but say, ‘This is Corban’ (which means, it belongs to God), 12 they are excused from helping their father or mother. 13 In this way the teaching you pass on to others cancels out the word of God…”

Somewhere along the way the Pharisees’ tradition of wisdom got off course by one-degree and, over time, it led them away from keeping God’s law. Jesus provided a much needed critique of the Pharisees’ traditions, to get them back on course before they crashed.     

We critique what we are taught by measuring it against the Bible. Indeed, the Bible acts as a ruler and a protractor to inform our heart and help set a good course for our life.

Before we can critique the tradition of wisdom passed on to us, though, we must first take the trouble to understand it properly. Don’t be that person who discards everything just because one thing isn’t quite right. The traditions we inherit usually contain a valuable kernel of truth. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.     

Guard your heart:

Returning to Proverbs 4. The emphasis on retaining wisdom is reinforced again in verse 23 which reads: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.                                                                          
When I first read this verse I thought, okay if the heart basically equates to the mind, in the world of Proverbs, then guarding my heart (or my mind) means being really careful about what I let into my thought life.

See no evil, hear no evil. Don’t watch too much rubbish on TV. Avoid conspiracy theories and dodgey websites. Read wholesome Christian books and listen to plenty of worship music. Keep bad stuff out. Put good stuff in.

Like the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Philippians: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praise worthy, think about such things.  

While it is generally a good idea to be careful what we feed our mind on, that is not exactly what Proverbs 4 is saying. A wellspring flows outwards. If your heart and mind are a wellspring, then verse 23 is saying be careful about what you let out of your heart and mind.

As one commentator puts it: To guard the heart is to be prudent about the heart’s outgoings, to tend with diligence and discretion to how one expresses one’s thoughts and feelings.[1] In other words, develop a good filter.

You may have heard on the news this past week that about 40% of Wellington’s water supply is seeping away in leaks because the pipe infrastructure is old and deteriorating faster than we can fix it.

This means we are likely to face water restrictions over the next few months, especially if it is a long dry summer as expected.

In this situation, guarding the water supply is more about keeping the water in than anything else. Likewise, guarding the wellspring of your heart has more to do with preventing leaks than it does keeping bad things out. 

To use another metaphor. The risk with nuclear power plants is not what might get in but rather what might leak out. You want clean energy out of the nuclear power plant. You don’t want radioactive material to escape.

Jesus understood there is good and bad in the human heart and that guarding the heart means not letting the bad stuff out. In Mark 7, Jesus says…

20 “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Verses 24-27 of Proverbs 4 spell out what ‘guarding the heart’ looks like.

Firstly, guarding your heart means being careful about how you talk. There is a direct line between your mind and your mouth. Verse 24 reads: Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Before you say what’s on your mind, stop and T.H.I.N.K. Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Grace and truth is what we are aiming for with our talk.

We don’t always understand the power of our words. When we say something out loud it carries more weight than a mere thought. We have a tendency to start believing the things we say, even when those things are not quite true.

Your mouth is like a scalpel. It needs to be handled with surgical precision for it has potential to do good or harm. You don’t need to say everything that is in your heart and mind. Some things are better left unsaid.

Now this advice to measure and restrain your words seems to fly in the face of contemporary wisdom. The thinking in our society today is more attuned to the philosophy of ‘better out than in’. Unrestrained talk is considered to be therapy or catharsis. 

Proverbs 4 challenges this notion. It helps us to find the middle way between stiff upper lip stoicism and verbal diarrhea. Proverbs 4 is saying, guard your heart by being careful about what you say and who you say it to. When you need to share something personal, find a trustworthy listener.

Verse 25 offers another way to guard your heart: Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

Avoid temptation in other words. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by evil. Do not covet. Do not look over the fence at what your neighbour has.

This idea of ‘fixing your gaze directly before you’, implies you have a goal or a vision for your life, something good you are aiming for. The goal for Christians is to follow Jesus. To love God, love your neighbour and love yourself. Or, as the prophet Micah puts it, to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.

This being said, you need to allow some distraction in your life. It doesn’t work to be super focused all the time. If you are too intense you’ll end up blowing a gasket or turning into a Pharisee.

It’s okay to stop and smell the roses every now and then. It’s okay to have time off when you need a rest. It’s okay to watch the rugby or to have a hobby. The point is, avoid temptation to evil. Don’t torture yourself by looking at what you cannot have. Remember what you are aiming for and stick with it.   

When you are driving a car, it’s important to keep your eyes on the road. Otherwise you might end up in a ditch or over a bank. Same thing in life generally. Where your eyes wander, your feet follow.

As we read in verse 26…

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.   

This verse is talking about the regular rhythms and routines we keep in our lives. Part of guarding your heart involves maintaining healthy patterns of work and rest, eating and sleeping, giving and receiving, worship and play, socialising and solitude.

So, for example, if you have had a very busy week, then giving careful thought to your path might mean planning a quiet weekend, especially if you are an introvert. Give yourself a chance to recover and regroup.

Or, if you know you have some away trips planned with work, then giving careful thought to your path might involve prioritising time to spend with your family before you go away and after you get back, in order to keep your relationships solid.     

Part of guarding your heart involves thinking about the path you are on and where this will lead you.

Verse 27 reads: Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

The assumption of verse 27 is that the young person, who is receiving instruction here, is already on the right path. They don’t need to repent or change their ways. They simply need to stay on track and not pursue evil.

Not turning to the right or the left means having the strength to say ‘no’. Not being easily swayed by those around you.

We live in a relatively permissive society, where almost anything goes. Personal freedom is one of the idols of our time. Many people think they have a right to do whatever they want. Some might call it a spirit of entitlement. The discipline of saying ‘no’ to ourselves does not come naturally to us.

The strength to say ‘no’ comes from having a clear sense of your own identity. Knowing who you are and whose you are. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus was able to say ‘no’ because he knew who he was. Jesus was deeply aware that he was God’s son and he knew the Father loved him.

Conclusion:

Among other things, Proverbs 4 reminds us to guard our heart for it steers the course of our life.

Guarding your heart isn’t just about what you let into your heart, it actually has more to do with what you let out of your heart.

We guard our heart by being careful with the words we speak, careful with what we set our sights on, careful with the path we walk day by day and careful to say ‘no’ when we need to.  

Where is your heart leading you?

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What does the Old Testament mean by the term ‘heart’? How is this different from our contemporary understanding?
  • How might we check if the wisdom / tradition we have received is right?
  • In the context of Proverbs 4, what does it mean to ‘guard your heart’? Why is it important to guard your heart?
  • What practical things can we do to guard our heart?
  • Where are your sights set? What are you aiming for? What is your vision / goal in life? Is anything unhelpful distracting you from this?
  • Think about the regular rhythms and routines of your day and week. Where are these leading you? Does anything need to change?

[1] Christine Yoder

Tawa Baptist

Principles

Scripture: Proverbs 3:1-12

Video Link: https://youtu.be/3zN8xHVvEg0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Verses 1-4
  • Verses 5-8
  • Verses 9-12
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

I grew up in the city of Hamilton. The main feature of Hamilton is the Waikato river, New Zealand’s longest river. As a general principle, river water travels downstream and consequently you can expect anything floating on the water to travel downstream too.

Having said that, there are times when the water travels upstream, against the main flow. This usually happens near the bank of the river. Sometimes floating objects get caught in an eddy and are prevented from moving downstream. But eventually they come unstuck and carry on their journey to the sea. 

Today we continue our series in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs offers practical wisdom for living well in this world.

The book of Proverbs is like a river. It describes the main flow of wisdom and the outcomes one can expect from certain choices. It doesn’t explore the eddy lines and back flows all that much. Proverbs is more concerned with the main principles of wisdom rather than the exceptions to the rule.  

Our message this week focuses on chapter 3, verses 1-12, which read…

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. 3 Let loyal love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Verses 1-4:

The book of Proverbs contains principles. A principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs. Principles guide our reasoning and behaviour.

For example, one of your principles for living might be ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. This principle then informs your chain of reasoning and behaviour: I want people to be honest and kind with me, therefore I will be honest and kind with others.

Of course, living by this principle does not guarantee people will always be honest and kind with you, but it does increase the likelihood of positive treatment. In any case, your kindness and honesty is not dependent on others. You aim to be kind and honest on principle, irrespective of how others may behave. 

Proverbs gives us principles to live by but we should not confuse these principles with promises.

The principle in verses 1-2 of Proverbs 3 is that the son remembers the commands (or instructions) his parents have given him, for they will prolong your life and bring you peace and prosperity. This is not a promise. There is no guarantee that following the parents’ wise advice will always bring prosperity.

Following the path of wisdom is not a get rich quick scheme. We don’t learn wisdom in order to accumulate lots of money. We learn wisdom on principle, because that is who we are and what we want to build our life on. 

There will be times when the vicissitudes of life create an exception to the rule. The story of Job is a case in point. Not all suffering is the result of folly. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and we don’t know why. We don’t always get what we deserve. But, as a general principle, following the path of wisdom leads to peace in the end. Ultimately, God restored Job.

The phrase translated as peace and prosperity is actually one word, shalom, in the original Hebrew. Shalom is wellbeing or abundant life. The prosperity of shalom has less to do with money or possessions and more to do with the richness of right relationships in community with others.  

The principle then is that remembering the parents’ wisdom is good for wellbeing, not just your own personal wellbeing but also the wellbeing of the whole community.

Verses 3-4 provide another principle to live by, the principle of loyal love and faithfulness. The term loyal love is actually hesed in the Hebrew. I’ve talked about hesed before. Ruth did hesed for her mother-in-law Naomi. Jesus does hesed for us on the cross.

Loyal love and faithfulness is about commitment and taking care of your relationships. Being a trust worthy person, maintaining your friendship and support through good times and bad.

To bind something around your neck is to have it with you all the time, wherever you go. To wear it so people can see. A wedding ring on your finger is a symbol of loyal love and faithfulness to your partner in marriage. It shows your commitment to your spouse.

Likewise, for some people, wearing a cross around their neck is a sign of their commitment to Christ. For others a cross necklace is just decoration. Wisdom says it is important that the symbols we wear on the outside of our bodies reflect the deeper principles and commitments we hold in our hearts. 

The heart, in this context, represents a person’s inner life. It includes your mind, emotions and will. To write loyalty and faithfulness on your heart is to be the same on the inside as you are on the outside. Don’t just pretend to be loyal and faithful, mean it genuinely, from the inside out.

As a general principle, being loyal and faithful will result in a good reputation. Over time, people will learn they can trust you. That being said, you don’t practice loyalty and faithfulness in order to make yourself look good. You are loyal and faithful and practice hesed on principle, because that is who you are; that is the foundation on which you want to build your life.

While a good reputation is not guaranteed or promised, it is the normal by-product of a life lived with loyalty and faithfulness.

There’s an interesting wee connection between Proverbs 3 and Luke 2. After the boy Jesus was left behind in the temple and his parents found him, we read   

51 Then Jesus went down to Nazareth with his parents and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. 

We don’t always follow the wisdom of our parents but Jesus did. We are not always loyal and faithful but Jesus was. Jesus fulfils the principles of wisdom we read about in Proverbs. Jesus does for us what we are not able to do for ourselves.

Verses 5-8:

Verses 5-12 of Proverbs 3, spell out some of wisdom’s principles as they operate in our relationship with God. Verses 5-6 are well known…

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  

The main principle here is to rely on God; don’t be sucked in by the illusion of self-reliance. 

We tend lean on this verse at isolated times when we are facing a significant life decision, like who to marry, whether to change careers, how to handle a tricky issue and so on. But really, these verses are for all of life, not just the crisis points and crossroads.

Trusting the Lord needs to be a constant principle we live by 24-7. We are to trust with all our heart, completely, totally. Trust is the antidote to worry and anxiety. Trust sets us free to think more clearly so we make better decisions. Trust enables us to wait patiently and to rest so our strength is renewed.

Trust is like a bridge over a gorge; it provides a way to safer ground.

Trust is like a torch light when you are walking at night in the bush; it doesn’t show the whole journey, but it does reveal enough to take the next step.

Trust is a promise kept; it gives you confidence to move forward.

Trust is like a warm meal; it fills you with comfort and strength.

There is a lot in this world that we don’t know and cannot control. If we think about that stuff too much we soon become overwhelmed with fear. Trusting God means leaving the stuff we don’t understand and cannot control with God. Not worrying about it but instead focusing on the things we can control.

God is the source of wisdom.  God alone sees the whole picture. We only see a small piece of the puzzle and not always that clearly. If we make decisions based on the little we know, without reference to God, then there is a good chance we will get it wrong.

This does not mean we have nothing to offer. Rather, trusting God with all our heart means we put God at the centre of our decision making.

The temptation is to rely on ourselves. That is what Adam and Eve did when they ate the forbidden fruit. Their sin (and ours) was to stop trusting God and rely on their own understanding.

Verse 6 talks about acknowledging God. In one sense that means praying to God; asking him to guide us and show us the way. But asking God for guidance is the easy part. The harder part is listening for God’s response; discerning what he is saying.

In order to do that we must know God. So the bigger part of acknowledging God is knowing him. We come to know God in the experiences we have along life’s pathway and as we trust him.

For example, my knowledge of God as Father did not come solely from a book. It came mostly from being a son and becoming a father myself. Likewise, my knowledge of Jesus (his goodness and suffering) came in part from reading the gospels but more deeply through serving in the church.

My knowledge of God’s forgiveness comes from realising when I have messed up, being honest about that and receiving forgiveness. It also comes when other people do wrong and I have to look to God for the grace to forgive them and let it go. 

The principles of loyal love and faithfulness in verse 3 are divine qualities. As we practice loyalty and faithfulness we grow in our knowledge of God. 

Do you understand the principle here? Acknowledging God isn’t just something we do in our head. It is the knowledge that comes from experience; from walking in relationship with God. And that happens all through life’s journey.

Verses 7-8 are saying almost the same thing as verses 5-6, just in a slightly different way. Not being wise in your own eyes is another way of saying, do not lean on your own understanding.

Fearing the Lord, goes hand in hand with trusting the Lord. To fear the Lord, in this context, means to respect the Lord, to recognise him as the source of wisdom and to be in touch with your need for his help. Those who fear the Lord do not want to do anything to damage their trust with God and so they shun evil.

The wisdom of these verses could be paraphrased as, walk humbly with God. The natural consequence of walking humbly with God is enjoying good health in your physical body.

This does not mean that everyone who is sick is wise in their own eyes. People can become sick for any number of reasons. Sickness is not proof of sin. Correlation does not prove causation. The principle here is that there is a connection between body and spirit.  

Jesus understood the body / spirit connection well. The Lord said, human beings cannot live on bread alone but need every word that God speaks. The person who fears and trusts the Lord, listens to God’s word and obeys it. The wisdom that comes from God is as necessary for life and health as food.  

Verses 9-12:

Part of acknowledging God involves honouring the Lord with your wealth. People in the Old Testament did this by offering the first fruits of their crops to God at the temple. The first fruits were then shared with the poor and the priests.

Giving a portion of our income (according to our means), rather than hoarding it up for ourselves, is an act of trust in God. It’s a practical way of saying, ‘God gave me this and God will continue to provide’.

Verse 10 says that when you return the first and best to the Lord, your barns will be filled to overflowing. You’ll have more than you need in other words.

Again, giving to the Lord is not a get rich quick scheme. We give to the Lord as a matter of principle, because offering the first and the best to God is an acknowledgement that all we have comes from God. It is God who provides us with a job and an income and the wherewithal to do the work.

Jesus talks about the wisdom of generosity in Luke 6, where he says…

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Our earthly economy is driven by the assumption of scarcity. The underlying belief of our society is that there is not enough to go around and so when something is in short supply, the price goes up. The economy of God’s kingdom is different from that. The underlying principle of God’s kingdom is abundance. With God, there is more than enough to go around.

We still have to do the mahi though. We still have to be good stewards of what we have. But the principle of reaping what you sow holds. If you sow generously, you will (more often than not) reap a greater harvest. And if you forgive others, God will forgive you.

Verses 11-12 of Proverbs 3 show us that God’s love is expressed as much by the Lord’s disciplineas by the abundance he provides…

…do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.   

When we hear the word ‘discipline’ we may think of punishment. But discipline is a word that really means teaching. Disciplining or teaching someone will usually mean correcting them when they are wrong, so they don’t keep repeating their mistake. But that correction need not involve punishment. More likely it will involve further practice until you get it right.

Verse 11 says we are not to resent God when he rebukes (or corrects) us. Resentment is a form of anger. Anger is the natural response to injustice. We get angry when we think we are being treated unfairly. If God corrects you, because you are doing something wrong, that is not unfair, that is kindness.

But what if we suffer when we haven’t done anything wrong? Could God be teaching us something in that experience? In his book, The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis says this…  

“I suggest to you that it is because God loves us that he gives us the gift of suffering. Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world. You see, we are like blocks of stone out of which the Sculptor carves the forms of men. The blows of his chisel, which hurt us so much are what make us perfect.”

C.S. Lewis was far wiser than me, but I’m not sure I agree with him entirely on this point. From a human perspective pain does not translate as love. Megaphones don’t work on the deaf but sign language does.

What’s more, human beings are not like blocks of stone. Stone is unfeeling, unyielding, unforgiving. Human life is fragile, sensitive to suffering, vulnerable.

Yes, God is a sculptor, but we are more like clay; soft, malleable, easily bent out of shape. In my experience, God’s correction of us is like that of a potter, who adds water and shapes our character with a gentle touch. Yes, the clay vessel goes into the furnace of suffering to set, but no longer than is necessary.

God’s discipline may, at times, involve suffering but not always. There is a patience and a grace to God’s discipline that is truly humbling.

If you know someone who is going through a difficult time at the moment, then please don’t make their ordeal any more difficult by suggesting God is teaching them something. Better to ask yourself, what is God teaching me.

God has a way of glorifying himself through suffering. I have learned a lot over the years by observing the way other people have handled themselves with courage and faith as they have journeyed through loss and grief.

Conclusion:

There are many principles of wisdom in the book of Proverbs but the most important principle is that God is love and everything he does is an expression of his love. The more we know that, the better we are able to trust him and rely not on our own understanding.

May the Lord bless you with a deeper experience of himself. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is a principle? How is a principle different from a promise? Describe one principle that guides your reasoning and behaviour?
  • Why do we practice loyal love (hesed) and faithfulness?
  • What connections do you see between Proverbs 3:1-12 and Jesus (in the gospels)?
  • What does it mean to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding?  How might we do this?
  • Discuss / reflect on the various ways you (personally) have come to know God.
  • Why do we give the first and best to God?
  • In what ways has God disciplined / taught / corrected you?