ΠThe Way
Proverbs
4
page
635 in the Church Bibles
I
am starting, in good teaching style by
reminding you of last weeks introduction to Proverbs.
The key verse of the Book
of Proverbs is 1:7
everything
in this book works out from there. Without God, wisdom is fatally flawed. So
last week we looked at the words
Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, In
all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.
Real,
life begins when we begin to let the revelation of God open our eyes to the
real issues of our relationship with him. Get that right, which means putting
your faith and trust in Jesus, and then life may not be easier but it has
purpose and future and joy.
But
we move on. Before we do, a reminder of the structure of Proverbs.
Ž A reminder that there are
two main style in proverbs. Discourses as we are reading today and two liner
sayings . These are found in the sections listed in blue. Have you started
reading them, one a day? If you missed last week I recommended that , as they
are distinct and not connected with others, you best read proverbs by reading
one a day.
Here
are a few to wet you appetite:
First two on vinegar I have
put brackets round so is as they are not in the text and are added to make the
English flow.
This one is a warning about
cheering one another up. Sometimes being cheerful is quite irritating. However,
I think being cheerful is safer than being a right misery. This is a call for
sensitivity rather than an excuse for being a misery guts.
‘ A recurring theme in Gods
economy. Giving is good for you. We may not take a collection but we expect
church members to give, not only to support the church but also to respond to
the perceived needs whether it is in Pakistan, Africa, or South Ruislip. God
love the cheerful giver.
’ A sober reminder than all is
not well in the world. You dont have to travel far to know that this is true.
Even where crops grow, people starve because rich people and rich nations
demand repayments of debts. Much is the misery in the world is caused by
injustice. We believe we could make poverty history if there was a will and a
determination to act rather than make speeches.
“ Well, Proverbs talks of the
world issues and the family issues.
” Finally an example of a
numerical proverb. It reflects some of Deuteronomy , is echoed in the Lords
Prayer and notes that the poor are more prone to sin out of economic necessity.
Probably the first petition is more testing than we think. Our middle class
virtue of not upsetting anybody, often leads us to tone down the truth, and
our gospel in particular. Speaking the truth in love is a prayer for all of us.
• Last week we saw that the
introduction was a series of discourses and poems. • Our passage today follows
on with three distinct parts.
So
lets read it
We begin with an unpopular
concept - That there is a body of wisdom that is passed on from generation to
generation. That partly comes from an earlier generation largely rejecting the
wisdom of the past and with the God of their forefathers.
We live in the here and now
so much that we do not expect pass on anything to a future generation of value.
Adverts tell us to sell off our homes and enjoy ourselves, leaving nothing.
Mind you there is also a move that says the state should provide all our care
in old age so the family can inherit. Where money is concerned, greed always
rears its ugly head.
But it is not money or things
that we should be leaving for a future generation. What is much more important
is the ethical, moral and spiritual example. That is accumulated and passed on
as we live such lives before our families that they see the glory of the gospel
and accept his salvation for themselves. What is vital to understand here is
that our example is important but we should never measure our example by the
response of our children. We live to God not to our children. If our children
accept Gods way, we praise him. If they reject Gods glorious salvation, we
should not blame ourselves. Even more we should not judge our spiritual
brothers and sisters by whether their children come to faith. Powerhouse and
Housegroup will teach you the pain that those people bring to the mercy seat
again and again, as they wait for God to bless their children with the joy of
salvation.
Solomon underlines that what
we have received by revelation of Jesus Christ is worth listening to. Perhaps
us older ones need to spend less on what we have done and more on what God has
done in our reminiscences.
v.10 19 are about the way
of wisdom. This passage resonates with a number of other Bible passages.
Psalm 1 for example
John 14:6
ŒŒ v. 18-19 are a summary. The question is do you
believe it? Or more to the point do you believe it enough to take steps to
follow? I know, its not that simple. Or is it? In our complex lives, we are
faced with many either/ or choices. Knowing the right one comes from first
knowing the Saviour and his word. Secondly it comes from committing our way to
him. So when our conscience and his word is clear, we are to obey and when
either choice could be righteous, then we should follow the inner promptings of
the Holy Spirit and sometimes that is simply what we think we would like to do.
The spiritually wise desires what is right. Our conflict comes from our unrepentant
hearts that still desire sins and hankers for its short term satisfaction.
Whether it is adultery, greed, vengeance or any other of those temptations we
find hard to be released from, is of little significance. Proverbs points out
that the path of light is the only way. Jesus is the Way. There is no other
joy, there is no other peace, no other hope, no better life, Jesus is not only the gate to heaven, he is
the path here on earth. That is why we should start the day with God in prayer
and bible reading and end it with him. We are not committed to praying 5 times
a day, like a Muslim. No we are called to pray without ceasing. We could
interpret Jesus saying in Matthew 5:20 as
Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Muslims, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven
Œa v. 20-27 continue the thoughts of the preceding
verses by considering how the parts of our body should respond to walking the
way of wisdom in Jesus.
Spot the eyes, whole body,
heart, mouth, lips, feet.
Lets start with the heart. v
23 The strength of this is lost in a damp maritime climate but in a dry arid
land, springs are highly valued. If your land has a spring it can be alive.
Without springs the land is dead. Without Christ your life is a barren desert,
devoid of life and hope. Jesus is the wellspring of life. ŒbAnd out of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Matthew
15:18)
So we can measure our heart
health by what our mouth says! Now theres a challenge and a call to
repentance. Our mouth speaks from our hearts and when we put our foot in it
it is our heart that needs spiritual surgery. From a heart and mind set on God,
our eyes will look forward. This sounds frighteningly like tunnel vision but
Solomon is speaking about the distractions, the sideshows of life. And for most
of us they are directly in front of us on the TV 24 hours a day. Œc Or in the shops in Eastcote I notice that you can
buy tarot cards and all sorts of other new age items in shops this
Christmas. Finally our feet. We all know how easily uneven ground, an
unexpected step dog dirt on the pavement and the proverbial banana skin can end
us in a heap, sore, bruised or worse seriously injured. So it is in our
spiritual lives. Œd The Bible says If
you think you are standing firm, be careful that you dont fall! (1Corinthians
10:12)
Solomon does not so much
offer you a choice of two ways, he simply declares that Gods way is the only
way.
Jesus was as simple and
straight forward. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad
is the raod that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is
the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14