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| Order Of Worship (Liturgy) |
PROVERBS 22:17-21
(Readings: Proverbs 1:1-7)
Wise Up!
Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ…
When we think about the book of Proverbs, we almost immediately think in the same thought of Solomon.
I mean, didn’t we read in Proverbs 1:1 that these are his proverbs?
It’s a bit like the book of Psalms.
They are universally known as the ‘Psalms of David’.
Spurgeon titled his five volume tome on the psalms as, ‘The Treasury of David’.
But, at the same time, we know that Solomon and David didn’t completely compile these books.
Sure, there is a lot of their material in them – they were especially gifted in the areas of wisdom and song writing – but there are other men included.
Several of those men wrote some time after Solomon and David.
As you read through Proverbs this is clear.
And what is also clear is that the proverbs aren’t just those pithy, short passages of one or two verses that we generally think of.
Rather, this book is made up of some eight different sections, with each showing a distinct and separate style from the others.
Whether it is a father’s series of talks to his son in chapter 1 till 9, the words of Agur and King Lemuel in chapters 30 and 31, or the alphabet of wifely excellence taking up most of chapter 31, each part is unique.
And so we also see in this new section our text begins, entitled ‘Words of the Wise’.
But our text does have a connection with what is written elsewhere in Proverbs.
It is a connection with the very first seven words which we have read.
And so it is an appeal for you to be completely subsumed with the things of God – body, mind, and heart!
So these words too are preparing us for what follows this.
And thus let’s dig deep into ourselves to love the Lord through his Word.
In the first aspect, verse 17, we are directed as to … WHO THE WISE HERE ARE.
You see, here we are called to incline our ears and so hear the words of the wise.
But who are the ‘wise’?
When we think of wise men we often think of ‘The Three Wise Men’, or the Magi in Matthew 2.
These wise men probably came from Persia or Babylon.
They were skilled in astrology and other areas of knowledge.
They were the stewards of the wisdom of the ages.
Their roots actually go back to the wise men of the Old Testament age.
We can also think here of the wise men mentioned in the time of the Old Testament.
These men could interpret dreams and vision.
They sometimes acted as prophets in their countries.
They were respected in their communities as the tribal advisors.
Because of their age, experience, and ability, they were viewed as ‘wise.
They possessed knowledge of the affairs of life.
The very best amongst them received teaching positions.
Others were counsellors to kings or held ruling office.
Daniel was a prime example of one of these.
So, to understand our text we must imagine settings in which traditional wisdom is communicated to the coming generation.
The settings of the Old Testament would have been the small classroom attached to the royal court, the gathering of elders at the gate of the city, or the males of the family gathered in the evening around the fire telling stories and riddles.
It was often an informal setting where the older shared his experiences with the younger.
They are those who are ‘wise’.
And so we see a new category of Israelite leadership.
In addition to prophets, priests, and kings, wise men were also leaders in Israel.
Just think of those wise men advising Solomon whom Rehoboam rashly ignored the advice of!
It’s from this group of men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we receive the book of Proverbs.
Now, notice what they tell us in verse 17.
We have to apply our hearts to their knowledge, which is to involve all our senses and all our motivation in following the Lord.
Since this is the crux of life there is no choice about it!
Congregation, this is verse 7 of chapter 1 being renewed.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,” exactly because your heart is in it.
You have the most reverent respect for the Lord God.
He is sovereign over all – he knows it all – and you’re silent before him.
You know you can only come to listen.
And whether that is listening to the word of God itself in scripture, or the words that come to us by wise believers, you take it to heart.
Does this mean we cannot ask questions, or raise concerns?
Not at all!
In fact, to have these responses show you are applying your hearts to true knowledge.
It is when we know WHO THE WISE HERE ARE we may move on to verse 18.
There we see our second aspect.
Here we note … WHERE YOU SHOW YOU’RE WISE.
Now this wisdom comes home to us.
You see, it is what is in us because we keep them within us.
And it is what goes out from us, because they are ready on our lips.
So, what is it that this wisdom is “pleasant” for us?
Well, it is certainly something that is good for us.
Psalm 135:3 sings out, “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!”
And Psalm 147 begins, “Praise the LORD!
“For it is good to sing praises to our good; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.”
The word “pleasant” has in it what is pleasing.
It gives us a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment.
We may say of a night out that it was a very pleasant evening.
But why was it pleasant?
Wasn’t it because of what you did at that time?
And, so, what could be more enjoyable than to join with the psalmist in praising the Lord?
When we humble ourselves truly before the Lord aren’t we then the most blessed?
While the psalmist connects pleasant with the act of public worship, the teacher here joins it with having the words of wisdom in our hearts.
Keeping God’s word constantly in us gives us true joy.
This is one of the great comforts senior saints have in their years of frailty and decline.
Though their eyes dim and their hearing diminishes what strengthens them is what is stored up inside them.
The scripture they have known and learned so well over the years of their lives keeps giving them joy.
This is why memorising God’s word when young is so important.
If you have followed the words of very 17, and so listened to God’s word and focused on applying it, then it is what stays in you.
And it is also what goes out of you.
By ending verse 18 saying it is “ready on your lips” we look to passing this wisdom on.
Naturally we think of this in our witnessing.
1st Peter 3:15 says, “in your hearts honour the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you...”
So when the Lord told his disciples that the Spirit would give them words to witness to him to this world they are able to do that because of what has been stored up in them by the Spirit in the first place.
But these words also tell us of what we speak to each other as Christians.
In Romans 15:14 the apostle states that we are competent to counsel each other.
And that’s exactly because we “are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.”
In this sense we are all wise men.
With God’s Spirit upon the hearts of all his own after Pentecost we are able to teach each other.
We know God’s word also because we live by it.
We can say that in this way God trusts his word to us.
Each one of us is his spokesman to this world.
As someone once vividly portrayed it: “Just think!
“God did not send angels out into this world to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“He sent you and I to be his ambassadors to every man and women on this planet.”
And this brings us to verse 19.
It is there we see, thirdly … HOW YOU GET TO BE WISE.
In a way we have already touched upon this.
We have heard about the Spirit bringing God’s Word to bear upon us and in us.
But here it becomes very personal.
“That your trust may be in the LORD…” this verse begins.
There is a distinctly spiritual connection here.
Note the name of the Lord is in capital letters.
That is translating the Hebrew word Yahweh which refers to the covenant God.
This highlights the bond God has with a certain people.
This makes these words those meant for the people who truly believe in who this God is and what he has done and is doing for them.
Allow me to bring this out more.
There is ancient literature that is similar to the words found in Proverbs.
There are parallels between biblical texts, and even whole books (e.g. Job), and other literature of the Ancient Near East.
But the closes connection is between Proverbs 22:17 till 23:12 and an Egyptian text, dating from about 800 B.C.
That Egyptian text is called ‘The Teaching of Amen em-ope’.
With about three or four exceptions, each verse in the Hebrew can be paralleled in the Egyptian.
There is a difference in the Egyptian variant being longer by being interspersed with verses which have no parallel in Proverbs.
From what we know it appears the Egyptian author borrowed from a Hebrew original, which proves how old Proverbs is.
There is yet still a much more distinct difference.
Because theologically there is all the difference in the world!
You see, the Hebrew sage wrote for a people who trusted in Yahweh – the God of the covenant.
He believed that if his readers observed the wise sayings he had chosen, then their faith in God would be strengthened.
His purpose was a specifically religious one – not just for the imparting of some general common sense knowledge.
This is what he says at the end of this section, in verses 17 and 18 of chapter 23.
There he declares, “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
“Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”
The wise man knew that, like the psalmist in Psalm 73, the godly are often tempted to ask ‘What’s the use of it all?’
So he sets the future against the apparent inequality of the present.
He shows how the future, in God’s hands, will bring the vindication of the righteous.
It’s these wise words from the Lord he is making known to them in their day.
And it is especially to them – those who are the Lords!
It’s in that join of faith that you understand HOW YOU GET TO BE WISE.
This opening passage of this section still has two more verses, though.
And so it is we note from the verses 20 and 21 a fourth aspect … WHAT IT IS THE WISE TELL.
Here the writer throws it out to us.
“Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge?”
And he has.
You can add them up.
This section can be divided up into this round number of paragraphs.
And as you go through those thirty sub-sections you will find how true verse 21 is.
Because they tell you what is right and true.
If you want to know where anyone stands with God – whether he is a believer or unbeliever – see how he regards these sayings.
Does he live by them – even if it means economic disadvantage or religious persecution because of it?
But what counts most of all – what makes him truly wise – is who he sees behind this.
Are they God’s words to him?
Because you can get someone who doesn’t believe doing the right thing.
Sometimes he can be better at keeping to the rules than many Christians.
But it is his connection to the One behind these words that truly matters.
Are these words for him what helps us to gel together as a human community?
Or are they the words that join us to the heavenly kingdom, and so show the divine guidance those loving Jesus alone can show?
Some years ago there were many Christians who took to wearing certain bracelets.
Those bracelets had the acronym printed on them – W.W.J.D.
This stood for ‘What Would Jesus Do?’
Someone objected, though.
He said this implied too much of an emotional response.
Christians were tempted by what they thought Jesus would do.
And those responses weren’t always the right ones.
He said what should be printed on bracelets is this: W.D.J.S.
This stands for ‘What Did Jesus Say?’
And doesn’t that put us in the place we should really be?
Then we would be truly wise.
By going to God’s Word we won’t get it wrong.
When you have the Holy Spirit in you, you know what is right and true.
And then you can give the true answer.
Because what else can you do?
In the verses 20 and 21 the author opens us up to what follows.
There is teaching coming.
And notice that this teaching digs deeper.
Like the chapters 1 till 9, it becomes more than the short sharp proverbs that characterised the last thirteen chapters.
Not that that makes these verses better.
We know the book of Proverbs uses a variety of styles to get the Lord’s point across.
They all keep us looking to the Lord.
And when God’s people are looking to him they show a lot about him.
In fact, then you can help but see how much we are in Christ Jesus.
Not only is he the wisest of all men, but, in the words of 1st Corinthians 1:30, he is the very source of all wisdom, righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.
He is the only Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
PRAYER:
Let’s pray…
Lord, thank you for your word.
Thank you that may be guided in your way by the very words you say.
And may we have been blessed in this way now.
Help us by your Spirit to truly wise up and so show our trust in you alone.
And may the witness your people demonstrate challenge those around us.
And may your Word also be a comfort and strength to us altogether.
For this we pray in the name of the Living Word, Jesus Christ, Amen.
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Sjirk Bajema, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright, Rev. Sjirk Bajema
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