Cultural history and folklore celebrate the tenacity and resilience of their heroes. These legacies are celebrated for their faithfulness. The critical analysis Solomon endorses in the book of Proverbs would ask: “faithfulness to what?”. No so-called ‘hero’ will pass the true test of greatness if his efforts were dedicated in service of idols. Family, honor, patriotism, philanthropy, public service, courage, scientific genius, etc. are not virtues ends unto themselves but are sanctified only in the service of righteousness & the glory of God. Those who dedicate their lives in sacrificial faithfulness to anything less than this are not heroes in truth. Don’t be deceived Solomon adjures the student of wisdom —the object of our devotion separates the wise from the fool, the righteous from the wicked, the good man from the sinner.
Note the list of metaphors Solomon weaves into his instruction in this section…each one a telling picture: Light/Lamp (9), Tree (12), & Fountain (14). Each is a picture of source and effect. A lamp filled with oil provides light by which the blindness of the dark is cured. A tree firmly rooted in fertile and irrigated soil produces life sustaining fruit. (The olive tree was the classic example in ancient times highly valued for its multi-functional and nutritious fruit). Thirdly, a fountain fed by springs provides an ever-new supply of water to quench the thirst of land and creatures who rely on this basic natural resource. For Solomon, this relationship between source and effect is mirrored in the spiritual realm of life as well. According to Proverbs, the sovereignly revealed wisdom of God is the vital source of human flourishing for the soul. The Word of God is the lamp, the tree, and the fountain for the wise.
The concept of a ‘new song’ in the scriptures is usually with reference to extraordinary occasions worthy of thankful praise include celebration and commemoration of the grace & glory of God upon securing victory for His people despite existential threats and peril. Think of the songs on the lips of those who were the first to receive immanent news of the incarnation… Many, Zechariah, Simeon wrote the first Christmas Carols as ‘new songs’ praising God & welcoming their messiah. Today’s psalm is not one of these precisely, rather it contains a vow to write such a song upon answers to David’s plea for the salvation of himself and his people. Languishing under the threat of his enemies David longs for the day his deliverance will occasion further music. In the meantime therefore, Psalm 144 is a new song song written in supplication for such a time.
Toward the aim of increasing reverence for the Lord’s table and all that it entails, Paul emphasizes the necessity of discerning the body. In I Corinthians 11:17-34, we see this applies in three senses. We must have a devotional understanding of the church, of the ordinance of communion, and of ourselves. Having considered already the necessity of discerning the church body and the symbolic body, we now turn to Paul’s instructions to examine ourselves (27-34). Today’s sermon is an expanded analysis of the third application of Paul’s instruction regarding the supper, taking the occasion of communion as opportunity to examine our personal relationship with the Lord. As it relates to our souls, may a proper understanding of what the Lord’s table commemorates and proclaims yield the fruit of conviction, reverence, humility, and obedience.
Much is made of generational characteristics these days. We have identified and categorized ourselves by causes and effects of history that shape the identity of Americans born in different eras. World War II defined the coming of age for those of my grandparent’s generation for instance. Rising to the occasion of their time earned them the title of: “The Greatest Generation”. Those born in their looming shadow were largely overlooked & thus dubbed: “The Silent Generation” followed by the “Baby Boomers” known for their prolific numbers. This generation was followed by: “Generation X” exploring unconventional influences for their identity…and so on. Modern scholars have proffered the theory that the cyclical nature of generational types is virtually inevitable as if we are slaves to the social influences defining an era. Solomon disagrees. He outlines a framework for multi-generational legacy building that takes action rather than surrender to the default settings of culture. Parents and children heed these words. Proverbs is a handbook for breaking generational curses and building generational righteousness
Psalm 143 is the last of the so called “Penitential” Psalms. This song joins Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, & 130 in a set identified through church history by themes of soul searching repentance, unrestrained confession, and exclusive hope in the Lord of the Covenant. However, while it is one thing to have the self awareness and honesty to rightly understand your troubled situation…it’s quite another to be rescued from the consequences of that condition. David understands that deliverance is possible because of WHO God is… therefore he grounds his request & appeal on the faithfulness (1), righteousness (1,2,11), & steadfast love (8,12) of His Lord & Master. The occasion for this song certainly parallels Psalm 142. Perhaps both songs were written from the cave in Adullam.
Discernment in this context entails proper understanding bearing fruit of conviction, reverence, humility, and obedience. We can relate to, and learn from, the risks and rewards of frequent communion Paul addresses in this letter. As in all of life, we must approach the communion table walking in the Spirit, not the flesh. While we recognize that familiarity & mere repetition often foster a casual irreverence, it remains true that the very things we must remember in order to repent of our callous hearts are pictured and proclaimed at THE LORD’S TABLE. A good prayer to prepare for communion might be… Lord, may my often-weary soul ever cherish and never despise the living water and bread of heaven which sustains me unto glory… As we noted in Old Covenant parallels proclaimed in Chap 10 of this epistle last week, communion is New Covenant provision for the believer in the wilderness of life…. Let us therefore nurture an acquired taste for all the means of grace that we might drink deeply and be satisfied with water from our Rock Jesus Christ.
As in the Days of Moses, Baptism commemorates a miracle, seals a covenant, and identifies a people. Today we look at the symbols of baptism in the scriptures, their substance fulfilled in Christ, and the application of these truths for this service and these baptizees today… Paul reminds us in our primary text today of the exodus moment when Moses stretched his hand over the Red Sea. Baptism signifies that our Messiah has stretched out his hands upon the cross parting the seas of death for us. Baptism testifies to the sovereign grace of God breathing eternal life into the believer just as He did over creation, into Adam, over the judgement waters of the great flood, and across the Red Sea thus saving His people! When the baptism waters are parted, they signify our cleansing and the drowning of our greatest enemies (sin & death). Through the waters of baptism we symbolically cross over unto promised land inheritance of glorious reconciliation with God Almighty by virtue of union with our Messiah and federal head, Jesus Christ. Through baptism the door of communion at the Lord’s table is thrown open wide to welcome us as the people of God, the church of Jesus Christ!
Having considered the house of the righteous according to Solomon in proverbs 12 verses 1-7 and the dominion of the righteous in verses 8-15 we now turned to the witness of the righteous in versus 16-24. Consider the prayer of humble consecration offered by King David at the anointing ceremony of his son to rule the nation of Israel (Worship text: 1 Chronicles 29:11-14). The anointing of Solomon as king signaled David’s dynasty would continue on the throne of Israel for another generation. Most in his position would seize the opportunity of this moment for broadcasting the glories of his kingdom with great pomp & circumstance. David did not share this impulse because of his faith in & worship of YAHWEH. No doubt moments like this served as inspiration and instruction for his son who would go on to rule this prosperous nation and write this chapter of Proverbs identifying virtues worthy of the godly for the benefit of his own son’s instruction and ours.
A comprehensive analysis of any area of human life should prioritize the question: “what is the ordering principle of this domain?”. The answer to this question is key to assessing sanctity, durability, and fruitfulness. It gets to the heart of what something is and why it exists (essence & purpose). The book of Proverbs is all about ordering principles. Solomon teaches the student of wisdom to discern the present order of things as he engages in life. He proclaims what the ordering principles of life ought to be, for example: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” He equips disciples to take dominion in their respective callings according to God’s Word. Proverbs 12 makes application for family and vocation according to the ordering principle of righteousness.
We are familiar with the designation of nobility or gentlemen classes, vs. lower or servant class distinctions in film or literature depictions of European monarch culture which developed over the centuries and lingered for quite some time in these societies. These dynamics seem foreign and wrong to us given our modern egalitarian sensibilities. Proverbs stands, indeed, as a correction of presumptions of social order from this time, but for different reasons than we might think. An observation worthy of critique in this era was the arbitrary and often ironic nature of these class structures. Whether or not one was truly a gentleman in character often had no bearing on whether or not he was a gentleman by social class. Likewise a noble servant trustworthy and faithful may never attain the title of nobleman as far as society was concerned. Proverbs teaches us that while there is to be rank order in areas of life & society, our classifications and incentive structures ought to be based on the criteria of Biblical wisdom, not the arbitrary whims of any given culture. Verse one sets the tone of the chapter which is followed by knowledge that those who embrace discipline will appreciate.
Again revealed in the title, Psalm 57 was also written in hiding during David’s fugitive wanderings. This occasion served to inspired David to seek the assurance of divine protection far greater than the refuge the cave in Adullam could ever provide him. I Sam 22:1-2 documents the first congregation to ever sing this song. There were gathered to him and his family in this hideout, a motley crew of those in distress, debt, and bitter of soul about 400 strong. We can imagine David singing softly with pen in hand accompanied by a waning candle, his voice and the flickering light reflecting off of ancient stone cavern walls. Some distance away at the cave’s entrance, several of his men stand guard with watchful eyes probing the distance for the dust of enemy horsemen. After repeating his new chorus several times, the cave begins to echo with hundreds of outcast voices singing: “…With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
The practical application sections of Paul's epistles are often interspersed with governing principles. Paul is constantly “teaching the 'what' and preaching the 'why'. I find this inferred principle/application distinction especially helpful for discipleship and instruction in Christian 'orthopraxy' – the 'day to day' practical concerns of the believer. Paul allows for latitude in application areas like whether or not to eat food in Corinth that has been dedicated to idols. He instructs the Corinthian believers to use their judgement in case by case situations according to governing principles in scripture. Today we will highlight several of these timeless truths.
A word to prepare our hearts to receive the message of proverbs 11 today. The times in life we most need the convicting reminder of God‘s word usually require a change of heart to receive it. This is evident in our worship text today. When the prophet Malachi called the returning people of God to order their affairs according to their calling in the promised land, it was not for lack of the book of Proverbs they had failed thus far to do so, but rather their own conviction to apply the words of Solomon. Hence the prophet called them to repentance in the areas of worship, family, finances, and love of neighbor. This is the role of preaching yet today. Thus if any of Solomon’s instruction hits close to our home as it is proclaimed in our ears, let us repent and reform.
When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God in His great sermon he included these well known words from Matthew 6:33 “…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Thousands of years earlier His message had been preceded by an understanding of the rewards of righteousness through the pen of Solomon in the great book of Proverbs. The blessing and benefit of living according to God‘s terms in this world cannot be overstated, but can easily be misunderstood. In our fallen frame of mind, benefits can often be mistaken for curses and vice versa. How can we seek to untangle the confusion that we often face in our day-to-day lives? Solomon’s instruction, corroborated by words of Jesus, offers much in that regard. Let us behold and esteem the blessings of righteousness revealed by someone with authority on the matter gleaned from his experience as a great king, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
One can easily imagine the context inspiring David’s words here. A good portion of his early days were spent on the run as a fugitive from King Saul. For years, due to this providential hardship, David was likely unable to participate in tabernacle worship. Nevertheless, we hear his heart in this song as he prays that the Lord would count his prayer and praise as a legitimate incense offering. Spurgeon writes of this song: “David's case seemed hopeless: the cause of God in Israel was as a dead thing, even as a skeleton broken, and rotten, and shoveled out of the grave, to return as dust to its dust. There seemed to be no life, no cohesion, no form, order, or headship among the godly party in Israel: Saul had demolished it, and scattered all its parts, so that it did not exist as an organized whole. David himself was like one of these dried bones, and the rest of the godly were in much the same condition.“ in the Providence of God, this occasion provides a Spirit inspired example of prayer in crisis. David demonstrates how to face trials unto the glory of God.
We’ve considered at length the contrasts illustrated in Proverbs 9 by way of a dinner invitation to Lady Wisdom’s house vs. the meal served at the Woman Folly’s place. The first is a promise of provision unto eternal life, the second is a gateway to Sheol disguised as a party. Which table will you gather around for dinner? Choose carefully because this situation represents where you turn for provision, the company you keep, the ritual worship you practice, the covenant relationships you countenance, and the foretaste of eternity. The Apostle Paul picks up on this theme addressing issues and diagnosing the spiritual condition of the church in Corinth. He calls them to the repentance, fear, and faithfulness worthy of the table of the Lord. This text couldn’t be more relevant for our assembly today as we have gathered in this place to take communion and share a meal together
Wisdom is an indispensable virtue to the discipline of applying the Law of God. The wise man seeks to understand all of life and thought in terms of the absolute moral order of God’s Word & God’s world. Wisdom equips the moral agent for the discipline of measuring all things by the standard of divine revelation. Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (II Cor 10:5) requires wisdom and discernment that comes by way of practice (Heb 5:14). Diligently processing and applying the scriptures is an ordinary means of the Spirit to equip saints for glorifying God in life & ministry. Wisdom literature is an instruction manual for ‘casuistry’…The task of judging case by case situations by the universal standard of Biblical truth. Proverbs contains hundreds of examples of God‘s law applied to various situations - or cases- in every day life. The book of Proverbs along with all of scripture is a Just Weight by which to measure everything else.
As we continue to familiarize ourselves with this great literary form of scripture otherwise foreign to us, let us pause to appreciate its great value! How different and infinitely more valuable are the words of Proverbs than the quasi – wisdom literature of our day. What is the popular “wisdom” of our day? Whether it’s the motivating appeals to the hope of success designed to inspire a sense of determination, so-called ‘influencers’ promoting the latest shiny thing, or sports figures and celebrities exalting the virtue and reward of chasing one’s dreams… one thing is certain, no one will be listening to these messages a thousand years from now. Yet today we have before us a record of wisdom that has stood the test of 3,000 years. If you didn’t have access to the Proverbs of scripture, it would be worth selling all that you had to own a copy of this book we are beholding this morning.
As we consider the 2nd major section in the book of Proverbs, the most obvious difference is in the form Solomon’s instruction is presented. Chapters 10-24 proceed with a collection of single sentence wisdom sayings or ‘aphorisms’ under the title: “The Proverbs of Solomon”. The style of writing compiles straightforward statements without expounding or illustrating the nuances of their application in practice. As such, the order of the book is intuitive. After the student masters the “My Son Oracles” of chapters 1-9, he can more effectively process and deploy the aphorisms of Proverbs in fruitful ways. The operating assumption is that the exercise of wisdom is a discipline honed by diligent practice. Solomon does not anticipate every case-by-case contingency, rather he writes to inform the student’s moral intuition. From this database, the wisdom practitioner is better equipped to draw his own conclusions given any number or variation of situations he may face in his life and calling. These are rules of thumb (Webster) “...methods of procedure based on experience and common sense. General principles regarded as roughly correct but not intended to be scientifically accurate.