Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

Proverbs 9:10

“Wise Men in August?”

Rev. Meagan M. Boozer

“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” (Proverbs 10:4)

“The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.” (10:8)

“An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” (24:26)

“Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.” (26:20)

Solomon, who was the son of King David, writer of many of the Psalms, is the writer of many of the proverbs in the book of Proverbs, and he is the editor of the whole book. A proverb is a short saying that conveys a specific truth in a pointed way. “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.” (11:28) Proverbs are short sentences drawn from long experience. A proverb is a truth that is short enough to be remembered so that it might influence our conduct.

Here are a couple of characteristics of the biblical book of Proverbs:

1. Not one proverb in the Bible bears an unscientific statement or inaccurate observation. Some non-biblical proverbial sayings might allude to fables- but not the biblical proverbs. Even as long ago as they were written, they remain true and accurate, scientifically.

2. As we would expect, all the biblical proverbs have to do with moral behavior; the writers & the editor do not resort to immoral proverbs just to fill the page. (For instance, Socrates wrote proverbs, but some of his proverbs gave instructions to harlots on how to conduct themselves!)

3. None of the biblical proverbs contradict on another.

In non-biblical proverbs, we can find contradictions all over the place:

“Look before you leap,” contradicts, “He who hesitates is lost.”

“A man gets no more than he pays for,” contradicts, “The best things in life are free.”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” contradicts “Out of sight, out of mind.”

“You’re never too old to learn,” contradicts, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

These proverbs are written by human beings. We contradict ourselves all the time. God never contradicts himself- as is clearly obvious when reading through the entire book of Proverbs.

The overall theme of Proverbs is: Wisdom vs. Folly. (“Folly” meaning foolishness and/or recklessness.) The theme verse of Proverbs is the one chosen for today:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

What does it mean to fear the Lord? I want us to go all the way back to Genesis 22:12. This is the story of the sacrifice of Isaac by his father, Abraham. Abraham had done everything God instructed, and was ready to slay his son. But the angel stopped him saying, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” What did it mean for Abraham to fear God? Does it mean he was shaking in his boots afraid? Cowering with his hands over his head? Jumping at every sound out of the ordinary? The word fear in this context means to be fearfully in awe of, fearfully reverent towards, having full respect for who God is and what God’s power can accomplish, having a strong sense of obedience to trust God’s instructions. “Now, I know,” said the angel to Abraham, “that you are in awe of, that you have proper reverence for, that you respect who God is and the mightiness of his power. Now I know that you will obey God’s instructions because you trust him over and above your own insight and wisdom.”

Did the three guys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who stepped into the furnace filled with fire, fear God? Well, they sure had a respect for God’s power, didn’t they? They knew God could save them even from sure death. They had the strongest sense of obedience to trust God’s instructions, didn’t they? They would NOT bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s gods, or worship the image of gold he set up. They feared God more than they feared Nebuchadnezzar.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Do you think the pop singer, Madonna, fears God? I heard on the radio this past week that her new tour begins with a large cross made out of mirrors emerging from below the stage- and somehow attached to the mirrored cross is Madonna herself, wearing a crown of thorns. Do you think Madonna fears God?

Do you think those men who shot their wives, their ex-wives, and/or their girlfriends in these last week fear God?

Do you think that all the people living “out there” who do “good” things, but who have no time or respect for Christ’s living body here on earth- God’s church- do they fear God?

Do you fear God? Are you fearfully in awe of, fearfully reverent towards God at all times? Do you have a fullness of respect for who God is and what God’s power can do to you, and for you? Do you have a strong sense of obedience to trust & follow God’s instructions over and above all other instructions?

There’s a lot in the book of Proverbs about the wickedness of the words we speak. Do you fear God enough to only speak words you know God blesses? Do you talk about other people in a way that is cruel, judgmental, and degrading? Do we fear God enough dear Christians, to only speak words we know Jesus would speak? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

There’s a lot in the book of Proverbs about money, greed, and sloth. Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is your heart, really? Do you trust a band account more than you trust God? Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t plan to take care of ourselves and our financial responsibilities. But, have we allowed the Lord to draw the line between good planning and self-indulgence? Have we allowed the Lord to draw the line between trusting in money to take care of us, and trusting God himself to take care of us?

I know I have a much greater fear of answering to the Lord about how we spent or saved our money than I have a fear of answering to anyone else about that. When I hear that some among us think the trustees are spending too much money to care for the property, I want to weep, or scream, or both. A congregation with more than enough money in the bank to take the whole bunch of us on a Caribbean cruise together, and a property in need of upgrades and repair in order to continue good ministry, reminds me of those non-biblical proverbs- it’s contradictory! It reflects a healthy fear of the world rather than a proper fear of God. God blesses the righteous with wealth so that they can then care for people’s physical, emotional, & spiritual needs. God doesn’t bless us with wealth so that we can store up more treasure for a rainy day. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I want us to choose to place our hope and our trust in the Lord so that our hearts will be there also. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Today, I am so grateful that we have a mid-summer opportunity to share in Holy Communion. Here at this table is where we can be brutally honest about how we have or have not really had a proper fear of God. Here we can seek God’s forgiveness for seeking human wisdom above seeking to cultivate a proper fear of the Lord, which Solomon says, is the beginning of true wisdom.

When Solomon was early in his reign as King, God offered to give him anything he wanted. Solomon, with a healthy fear of the Lord, asked for an understanding mind that he might be able to discern between good and evil so that he could govern God’s people fairly. God said, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. I give you a wise and discerning mind.” (1 Kings 3:10ff)

He asked. God gave.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, Giver of all that is good, Strong Deliverer, Creator of the Universe, Author of all Words, Strong Tower, Mighty & Holy God, we know that we have not sought your wisdom above human wisdom. We know that we have spoken words that hurt, and words that have sliced, and words that brought dishonor. We know that we have hoarded instead of given away. We know that we have sought to be wise in our own eyes so that others would see us as wise in their eyes. We have not desired to live in healthy fear of you. It has not even crossed our minds as something that is important to desire. Forgive us. Teach us. Heal us. Restore us. And help us, each of us, by giving us an understanding mind that we might be able to discern rightly between good and evil. This we pray in the name of Christ, Amen.

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

08-13-06