My dad is in Argentine for the next two weeks teaching a class. He is currently working through the book of Proverbs for one of the adult Sunday School classes at our church. He asked me to cover for him the next two weeks while he's gone, but in order to maintain the flow of the series he gave he his Proverbs notes. He teaches a 2 hour elective on the book at MBBC and has 3-5 page lectures already prepared. He has trimmed them to fit the Sunday School format and is 7 chapters in. He also missed the two weeks prior to last week while in VA but I was also in VA so our Pastor covered them.
I get Proverbs chapters 8 and 9. I'm pretty excited and, as usual, irrationally nervous. For some reason that I can't seem to put a finger on, I have a completely biological, and to this point unavoidable, physical reaction to speaking in front of people. Not just speaking, also singing, playing the piano and competing in an individual sports event/act. I shake, hands sweat, yawn uncontrollably, sick feeling in stomach, nothing particularly startling but definitely annoying. I've tried several things to alleviate said response but yet to no avail. Writing about it seems to cause it so I'll move on.
I'm going to try blogging a transcript of sorts for my lesson to see if that helps me organize my thoughts better. If you're going to be their Sunday and want to be surprised, skip this post. If you're going to be their Sunday and want to go to Mr.'s Blevins' or Moores' lessons, you get two for the price of one! If you're not going to be there, hopefully you'll enjoy.
(Outline is essentially stolen from my dad, seeing as he gave it to me)
Proverbs 8:1-36
Dad's Title: Wisdom's Extraordinary Value
1. Wisdom's Invitation (vs 1-3)
A. An open, free offer
What immediately jumps out is the contrast between the adulteress and Wisdom. "She standeth in the high places" "She crieth...at the coming in at the doors" Wisdom isn't hiding out to catch anybody. Nothing sneaky, no hidden agenda. The adulteress waited till the dark of night before pouncing, Wisdom shouts from the mountain.
She cries out from: a) The hilltops - where everyone can see ("top of high places")
b) The crossroads - where everyone will pass ("places of the paths")
c) The gates - where decisions are rendered
Wisdom wants everyone to see her, everyone to go with her, and everyone to use her help in their decisions. She's an obvious choice, the transparent option.
We can draw application to what Wisdom is like to how we should be - not only should we desire the Wisdom that is out in the open, we should live out in the open. We should be willing to "shout" our lives from the hilltop, or more directly, we should be able to shout our lives from the hilltop without shame. Folly, adulteress, has to hide or we'd see her true colors, Wisdom shines out brightly.
B. A practical offer
Someone wrote: "I would like a job as tutor, teacher, and adviser to your family. I will never take a vacation. I will never be out of humor. I don't drink or smoke. I won't borrow your clothes or raid your refrigerator. I will be up in the morning as early as anyone in the household and will stay up as late as anyone wishes. I will help solve any problems your children might have. I will give you the satisfaction of knowing that no questions your children ask will go unanswered. For that matter, I will answer any of your own questions on subjects that range from 'How did we get here?' to 'Where are we headed?' I will help settle differences of opinion. I will give you information that will help you with your job, you family, and all of your other interests. In short, I will give you the knowledge that will insure the continued success of your family. I am God's Word. Do I get the job?" -- Pastor David Whitcomb, our family's Pastor in South Carolina.
When I say Wisdom, when Solomon says Wisdom, he's not referring to an ethereal force which can be tapped into, or some sort of magical recipe for happiness. The Wisdom described here is God's Word. You're holding it and most of you have owned it nearly all your life. This is not an unattainable secret protected by some mysterious monks. It is the book you're reading out of right now.
We talk about the leading of the Holy Spirit. In this dispensation, the primary way to experience this leading is through the Word of God. Wisdom's call to "Hear" her voice is obeyed when we spend time reading, applying and living the Scriptures. This is not "esoteric and mystical but rather very practical for the believer" as my dad says.
II. Motivation to Accept Her Invitation (vs 4-21)
A. Wisdom cries out to all (vs 4-5)
Immediacy, A point of decision ("ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart")
The past several chapters, the same concepts, the value of Wisdom and the danger of Folly, have been reiterated again and again. Now is the time to respond. After a lecture like chapters 1-7, the only way to choose Folly would be unbelief, the information is all there. It's not a difficult decision, all things being equal. However, if we lack faith, if we don't believe that God and His way are best for us, if we listen to the flesh, world and Devil, we will choose Folly. Every act lacking Wisdom, is an act devoid of Faith. The Faith that says, God knows what is best, God knows what will be most effective, efficient and edifying, I need to trust Him.
B. Wisdom has excellent characteristics (vs 6-9)
Once again, almost casually, we are given a list of Wisdom's benefits.
1. Excellent - princely, above the wisdom of the world
2. Truth - correct, precise, not deceiving (unlike the adulteress)
3. Right - straight, the standard, contrasted to the twisted perversions of Folly
4. Plain - not difficult to understand
a. Dad describes verse 9 as a tautology, a phrase which describes itself. Understandable things are understandable to the understanding. Why does Solomon say this?
b. 1 Cor. 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
c. Notice the contrast between the "natural man" and "him that understandeth" God's Wisdom is only understood through the lens of the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is the pair of glasses we are to see world through.
d. I would like to explain this further, but to do so, we need to talk about Immanuel Kant. It is extremely important to understand how we apply Wisdom to our lives and Kant describes it in a fascinating way. He was a very important philosopher in Germany, writing primarily in the mid to late 1700s. He has been called the "central figure of modern philosophy." He wrote several books, one of which discussed the ways and reasons people react to each other. In this book he describes "duty" or what we would call morality. The knowledge of what is the right thing to do. Prior to Kant's work, it was suggested morality was a result of experience. I see the man kill the other man. I see one man is dead, so not happy, other man is guilty, so not happy. Killing = bad. My experience informs my morality. This fails, mainly because sinful people find joy in sin, but also because no two people experience anything exactly the same way. Kant argued "duty" is a priori or without any prior cause. It is a part of us, a thing which makes us human. Boy he's close. The way he illustrated it, is with the rose colored glasses.
Have you ever been wearing you sun glasses so long you forgot you had them on? After awhile, you don't notice the darker shade which descended on the world when you put them on. Imagine for a minute you're in that situation and somebody asks you to describe a color. If you don't remember you're wearing your sunglasses, you will inevitably describe it to be a darker shade/version of the color the other person sees. Not only that, but if you're stubborn, and still forget you're wearing the sunglasses, you'll be inclined to argue your view. Only after you've remembered you've got the glasses on, or have removed them, you'll see they were changing your whole view of the world and the people in it. Not only do we see things differently, we expect everyone else to as well.
This is a bad thing, unless the glasses we are wearing are perfect. vs 8-9 "All the words of my mouth...are all plain to him that understandeth" could read "My instructions are obvious to the person with his glasses on." So what are a Christian's glasses?
The blood of Christ, the person of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God. We see the world though those lenses and we'll experience all the benefits Wisdom describes in the next few verses.
C. Wisdom is More Valuable than Riches (vs 10-11)
Dad says "What good is stuff when you don't understand how to use the stuff or what its real value is?"
D. Wisdom is Godliness (vs 12-13)
vs 12 - Prudence - discerning, carefully making the right choice
- Knowledge of witty inventions - resourceful, crafty
vs 13 But not "Yankee ingenuity"
We've seen before (You've seen before) Wisdom = The Fear of the Lord and here is more equation. Wisdom = The Fear of the Lord = Hating evil, pride, arrogance, the evil way and a froward mouth
Wisdom is loving right and hating wrong. Having the same view of sin as God does. (Wearing our glasses)
E. Wisdom is Rewarding (vs 14-21)
More reiteration. The rewards of living wise.
vs 14-16 Wise counsel - answers questions
vs 17-21 Blessings - fulfills needs and desires
III. Description of the Wisdom That Is Offered (vs 22-31)
In Chapter 4 Dad briefly addressed Wisdom's role in Creation. This section hits that again with more detail. Consider that for a second. The same Wisdom that created the Universe is offering itself to you!
A. God's Eternal Wisdom
"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way" This Wisdom in an eternal attribute of God, His Omniscience.
Over the last 2000 years, Theologians have suggested this Wisdom is the 2nd person of the Trinity: Christ, the Logos. (The female pronouns and descriptions do not matter, the Hebrew word is feminine)
Very popular in the early church. Based on John's use of Logos describing Christ in John 1 and Paul's statement in 1 Cor 1 that Jesus is made Wisdom for believers.
Dad disagrees. I don't speak Greek or Hebrew, so I'm going to disagree too. :)
This interpretation allows for bad Theology. The word possessed was translated created in the Septuagint, though it was a bad translation, and also vs 23 "set up" and vs 24 "brought forth" seem to suggest a cause-effect relationship between God and Wisdom. Deniers of the Eternality of Christ have used this passage to argue God "brought forth" the Son. Therefore, the Son would not be coequal and coeternal with God. The Arians, and their modern versions such as Mormons or JW's, used this argument.
This is not a passage about Christology, as my dad says, and the Wisdom here, as in the rest of the book, is a personification of God's attribute of Wisdom.
B. God's Creative Wisdom (vs 24-31)
This shows as dad says, "God's Wisdom is awesome"
IV. Wisdom's Final Appeal (vs 32-36)
A. Final Request (vs 32-34)
Once again, "Listen Up!" Dad may have addressed this already, but I think part of Solomon's repetition is due to his own hardheadedness. Solomon made many of the same mistakes he's going to warn against in the book, so he knows constant reminders are necessary. vs 33 "refuse it not"
B. Final Results (vs 35-36)
Fittingly, chapter ends on a direct contrast: Finding Wisdom is finding Life, losing Wisdom is losing Life. Life here is not just Heaven, death not just Hell. Those are the points of no return, instead the Life we find though Wisdom is the "blessed Life" the day-day relationship with God. The death, a life of disappointment, judgement and failure.
Seems like an easy choice! Next week, chapter 9, even more evidence to help with the decision.
Sorry about the length. Last time I taught SS I finished just 15 min through the 50 min time block. Hoping to get at least 30 min deep this time.
Well, listening to the Braves-Mets game on the radio so gotta go. Pray for me on Sunday if you would please, I'd appreciate it.
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