The Sayings of the Wise - Part 27

This is the 26^th Saying of the 30 SAYINGS OF THE WISE.  I started this study back in 2016.  Part 1 explains why this is categorized this way and the basic structure.  A review of that Blog Post might be helpful.  I note in that post that “Solomon is generally thought to have authored the entire Book of Proverbs except for three sections: the Sayings of the Wise in Proverbs 22:17-24:34, Proverbs 30, and Proverbs 31. He may have collected and compiled the Sayings of the Wise, but it is generally agreed that he did not write them. We do not know who wrote them.”  The title Thirty Sayings comes from the text:

“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you. Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?” (Proverbs 22:17–21, ESV) (Emphasis mine).

After a long hiatus I want to pick up where I left off.  Today’s passage is found in Proverbs 24:13–14 (ESV),

¹³ My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. ¹⁴ Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Here the author is comparing the enjoyment of eating good honey as wisdom is to the soul. The health-giving properties of honey are analogous to godly wisdom. The Mayo Clinic writes,

“Honey contains mostly sugar, as well as a mix of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, iron, zinc and antioxidants. In addition to its use as a natural sweetener, honey is used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial agent. People commonly use honey orally to treat coughs and topically to treat burns and promote wound healing.”[1]

Of course, the imperative “eat honey” is not the point.  The point is “know wisdom” because it is health-giving. More specifically the absorption of wisdom and application of wisdom provides a future and a hope. “The motivation is that wisdom will have a long future to it ("hope"—'aharit and tiqwah).”[2]  The consistent picture of wisdom is the result of not daring to choose any path that God would disapprove of.  Or even more precise, pleasing God in all our ways.  The “father” behind this proverb reminds his son that such wisdom leads to hope and a future.

Again, the reader needs to be reminded that the longevity of life promised in the Old Testament is clarified in the New Testament.  Long life and hope is described by Jesus as “eternal life”.  “It is a mistake, however, to view eternal life as simply an unending progression of years. A common New Testament word for “eternal” is aiónios, which carries the idea of quality as well as quantity. In fact, eternal life is not really associated with “years” at all, as it is independent of time. Eternal life can function outside of and beyond time, as well as within time.”[3]  Eternal life can be experienced now. It is linked, as Christ affirmed, with “knowing God”. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3, ESV). God in Christ is wisdom personified.  This is the Wisdom that proverbial literature points to.  Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God incarnate.  It is knowing Him that grants eternal life.  “Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”^[4]  

To those who are “in Christ”; those who have placed their trust in Him as Savior and Lord, we read, “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV).  Herein is the reality of life: “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11–12, ESV)

 

 

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[1] https://cutt.ly/hAeQVeQ

[2] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Proverbs/Exposition of Proverbs/IV. The Sayings of the Wise (22:17-24:34)/A. Thirty Precepts of the Sages (22:17-24:22), Book Version: 4.0.2

[3] https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-eternal-life.html

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Col 2:2–3). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Seven Christian Truths That Will Not Change In 2022

 

1. Those who repent and believe the Gospel will be saved.  Acts 2:21 (ESV): “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

2.  God’s enabling grace will sanctify you. Ezekiel 36:27 (ESV): “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.“

3. God’s regenerating mercies will keep you persevering in faith. Jeremiah 32:40 (ESV): “And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.“

4.  God will sovereignly and providentially guarantee to you the greatest good, i.e., to be like Christ. Romans 8:28–29 (ESV): “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

5.  He will not abandon you. Hebrews 13:5–6 (ESV): “for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 

6.  Nothing can separate you from His love. Romans 8:38–39 (ESV): “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

7. God will accomplish His redemptive purpose for your life. Jude 24 (ESV): “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy . . ..”

The End of the Bible Reading Program for 2021

For many of us who follow a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program, we have entered into the Revelation of Jesus Christ — the last of the New Testament canon.  William Hendrikson [1] reminds us that the Revelation is neither an entirely futuristic Book or a chronological Book:

“Every paragraph of this glorious prophecy is filled with significance, instruction and comfort for the seven churches of proconsular Asia. This book is an answer to the crying need of that particular day, and we must permit contemporaneous circumstances to shed their light on its symbols and predictions. True, this book has a message for today, but we shall never be able to understand ‘what the Spirit is saying to the churches’ of today unless we first of all study the specific needs and circumstances of the seven churches of ‘Asia’ as they existed in the first century AD.”

“A careful reading of the book of Revelation has made it clear that the book consists of seven sections, and that these seven sections run parallel to one another. Each of them spans the entire dispensation from the first to the second coming of Christ.”

“ Each section gives us a description of the entire gospel age, from the first to the second coming of Christ, and is rooted in Israel’s history under the old dispensation to which there are frequent references.”

“ Our division is as follows: 1. Christ in the midst of the seven golden lampstands (1–3). 2. The book with seven seals (4–7). 3. The seven trumpets of judgment (8–11). 4. The woman and the Man-child persecuted by the dragon and his helpers (the beast and the harlot) (12–14). 5. The seven bowls of wrath (15, 16). 5. The seven bowls of wrath (15, 16). 6. The fall of the great harlot and of the beasts (17–19). 7. The judgment upon the dragon (Satan) followed by the new heaven and earth, new Jerusalem (20–22).”

“ The Apocalypse is steeped in the thoughts and images of the Old Testament . . . Westcott and Hort give nearly four hundred references or allusions to the Old Testament, and an intensive study of any chapter of the Apocalypse soon reveals that this list of four hundred references is itself incomplete. It is on the basis of these sacred Scriptures [Old Testament] that we must interpret the Apocalypse.“

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1. Henrikson, William, More Than Conquerors, An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation, Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan, © 1940, 1967 

Seventeenth Century “Charismatic”

In reading Dr Michael Haykin’s book: THE REFORMERS AND PURITANS AS SPIRITUAL MENTORS, it would seem to me that had we lived in the days of John Owen, many of us would have regarded him as a “charismatic”.  He clearly believed and lived a form of experiential Christianity. Haykin quotes Owen from his work,  Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded:

 “Let us live in the constant contemplation of the glory of Christ, and virtue will proceed from him to repair all our decays, to renew a right spirit within us, and to cause us to abound in all duties of obedience.” 

And from A Discourse of the Work of the Holy Spirit in Prayer:

“ The soul is hereby raised and ravished, not into ecstasies or unaccountable raptures, not acted into motions above the power of its own understanding and will; but in all the faculties and affections of it, through the effectual workings of the Spirit of grace and the lively impressions of divine love, with intimations of the relations and kindness of God, is filled with rest, in “joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

Facing an accusation of being too subjective, Owen responds:

“I had rather be among them who, in the actings of their love and affection unto Christ, do fall into some irregularities and excesses in the manner of expressing it (provided their worship of him be neither superstitious nor idolatrous), than among those who, professing themselves to be Christians, do almost disavow their having any thoughts of or affection unto the person of Christ.” (Grace and Duty …)

Herein Owen slips into our thinking two guardians to such a spiritual pursuit: superstition and idolatry.  I am not certain what Owen means by superstition, but I suspect he points to an idea or activity that is pursued despite clear evidence to the contrary. I would think his Puritanism would clearly imply believing and acting in ways opposed to the clarity of God’s Word.  And secondly in pursuing such experiences as more important and “before God” than the glory of the Triune God Himself.  

This leads us to a Christian reality that some of called “charismatic with seatbelts” whereby the contemplation of the glory of Christ, may lead one to some excesses in thought and behaviour, but these are always strapped in by sola scriptura and fear of turning a “good thing into a God-thing.” (To paraphrase Timothy Keller). 

All this so-called experiential Christianity is the response of contemplating the glory of God, as taught in  2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): 

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

We are ever in danger of seeking particular experiences that can be the result of some subjective experience that ultimately provides a fake feeling and can easily translate into extra-biblical or idolatrous exercises. 

How to Pursue Racial Unity - Dr. Jeff Myers

We introduced the topic of Social Justice vs Biblical Justice on September 5, 2021.  You can hear that message HERE.   I recently listened to the following talk by Dr. Jeff Myers.   In the message he provides 9 considerations as we seek to work toward racial unity.   They are worthwhile thinking about.  

How to Pursue Racial Unity and Stand Against Wrong Worldviews at the Same Time (Dr. Jeff Myers) 

 

1. DOES MY WORLDVIEW RECOGNIZE THAT OUR WORTH AS HUMANS COMES FROM GOD, NOT FROM OUR ACTIVITIES? 
2. AM I A PERSON WHO SEEKS PEACE, RESOLVES ANGER, SPEAKS FORTHRIGHTLY, RESISTS RETALIATION FOR PERSONAL OFFENSES AND LOVES MY ENEMIES? 
3. HOW HAS SIN CAUSED STRUCTURAL EVIL? What structures of society are broken that can be fixed? What role can I play? 
4. AM I GENEROUS? 
5. ARE MY NEIGHBORS DOING BETTER BECAUSE I AM THERE? What concrete steps can I take to actively improve the lives of those around me? 
6. HAVE I OBSERVED WRONGDOING AND NOT ACTED? Commit to know what is right and wrong and determine to act the next time you see injustice occurring. 
7. AM I ASSESSING BLAME BASED ON GROUP IDENTITY?  —whether rich or poor, white or black, city or suburban, liberal or conservative 
8. AM I USING SHAME OR THREATS TO FORCE OTHERS TO SEE IT MY WAY?  Injustice cannot remedy injustice. It isn’t about punishment—it’s about restoration. 
9. DO I PURSUE UNITY BASED ON GOD’S NATURE AND CHARACTER AND HIS PLAN FOR HISTORY? 

 

 

Until These Tears Are Gone

Flood this heart with assurance of Your mercy
Fill this mind with knowledge of Your love
Hold me fast through the deep and steady current
How long, how long 'till these tears are gone?

Every hour, awake me to Your presence
Shine Your light, brighter than the dawn
Send Your joy, illuminate the darkness
How long, how long 'till these tears are gone?
How long, how long 'till these tears are gone?

I'll fix my eyes on eternity above
Where every lie, is uncovered by Your love
I'll fix my eyes on eternity above
Where every lie, every shadow is uncovered by Your love

Lord You hear, the pleading of the faithful
I search for You, hide not Your face
Here I tread, a shell among the ruins

How long, how long 'till these tears are gone?
How long, how long 'till these tears are gone?
How long, how long 'till these tears are gone?
How long, how long 'till these tears are gone?

Union With Christ

In this magisterial work by the Puritan, John Owen, he gives us great insight and encouragement regarding Union with Christ.

 

“Man being made in the image of God, was fit and able to glorify him as God. But whereas whatever perfection God had communicated unto our nature, he had not united it unto himself in a personal union, the fabric of it quickly fell unto the ground. Want of this foundation made it obnoxious unto ruin. God manifested herein, that no gracious relation between him and our nature could be stable and permanent, unless our nature was assumed into personal union and subsistence with himself. This is the only Rock and assured foundation of the relation of the church unto God, which now can never utterly fail. Our nature is eternally secured in that union, and we ourselves, as we shall see thereby.”[i]

 

In the first man, the image of God in sinless innocence was able to glorify God.  Of all the perfections God had bestowed upon the first Man, He had not united him to His Being.  So the integrity of innocence soon became undone.  What we learn from this is that no abiding, perfection could be sustained by Man unless he was brought into a personal union with Christ. As union with Christ is the foundational condition of the Church we know see that believing Mankind can ever finally fall.  “Our nature is eternally secure in Christ.

 

 

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[i]Owen, John, THE PERSON OF CHRIST, Declaring a Glorious Mystery – God and Man, Christian Focus Publications, 2015, p90