For the next few weeks I am going to be re-working and adding to a series I did on Proverbs way back in 2002...
Hope you enjoy it!
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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs1:7
Proverbs contains some wonderful nitty gritty earthy wisdom...
We had a teacher at school who was not a Christian. To be `safe` when he had to conduct devotions in assembly, he would always read from Proverbs. Many people turn to wisdom writings as self-help material to 'get ahead', but the Proverbs aren't really intended for the self-help category.
They are intended to help us live closer to God.
In the introduction to Proverbs, Solomon clearly points out that true wisdom springs forth from the foundation of a right relationship with God. When we have that foundation we will automatically be living closer to ourselves and to others.
To fear the Lord is to remember who He is and who we are.
To fear Him is to know that He is not a comfortable God who we can put in our pockets or on the shelf when we want Him to look the other way. In CS Lewis' `Narnia Chronicles` where Jesus is depicted by Aslan the lion, one of the characters says `Aslan is not a tame lion.`
When we read the proverbs we are being introduced to the character of God. The advice that we are given is advice that connects us to the very heartbeat of the living God.
My teacher was very wrong when he thought reading Proverbs was safe!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
