Proverbs 2

Note the key word in Proverbs 2 is paths or τριβουσ (Gk.). This chapter is about the way of wisdom and the path of fools.

How Do We Grow in Godliness?

The question was raised, “How do we become more godly?” But before we can answer the question it is always important to define terms. What is meant by godliness? A simple breakdown of the word reveals that godliness is to become more like God. Yet this pursuit itself also necessitates clarification, for was this not the pursuit of Eve when she ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen 3:5).” What is meant by godliness is not the pursuit of becoming God himself, but becoming like him in his holiness: “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev 19:2; cf 11:44-45).

So, to be godly, to some degree, means to be holy. How then do we become godly or holy? Three charges were given: 1) Fear the Lord, 2) Love the Lord, and 3) Be Passionate for the Lord. What is the biblical basis for these charges? How does Fearing, Loving, and Being Passionate for the Lord cultivate godliness and holiness?

FEAR … LOVE … PASSION

There is one text that beautifully weaves these three charges together:

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul (Deut 10:12)

God requires things of his people. According to the text it is fearing him, walking in all his ways, loving him, and serving him with all of your heart and soul. The commands to love and fear the Lord are straight forward. The command to “be passionate” for the Lord is more subtle, the essence of which is captured in the phrase “with all your heart and with all your soul.” Among other things, we are to fear and love him, yet we are to do this with every bit of our being, with PASSION!

This is good, yet we have not addressed the main question of how these three charges relate to holiness? Let's look at a few other texts to make some connections:

FEAR THE LORD

Fearing the Lord Leads to Holiness

Fearing the Lord means turning away from evil. I understand this to mean that one should turn away from that which defiles and destroys thus rendering the person “unholy.” (Porv 3:7)

Holiness is Completed in the Fear of the Lord

The manner in which we become holy is in fearing the Lord, that is, we believe his blessings or curses which are promised to those who obey or disobey him (2Cor 7:1)

LOVE THE LORD

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord (Mat 22:37). To love anything more than God is the sin of idolatry. To love any thing more than God is ungodly for God himself loves God above all other things. Therefore to love God as God loves God, is to love God above all things. Consider the motivation of why God does what he does; it is for his own name's sake (Isa 37:35; 43:25; 48:9, 11; Ez 20:9,14,22; 36:22).

BE PASSIONATE TOWARD THE LORD

We are commanded to be zealous and passionate because God himself is zealous and passionate. We are commanded to love God with all of our heart and all of our soul (Deut 4:29;6:5; 10:12; 11:13). Why must we love God in this way? Because when God determines to do something he does it with all his heart and with all his soul (Jer 32:41).

God has sent his son to redeem and purify – make holy – those who are passionate for good works (Titus 2:14). Whatever we do, we should do it with passion and zeal as unto God for God himself is a consuming fire (Heb 12:29).

Let us Delight to Fear the Lord

In the words of Nehemiah when he went before the Lord to inquire his help for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem he prayed,

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

There is a form of delight that is to be found in fearing the Lord. A tremor inducing passionate love of God. Like a rock climber who scales a precipice for the exhilaration or a scuba diver who plunges into the abyss for the thrill, so we are to delight in the fear of scaling the majesties and plunging the mysteries of God. This is how we are set apart. This is how we grow in godliness.

Meditations on the Proverbs 2:10

Proverbs 2:10

"For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul"

I went to hear Tim Keller speak last Tuesday and he gave an illustration that struck me to the point that I had to apply it. He told of how when he was young he recalls an experience at camp that changed his life forever. He took a class on "How to Study the Bible" in which the teacher took a well known passage: "I will make you fishers of men" (Mat 4:19), and made the kids go sit under a tree and for 30 minutes meditate on the text in order to find 50 observations. He found all he could in the first 4 minutes, the problem was that he still had another 40 minutes left. Slowly he plugged away until all 50 were found. When the teacher gathered them back together she asked for observations that were life changing. She wrote them down and ... [excuse the break ... I had to go kill a mouse that was scampering around the shop] ... then asked how many found the life-changing-observation within the first 5 minutes ... no one raised their hands ... the first 10 minutes ... no one ... 15 minutes ... only a few ......

So here is a 30min meditation on Proverbs 2:10. I will simply write down Observations (insights that are found in the text), Thoughts (insights derived or implied from the text), and Questions (inquiries about the text):

6:26am

1. O - The word "for" indicates a grounding clause which creates the foundation for what was previously stated
2. O - the text says the wisdom "will come into" one's heart
3. T - "into" implies that wisdom is not naturally within the heart of a man but is found outside himself in another source
4. Q - what are the requirements for wisdom to come into one's heart?
5. O - the verse is paralleling wisdom||knowledge, come into||be pleasant to, and heart||soul
6. T- wisdom is often associated with the mind yet here it is connected with the heart
7. T - There are things that are "pleasant" to the soul, and there are things that are not. The text seems to indicate that knowledge had not always been pleasant to the soul.
8. Q - what if knowledge is not pleasant to the soul? How could one change this?
9. O - Both the entrance and pleasantry of wisdom and knowledge are set in the future. Note it does not say, "wisdom is in your heart" (static) or "knowledge is pleasing" (status).
10. T - Faith must be exercised in order to embrace the future benefits of wisdom and knowledge.
11. 6:42am
12. Q - why will wisdom come in? Why will knowledge be pleasant?
13. T - I think the connection between "coming into" and "being pleasant" are important. Wisdom and knowledge are not merely to be permitted into one's heart, but that their presence must be pleasing to the soul. If my heart were a sick patient in a hospital room and knowledge were to come visit me. He may have permission to enter the room, but if I do not delight in his presence, I dishonor his visitation and rob us both of the joy that could have been had in that moment.
14. O - v5||v9 and v6 "For the LORD gives wisdom"||"For wisdom will come into your heart"
15. Q - From whence comes wisdom and knowledge? The answer is in v6 - from the LORD's mouth, that is, His word
16. T - Rewritten logic of the text, "Wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul, therefore if you make your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding, then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity"
17. 6:59min

Boy, I didn't even get 25! insights from the text!!!! in 30 minutes.

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Meditations on the Proverbs 2:7-8

Proverbs 2:7-8

"He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints."

I get three pictures as I ponder the phrase "He stores up sound wisdom."

Joseph in Egypt

The first picture of God storing up wisdom makes me think of Joseph storing up grain in the time of plenty (Gen 41:35). Joseph was not acting foolishly by building bigger barns as in the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21). Rather this was an act of wisdom and obedience, for the Lord had informed him of the coming famine. Therefore, each season of harvest that Joseph stored up, was a sign of faith in the Lord's word. When the famine struck, Egypt was spared because of the "sound wisdom" that was stored up for the upright.

The Challenge of the Lord to Bless

Or I think of the challenge of the Lord to his people to:

bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Mal 3:10)

God had stored up for his people blessings that he wanted to shower down upon those who obeyed him, those who were upright. Do we seek him in this way? Do we believe that He stores up sound wisdom for those who trust him, or must we do our own storing up, a kind of unauthorized "famine-insurance."

The Birds do not Store Up

The final picture is that of the ravens that do not store up grain for themselves (Luke 12:24). This may seem like a counter point, but think of the implication. Why don't they store up grain? Because they know that God will feed them. In other words, he has stored up "sound wisdom" in the form of food for those who trust in him, the upright.

Proverbs 1

Friday Night Evangelism: Acts 4:23-31

Review

Let's take a look at what we have covered so far and I especially want you to notice any themes that emerge in this review:

· Acts 1 – Jesus commissions the disciples to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth, but they must wait until they have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They gather themselves in the upper room and devote themselves to prayer (1:14, 24).

· Acts 2 – As they are gathered together for prayer the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples. Peter explains to the crowd the “speaking in tongues” as a sign of the resurrection of Jesus (2:24, 32) and his Lordship (2:36) so that the people would repent (2:38). The Lord adds to their number and the people devote themselves among other things to prayer (2:42).

· Acts 3 – Peter and John are going up to pray and encounter a lame man whom they heal (3:1). Peter then explains the miracle as a sign of the resurrection of Jesus (3:15, 26) and his Lordship (3:18, 20) so that the people would repent (3:19).

· Acts 4 – Peter and John are confronted by the Sanhedrin about the miracle. The Jewish leaders command them to be silent but Peter, acknowledging the uniqueness and Lordship of Jesus, overrides their command with that of Jesus' which was to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.

Tonight we finish the later half of chapter 4 where Peter and John are released and return to their friends. They share with them the threats of the leaders which provokes them to pray corporately.

Do you see a pattern? How often did Luke record that the disciples were praying together?

Corporate prayer was in ever chapter. Why? Because corporate prayer, and not just individual prayer, is an integral part of evangelism. But there is something more intriguing about this latter occasion. How does this instance stand out among the previous occurrences?

Read Acts 4:23-31

What was different? This is the first time we hear an extended prayer referencing the OT. All previous quotations of OT passages were sermons, but this is the first prayer. In chapter 1 we do hear them pray to the Lord about selecting Judas' replacement, but chapter 4 is more extensive and includes an OT quotation. Luke could have easily shortened this section and simply stated that they prayed for God to embolden them, but he doesn't. Why? Why does he take the time to write out this prayer and its connection with Psalm 2?

I think this is what Luke is teaching: Trials and tribulations are not setbacks but the sovereign plan of God who by his hand brings them to pass.

I'm not intending on trying to debate this issue. I commend my thoughts for your evaluation. But let me show you where I am getting this from and why I think it relates to us and evangelism.

Think of the two greatest “setbacks” for the disciples prior to the resurrection. I'm sure the greatest one would be the crucifixion of Christ. The one whom they thought would conquer Rome and establish his kingdom was instead crushed by Rome thus dismantling in the minds of the disciples any hope of a kingdom. The second I'm sure would be the betrayal and suicide of Judas. One of their closest comrades was the culprit who brought about the demise of their Teacher. How would you handle those apparent “setbacks?”

The resurrection of Christ revolutionized their understanding of these events. Was the betrayal of Judas a setback? Was the crucifixion of Christ a failure? No, they were both predestined by God and foretold by scripture. Notice the parallelism that Luke draws between the two events:

Judas’ Betrayal

1:16 Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David concerning Judas

- Psalm 69

- Psalm 109

1:16 Scripture had to be fulfilled

- Judas' betrayal of Jesus was foretold by scripture and not an after thought

• They prayed for God to choose a replacement
• Afterward a rushing wind fills the house and they are filled with the Holy Spirit and Peter speaks the word boldly.

Christ’s Crucifixion

4:25 Holy Spirit said through the mouth of our father David ... (concerning the Gentiles and people of Israel)

- Psalm 2

4:28 God's predestined plan had to take place

- The Gentile's and Israel's murder of Jesus was planned out before hand

• They prayed for God to embolden them and continue to work signs and wonders
• Afterward the place is shaken and they are filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to speak boldly.

The events of Judas’ betrayal and Jesus’ murder were sin, yet these events were ordained by God:

3:17-18 - “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.

How did God fulfill the prophecies? He fulfilled them through the ignorance and sin of the people. Do you see where I'm getting my conclusion? Trials and tribulations are not setbacks but the sovereign plan of God who by his hand brings them to pass.

I bring this up because the sovereignty of God was the foundation of their plea for God to grant them boldness and to work miracles. Therefore it must be our foundation for the similar plea. I'm not sharing this because I am fearful that we might experience trials and tribulations. I say this because if we are faithful witnesses of Jesus we will experience trials and tribulations.

And often the best time to lay this foundation is not after hardship has struck, but beforehand, so that we can be prepared and persevere. Consider the Aesop fable of the fox and the boar.

One day a fox came across a boar rubbing his tusks on a tree. Inquisitive, the fox asked what he was doing. “I'm sharpening my tusks for when the dogs and hunters come.” The fox looked around and saw no sign of harm and then said, “But I don't see any dogs or hunters.” “There is no time to stop and sharpen my tusks when the hunt is on.”

I want us to be prepared for persecution, by recognizing God's sovereign hand in all of our trials and tribulations. Therefore, let us continue to ask God to grant us a boldness to speak the word while he continues to stretch out his hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Jesus.

Additional Resources

Audio

• A Prayer that Brought the Holy Spirit Down – Piper

Article

• Courage in Prayer – A short commentary on Acts 4:23-31 focusing on prayer

Meditations on the Psalms 38:9

Psalm 38:9

"O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you."

I had thought for a long while that it was more noble and honoring to God to ask of God one time. And then believe that it was answered. To ask God repeatedly was a sign of unbelief. To broach the topic more than once was an indication of impatience. I have since changed my thinking.

Although repeating a request or raising the same issue can stem from an unbelieving heart it does not necessarily mean this. In fact, to NOT bring up the topic may be a sign of pride or self-sufficiency. We are commanded to pour out our hearts before the Lord (Ps 62:8).

Think of it this way. If we do not confess to the Lord the longing of our hearts then to whom will we go? We are going to go somewhere or to something or to someone. At stake is the goodness and honor of God. Either we think God is not good or is unable to help us and thus we remain silent. But only for a short while ... if we do not present our longings to God we will seek satisfaction elsewhere. We were wired for this. If we starve ourselves of good food it will not be long before we break down and gorge ourselves on junk. If we do not find God as our all satisfying solution then we will seek out alternative answers. This is a deadly sin, pride masquerading as humility.

God is honored when we come to him every time we are needy, because the giver gets the glory! When we approach God with the longings of our heart we are saying to him, "You alone can satisfy. I look to nothing else but you." Therefore, we must present all our longings before Him and hide not our sighings. He alone can satisfy. He gets the glory; we get the joy.

O Lord, satisfy me this morning with your steadfast love that I may rejoice and be glad today. Lord you know the longings of my heart. You know my sighing. Be my help. For you, O Lord, do I wait. Answer me quickly lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Hide not your face from me. Be gracious to me and bless me and make your face to shine upon me, that your way may be known on earth and your saving power among all nations.