The way to Wisdom – Reflections on the Book of Proverbs – Introduction
We are working our way through Proverbs in our small group at the moment, so I thought I would share some of my learnings from preparing the studies with you, dear reader. This is the first of a series.
How would you define wisdom? Is it just street smarts, or intelligence? Does wisdom have a moral element? Is it wise to cheat on your taxes or mislead a business partner if it is to your benefit? Or does wisdom consist of doing the right thing, even if it goes against you?
Our small group wrestled with coming to a good definition, but we felt that it had to include morality, not just cleverness. A wise person had to be one who can see to the heart of things but doesn’t use that ability to manipulate or disadvantage others.
The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom. There are three books that are considered Wisdom literature in the Old Testament – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Before we started to dive into Proverbs I thought it would be helpful to look at these three books together, and how they inform each other.
The Bible Project video series on the Wisdom literature is a great place to start. Watch: Proverbs Wisdom Series Video | BibleProject™.
Essentially, Proverbs looks at how the world should be. It expects that good deeds will be rewarded, and evil will be punished. It looks for patterns in the world and expresses these patterns in memorable sayings. Proverbs is in many ways an optimistic book. The advice it gives are not promises but probabilities. For example. Proverbs 10:3 “The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.” (NIV). This is how the world should be, and often is. But we all know good, godly people who are in lack, and wicked people who certainly do not seem to be going hungry. So, it’s easy to read Proverbs and think this should be true, and it is the right way to live, but it’s not my experience.
Ecclesiastes is a much more cynical book. The author looks at the world and sees how temporary it all is, and how often what should happen doesn’t. He sees life as meaningless or like smoke, and realises that wise and foolish alike will die. Only God will remain. Ecclesiastes reminds us that focusing on doing well in this world and leaving God out of the equation will always end in disappointment and disillusion. Wisdom can never be our salvation.
Job is different again. It is the story of a righteous man who has experienced all that Proverbs seems to promise – riches, family, health, honour and happiness. But then Satan asks to test him, saying that Job only honours God because he is rewarded for it. So everything is taken away, and Job is left sitting in the rubbish heap, full of pain and sorrow. Most of Job is made up of speeches by Job’s friends telling him that he must be at fault – that everyone knows that if someone suffers it must be because they have sinned – essentially the message of Proverbs. Job insists that he hasn’t sinned, and he ends up challenging God. God doesn’t explain, but he shows Job his glory, power and wisdom, and Job realises how impossible it is for him to understand the mind of God. He turns to worship, whereupon God restores all that he has lost, and honours him for his faithfulness.
Job confronts the question that Proverbs often raises, particularly for people who been around the block a few times; why do bad things happen to good people? Why does the child who is raised in a loving family grow up not following the way they were raised, in spite of Proverbs 22:6. Why do tragedies happen, and businesses fail, even to people who have apparently done everything right? It doesn’t answer the question, but it acknowledges the validity of it, and points us to trust in the power and wisdom of God.
I love that the Bible is so real. That it gives such an honest view of wisdom – that being wise is great and a blessing, but it is not our saviour, and it is no guarantee that this life will always go well. Ultimately, if wisdom doesn’t begin and end in God it is a waste of time.
When I read Proverbs it is helpful to remember the other two wisdom books and to keep checking that I keep my eyes fixed on God, not on how to do well in the world. Ultimately, our goal and our reward is the intimate relationship that we are invited to have with God, not any earthly advantage.
Hi, I'm Chris!
I'm an Australian Christian author, blogger and speaker who has published one book - Diamonds from the King - which is a book of stories from my life of ways that God has worked to bring precious diamonds from suffering, disappointment and confusion.
I'm a mum, granny and wife and I love spending time with my grown kids and my four and counting grandkids, but my greatest passion is to get to know God better, and to share his wonder with the world.
