Pondering The Proverbs

Terry Siverd
08/02/20 - Sun AM

Link to sermon video: Pondering The Proverbs - T Siverd

PONDERING THE PROVERBS

Sermon By Terry Siverd / August 02, 2020 / Cortland  Church of Christ

Throughout the month of August all are invited to join us for a two-pronged reading assignment.  Read one chapter from the book of Proverbs (31 chapters, one for each day of the month).  Also read one psalm per day (you can choose from a collection of 150).

Turbulence can make for a rough ride.

During the previous two summers we took Albert & George and others to Waldamere Park, an amusement park near Preseque Isle in Erie, Pa.  It is nowhere near the size of Cedar Point and is quite codger-friendly.  You can bring a picnic lunch, lawn chairs, a book and your dog and “camp out” under the shade trees.  You can buy a wristband and ride all of the rides as often as you like or you can walk in free of charge, with the stipulation that if you decide to ride a ride, all you have to do is buy one ticket for that specific attraction.  Due to the virus we did not go this summer - - Betina & the boys are returning to Arizona this Tuesday.  In the past Albert and George were continually egging me on to ride those spinning machines.  I can handle the roller-coasters, but those “spinners” make me want to vomit.

Years ago, a preacher friend and I were returning from the Pepperdine lectures in Malibu, California.  On a rainy and very foggy day, our plane descended for a brief stop in Cincinnati, but the pilot had to make an abrupt & rapid climb because another plane was on the tarmac in the spot where we were supposed to land.  My friend Kevin lost his equilibrium and subsequently had to use one of those “bags”.  When he tossed his cookies, I almost followed suit.  It was the first time I'd ever seen an airplane barf bag actually used. 

Sometimes turbulence gets us all out of whack.

Ray Ortlund has written (Proverbs:  Wisdom That Works, pg.15) - -  “Everyone is on a path.  Everyone is going somewhere.  When we feel stuck, even when we feel trapped,  the truth is, we are still in motion.  Life is a journey, and the end of it all is not just a place but also a condition.  We are becoming the end of our journey, WISE or FOOLISH, and every moment takes us closer there.”  These words provide a good starting point for our studies in Proverbs.

Throughout our series on Turbulence, I have been urging us to tap into the wisdom literature of the OT.  We all tend to be a little weak in the Old Testament and our recent protracted downtime offers us an opportunity to bone up in this area where we are deficient.  However, I'm not just pointing us to the Psalms & Proverbs to strengthen our Old Testament acumen, these books have a lot to offer in troubled times.  Basically, the OT has three major parts:  The LAW, The PROPHETS & The WRITINGS.  cf. Lk.24:27.  During the Old Testament era God typically spoke to mankind in three ways:  the priests taught His law; the prophets declared His word (sometimes with oracles of woe concerning impending judgment; and sages or wise men gave counsel.  cf. Heb.1:1  with  Jer.18:18.  The LAW issued critical commandments and The PROPHETS thundered forth with gigantic truths.  The trouble was/is that life was/is lived somewhere in the middle of these latter two options.  Derek Kidner notes:  We live daily n a world where “there are details of character small enough to escape the mesh of the law and the broadsides of the prophets, and yet decisive in personal dealings.”  For example, Prov.27:12 instructs, A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!  You won't find that in either the Law or the Prophets, but this is where we live.

With the help of the book of Proverbs we come to realize that God also cares about “the little nuances” that can often make a big difference in our every-day relationships and experiences.  Even when we seek the holiness of the laws of God and are inspired by the visions of the prophets, we can still make a royal mess of our lives by the many little poor choices we make on a day to day basis.  Where we sometimes need help the most is in these moments where there are no hard and fast rules.  What kind of man or woman should I marry? … Which job skills should I cultivate? … How can I endure and benefit from sufferings that I can't seem to avoid? … How can I be wise with my money?

Through the book of Proverbs we receive counsel by means of the godly wisdom that is offered.  While Proverbs is a very practical book, it would be a mistake to think that it offers a quick fix to all that ails us.  Many of the proverbs are easily understood and need very little interpretation.   Prov.4:23 / watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life ... Prov.6:6 / go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise ... Prov.11:25 / the generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered ... Prov.13:3 / the one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin ... Prov.16:18 / pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before falling ... Prov.29:15 / the rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who get his own way brings shame to his mother.

However, some proverbs are like riddles, requiring multiple exposures over time to comprehend them.  Prov.25:20 / like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.  God's wisdom is not always rapidly absorbed.   This may be because God's ways often clash with man's (Prov.3:5 with Jer.10:23).  Even the easy-to-read proverbs can be ponderous (deep).

  So let us make it our collective aim in August to ponder these ponderous proverbs.  

Let's read from proverbs daily.  Let's ponder the proverbs deeply.  Let's pray about these every-day truths.  Let's put them into practice.  IF WE DO THIS, I AM CONVINCED THAT OUR LIVES WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY ALTERED FOR THE GOOD.  If we will commit ourselves to read a chapter a day from proverbs we will tap into a goldmine of wisdom.  I recommend that we all read and highlight select verses with colored markers.  For example:  green/holiness … blue/family … yellow/friendship … orange/work … pink/play.  We can make this assignment both fun and fulfilling.  This assignment (to read a chapter from Proverbs every day) may prove to be life-changing.  Some have decided to make this a daily regimen.  What if we did this every month of every year for the rest of our lives?

Dear Heavenly Father:  Help us to become wise men and woman, to not only pursue wisdom but to practice it.  We thank You Father for the vast wisdom from above that is contained in Your holy Scriptures.  Help us to grasp these multi-faceted golden nuggets of truth and hold on to them tightly.  Give us hearts like sponges - - capable of soaking up wise counsel and putting it into practice.  Through Christ Jesus, our wise and wonderful counselor, we pray.  Amen.