As I was saying in my comment yesterday, Proverbs in my favourite book of the Bible. I remember hearing someone say once (in a conversation about wishing that children came with a manual) that God did give parents an instruction book for parenting and it's the book of Proverbs!
Have you thought of Proverbs that way?
I read over the introduction to Proverbs from Conrad's Study Bible and I thought it was worth typing out and sharing:
Many people think that what's written in the Bible has mostly to do with getting people into Heaven-getting right with God and saving their eternal souls. It does have to do with that, of course, but not mostly. It is equally concerned with living on this earth-living well, living in robust sanity. In Scriptures, heaven is not the primary concern to which the earth is the tag-along after thought; Jesus prayed "On earth as it is in heaven".
"Wisdom" is the Biblical term for this on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven everyday living. Wisdom is the art of living skillfully in whatever conditions we find ourselves. It has nothing to do with the information as such, with knowledge as such. A college degree is no certification of wisdom-nor is it primarily concerned with keeping us our of moral mud puddles, although it does have a profound moral effect on us.
Wisdom has more to do with becoming skillful in honouring our parents and raising our children, handling our money and conducting our sexual lives, going to work and excersizing leadership, using words well and treating friends kindly, eating and drinking healthily, cultivating emotions within ourselves and attitudes with others that make peace. Threaded through all these activities is the insistence that the way we think of and respond to God is the most practical thing we do. In matters of every day practical living, nothing, absolutely nothing, takes precedence over God.
Proverbs concentrates on these concerns more than any other book in the Bible. Attention to the here and now is everywhere present in the stories and legislation, the prayers and the sermons, that are spread over the thousands of pages of the Bible. Proverbs distills it all into riveting images and aphorisms that keep us connected in holy obedience to the ordinary.
~Zondervan Parallel Study Bible c2008
"... keep us connected in holy obedience to the ordinary." Most of our lives are filled with "ordinary" days. Sure, we have extraordinary times but we usually live in the ordinary. Proverbs offers us advice for every day. Advice straight from God for the ordinary days. God cares about that and wants us to honour Him through all things, not just on Sundays or special days, but in all things.
I love this passage from Proverbs 3
5Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
and from the Message:
5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Truly wise words. When we rely on God for everything and we don't try to be the master of our own plans, He will take us where we need to go. "Be ever mindful of God and serve Him with a willing and faithful heart. He will remove the obstacles from your pathway and bring you to your appointed goal."(~also from Conrad's study Bible) Also, not only will He bring you to your appointed goal but you will arrive there refreshed. I am a teacher and the last few weeks have been hectic and stressful. I long for the kind of healing and refreshment that this verse reminds us that we can have if we commit our plans to Him. Even if that means turning down some things I want to do and concentrating on what needs to be done first. I trust that God will take me through these final weeks of school and that I can experience refreshment as I reach the end of this year.
In our New Testament passage, Jesus trusted His Father with all His heart. Even though earlier he did ask if it could be another way, Jesus fully accepted God's plan and was willing to follow it. Jesus did not lean on his own understanding. In Human form, I'm sure He considered the pain and the agony that was about to come and yet it did not stop Him from submitted to God's plan. Jesus acknowledged God and this made all of the pieces fit together. Jesus fulfilled all of the scriptures just as God planned it. Through Jesus' obedience and trust in God to direct Him on the path He needed to, we all are refreshed and healed from the power of sin.
Dear Lord,
You are amazing. Each passage in Your word reveals your awesomeness. Lord, sometimes we struggle with the idea of heaven on earth and we concentrate on heaven and forget that we still need to live out our lives on earth. Thank you for Proverbs and the practical guidance for ordinary times. Help us to remember that Your Word is all we really need and that the truths in it are superior to all other advice.
Amen.
3 comments:
Amen!! Awesome post Pamela. I love that introduction to Proverbs. I will look at this book in a new light that's for sure. And I love your Proverbs 3:5-8 quote. I'd never read it in the Message before. Pretty straightforward! Thanks for some great insight this morning!
Great post. I've never thought of Proverbs as a parenting manual before, but it's an interesting thought! I was a little ashamed to think that I sometimes balk at what I know God is calling me to do, even though it doesn't involve being beaten, whipped, mocked, and crucified. Jesus knew he was going to go through all these things and because it was the will of his Father, he followed through. I am currently reading the Mark of the Lion books by Francine Rivers and they are really shining some glaring light on a couple of areas in my life, or more accurately, attitudes in my life that need adjustment, willingly and purposefully doing God's will being one of them.
Great post Pam. Proverbs is truly a life manual. Loved the intro from Conrad's bible, thanks!
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