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Proverbs: . . . Wisdom for Today

CONNIE: Where can you look for true wisdom? The book of Proverbs has been around for centuries. Is its counsel passe? Or is it as up-to-date as tomorrow's newspaper? Join us as we look at this ancient book of modern wisdom!

Giving God's trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I'm Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I'm Lonnie Melashenko.

CONNIE: Lonnie, do you know what an "afterism" is?

LONNIE: Hmm I've heard the term aphorism, but not "afterism."

CONNIE: Well, an aphorism is one of those quick, pithy little statements that sum up a situation--put it in a nutshell. Maybe you've known someone who always has a smart little saying in response to whatever happens.

LONNIE: Something like "You can't judge a book by its cover, or one of those "Confucius sayY bits of wisdom"

CONNIE: Right.

LONNIE: So that's an aphorism. But what's an afterism?

CONNIE: Well, the question's really just a joke, Lonnie. I was setting you up for my punch line. Because most of us don't have a quick, pithy answer when we need it. But you know how it goes. Five minutes, or five days later, you're thinking about it, and all of a sudden a great answer pops into your head and you say, "Oh, I wish I would have said that."

LONNIE: Happens all the time.

CONNIE: Well, that's what an "afterism." You think of it AFTER you need it.

LONNIE: Well, I can certainly relate to that. But I'd rather have the right saying "afore" I need it, and one good source of good, pithy, to-the-point wisdom is the biblical book of Proverbs, which we're looking at today.
In my sermon, I'll be touching on some of the better-known proverbs, and the guidance they give for our lives, but before that, let's listen in as David Smith and Ken Wade take us on a tour of the book and some proverbs that might not be so familiar.

KEN: Well David, good to have you join us on the program, and I noticed as we've been talking about Proverbs here, you particularly like those proverbs that talk about wisdom.

DAVID: Well you know Ken all the way through this fabulous book wisdom is what the book is about, and in the very first I like where is says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the starting place for wisdom. Really the Bible is saying that if you want to be wise in life in general, you have to start that with a relationship with the LordY

KEN: Get your roots down in the right place.

DAVID: Exactly right. I remember C. S. Lewis once commented on how a person who is smart in Bible things, and godly things, is wise in all life, and he commented that's why John Bunyon, just a simple person, was able as a Christian to write books which have astonished the world.

KEN: Yes, because once you're digging into the Bible, it stretches your mind. I can remember an experience I had when I was a young man. When I first got interested in the Bible, I spent about two weeks on a vacation from school, studying Bible topics, and it was almost like my mind just grew, sped up, just from that process of studying in the Bible.

DAVID: I like the way, Ken, where the Bible also say's here in Proverbs, that a wise man or woman is willing to seek counsel, seek advice, you know in chapter 9 it say's, ARebuke a wise man and he will love you.@ Now a foolish man's not going to, but a wise man will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still.@ ATeach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.@ The biblically based person who is wise in the spiritual realm will seek instruction and counsel and accept a rebuke because he or she wants to grow.

KEN: That's a great goal to work towards.

DAVID: I look in the mirror and I have a ways to go.

KEN: Well, as it says in Proverbs 4:7, AWisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom and in all your getting gain understanding,@ this the foundation for a successful life.

DAVID: Amazing that this written by a man who, in his own power was so wise, and yet he turns this to a higher source than himself. He doesn't say listen to me, he says, go to the Lord to seek wisdom. The fear of the Lord is where it begins.

KEN: Well you know, David, when I was a boy, we had a game that we played. I wish I'd had it for my kids to play. It was one of those games where you read Bible texts off of a card, and you collected books of cards and that sort of thing, and a lot of these texts, many of them from the Proverbs, just really got stuck in my mind. I would think about them, particularly ones like Proverbs 15:1. AA soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger@. I would recite that one kind of to myself when my mom would be mad at me, you know I'd done something really bad and I knew I was in big bad trouble, and this Proverb came in handy more than once.

DAVID: Did it work?

KEN: Well, sometimes if she wasn't too terribly mad.

DAVID: The amazing thing Ken, you know, we are living in the 21st century, and you and I work in a crowded busy office, with politics, and cubicles, and people stepping on each other's feelings. Solomon wrote this so many dusty centuries ago, and yet it's such a perfect counsel for today. It really does work today if you just lower your voice, think how the other person would respond, take a little bit of Dale Carnegie wisdom, which comes right from here of course, so perfect for today, so timely, it really is.

KEN: Here is this one too, which is very similar. AHe who is slow to anger, is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city. That's Proverbs 16: 32, and I can remember picturing in my mind when the anger would start welling up inside me, that text just was there, and I'd picture King David, taking the city of Jerusalem, and that's a great thing to accomplish. But if you can control your anger, that's even better, and that made a deep impression on me.

DAVID: You know the marvelous thing is, when a person who studies the Bible and who reads the Proverbs, fortifies himself or herself with these verses. You have those in your mind, and when a crisis moment comes, when a temptation to lapse into quick anger comes, that verse is there to slow you down. These words are like armor to the soul, they really are.

KEN: Very good.

DAVID: I'm also glad to notice that the Bible says, slow to anger is good, but its also saying there that sometimes to get to anger is appropriate, even Jesus who was slow to anger, He did get there. If someone was abusing, hurting, or threatening the salvation of a child for example, Jesus would pick up a whip. He was slow to anger, but at the appropriate time He would get there and do the godly thing.

KEN: So, the idea being I guess this idea of control, of giving ourselves into God's control, rather than our own explosion. Well there's so much in the Proverbs, and we talked about a lot more of them, too bad we don't have more time. But there's a lot there that a person, by just going through and memorizing a few of these, gets good wisdom to like you say, be an armor for their life.

DAVID: And the Lord put them there to be used, not put on the shelf. When these get into the mind and invade your lifestyle, what a blessing to the surrounding community.

KEN: Well the point is, get that Bible out and read these proverbs, and read the other portions, there's great stuff.

DAVID: That's true.

CONNIE: The book of Proverbs certainly is a diverse collection of wise sayings Csome from Solomon, some from others, and it's a good idea to take some time once in a while just to review the ideas there.

LONNIE: And Connie, don't forget that some of the Proverbs are Bible promises that are worth claiming in prayer, like this one from Proverbs 18:10, The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

CONNIE: That's true, and it's important for us to remember those rich promises from God's Word--to memorize Bible passages--from the Proverbs and other parts of the Bible that can be wise counselors to us when we need them.

LONNIE: So they'll come to mind when we need them--not sometime long AFTER we need them!

CONNIE: Right--which is what our first song today is about. It's from Ponder Harp and Jennings, and it's a fun, catchy reminder that we ought to be reading and memorizing our Bibles more. "You Can't Stand on Promises (If You Don't Know What They Are)."

LONNIE: That's certainly a catchy reminder of a very important principle. The promises and proverbs of the Bible are there for us to learn from and benefit from. But we need to get into the Bible and read it in order to find them. Set some time aside every day for that purpose.

If you're a regular listener to our program, you know by now that Voice of Prophecy is much more than just a radio broadcast. We're also involved in evangelism, in television, and one of our largest departments is our correspondence Bible School.
CONNIE: You can enroll in our Bible School for free and take our basic "Discover" Bible lessons that lead you in the study of the fundamental teachings of the Bible, or in our Prophecy Bible course. And the way to enroll is by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-872-0055.
LONNIE: We have a staff of dedicated, knowledgeable instructors in our Bible school, plus there are Bible schools located in local churches throughout the United States and in our offices in many other countries. Today I'd like to introduce you to one of our dedicated Bible School instructors who works right here in our home office.

LONNIE: We've got a delightful young lady here behind the microphone with me today. Denise Garret, is a single parent, a son and a girl. Denise in your spiritual journey things didn't always go smoothly did they?

DENISE: No they did not.

LONNIE: But you came to know Jesus Christ, and as a single working mother you found yourself in some unusual challenges, that had something to do with the book of Proverbs, and how it fulfilled Gods promises to you.

DENISE: Yes, I learned that you must trust the Lord, and He will direct your path.

LONNIE: What happened in your experience that showed you that God does work, and that He fulfills His word.

DENISE: Well, after returning to church, and working as a claims examiner. I realized that I could no longer concentrate on my secular job, and I enjoyed only working for the Lord. So I found myself concentrating not on my job, but on working for the Lord, and doing jobs for my church.

LONNIE: You actually weren't permitted to read the Bible, because that wasn't fair to take the time, and you would kind of sneak and read, but you wanted a change.

DENISE: Yes, I wanted a change.

LONNIE: So what did you say to the Lord?

DENISE: I said, ALord, I'm going to quit my job, and learn a small trade on the side, so I can put most of my time into working for You.@

LONNIE: Now here you are, a single parent. What did your family think about that?

DENISE: Well, my family, my brothers Dwayne, and David, they told me that God wants me to be responsible, and that money is not going to drop out of the sky.

LONNIE: So, what did God do to help fulfill His promise to you, and what did you claim in Proverbs that especially has something to do with today's message?

DENISE: I talked to the Lord, and I said, ALord, you know what I want to do. You know where my heart is, and it's working for You, and please find me a way to receive income to take care of my two kids, and at the same time work for You.

LONNIE: And what happened?

DENISE: I landed a job at the Media Center.

LONNIE: And here you are today, working as a Bible instructor for the Voice of Prophecy.

DENISE: Yes.

LONNIE: And how does that promise have special meaning for you now?

DENISE: Well, this promise lets me know that if I just trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and lean not on my own understanding. That He will direct my path.

LONNIE: Thank you Denise, for sharing how the Lord's working in your life.

DENISE: Thank you Lonnie.

CONNIE: Thanks Denise, for sharing how the Lord has led in your life. And now, Lonnie, please share your message, "Proverbs--Wisdom for Today.

Proverbs--Wisdom for Today

You know as we look at the book of Proverbs, it might be easy to dismiss the book as being something rather pass :--outdated. And of course there are some proverbs that do apply mainly to a way of life that's past. Proverbs 26:3, for example:

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the fool's back.Most of us--at least in America--don't deal with horses or donkeys on a daily basis. And if we carried a rod around with us to use on the back of anyone we considered a fool, well, we probably wouldn't be allowed out on the streets very often!

And not many of us have used this excuse when we woke up in the morning feeling too tired to go to work: The lazy man says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!" That's found in Proverbs 26:13, but somehow I don't think most bosses would accept it as an excuse if you phoned in with it on Monday morning--unless there had been a breakout at a local zoo!
But just because Proverbs uses imagery from the past doesn't mean its wisdom is old fashioned. Here's one that's very up-to-date, and a very good caution for our "plastic-money" age. When you're tempted to purchase something you don't really need by whipping out that little piece of plastic in your wallet, consider Proverbs 22:7: The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Now, you may not feel like you're either poor or rich--maybe you're firmly ensconced in the middle ground--the great middle class. But if you're carrying a continuing balance on one or more credit cards, stop and think about it. You just may be fulfilling this proverb in a modern setting.

When Solomon penned these words, he was probably thinking about a person who had gone to a rich man in his village and asked to borrow a little money to tide him over through some lean months. Then when it came time to pay back the debt, the poor fellow didn't have the money to do it, and soon he found himself a servant--working for the rich man to pay back what he had borrowed. Many people in Solomon's day lost their freedom in that very way--becoming servants or slaves because of debt.

Now, we don't see people becoming slaves in just that way these days.
But what about the man or woman who has to take on an extra job just to "make ends meet"? They may not be enslaved by the credit card company . . . or are they?

A recent report about the finances of families in America revealed that in the ten years from 1990 to 1999, the amount of money owed to credit card companies tripled! And during the same years, the number of families who had negative assets (in other words had more debts than assets) doubled.

Nearly one in five American families is now in that perilous position! What will happen to these families if either of the breadwinners falls sick or gets laid off?
There's no doubt--if more of us considered the wisdom of Proverbs 22:7 before we pulled out the plastic money, we'd be a lot better off.

Here's another proverb that's just as up-to-date as the day it was written: Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. (NKJ)

That counsel is found in Proverbs 23:29-32, and it's just as apropos today as it was 3000 years ago. In fact, if you saw the recent Newsweek issue devoted to addiction, you're aware of just how insidious addiction--whether to alcohol or drugs or tobacco--is. Some of the statistics there gave staggering evidence of the way that addictive substances become like serpents or vipers destroying lives.

Over the past 20 years the number of inmates in the American prison system has more than tripled--and about 2/3 of those in prison tested positive for some form of substance abuse at the time of their arrest!

That works out to more than a million people's lives wasting away in prison at least partly as a result of substance abuse. And when you add up the toll of suffering that results to their families, the cost is extremely high.

But there's more. Recent research has unveiled the way that alcohol and other addictive drugs work in the brain. Dr. Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse puts it this way: A 'Drugs of abuse change the brain, hijack its motivational systems and even change how its genes function.' @
Talk about the bite of a viper--once an addictive substance gets its teeth into you, its poison circulates through your system, changing everything. Soon, stopping becomes a very difficult option to choose. As Dr. Leshner puts it, " '[Addiction] may start with the voluntary act of taking drugs, but once you've got it, you can't just tell the addict "Stop," any more than you can tell the smoker "Don't have emphysema." ' " Scientists now realize that addiction becomes a physical problem just as much as emphysema is a physical problem, and today 8 million Americans are addicted to alcohol at a cost of $185 billion a year.

All the more reason why that old proverb "Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup" is still good advice today. In fact, the proverb could be expanded to warn us against a lot of temptations that hadn't yet been dreamed up when it was first written.

We only have time to touch on a few tiny slices of the wisdom recorded in the biblical book of Proverbs today, but the core of the book is found in these two verses found in chapter 9 verse 10 and chapter 4 verse 7:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

The wisdom and knowledge that is most important to us in life all begins with God, who is the source of all wisdom. Most of what we read in Proverbs is just plain good old common sense--to a person who knows the Lord.

Knowledge of God and His holiness, and knowledge of His word is the best starting point for learning whatever we may need to know about life. As Denise, our faithful Bible instructor, reminded us, putting our trust in God is the first step. Putting aside our own supposed wisdom is the next, and with that combination, we open ourselves up to be led to success by the Holy Spirit.

So, take the Proverbs, take the whole Bible. Read it regularly, let the word of the Lord be the beginning of your wisdom, and let Him lead you in every part of your life. You'll never regret it.