Wisdom & Character

Turn with me to Proverbs chapter 6.

Proverbs 6 · chapter mention

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbour,

have given your pledge for a stranger,

if you have snared in the words of your mouth,

caught in the words of your mouth,

then do this, my son, and save yourself,

for you have come into the hand of your neighbour.

Go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbour.

Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber.

Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Go to the ant, O sluggard.

Consider her ways and be wise,

without having any chief, officer, or ruler.

She prepares her bread in summer

and gathers her food in harvest.

How long will you lie there, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

and poverty will come upon you like a robber

and want like an armed man.

A worthless person, a wicked man,

goes about with crooked speech,

winks with his eyes,

signals with his feet,

points with his fingers,

with perverted heart desires evil,

continually sowing discord.

Therefore, calamity will come upon him suddenly.

In a moment he'll be broken beyond healing.

There are six things that the Lord hates,

seven that are an abomination to him.

Forty eyes,

a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood.

A heart that devises wicked plans.

Feet that make haste to run to evil.

A false witness who breathes out lies.

And one who sows discord among brothers.

We're going to jump back into Proverbs this morning.

For those who are visiting,

we tend to have a sort of series that we do

during the school holiday periods.

At the moment we've been working through Proverbs.

Proverbs is something that resonates with us really easily,

I think,

because it's all about wisdom.

It's about seeking wisdom on the one hand,

and by contrast,

then avoiding foolishness.

That's essentially the breakdown of the book of Proverbs.

And as I say,

that resonates with us

because I think every single one of us here this morning,

in some sense,

is a philosopher.

The word philosophy

simply is two words in Greek.

Philo,

which means love,

and Sophia,

which means wisdom.

So,

I think we're all lovers of wisdom

in our own form.

That is,

every one of us here

is committed to some form of living

which you would consider to be the good life.

Some form of what it is to be a good human being

in relation to other human beings

and in relation to our world and our society.

So,

in that sense,

we're all philosophers.

Now,

we love wisdom,

but at the same time,

in our hearts,

we know that people can be incredibly stupid.

We know that we ourselves

can be incredibly stupid.

I know I can be incredibly stupid.

So,

again,

that resonates,

that divide

between desiring to be wise

and yet sometimes find ourselves

and yet sometimes find ourselves

to be dopey beyond belief.

And we can see that all around us

because all around us in our society,

there's codes of conduct,

professional,

personal standards of behavior.

and we find them now in just about every area of our society.

So,

you have them in industry,

you have them in business,

you have them in sport,

you have them in agriculture even,

you have them in advertising,

social media,

government,

families,

and so on and so forth.

Professional standards,

codes of conduct.

But then the question arises,

who sets these standards

in these codes of conduct?

And once we dig down into them a little bit,

we find

that often those codes of conduct

simply reflect

the mood of society

at that particular time.

The mood of the interest group

or the culture

or the interest group

writing the standards.

And mostly,

and I was looking through

a few of them this week,

mostly,

those codes of conduct

limit themselves

at trying to legislate behavior.

So,

it's,

you shouldn't do this

in this environment.

They just don't even go down the track

of trying to address character.

They don't talk about

how you should be

as a person.

They're just talking about

what you should or shouldn't do

as a person.

And that allows people

wriggle room

to get around

these codes of conduct

because I think we'd know

there's a lot of

high publicity situations

where it's clear

that people have only

given lip service

to the code of conduct

that exists

in their particular area

of society.

And I think the reason

why that happens

is

that because people

individually

are committed

to a form of wisdom

driven by autonomy,

driven by self-interest.

So,

they might be part

of a group

or a culture

or an industry

or an organization

that has

an overall code of conduct,

but individuals

might be committed

to autonomy.

And that expresses itself

and saying,

well, look,

I know how to do life.

I don't have

somebody else telling me.

I won't have

somebody else telling me

how to do it,

how to behave.

I know better

than everyone else.

And I will express myself

as I see fit.

And we see the evidence

of that all around us,

don't we?

We only have to listen

to the news.

So,

on the one hand,

this whole topic

of wisdom

and becoming wise

resonates with us.

But we see

a lot of problems

in there as well.

What is it to be wise?

What is it to be foolish?

Wisdom in the Bible

is very clear.

Wisdom in the Bible

is a reflection

of God's character.

It's a reflection

it's God's standard

because it's a reflection

of God's character.

Wisdom in the Bible

is primarily

about being something.

And the connection

in the Bible then

is if we be something,

if we are something

in essence,

then that will overflow

into what we do

in myriad situations

in life.

The back story

of Proverbs

is in 1 Kings

1 Kings 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

and chapter 4

where King Solomon

prayed that he might

reflect God's character.

Why?

Because he was

God's representative

ruler over God's people

and he said,

I want to rule

over these people

as if you yourself

were here ruling,

Lord.

How do I do that?

I need to have a character

like you, Lord.

So he prays

for that.

And what does the Lord

give him?

1 Kings 3 and 4

The Lord gives him

the gift of wisdom.

He longed

for discernment,

a truly understanding

heart,

so he might lead

God's people

into the good life

that God intended

for them to have.

and God gives him

the gift of wisdom

to be able to do that.

So therefore,

the good life

according to Proverbs,

according to the Bible,

the good life,

the wise life

is the life

that's lived

under

God's rules,

the life that reflects

God's character.

The life that's

lived in the light

of God's reality

and it's expressed

in love,

fairness,

compassion,

because that's

God's character.

Love,

compassion,

and fairness

to others.

Now,

in stark contrast

to that,

the Bible also

clearly sets out

what it is

to be a fool.

And the foolish life

is,

by contrast,

that life

that's lived

in determined

rebellion against God,

lived in autonomy,

from God.

And therefore,

the Bible would say

that the foolish life

is a contrived reality.

It's something

that we imagine

in our minds

or we try and formulate

in our minds

and then try and make work

in practice.

It's a contrived reality.

It's not God's reality.

And it reflects

foolishness

and reflects

what the Bible

would call

a sin distorted,

a sort of

grotesque

sense of self

which is expressed

in the character

of self-interest,

injustice,

and carelessness.

And there you've got

the contrast.

God's character,

God's reality,

contrived reality,

our own

basic essential

sinful character

coming to the surface.

And so then

Proverbs takes

one more step

and says,

pushes us to the fact

that true wisdom

is the desperate

need of our world.

Now there's no doubt,

I think,

that every single person

in this room

would agree

that we need wisdom

in our leaders

if we're going to

survive as a country,

if we're going to

thrive as a nation.

Nobody would argue

with that.

The question then,

the big step to take

is,

what do you think

true wisdom is?

The Bible says

true wisdom

is God's wisdom,

God's reality,

God's character.

character.

That's what is

the desperate need

of our world,

the desperate need

of our nation.

Because God's wisdom,

therefore,

is the healer

of our old,

distorted,

self-interested world.

God's wisdom

is the restorer

of a true sense

of self.

And it's expressed

in the life

lived under God.

So Proverbs,

my friends,

is ultimately

about character.

Character

and the challenge

for God's people

to reflect

God's character

in all of life.

So the formula

is really quite simple

here this morning.

We're going to look

at more details

from chapter 6.

But if you want

to be a wise person,

then you ought to be

seeking with all

your energy

to reflect God's character

in whatever situation

you find yourself in.

In chapter 6,

verses 1 to 19,

the passage we report

this morning,

is just another

sort of contrast.

The sections

before that

is chapter 5

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

and then from

the second half

of chapter 6 onwards,

the section before

and after this,

but they use

the picture of adultery.

So this is poetic language,

picture language.

Passages before

and after

very, very heavily

focused on the idea

of adultery,

which Proverbs says

is the ultimate

expression of foolishness.

Now in the same way

as Jesus uses

the parables

in the New Testament,

that is,

he uses a picture

that people can easily

and commonly understand

to teach a point

that's a much bigger picture,

a much bigger

spiritual reality point.

Then I think

that's what's been used

here in Proverbs

when they use

the idea of adultery.

Adultery is something

we all know about.

There's a physical reality

to it in our society

and in our own lives,

at least mentally.

But it's a picture

of a prior

unfaithfulness

to God's word.

It's a picture

of a prior

turning away from

a desire

to have God's character

to another lover,

if you want to use that word.

Another delight

of life.

The adulterer

lives in a distorted reality.

The adulterer

chases false intimacy,

convinced that

they're enjoying

the good life

when in fact

they're actually

bringing themselves

to ruin.

And how does

Proverbs 6, 1 to 19

fit in that bigger picture?

Well, I think

it's just really

just saying that

foolishness comes

in many different forms.

And we shouldn't limit it

to that sort of

picture of sexual

unfaithfulness,

although even that

has got a bigger connotation.

Because here in these

19 verses,

we get three characteristics,

three attitudes of heart,

three pictures of foolishness,

as it were,

which overflow

into a lifestyle

totally at odds

with God's character.

A lifestyle

which ultimately

will be destructive

to the individual

and to the community

in which

these individuals

operate.

So let's jump

into the

three things.

If you've got your

bulletin on your device

there,

you'll see my three headings.

The first characteristic

is,

verses 1 to 5,

reckless

self-seeking.

So,

Simon read it

very well,

brought it to life

really well.

The scenario is

that of the son.

And he's become

surety

or guarantor,

that's the modern term

some of you might recognize.

He's put up

a pledge

to guarantee

somebody else's debt.

And it would seem

like he's done that

without first

considering

the huge risk

involved

in taking

ownership

of that debt,

in making that

commitment,

and whether they

could afford

to pay

what they had

promised

should the debtor,

the person who has

the loan,

default on his loan.

I don't think

there's anything

illegal

or unbiblical

in what the guy

has done.

The issue here

is that he did it

without thinking.

He did it without

considering

the cost

and the risk

and whether he could

actually deliver

on the promise

he was making.

I promised to take

responsibility

for this debt

should this person

default,

but it would appear

he hasn't considered

exactly what

that might involve.

And he's got himself

into a whole

heap of trouble.

The promise,

I suspect,

may well have been

well-intentioned.

Perhaps this son

genuinely wanted

to help somebody

that was in a tough

spot.

Oh yeah,

I can help him out.

Perhaps

they wanted

to appear wealthy.

Perhaps they wanted

to make themselves

feel important

to others

by making others

indebted to their

generosity.

Oh yes,

I've got plenty of money,

I can afford to do this.

And the transaction

then makes,

perhaps was designed

to make themselves

feel important

and make others

indebted to them.

Perhaps

one suggestion

is that the

guy who's taken

out the loan

wasn't an Israelite.

So you weren't

allowed to charge

interest if you

had a loan

with an Israelite.

But if it was

not an Israelite,

you were allowed

to charge interest.

And perhaps this guy

saw an opportunity

to make a fastback.

whatever the reason,

we're told here

that such a

reckless promise

is like walking

into a trap.

Why?

Because it's

taking responsibility

for another

which ultimately

you can't control.

Taking responsibility

for something

that you can't

control.

Another person's

debt and their

commitment to paying it.

And so

sort of the trap

springs and in

spite of the

intention of

the son

going guarantor,

he is in fact

the one who

becomes indebted.

He's the one

who puts himself

at the mercy

of the person

who had taken

out the loan

originally.

And verse 5,

his indebtedness

is pictured

as a ferocious

wild animal

hunting him

down relentlessly

to destruction.

That's the

picture language.

This guy's

gotten himself

into a real

mess.

Why?

Because he

didn't stop

and think

and count

the cost.

And the

potential costs

you only have to

scratch below

the surface

are huge

and they're

all destructive.

there's the

danger of

actually going

bankrupt if

the guarantor

was acted

upon,

if the other

person defaulted

on the loan.

There's the

stupidity of

helping someone

secure a loan

that ultimately

they couldn't

afford to pay.

There's the

danger to

existing

relationship

with the

person as a

result of

indebtedness

or default.

I've seen

so many

relationships

over the

years crash

because of

financial

collapse.

Relationships

just can't

bear that

sort of

stuff.

A proper

assessment of

the true

cost of his

reckless

promises shows

that urgent

desperate action

is required.

Verses 2 and

3 there.

And essentially

what the

father said

to him is

listen boy

swallow your

pride and

as quickly as

you can make

every effort

you can to

get yourself

out of this

dangerous

situation.

Now

bringing it a

little bit more

personally to

us I

suspect that

most of us

I certainly

understand this

idea of

reckless impulse

promise.

We do it so

easily don't we?

We promise

all sorts of

things that

when push

comes to

shove we

actually can't

deliver on.

And to

promise them

without thinking

through carefully

the Bible tells

us is

characteristic

of foolishness.

Maybe well

intentioned

but it's a

picture of

foolishness.

And moving

on to verses

6 to

11

we've got a

second

characteristic

which I'm

calling

thoughtless

self-excusing

character.

Now a

sluggard is

pretty much

the opposite

of the

previous

characteristic

self-seeking.

and we

only really

get a sense

of what

the

sluggard

is by

contrast

with the

industrious

ant

the

illustration

that's

used in

these

verses.

So let's

have a look

at this

industrious

ant

possibly a

harvester

ant.

The ant

we're told

is motivated

from within

by a strong

sense of

what is

right

and what is

good both

for itself

and the

community

in which

it lives.

We're told

that it's

always thinking

and preparing

ahead for

the future.

It's highly

relational

in that

it's doing

what needs

to be done

for the

good of

the whole

community

even at

the cost

of expending

itself.

That's the

picture that

we're given

here.

And the

sluggard of

course is the

opposite of

all of that.

So the

characteristics

on show

here that's

described as

foolishness is

the characteristic

expressed in

someone who

is careless

and self

excusing.

Sometimes they

might present

as lazy but

it's not

actually laziness

it's an

attitude of

not really

caring too

much about

anyone or

anything.

Teenagers

might use

this,

understand this

idea,

it's the

sort of

whatever

type of

person.

Don't get

excited about

anything

particularly.

Don't get

overly committed

about anything

particularly.

Not a

self-starter.

Yes, if you

harass them

they might

do some

things but

even then

they'll be

minimalist.

Minimum

effort,

minimum

time,

minimum

commitment,

minimum

thought.

they need

someone to

get them

moving.

They need

someone to

give them

focus.

They might

even suggest

that others

around them

are perfectionists

and say

well the

problem really

is that you

guys are all

overly committed.

You're trying

too hard but

in reality

oftentimes

they're just

covering for

their own

lack of

motivation,

their own

carelessness.

business.

They're not

servant-minded.

They're not

community-minded.

They won't

easily pitch in

and help

others.

They won't

put the

shoulder to

the wheel

for the

good of

everyone.

They're not

dependable

at the end

of the day.

They're

individualists

and we're

told here

that the

verse 11

that poverty

will come

upon them.

Now I don't

think that

necessarily

means they'll

actually run

out of money

physically.

I think what

the word there

means is they'll

be impoverished

as people

and there's

quite a

difference.

They'll be

diminished.

This sort of

approach to

life actually

has a cost,

a big cost

individually

and personally

and that

cost is that

you become

diminished as

a person.

You become

impoverished.

You live for

yourself and

you'll die

alone.

It's a

drain on

personhood

and you can

see therefore

why it

becomes an

issue of

foolishness.

that is

something that's

contrary to

the character

of God.

It's not

how we were

made as

image bearers.

They may feel

good about

themselves because

they live with

minimum effort

and social

cost but they

fail to

understand the

incredible danger

they're in and

how even as

they're in that

danger moment by

moment, day by

day, they're

actually being

diminished as

people even

though they

might think

they're

preserving

themselves

nicely as

a person.

And verse

11, their

characteristic

again ends up

very much like

the previous

one.

Verse 5 is a

very, very

strong picture

of things being

out of control.

The same with

verse 11.

this characteristic

or attitude of

heart will

overpower them

just like a

villain comes and

overpowers you.

And ultimately

it will destroy

them.

It's impossible

to be wise

and at the same

time be a

whatever type

of person.

And the third

characteristic,

verses 12

through to 19,

is what I'm

calling ruthless

self-interest.

This is the

sort of person

who again

presents differently.

This person is

so utterly

pragmatic

that quite

literally

anything goes

where that

person's

perceived

some personal

gain to

lie.

The word

worthless in

verse 12 is

actually the

word belial,

which in the

New Testament

has come to

mean the

word devil.

But

Wolke

uses the

term

insurrectionist

because it's

the person

who's so

constantly and

aggressively

against God's

rules and

against God's

workings that

he's like an

insurrectionist.

He's like a

terrorist.

and this is the

person,

as you see

through these

verses,

there's lots of

picture language

in here again,

but let me just

try and surface

run over it.

This is the

person who just

loves to play

people off

against each

other

because in

doing that

he can see

personal

advantage.

He's the

sort of

person who

will happily

consume and

destroy people

and relationships

for his own

advantage and

where he sees

advantage.

That's why I

say it's

ruthless.

Now, it's

not that this

person I think

is particularly

evil per se.

There's nothing

in the text that

would suggest

that.

In other words,

he's not out

there in a

category by

himself as

evil.

It's not that.

It's not even

perhaps that they

set out to cause

division, but

that their

ruthless self

interest inevitably

results in them

using and abusing

people for their

own advantage.

In other words,

they just can't

help themselves.

Two separate

almost identical

descriptions add

weight to this

whole description

12 to 15 and

then 16 to 19.

It's almost a

repeat, but in

inverse order.

Two separate

almost identical

descriptions emphasize

the awfulness of

this character by

suggesting that

every key part of

the body is

utilized for

this scheming,

conniving,

manipulating

passage to their

own end.

Look at verse 12

through to 15.

It's as if the

poet here is

saying, look,

from top to

bottom, from

their eyes, from

their mouth, their

hands, their

fingers, right down

to their feet and

including their

heart, every

single faculty of

the body is

brought together

in this beautiful

harmony of

self-interest and

self-advantage.

And in

combination, it's

pretty brutal and

ruthless.

You get the idea

there, I'm not

quite sure what to

do with the idea

of pointing the

finger and

winking the eye,

but it's just

that notion of a

wheeler-dealer, a

player.

A couple of

nods and winks

and punches there.

Yep, so I'm

resonating with some

anyway, regardless

of the rest of

your sleep.

So we know the

idea of a player,

don't we?

A schemer, a

manipulator.

And they're sort

of perfectly and

seamlessly in sync

with themselves to

manipulate for their

own ends, regardless

of the cost to

others.

And their heart

attitude is included

in here.

It overflows into

the habit of making

trouble, into the

habit of causing

division.

and lying as

easily as

breathing.

Verse 18.

No, verse 19.

It becomes so

habitual because

lies are necessary

to manipulate that

you just lie like

you breathe.

It's an essential

of life.

But ultimately, as

with the other two

characteristics, there's

a huge cost to

pay.

And I think the

play on the words

is this, that just

as they use or

misuse their body,

so the Lord's

judgment will destroy

their body.

God will break

their body.

And here we

catch, again, like

the sluggard, we

catch a glimpse of

what God loves by

listening carefully to

what God hates.

God hates

troublemakers.

that loves

grace makers or

peacemakers.

Again, why?

Because those, the

grace maker and the

peacemaker, reflect

God's character.

Being other person

centered at heart,

refusing to

manipulate, use,

and abuse.

speaking healing

and loving words

of truth.

Doing compassion

and mercy and

rightness.

All the things that

you would not

recognize, and this

person here would

not recognize.

Wisdom and

foolishness.

So, my friends, as

I wrap up, ultimately

foolishness is

clearly exposed by

God's character.

Because God's

character is

wisdom.

And wisdom

inevitably will

expose foolishness.

And most clearly, we

see that in God's

wisdom in Jesus.

When we tie these

three characteristics

back, we can see a

common link to

Jesus.

Jesus, at the end

of the day, is our

true surety or

guarantor.

In Hebrews 7,

Hebrews 7:22

verse 22, the

word's actually used.

Jesus is the

guarantor of a new

and better covenant.

And in the picture

of the gospel and

God's wisdom seen in

Jesus, God does

commit to paying a

huge debt that we

have run up.

And that we

couldn't possibly pay

for ourselves.

And God takes that

debt on knowing that

we have no alternative

but to default on it.

And God promises in

Jesus to take that

debt upon himself.

Was it a reckless

promise?

No.

Far from it.

Never reckless.

It was outrageous.

Absolutely outrageous.

But never reckless.

Why?

Because Jesus had the

means to pay.

And he considered the

cost and was willing

to pay the cost.

The cost of death on

the cross.

And he did it to reverse

our spiritual and moral

bankruptcy.

He did it because our

foolish rebellion and

rejection of his

character left us

unable and unwilling

to pay what is owed to

the Lord for our

rebellion.

And so the foolishness of

us people, sinful people

reveals the wisdom of

God.

And then tying in with

the second characteristic

that Jesus is our

relentless pursuer.

this is one of the

aspects of the gospel I've

really come to appreciate

over the last five or six

years.

That Jesus acts in our

best interest like the

industrious and preparing

ahead and doing what

needed to be done to

rescue and renew us and

make us wise.

And not only that, not

only does he expend

himself completely for the

good of me and other

believers, but he

pursues me.

He pursues me into life

and won't let me

sluggishly drift into

destruction.

And at the times of life

when things seem to

overwhelm me, where I'm at

my worst in a sense, I've

learned over the last six

years that the Lord

pursues me into those

areas.

taking me out the other

side with new confidence

and dependence upon him.

Nothing careless about the

way the Lord treats us.

Jesus is the wise and

faithful son, totally

focused on delivering his

father's promise of

salvation and the good

life.

Jesus pursues us into

life.

And finally, Jesus is our

selfless, healing,

unifying word.

Instead of stirring up

evil and trouble, Jesus

confronts it and deals

with it.

And he sows unity and

good.

Jesus' words are always

true words, healing

words spoken in love and

compassion.

Jesus always expresses

God's character, planning

for our good, identifying

our greatest need and

acting to deal with our

rebellion and bring us

into righteousness and

life.

Interestingly here, in

line with verse 17, God's

hand does shed innocent

blood.

But not ours.

He willingly or makes

haste to kill his son as

part of his heart-driven

plan to redeem his

people.

And in doing so, he

sows new unity.

Picture of wisdom against

foolishness.

And my final appeal, friends,

this morning is, why would

we continue to chase after a

form of wisdom which is our

own, of our own making?

A contrived reality, driven

by our own autonomy, when we

know from our own experience

that that will fail us.

We can pretend and act wise,

but foolishness will just push

up through.

Why would you continue to be

wise in your own eyes?

Even when that so-called

wisdom so often and so easily

leads us into trouble or

self-seeking or carelessness or

just heartbreak and despair.

Why would we not want to move

towards true wisdom?

Why would we not move towards

Jesus who is the wisdom and

righteousness of God?

Because he says, come to me,

fools, and I will make you wise.

I will give you wisdom, which is

a combination, a rich combination

of renewal, unity, new hearts,

new desires, new attitudes, and

the good life that we crave so

deeply.

My final word is, remember this,

the good life that every single

person here craves so deeply.

But if you've been wise in your

own eyes, then that's a wisdom

and a good life that's eluded you

thus far because you've been

acting in your own strength.

Blessing, wisdom, and maturity,

frustration, despair.

Let me pray.

Lord, help us to see your word in

its truth, but more than that,

Lord, give us hearts to act on it.

We can understand, but then hold

back from acting.

Lord, help us to be so aware of our

own failings in terms of what we

would consider to be our own wisdom,

or even, Lord, that we would consider

to be the common wisdom of our

society.

Help us to see that as being a

wretched failure and help us to

move to consider the true wisdom

that would be ours in the Lord

Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray.

Amen.

Thank you very much for listening.