Beginning of Knowledge

We are starting a new series, and we're in Proverbs, the book of Proverbs today.

If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand. We'll have someone from our church bring a Bible to you to help.

Sungmin is back from his very long vacation in California, and he is ready to bring you the Bibles that you need.

And if you are using one of our Blue Pew Bibles, if you don't have one, you can borrow that from us while you're here.

Proverbs is in page 527.

It's in the Old Testament after the long book of Psalms.

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.

Heavenly Father, we come to your Word.

Lord, wanting once again to hear your voice, to be addressed by our King, by our Heavenly Father.

We come in particular this morning to the book of Proverbs, the book of wisdom.

Lord, we recognize that we cannot have wisdom unless we first humble ourselves before you.

And that is our prayer this morning, because only you can do that work.

That you would instill in us a profound fear of the Lord.

Lord, that you would make us a people that tremble before you, that stand in awe of you, that live under your authority, your power.

Lord, that's your prayer.

People who know Christ.

People who have humbled ourselves, humbled themselves, and have entrusted themselves fully to Christ and His salvation.

Lord, make us such people this morning.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Proverbs chapter 1.

Proverbs 1 · chapter mention

We will just do verses 1 through 7 today.

The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.

To know wisdom and instruction.

To understand words of insight.

To receive instruction in wise dealing.

In righteousness, justice, and equity.

To give prudence to the simple.

Knowledge and discretion to the youth.

Let the wise hear and increase in learning.

And the one who understands obtain guidance.

To understand a proverb and a saying.

The words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

The Bible is immensely practical for all of life.

But because it is primarily concerned.

As 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 says.

2 Timothy 3:15

With making us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

It doesn't always get into the mundane details of everyday life.

The book of Proverbs, however, does get into not only the wisdom for salvation.

But also wisdom for finance.

Wisdom for dealing with your neighbors.

Teaches about friendship.

Wisdom for parenting, etc.

As Derek Kipner, a Bible commentator, puts it.

There are details of character small enough to escape the mesh of the law and the broad sides of the prophets.

And yet decisive.

In personal dealings.

Proverbs moves in this realm.

Asking what a person is like to live with or to employ.

How he manages his affairs.

His time.

And himself.

So considering where many of us are as a church in our stages of life.

We thought this would be a very helpful book to go through.

A bit of a change in scenery from where we've been.

And in order to interpret any passage of scripture or any book.

Correctly, properly.

We need to pay attention to three different contexts.

First is the historical context.

The second is the literary context.

And the third is the theological context.

And this is because all scripture is embedded in a particular historical period and culture.

And so our interpretation needs to take into account the relevant historical context.

And so to that end, we need to ask ourselves the questions like, you know, who wrote it?

For whom was it written?

When was it written?

Why was it written?

And also because scripture is literature, our interpretation has to take into account its literary context.

The words.

The syntax.

The structure.

The grammar of the text.

As well as its genre.

Is it a poetry?

Is it a proverb?

Is it a narrative?

Is it a letter?

Or, and since all scripture is divinely inspired, finally we need to consider its theological context.

How does a passage or a book fit in with the rest of scripture?

What does it teach us about God?

How does it relate to Christ?

And verses 1 to 7 is a preamble of the book of Proverbs.

And so it helpfully answers many of these questions for us.

And the overall message of this passage is that we can learn the saving wisdom of God only by humbling ourselves before him.

And so first we'll look at the historical context and then the literary context and the theological context of this book going through verses 1 through 7.

So let's look at the historical context to start.

Right off the bat it tells us who wrote the book.

Verse 1 it says,

The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel.

So the whole collection of Proverbs is attributed to Solomon as the lead author.

But this doesn't mean that he was the sole author.

The book of Proverbs is an anthology.

It's made up of a number of texts written by various authors from various time periods.

And different sections of Proverbs are marked with captions that attribute that section to a particular author.

And I have a list of that to show you.

For example, Solomon is the direct attribution.

Chapter 1, verse 1.

Chapter 10, verse 1.

Chapter 25, verse 1.

And then it refers to the wise.

Kind of generally a category of the wise people as responsible for the sections between 22.17 and 24.34.

And then Augur, chapter 30.

And King Lemuel in chapter 31.

So these are all different authors of the book of Proverbs.

But because Solomon is the principal author, the whole collection is attributed to him.

It's kind of like when you write an academic paper, there's a lead author.

His name is first.

And he's the one that gets cited or mentioned and named most frequently.

And this is not surprising because other parts of Scripture corroborate Solomon's great wisdom.

So we see in 1 Kings 3, verses 5-14, that at the beginning of his reign,

1 Kings 3:5–14

Solomon asked God specifically to grant him an understanding to discern what is right.

And it says that God granted him that.

And so throughout the Old Testament narrative, Solomon is frequently mentioned as kind of this paragon of wisdom.

And we see that specifically in chapter 4, verse 29-34 of 1 Kings.

It says,

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure,

and breath of mind like the sand on the seashore,

so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.

For he was wiser than all other men,

wiser than Ethan the Ezraite,

and Heman,

Calco,

and Darda,

the sons of Maho.

And his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

He also spoke 3,000 proverbs,

and his songs were 1,005.

And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon,

and from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

So since Solomon wrote the bulk of the proverbs,

this also tells us the date,

which means it dates to around the 10th century B.C.

But we know that there was some redactional activity.

There's some editing going on later in stages of proverbs.

Because chapter 25, verse 1 explicitly tells us,

These also are proverbs of Solomon,

which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied.

So the word copied literally means to move forward,

or to pass on,

or to transmit.

It refers to the copying and editing work of scribes

in order to transmit an older document,

and to make it available for future generations.

So that means the book of proverbs was redacted

in the early 7th century.

And if you compare proverbs to other ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature,

you find that they have a lot in common.

For example, especially the sayings

that are attributed generically to the wise,

you guys saw that earlier,

in chapter 22 to chapter 24.

That section in particular contains striking similarities,

for example, with the Egyptian instruction of a menemope.

And that's sometimes people who don't believe in scripture

as the word of God will point to that and say,

Well, you see, Solomon didn't write this.

You know, he just copied it from his source or whatnot.

But that's actually not at all surprising,

because most wisdom, most proverbs that you know,

how many of you can identify the author of a proverb that you know?

I don't think I can identify a single one.

That's the nature of wisdom,

which is passed down from generation after generation,

and it's known in many different cultures.

And it's also not surprising,

because 1 Kings 4, chapter 4, verse 30,

which we read earlier,

specifically tells us that Solomon interacted with

and surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East

and the wisdom of Egypt.

He knew the proverbs of Egypt,

and he attributes a section of proverbs to the wise,

generically speaking.

And Solomon was also married to an Egyptian princess,

as we know from 1 Kings 3, verse 1.

1 Kings 3:1

So it's not at all surprising to see that kind of parallel.

But proverbs does not uncritically assimilate the wisdom

of its surrounding culture.

It transforms it,

because it takes the wisdom gleaned from these cultures

and expresses them in its unique theological context,

as we will later see.

And we see one notable difference between the book of proverbs

and other contemporary ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature right away,

in verse 1.

Usually, in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature,

not only the author,

but also the addressee is specifically named.

And the addressee is typically the first son of the author,

or an apprentice of the author,

who will succeed that sage in his capacity working in the royal courts.

So it's a form of professional,

it's a manual,

it's a professional manual to instruct them

so that they can take over for the person that's writing.

For example,

I mentioned the instruction of Amenemope.

It's written by Amenemope,

who identifies himself as a scribe in Egypt

that oversaw the registry of lands and grains,

a role that seems very similar to the one that Joseph occupied

in Genesis 41 and 47.

And the addressee of that instruction is his son,

the youngest of his children,

who is expected to succeed him in the Egyptian court.

The book of Proverbs, in contrast,

lacks a specific addressee in the introduction.

Solomon does not address his heir apparent, Rehoboam.

And by omitting a specific addressee,

Solomon democratizes his work to all of God's people.

So it says in verse 4,

the Proverbs was written to give prudence to the simple,

knowledge and discretion to the youth.

And not only that,

it says in verse 5,

that those who are already wise,

too, may hear and increase in learning.

So the mention of the simple on the one hand

and the wise on the other hand,

they're groups of the opposite ends of the spectrum.

This shows that Proverbs is addressed to all people,

applicable to all people,

not only to a professional intellectual class.

Now at various points,

it does specifically address my son or sons,

but that's not because there is a specific son in view.

Rather, it's a literary device that sets the book of Proverbs

in the context of family instruction.

That's why chapter 1, verse 8 says,

Hear, my son, your father's instruction,

and forsake not your mother's teaching.

And this is,

it uses the male perspective frequently,

just as languages in many cultures do,

when it applies to both.

So for example,

in Proverbs,

in chapters 5 to 7,

you'll find warnings about the adulterous woman.

But because it is given from that male perspective,

there are no parallel warnings about predatory,

adulterous men,

which you should be just as wary of.

But this doesn't mean that Proverbs is only applicable to men.

It has an entire section dedicated to praising a woman who fears the Lord,

in chapter 31.

And this woman also appears to be schooled in wisdom,

since chapter 31, verse 26,

says,

She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

And in several places in Proverbs,

it mentions not only the father,

but also the mother as the instructor of wisdom in their household to their children.

And so this is,

in fact,

the caption in chapter 31,

verse 1,

says,

The words of King Lemuel,

an oracle that his mother taught him.

And so the fact that mothers are able to instruct their children in this wisdom,

shows that daughters as well as sons were schooled in this instruction of wisdom,

so that they're able to transmit it to their children later.

So that's the kind of historical context.

And now let's look at greater detail in verses 2 to 6 for the literary context of Proverbs.

Verse 2 tells us the purpose of Proverbs.

It says,

To know wisdom and instruction,

to understand words of insight.

So this is what the book is all about.

It's about acquiring wisdom.

And this reveals the genre of Proverbs.

It belongs to the wisdom genre in the Bible,

which also includes the book of Job and the book of Ecclesiastes.

And these three books kind of have to be understood in relationship to one another.

These are very general observations.

But to make very general observations,

Proverbs captures the idealism of a parent,

of a well-wishing parent.

Its basic message is,

Child, it will go well for you if you live wisely in this way.

That's the book of Proverbs.

Ecclesiastes, however,

captures kind of the realism of a weathered veteran.

It says,

No matter how wisely you live,

this life is going to throw curveballs at you,

and bad things are going to happen.

That's Ecclesiastes.

And then Job captures kind of the fideism,

the doctrine of faith.

It has to filter everything that you experience in life.

It's the fideism of a suffering saint.

It says,

We can't explain all that happens in life,

but we have to trust that it all makes sense

in the sovereign wisdom of God.

And these three books,

they kind of work off of each other

and nuance each other,

expand upon each other

to create a very rich matrix of biblical wisdom.

You kind of have to see them together,

understand them together.

Ecclesiastes is prose,

and Job is a mix of poetry and prose,

but Proverbs is poetry.

And because poetry is written

not merely to communicate an idea clearly,

but also to produce pleasure

with something beautiful and imaginative,

with these striking turns of phrases,

it requires that we really meditate,

ruminate on the words,

and engage our creativity.

And so we need to pay attention

when we're reading Proverbs

to figurative language and imagery.

For example, when Proverbs 10, verse 26,

Proverbs 10:26

says,

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the slugger to those who send him.

So we're being invited

to really meditate on that image.

What does vinegar do to people's teeth?

What does smoke do to the eyes?

And as you're meditating on it,

thinking about it,

it gets you deeper into the meaning

of that proverb.

So because of this poetic nature,

you really can't give Proverbs

a cursory reading,

just really quick kind of skimming,

and think that you can get much out of it.

It doesn't work like that.

You have to meditate on it.

You really have to memorize it.

And so there's a pastor, Tim Keller,

who wrote a book on the book of Proverbs.

It says this.

It's a really helpful illustration.

He says,

A proverb is like a hard candy.

If you just bite down on it,

you get little out of it

and may even get a broken tooth.

Instead, you must meditate on it

until the sweetness of insight comes.

And because it's poultry,

we also need to pay attention

to parallel structure.

How are the lines and strophes,

how do they modify and magnify each other?

To give you an example,

let's look at our passage.

Proverbs often use bi-kola,

which is a line in one verse

with two kola or half verses.

And here in our passage in verse 2,

it's unique.

Verse 2 is unique in this passage

because it has two infinitive clauses

in each column.

It says,

To know wisdom and instruction.

That's the first half.

And then,

To understand words of insight.

That's the second half.

And these parallel half verses

shed light on the dual purpose of Proverbs.

Its first purpose is to know wisdom

and instruction.

That implies an internalization

of an experience of the substance of wisdom.

It's not merely head knowledge,

but heart knowledge.

It's confirmed by the word instruction,

which refers to kind of a humble submission

to the authority of one's teacher.

Job 5.17, for example,

translates that same word instruction

as discipline.

Behold, blessed is the one

whom God reproves,

therefore despise not

the discipline of the Almighty.

So to know wisdom and instruction

is to internalize and obey

the substance,

the lessons of wisdom

by submitting to discipline

and correction.

That's the one purpose of Proverbs.

The second half,

so the first half refers

to the substance of wisdom.

Second half of verse 2

refers to the form of wisdom,

the expression of wisdom.

To understand words of insight.

It means,

to understand means to perceive

or to discern or grasp something.

And the word refers to a saying,

a proverb,

words of insight.

And this is a common distinction

that a lot of ancient Near Eastern literature

make between knowledge

and its expression.

The substance of wisdom

and how it's articulated.

You need to both understand

what the words are saying

and then really grasp

and internalize its content,

its substance into your life.

So then Proverbs is intended

both to help us grow wiser

and also for us,

to help us grasp the wisdom.

To become characterized by wisdom

and also to understand

the way wisdom is articulated.

And verses 3 to 6 then

unpack verse 2.

Verses 3 to 4 expand

on what it means

to know wisdom and instruction.

And then verses 5 to 6 expand

on what it means

to understand the words of insight.

And we know that there's an association

between these subsections

and the head verse in verse 2

because they're connected by catchwords,

which is also a literary device

that biblical writers often use,

using keywords,

repeating keywords

or synonyms of words

to tie literary units together.

So I have a...

I can show you this.

Yeah, so the words know

and instruction

from the first half of verse 2

are repeated again

in verses 3 to 4.

To know wisdom and instruction.

To receive instruction

in wise dealing.

Knowledge and discretion

to the youth.

And then the words understand

and the word word

are repeated in verses 5 to 6.

To understand words of insight.

The one who understands

obtains guidance.

To understand a proverb

and a saying.

The words of the wise

and their riddles.

So using that parallel structure

as a guideline,

let's then unpack

what it means

to know wisdom and instruction.

The first half of verse 2.

So first,

to know wisdom and instruction

requires two things.

A teachable person

and a person

who is willing

and able to teach.

So verse 3

speaks of a teachable person.

It says,

to receive instruction

in wise dealing,

in righteousness,

justice,

and equity.

As I mentioned earlier,

instruction is a word

that conveys a sense

of discipline

or correction.

So that means

we need to be ready

to receive instruction.

The word receive

implies eager acceptance,

receptivity.

So a truly wise person

humbly submits

to the discipline

of God's word.

He doesn't cut through

the word of God

with the mold

of his own worldview

and ideas.

Making the Bible

fit his mold

and then cutting off

all the excess.

A truly wise person,

a godly person,

instead,

takes the mold

of God's word

and puts it

over himself.

Make his life

and his ideas

fit the mold

and get rid

of any excess.

Humble receptivity

to receive instruction.

And a truly wise person

does not merely

have cognitive wisdom,

but also experiential wisdom.

He has submitted

to course correction

in wise dealing,

in righteousness,

justice,

and equity.

It's kind of like this.

One can understand

all the mechanics

of throwing a football,

yet be completely

incapable

of throwing a football.

That's me.

One can master

the details of theology

and yet not know God.

One can understand

the psychology

of persons

and yet be totally

inept at knowing

and relating

to people.

Similarly,

one can have

much knowledge

and yet be

totally unwise

in the way he lives.

There's a difference

between a wise cracker

and a wise person.

To know wisdom

and instruction

requires someone

who is teachable.

It also requires

someone who can teach.

That's what verse 4

has in view,

to give prudence

to the simple,

knowledge and discretion

to the youth.

Being simple

can be a sign

of godly humility

and faith,

and that's not

the kind of simplicity

that's in view here.

It's referring to people

who are simplistic,

naive,

gullible.

It's the type of people

who often get duped

or scammed.

What they need

is prudence

that can also be

translated as shrewdness.

And the goal

of wisdom instruction

is to impart knowledge

and discretion

to the youth.

Discretion is the quality

of being judicious

or circumspect

in one's dealings,

not impulsive

or careless.

And the youth

are identified

as the category

of people

that particularly

need this kind

of discretion,

but youth

doesn't merely

refer to teenagers

in the Bible.

The Hebrew words

for young people

are not as narrow

and specific

as in the English.

So youth,

the word,

is sometimes used

to refer to infants,

Exodus 2,

chapter 2,

verse 6.

It refers to teens,

Genesis chapter 37,

Genesis 37:2

verse 2.

It even refers

to a 30-year-old Joseph

in Genesis 41.

So anyone

who is asking questions

like,

who am I?

Where do I fit in?

What do I believe?

How shall I live?

If you're asking

these questions,

you can identify

and put yourself

in the category

of the youth

that the Proverbs

is addressing.

So that's what it means

to know the substance

of wisdom,

to know wisdom

and instruction,

to humble yourself,

to receive the discipline,

the correction

of God's word.

Now turning to

the second half

of verse 2,

the form of wisdom,

the expression of it,

to understand

words of insight.

Let's look at

verses 5 to 6.

Let the wise

hear and increase

in learning,

and the one

who understands

obtain guidance.

To understand

a proverb

and a saying,

the words of the wise

and their riddles.

So the subsection

is connected

to the second half

of verse 2

by the words

understand and words.

So it's possible

to know,

as I said,

it's possible

to know the form

of wisdom

without understanding

its substance.

But it's also

impossible

to understand

the substance

of wisdom

without grasping

the form.

You also need

to understand

what the words mean.

You have to grasp it.

And so,

you know,

you need to be able

to understand it

before you can apply it

and obey them.

And so that's what

verses 5 to 6

are concerned about.

Even the wise

should pay attention

because then

they will increase

in learning.

And whoever

understands

will obtain

guidance

to understand

a proverb

and a saying

the words

of the wise

and their riddles.

Several different

words are here

used to refer

to a proverb.

It's called

a proverb,

a saying,

words of the wise

and riddles.

Habakkuk 2,

Habakkuk 2:6

verse 6

uses three

of these four words

to refer to

the exact same song.

So we know

that these words

are not referring

to different types

of proverbs

or wisdom sayings.

It's all referring

to the same thing.

But it does highlight

different aspects

of what a proverb

is like.

And so a proverb

is literally

kind of a form

of parable.

It's kind of

a metaphor.

The book of Proverbs

includes sections

of longer narratives

as well,

but it features

what we've come

to associate primarily

with the word proverb.

These kind of pithy,

kind of punchy,

witty sayings

that you guys know,

I'm sure,

several from memory.

And so that means

by definition,

because it's a proverb,

proverbs do not

come with

qualifications,

nuances,

and footnotes.

If it had those things,

it would be an essay.

It would not be a proverb.

It would no longer

be pithy or witty.

And for that reason,

we need to be careful

not to absolutize

the proverbs

to make it fit

every context.

Instead,

we need to use

the proverbs

in their appropriate

contexts.

And we can see this

even in the examples

of non-biblical proverbs.

So to give you an example,

sometimes in life,

a speedy response

to a situation

is called for.

So there are proverbs

that say that, right?

He who hesitates

is lost.

A stitch in time

saves nine.

You guys understand

what that means?

Nobody stitches up

things anymore.

If you have a little hole,

like a pinhole

on your shirt,

if you don't stitch it up

in a timely fashion,

it's going to become

this gaping larger hole

that's going to require

nine stitches

instead of one.

That's what that means.

So you've got to respond

quickly to a crisis

or a situation.

So these proverbs

are calling for

a quick response.

But then there are

other proverbs

that call for

a more slower,

measured,

and deliberative

response to things,

like,

look before you leap.

Haste makes waste.

They're contradictory.

They advise opposite things.

But we know from experience

that these sayings

are both true.

Similarly,

Proverbs chapter 13,

Proverbs 13:25

verse 25 says,

The righteous

has enough

to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly

of the wicked

suffers want.

Pretty straightforward,

right?

If you live righteously,

you will have plenty

to eat.

If you live wickedly,

you will go hungry.

However,

just two verses earlier,

Proverbs chapter 13,

Proverbs 13:23

verse 23,

it says,

The fallow ground

of the poor

would yield much food,

but it is swept away

through injustice.

This proverb suggests

that though the hardworking

and righteous poor people

could have plenty to eat,

theoretically speaking,

injustice robs them

of the fruit of their labor.

So we see

a similar tension

like this

all over Proverbs.

Just to give you

another similar example,

Proverbs chapter 15,

Proverbs 15:6

verse 6,

It says,

In the house of the righteous

there is much treasure,

but trouble befalls

the income of the wicked.

Once again,

pretty straightforward.

If you're righteous,

God will reward you

and you'll be rich.

However,

just a few verses later,

it says in Proverbs 15,

Proverbs 15:16–17

verses 16 to 17,

Better is a little

with the fear of the Lord

than great treasure

and trouble with it.

Better is a dinner of herbs

where love is

than a fattened ox

and hatred with it.

And still later,

Proverbs 16, 8,

says,

Better is a little

with righteousness

than great revenues

with injustice.

These latter Proverbs

suggest that sometimes

crooks acquire

great revenues

with crookery,

with injustice,

and that the righteous

who fear the Lord

are sometimes poor,

but that nevertheless

it's better to be righteous.

The interplay

between these Proverbs

reveals something

more profound.

And it's generally true

that honest,

hardworking person

gains prosperity.

But that's the way

God has ordered

the world to work.

However,

this world is also

broken and sinful

and backwards,

and so we are

commanded to seek

righteousness

even when it leads

to poverty and hunger.

So because of

its proverbial nature,

some Proverbs

are by necessity

partial.

So we have to be

careful not to take

them as divine absolutes

that fit every single

situation.

So we would be

causing a lot of

trouble and doing

damage to people's

lives, for example,

if we use Proverbs 15, 6

to bludgeon

every poor person

in the church

and saying,

well, you are

full of injustice,

aren't you?

That's why you're poor.

That may be true

in some cases,

but it's definitely

not true in other cases.

That's why chapter 1,

verse 6,

calls Proverbs

a riddle.

It's something

like solving a puzzle,

and only when

they are put together

do you truly

appreciate the

profound wisdom

and beauty

of God's word.

That's the literary

context of Proverbs.

And finally,

let's turn to the

theological context

of Proverbs.

I feel a little bad.

I'm sorry if this

sounds a little more

like a lecture

than a sermon.

We're getting to

Christ here

in a second.

That's kind of hard

with the introductions

to books.

The Bible scholars

have at times

struggled to make

the book of Proverbs

fit with the rest

of Scripture.

It's unique

because it doesn't

really talk about

the covenant

between God

and his people,

about God's

salvation plan,

that all the other

books in Scripture

talk about.

So some scholars

have gone so far

as to say that

this is a book

of secular wisdom

that doesn't require

a belief in God.

But that's actually

a very bad

mischaracterization

of the book.

Because it says

in verse 7,

and this is really

the thesis statement

of the entire book,

the fear of the Lord

is the beginning

of knowledge.

Fools despise

wisdom and instruction.

The author of Proverbs

situates the book

in the worship

and fear

of the Lord,

which is a common

refrain through

all of Scripture.

And the Lord

in all caps

as in here,

it's the proper,

it's the personal

name of God.

It's the name

that God revealed

to His covenant people

in Exodus chapter 3,

Exodus 3:14–15

verses 14 to 15.

I am who I am.

Say this

to the people of Israel.

I am has sent me

to you.

God also said

to Moses,

say this to the people

of Israel.

The Lord,

Yehovah,

the God of your fathers,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob

has sent me to you.

This is my name forever,

and thus I am to be remembered

throughout all generations.

That means Proverbs

cannot be separated

from the rest of Scripture

in which God

has revealed Himself

and His plan of salvation.

Yes, Proverbs is a book,

but it's in a more

important sense

a chapter in a larger book

called the Bible.

The Bible has God

as the ultimate author

behind the immediate

human authors.

Therefore,

like every part

of the Bible,

Proverbs yields

its fullest

and richest fruit

only when it's viewed

in light of

its fulfillment

in Jesus Christ.

So what does it mean

to fear God?

To fear God

is to relate

and respond

to God

appropriately

with reverent obedience

and humble submission.

It doesn't refer

to being terrified.

It refers to being

in awe.

I've used Exodus

Exodus 20:20

chapter 20

verse 20 before

as a case in point

to prove this.

After God appears

to the Israelites

to give them

the Ten Commandments,

Moses says to the people,

Do not fear,

for God has come

to test you

that the fear

of Him

may be before you

that you may not sin.

It's the exact same word

in both of those occurrences,

the word fear.

Don't fear

because God

has appeared to you

so that you might

fear Him.

Right?

And that's not

a contradiction.

Moses doesn't want

the people

to be terrified

and to flee

the presence of God.

He wants them

to stand

in awe of God,

to revere God

and to fear Him

in a healthy sense

so that it constrains

their behavior

and produces

obedience

in their life.

That's the fear of God.

To summarize it,

to fear the Lord

is to live

every waking moment

in the presence of God

under the authority of God

and for the glory of God.

That's what fear of God is.

To live before the face of God

as if He's always with you.

To do all things

and say all things

as if you're always

under His authority.

And to do everything

for the glory of God.

That's to fear God.

And this is a very

relevant reminder

as we go through

the Proverbs

because people

and there's a lot of you

out there

because this is Cambridge.

I include myself in this

so please don't be offended.

People with control issues

love the book of Proverbs.

They do.

Why?

Because they feel like

to use a rock climbing metaphor

like they feel like

Proverbs gives them

handles or holes

that they can use then

to scale

the wall of life.

Oh, this is straightforward.

I can do this.

If I do these things

then I will have

a materially

and spiritually

successful life.

This gives me

control.

Handles

for life.

But the book

is not intended

to be used that way.

It's intended

to make us

more dependent

trusting of

and submitted

to God.

That's why

even though

Proverbs chapter 4

Proverbs 4:7

verse 7

exhorts us

to get wisdom

and whatever you get

get insight

and then later

in Proverbs chapter 21

Proverbs 21:30

verse 30

it tells us

no wisdom

no understanding

no counsel

can avail

against the Lord.

If we think

that we can

manipulate God

by mastering

these Proverbs

we are deeply

mistaken.

Right apprehension

of the Proverbs

the right appropriation

of the Proverbs

begins with

the fear

of the Lord.

It begins

with humility.

It begins

with faith.

It begins

with submission

before God.

That's why

verse 7

contrasts

fearing the Lord

with despising

wisdom

and instruction.

Only when

we humble

ourselves

before God

in faith

are we truly

ready

to learn

wisdom.

And note well

that the fear

of the Lord

is the beginning.

It's not

the end.

It is

primary

not

secondary.

It's

foundational.

It's not

incidental

to wisdom

the fear

of the Lord.

It is

the principal

thing.

Bible scholar

Bruce

Walke

puts it

this way

what the

alphabet

is to

reading

notes

to reading

music

and

numerals

to

mathematics

the fear

of the

Lord

is to

attaining

the revealed

knowledge

of this

book.

Being wise

in the

dealings

of this

world

does not

begin with

reading about

the dealings

of this

world.

It does

not begin

with those

what they call

the books

for dummies

series.

It doesn't

begin with

watching how-to

videos on

YouTube.

YouTube.

If you

want to be

truly wise

in the

dealings

of this

world

you need

the fear

of God.

That is

the

foundational

principle.

It begins

with knowledge

of God.

And every

subsequent

proverb

that we

read

in this

book

we have

to read

in light

of this

reality.

And faith

in God

is not

this tells

us that

faith in

God

is not

something

that you

attain

at the

end

of your

lifelong

pursuit

of wisdom

and truth.

Some of

you are

not yet

believers

and followers

of Christ

and I

want to

exhort you

with this.

Don't

wait on

faith.

Faith is

not something

you arrive

at after

a lifelong

pursuit

of truth.

If you

don't know

God you

haven't

started on

your journey

of knowledge.

Because all

knowledge is

incomplete unless

it is situated

in its proper

context with

relation to

God.

This is

something,

this is why

I think

sometimes it's

difficult for

genuine

Christians to

defend

Christianity.

Not because

there are no

reasons for

their faith,

they have

plenty of

reasons for

their faith,

but they

just have a

hard time

articulating

that.

And G.K.

Chesterton

explains it

this way in

his book

Orthodoxy,

it is very

hard for a

man to

defend

anything of

which he

is entirely

convinced.

It is

comparably

easy when

he is only

partially

convinced.

He is

partially

convinced

because he

has found

this or

that proof

of the

thing,

and he

can expound

it.

But a man

is not

really

convinced

of a

philosophic

theory when

he finds

that something

proves it.

He is only

really convinced

when he

finds that

everything

proves it.

Sometimes

Christians have

a hard time

defending

Christianity,

not because

they have

these proofs,

they don't have

reasons for it,

because to

them,

everything

makes sense

in light of

Christianity.

Everything in

their life is

evidence of

Christianity.

C.S. Lewis

puts it eloquently

this way,

I believe in

Christianity as I

believe that the

sun has risen,

not only because

I see it,

but because by

it I see

everything else.

fear of the

Lord is the

beginning of

knowledge.

Yet there is

a conspicuous

absence of the

fear of the

Lord in our

world.

Quoting from

Psalms,

from the

Psalms,

Paul writes

in Romans

Romans 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

none is

righteous,

no,

not one.

No one

understands,

no one

seeks God.

All have

turned aside,

together they

have become

worthless.

No one

does good,

not even

one.

There is

no fear

of God

before their

eyes.

That is

the single

most devastating

malady that

currently

humanity is

experiencing.

More

significant,

more

threatening

than even

the

coronavirus.

virus.

We are

a proud

people,

brazen

people,

a

foolhardy

people,

and we

desperately

need the

wisdom of

God.

And we

find that

wisdom in

the person

and work of

Jesus Christ

who is

described in

God's word

as the

wisdom

of God.

Please follow

along with me

as I read

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1:17–25

chapter 1

verses 17

to 25.

For Christ

did not

send me to

baptize but

to preach

the gospel

and not

with words

of eloquent

wisdom,

lest the

cross of

Christ be

emptied of

its power.

For the

word of

the cross

is folly

to those

who are

perishing,

but to

us who

are being

saved it

is the

power of

God.

For it

is written,

I will

destroy the

wisdom of

the wise

and the

discernment

of the

discerning

I will

thwart.

Where is

the one

who is

wise?

Where is

the

scribe?

Where is

the

debater of

the sage?

Has

not

God

made

foolish

the

wisdom

of

the

world?

For

since

in the

wisdom

of

God

the

world

did

not

know

God

through

wisdom,

it

pleased

God

through

the

folly

of

what

we

preach

to

save

those

who

believe.

For

Jews

demand

signs

and

Greeks

seek

wisdom,

but

we

preach

Christ

crucified,

a

stumbling

block

to

Jews

and

folly

to

Gentiles,

but

to

those

who

are

called,

both

Jews

and

Greeks,

Christ

the

power

of

God

and

the

wisdom

of

God.

For

the

foolishness

of

God

is

wiser

than

men

and

the

weakness

of

God

is

stronger

than

men.

God

the

gospel,

the

good

news

of

Jesus

Christ

that

he

was

crucified

for

the

sins

of

his

people

and

that

he

was

raised

triumphantly

for

our

new

life

and

resurrection

so that

we

might

be

pardoned

of

our

sins

and

granted

citizenship

in

his

kingdom.

That

good

news,

that

gospel

is

the

wisdom

that

fools

despise.

In

Jesus,

God

has

destroyed

all

human

pretensions

to

save

themselves

because

if

you

look

around

our

world

is

full

of

human

wisdom

and

human

strategies

for

salvation.

Human

wisdom

believes

that

capitalistic

economies

and

the

generation

of

wealth

or

the

socialistic

redistribution

of

wealth

can

solve

poverty

and

all

these

human

ills.

Human

wisdom

believes

that

if

we

have

just

enough

technology

if

we

have

just

enough

scientific

advancements

that

we

can

solve

all

of

the

world's

problems.

Human

wisdom

believes

that

proper

education

will

bring

an end

to

human

ignorance

and

misdemeanors.

Human

wisdom

believes

that

through

self-help

techniques

like

yoga

and

mindfulness

and

dieting

that

we

could

attain

health

and

peace

in

the

world.

that's

like

telling

people

that

you

can

cure

cancer

by

eating

blueberries.

Human

wisdom

believes

that

advancement

of

philosophy

and

learning

can

lead

to

enlightenment

and

salvation.

Human

wisdom

believes

that

worshiping

idols

created

by our

own

hands

can