Words of wisdom:
“Don’t pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” - Bruce Lee.
“Luck is a dividend of sweat; the more you sweat, the luckier you get.” - Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald’s empire.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” - Henry Ford
From Mark Twain, one of my all-time favourites: “20 years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do. Explore, dream, discover.”
“Everyone is a genius”, says Albert Einstein, “but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”
“It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius, who was, apparently, a Presbyterian.
And, “happy are those who keep my ways,” says the voice of God’s Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs.
What great advice or words of wisdom were given to you growing up? Our parents want us to get a good start, to be healthy and happy and secure in ourselves AND secure in their love. They want to pass along their knowledge and teach lessons in responsibility & kindness, independence & self-assurance, while learning to get along with the other kids. But the very wisdom a parent or teacher possesses tells them that some things may only be learned through personal trial & error. Wisdom is gained piece by piece, not as a completed whole all at once.
We’re going to delve into the Book of Proverbs today, designated as a wisdom book in our Bible. But I hope you won’t be alarmed to learn that the authors of this Book were considerably influenced by sources outside of the ancient Hebrew world. The authors read and borrowed from the wisdom literature of Syria, Arabia and Babylon. Mostly, Proverbs borrows from an 8th century BC Egyptian book. However, the scholars who have compared both writings believe the Hebrew authors greatly improved upon that Egyptian collection. No surprise there, as the Hebrew writers were divinely guided & inspired.
The Book of Proverbs, as we have it, was compiled about 400 BC, although the chapters are not in chronological order. The first & final chapters were likely added last, as preamble & summary, and the oldest chapters are likely 8 & 9, part of which we just read. It is believed that the renowned wise man, King Solomon himself, may have compiled Chapter 8, or edited, or even written it personally. We have in our Bibles some of the first wisdom writings ever preserved by, and FOR humankind, about 3,000 years old!
So why are we still reading it? How can a dusty Old Testament book still be relevant today?
The Hebrew word for wisdom is, ‘hokhmah’ [long A], meaning ‘firm, fixed’, a constant like an absolute truth. But the word also means, ‘something that controls or restrains’.
Think about advice you’ve received, or the rules your parents made because they know better: ‘Jane, don’t walk on the road on the way to school!’; ‘Jane, have you checked your oil?’; ‘you’re never too young to start an RRSP’. In grade 5, a very excellent teacher gave his class of 10 year olds some advice for general physical fitness: make sure you can run up a flight of stairs & speak normally at the top; touch your toes every day to keep your spine flexible. So I do, every day.
Wisdom is something that ultimately improves your life with a benefit of some sort, even if it feels like a restraint or a discipline, and really no fun at all.
And God’s wise Word is undeniably TRUE. At Proverbs 10: 26 - “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are the lazy to their employers”; at 12: 23 - “One who is clever conceals knowledge but the mind of a fool broadcasts folly.”; and at 11:22 - “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without good sense.” True wisdom is timeless, & often speaks beautifully into the human condition.
The 8th chapter of Proverbs doesn’t offer wisdom as much as uphold it, & point to God. Wisdom sayings in very early Palestine actually had little to do with God or faith. They had a secular audience, circulating among many cultures & belief systems, and were rather pragmatic, not held up as sacred or even philosophical. It wasn’t until the years following Solomon [after 930 BC] that the Hebrews recognized God as the Source of wisdom. They began to seek after it to understand God’s nature; the quest for wisdom became a path to righteousness and closeness with God. There was a foundational & lasting shift for ancient Hebrews toward the recognition of wisdom writings as the Word of God. The study of God’s wisdom remains a pillar of Jewish practice today.
But WHO may receive God’s wisdom? “ALL who live”, says chapter 8. There are no conditions to be met, no degrees to attain, or position to be reached; wisdom is not given to a certain gender, or age group → wisdom comes to all who will listen and follow, not unlike the call of Christ to His disciples, in the first and the 21st centuries. She calls to everyone.
Oh, that’s another detail we should mention: wisdom is personified in scripture as female. Her name is ‘Sophia’, although her name is not used in this passage. Wisdom is not another God – not a 4th entity tacked onto the Trinity that shares the nature of God. But wisdom is recognized as such a significant part of God, she has her own name, as though we gave names to the dominant parts of our nature - Emily could be artistic creativity or Albert could be intellect.
According to scripture, Sophia is older than creation; wisdom “poured forth” from God & even co-created with God as the earth took shape and all life unfolded. So wisdom is evident in all that God creates. Think about it: rain doesn’t fall like rocks, does it; the seasons follow a predictable cycle, rather than willy-nilly, going from planting to shoveling snow! Next time you clean off your windshield, be thankful that it’s birds that fly, not pigs or elephants! Note the standard human design for forward motion & focus, according to the positioning of our eyes & ears and basic kinetics when we walk or kneel to pray – very wisely, we are not built to focus on the past or to skirt around things, but face life head on, chin up. I still can’t figure out the wisdom behind snakes, but I’m confident God has all that well in hand.
Look around this big beautiful world and reflect on the wisdom of God that is evident in all creation. Proverbs states that His wisdom sprang to life in the very formation of this earth. Is there any part of the natural world that can thrive, even simply function, without several other parts to support it? Most plants can’t grow without soil, sun & water. What’s in your fridge that was grown, picked, processed & then delivered by, someone else? How many other elements of creation contribute to the tomatoes & potatoes you’re growing? Absolutely every part of God’s creation is dependent upon, and/or supports, another part. This is, for me, some of the deepest wisdom that God imparts to us for the whole & happy, purposeful living of this life: the essential value of community & connection, relationship & mutual reliance, in order to know & to enjoy God’s full abundance. And that is the ultimate gift of all wisdom, to set us on a better path, to point us toward life’s goodness, to give us the wise Word to which we can cling & return to everytime we wonder at our current course.
Back in December, the Elders from both Zion & Knox gathered at the manse for a ‘day away’. We shared our personal stories of faith, plus stories from both congregations that affirm who we are. From those stories, we focussed on the values that are evident -> what do our congregations hold dear, & how do we exemplify those values in all we do? For the next several weeks, we’re going to explore the five Core Values that emerged from our collective wisdom & Spirit-led conversations.
It is by God's wisdom & grace that we are brought together into communities, that we struggle for truth, that we are connected to His creation & to one another. All praise to God for His Wise Word, Amen.