August 1, 2022
Friends,
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).
The starting place of Proverbs is humility. It is the idea that I don’t know everything. Moreover, I don’t know everything that I should or that I must. And even if I did, I am tempted to ignore what I know or misapply it to satisfy my own desires.
Let me give some examples. Acknowledging that you don’t know everything is easy. I don’t know what’s on the ocean floor, I don’t know the future, and I don’t know the thoughts of your heart. I don’t know everything, and certainly not those unknowable things.
But the problem is not that I don’t know unknowable things, the problem is that I don’t know the things that I should know or that I must know. I come into this world not knowing that fire burns and that ice is slippery. I don’t know that the seductive woman is a devil and that the fellowship of thieves will turn me into a thief. In other words, I don’t know the hidden dangers, precisely because they are hidden. What else is hidden that I don’t know? What other dangers are lurking that I have overlooked?
The starting place of Proverbs is humility: my ignorance far outweighs my knowledge. I have so much to learn.
Even more, I must pay attention to what I have learned. The fool knows that the seductress is a liar, yet he believes her anyway. The fool knows that money will fail, but he trades his life for it anyway. The fool knows that God sees in secret, yet he acts as though he can hide in the dark.
And so, what makes the wise man wise is not that he has collected all kinds of wise sayings but that he seeks wisdom. He delights in instruction. He craves correction. He recognizes that if the LORD does not grant him wisdom, he will perish in his folly. He understands that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Proverbs is about laying a foundation that is stable and sound. It is about building with strong materials that can withstand the stresses of temptation and tragedy. It is about recognizing our need for salvation and receiving it from the hand of our gracious and loving creator, who wants us to be wise and to live.
“Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you” (Proverbs 2:20-23)
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
COMING EVENTS:
Elders’/Council Meetings – Thursday, August 11 @ 6 and 7pm