View From The Manse 2.0

 

When I was in high school, I and many of my friends got our first car. And one of the first purchases a high school car owner made was a Haynes manual. We would drive our new whip down to the local Auto Zone and scour the shelves for the Haynes instruction manual on our make and model. If you didn’t have a lot of money, but you had access to your father’s tool chest, you could assume that you would be doing as many repairs as possible in your garage. The Haynes manuals had excellent instructions (with pictures) on about anything your car needed.

          But nowadays, first car-owners (especially high school men) go to YouTube. Most of us go to YouTube or Google when we have a question about life or need help with a task. Where do you go for instructions and day-to-day help?

          Let me put it another way; what do you expect to find when opening your Bible? What do you expect the preacher to talk about when he opens up God’s word? Is it a truth about God? Is it an abstract idea? Is it a word of comfort? All of these are present in the scriptures.

          But in the book of Proverbs, we find much more besides. We find a God in heaven who wants to help us navigate our work-a-day world. God gives us a book full of wisdom because it takes wisdom to get through life. He wants you to navigate your relationships with skill and care. He wants you to know how to regulate your emotions, spend your money, speak with integrity, impress your boss, and manage your employees. All of these topics and many more are addressed in Proverbs. What is the book of Proverbs for? Let’s allow Solomon, the writer of Proverbs to tell us:

for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;

for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;

for giving prudence to those who are simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young—

let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—

for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise. (Proverbs 1:2-6 NIV)

          Sometimes Solomon will make statements that are generally true; guidelines, if you will, for us to follow. Other times, he will encourage us to consider the world that God has made and look for wisdom there, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Proverbs 6:6). Elsewhere in Proverbs, Solomon will include words from other kings and cultures because God’s wisdom can be found all over His creation.

          If you have found life complicated and difficult to navigate and you are looking for help, I hope you will learn from this coming sermon series on Proverbs, that God wants to give you his wisdom and help you steer away from the broad way of destruction and towards the narrow way that leads to life. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5).

 Bryan Fitzgerald, Pastor (bryan@argylepresbyterian.org)

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