How can we then summarise what we have learned throughout January as we’ve journeyed through the book of Proverbs? We started by learning that it aimed to give us ‘a manual for living’ so that we might have a ‘grasp on reality’ (Prov 1) . We’ve seen that wisdom is the word that is probably the recurring theme of the book: Proverbs is part of the Bible that is known as the ‘Wisdom literature’ (comprising Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs), so it’s only fitting that this is the theme that dominates. Wisdom, often personified and painted as being more valuable than rubies and other precious stones or metals, is more than intelligence or knowledge: it’s practical knowledge, applied knowledge, knowledge ‘made flesh’ and lived out in everyday situations and circumstances, knowledge that has an impact on how we speak, live, love, relate to others and worship God.

The wise and the foolish are contrasted throughout the book. We see how they act and can judge their wisdom (or lack of it) from their actions. Jesus taught “every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.” (Matt 7:17-20) Proverbs reminds us vividly that our faith will become visible through our words and actions. The wise person will choose good goals and will keep a long-term view of life, shunning the human tendency to settle for short-term gratification. Ultimately, our lives will be judged by how we have responded to God; thus, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:7, 9:10).

Wisdom is life in the flesh, however: not some esoteric principle which can only be understood by scholars. It’s down-to-earth, everyday, practical living. Jesus is described as ‘the Word made flesh’ (John 1:14). He came to reveal the Father to us: “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” (John 1:18) We might have found it hard to understand what God is like… hard to fathom what He wants of us… hard to understand godliness, but Jesus has come and revealed these things to us. Now we see what the Father heart of God is like. Now we understand how much we are loved. Now we understand!

Proverbs takes us by the hand and leads us into wisdom so that we can choose to live well. Jesus takes us by the hand and leads us to the Father. We are a privileged people, for not only do we know who God is and what He wants from us, we are actually led by God and indwelt by His Spirit so that that work of maturing and transformation is carried out in us.

Let’s live wisely and well throughout 2012.

So we’ve arrived at the end of January and at the end of Proverbs. This final chapter starts with warnings for leaders (kings) to avoid the excesses of drink and to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves (Prov 31:4, 8-9). Leadership is a sacred calling. It should not be undertaken lightly (James 3:1) and should champion the poor and the needy. God’s people should never be obsessed with class or wealth (James 2:1-14), but should reflect God’s character.

The rest of the chapter (Prov 31:10-31) is subtitled ‘the wife of noble character’ and is such a lavish eulogy that as a wife, I feel thoroughly daunted by this description of such a superwoman! The role of women in the Bible has often been a ‘hot potato’ for the church, with many believing that God is misogynistic. This is manifestly not true. Men and women have different roles in life and are clearly very different in personality and strength, but both are valued by God and called to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. The wife pictured in Proverbs 31 is no doormat. Rather, she is valued and loved by her husband (Prov 31:10-11), is resourceful and talented (Prov 31:13-22) and has depth of character which reflects the wisdom we have been learning about throughout Proverbs (“she is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Prov 31:25-26). She is valued by her family (Prov 31:28-29) and certainly reminds us of so many godly women in the Bible.

The tribute ends with a timely reminder of the value of character over outward appearances: “Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-GOD.” (Prov 31:30) This is a theme found throughout the Bible: Peter reminds us that beauty comes “from your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (1 Pet 3:4) In an age where beauty is apparently prized over everything else and advertising urges both men and women never to be content with their appearance but to constantly be seeking to enhance it, we have truly become wise if we see that “ ‘beauty is more than skin deep’ and that character matters more than looks.

Much of the Bible is written down for us by unnamed people, but a good deal of it is written down by named authors, some of whom we know quite a lot about. Many of the New Testament books are written by familiar names: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James – all people whose characters and life stories we get to know even as we read. Old Testament prophets pen letters or oracles to us: Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel – books named about their authors. Similarly, many of the psalms have headings (‘a psalm of David’, ‘a psalm of Asaph’ and so on) which anchor them to real people and real-life stories, real situations which formed the impetus and shape of these prayers. All the ‘dirt and noise of ordinary life’ (Eugene Peterson) is contained in the Bible.

Proverbs was largely written by Solomon (son of David, king of Israel, who famously asked God for wisdom when offered all he wanted by God (1 Chronicles 1)), but Proverbs 30, we are told, is ‘the sayings of Agur son of Jakeh’. ) We know nothing of this person, yet I find it tremendously reassuring to read these words, for they anchor Scripture to real people and real events. Wisdom does not exist in a vacuum. It is lived experience. There is a saying ‘wisdom is the product of survivable mistakes.’ It certainly results from choices and results in careful living.

The chapter starts by looking at those who do not believe in God. Like the fool in Psalm 14 or 53, the chapter starts with an ignorance of God: “I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.” (Prov 30:2-3) .The believer does not accept the conclusion that there is no God, however. “Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Prov 30:5). The believer’s prayer is for falsehood and lies to be kept from him (Prov 30:8). He understands that our hearts are prone to wander and therefore asks for daily bread: sufficiency, not want or abundance, either of which may lead us astray (Prov 30:8-9).

We understand that we can be pure in our own eyes and yet remain filthy (Prov 30:12) and therefore we need God’s help on this journey through life. As we list things we need or reflect on things that please or displease God, we will learn wisdom and therefore can turn away from folly.

Stephen continued his journey through Genesis last night, looking at the calling of Abram to walk with God (Gen 11: 27-12:9). We read of the journeys of Abram’s family from Ur of the Chaldeans to Haran and then onwards, a journey into the unknown, heading for the Promised Land. God’s calling was what made all the difference. Abram and Sarai, a barren wife, did not look promising material from which to build a nation that would bless the whole earth. Nonetheless, Abram’s simple obedience and trusting faith were key elements in the story of God which unfolds throughout the rest of the Bible. We too are called to follow God. We may have to leave all we know and set out into the unknown, but the fact that God is with us is what holds us steadfast in all circumstances.

God brings blessing and promise into our lives. Abram made the decision which changed everything in his life when he set forth on this journey of faith. He took up God’s challenge and set forth boldly, even though his final destination was uncertain to him. Hebrews 11:8, 13 reminds us of this journey, showing us how he made an altar everywhere he rested, understanding that he was only an ‘alien and stranger’ on this earth and was looking ahead to all that God had to offer. He truly is our father in faith.

We also had a belated birthday to celebrate!

This week we looked at the statement in the Apostles’ Creed ‘I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints’. The statement doesn’t involve any denominational doctrine; ‘catholic’ simply means ‘universal’ and ‘orthodox’, so any Christian can affirm this statement. God is working His purposes out through the church – we are not just a ragamuffin band of disparate people, but are His body and bride!

The church is often perceived as the stumbling-block to many on the road to faith, but ‘holy’ does not mean ‘perfect’. We are the ‘called-out ones’, called to be holy (Rom 1:7, Eph 1:1, 1 Pet 1:15-16). That holiness is imparted to us from God and is not an intrinsic virtue we possess. We see a picture of what God is creating in Eph 5: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:25-27) We may not see the church like this yet, but that day is coming!

The church is universal: God is calling people from every tongue, tribe, nation and language (Rev 7:9) Jesus entrusted to ordinary people the task of making disciples from all nations (Matt 28:18-20) and to guard sound doctrine. There is no Plan B. We have been given great responsibility!

One of the main images of the church in the New Testament is of a body, with Christ as its Head (see Rom 12, 1 Cor 12, Eph 1). We are all needed, all important. We cannot pick and choose the people with whom we worship; God does that! It’s all part of the ‘building with bananas’ which is God’s purpose. He is making something more beautiful than we have ever known, from imperfect, sinful people who are washed in the blood of the Lamb! The church is called to grow in maturity, so that “the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:12-13)

The contrast between the righteous and wicked continues in Proverbs 29. “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” (Prov 29:2) “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” (Prov 29:7) “When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.” (Prov 29:16) “Good people can’t stand the sight of deliberate evil; the wicked can’t stand the sight of well-chosen goodness.” (Prov 29:27) All of these verses remind us, starkly, unequivocally, that we can’t afford to sit on the fence when it comes to spiritual things. Jesus, the Light of the World (John 9:5), called us the light of the world (Matt 5:14). We have a responsibility to live as Christ lived, to be His ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20), to shine in the darkness (Phil 2:15).

We live in an age which does not believe in absolutes. Relativism is everything. Relativism is the concept that points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value according to differences in perception and consideration. It has seeped into every aspect of our society and if you contradict it, you are labelled a bigot (‘person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.’) The Bible is adamant, however, that there is such a thing as absolute truth and that God is truth. Moreover, Jesus said that the truth will set us free (John 8:32).

Because we swim against the tide when we hold to absolute truths, we need constantly to be reminded of them. Swimming against the tide is hard work. Proverbs does not give us long rhetoric, complicated arguments or difficult-to-understand sentences. It gives us short, sharp aphorisms which startle us by their starkness and laconic style. One which has helped me more often than most comes towards the end of this chapter: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (Prov 29:25) The Message version translates this verse “The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.” If you’re a people-pleaser like me, this verse anchors you to truth and helps you to stand when others disagree. Bigotry, incidentally, is not what we are called to. We do not have to exhibit intolerance or animosity to those of differing beliefs. We are called to love. But that does not mean we bow down to the prevailing views and attitudes around us when these are in conflict with what God says. Like Daniel, like Nehemiah, like Esther, like Obadiah, we stand firm and trust God rather than man. Like David, we can say, “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Ps 118:6)