MPC 18th February 2007.
February 18 - Proverbs 9:1-10 "Fear First"
Phil Campbell MPC 18th February 2007.
There's no doubt if you're a person who suffers from phobias that irrational fears can be absolutely debilitating. And so there are people with agoraphobia. An irrational fear of the wide open spaces. While other people have got claustrophobia. Panic attacks when you're in confined spaces. Both, in a way, equally irrational. And particularly awkward if you suffer from both at once. Or if you're an agoraphobic married to a claustrophobic. Did you go out to that intimate restaurant for Valentines Day; or go for a picnic?
Some fears are irrational. But some fears, on the other hand, are quite logical. Which brings me to the news story a while back about that woman in Tasmania who suffered from a fear of spiders. Technically known as arachnophobia. And her psychologist advised her that the only way to overcome her fear was to face up to it.
So taking all her courage in her hands, she faces up to a huge tarantula. Which promptly sprayed her in the eyes with a squirt of what was reported as its web making secretions. Which left her in agony in a Hobart hospital for almost a week.
See, I would have thought being afraid of spiders is pretty logical. I wouldn't define arachnophobia as a mental illness at all. I'd define it as a definite sign of mental health.
There are some things we're just meant to be in awe of. Some fears that are just common sense.
I actually taught my kids when they were little to be afraid of roads. So they'd stay off them. To be afraid of sticking things in power points. They're good fears. And my kids still have them. Sensible fears. It's only logical, isn't it, that some things be held in suitable awe. Don't go face to face with a tarantula.
Now every now and then we need to be reminded, don't we, that God himself should be held in fear and awe.
There's a very clear theme to what we're looking at in Proverbs this morning. In fact, it's a theme that marches right through the Bible. And that is, that the fear of the Lord… is the starting point. For getting life right. And as 21st Century Christians, as comfortable Christians, as consumer Christians, I wonder sometimes if we've lost that. I mean, God's not there for our convenience. Being part of his church isn't just like being a member of a social club or a gym. I mean, in spite of what Paul Hogan once said, God's not just your mate.
Because God is actually powerful beyond your wildest imagination. The whole of creation was made with a word. Just the flick of his little finger can destroy a nation. With it just crossing his mind, he turns the course of human history. God is the giver of life. And the taker as well. Your times… are in his hands. And so's your eternity. Which means the idea of ever defying God should fill us with total dread. The idea of disobeying God should utterly terrify us.
And if it doesn't terrify you, then you have no idea who you're dealing with.
But if the idea of defying God does terrify you, Proverbs would say, "Good, you have the beginnings of wisdom. You've made it to square one. You have the starting point and the foundation for building an effective life."
So take a look at the point where we started our reading. Which is the point where we left off last week. Last week, you'll remember, we saw that the book of Proverbs is a collection of wise riddles and sayings. Largely from King Solomon. Which when you overlay them with some key principles, promise to open up for us a life that's wise and prudent and disciplined.
And chapter 1 verse 7 is the first mention of the most foundational key principal of them all:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
According to Proverbs, you can be one of two kinds of people. You can choose wisdom and discipline. Or you can be a fool and despise them. And the choice starts right here. The fork in the road. The fear of the Lord is the beginning, the foundation, of a life of knowing how things work. Of a life of wisdom and of discipline.
And it's a beginning in the same sense as the concrete foundations of a house. Everything else is going to be built on top of that one strong slab. The fear of the Lord is the beginning. Of knowledge. Of wisdom. Of discipline. Of everything the book of Proverbs has on offer. Start here.
And through the book of Proverbs as a reminder, the same point is repeated over, and over, and over again.
Turn over to chapter 3. Verse 5 to 8. And you'll see it again.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Don't just be wise in your own eyes. That's crazy. Fear the Lord. And shun evil.
Chapter 8. Turn over and take a look. The whole chapter is wisdom talking. Portrayed as a woman. Which of course you'd expect. Lady Wisdom. And she says from verse 10,
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
Wisdom is more precious than Jewels. You want some? Then here's where you start. Fear the Lord. Hate evil. Get rid of pride, get rid of arrogance. Get rid of evil behaviour and perverse speech. Fear the Lord.
And one more stopping point. Chapter 9 verse 10. A verse that brings it all together in a single sentence summary:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
You want wisdom? Then start by getting you and God in the right perspective. You want wisdom? Then fear the Lord. Recognise that he's the boss. And you're not.
You want wisdom? Then start quivering at the thought of doing wrong. And longing to do right. Even in the small stuff. Even in the microscopic details. And particularly, in issues of justice, and compassion, and integrity, and truth.
Now I just want to make the observation that if you were an ancient Israelite and you were reading the book of Proverbs, there's nothing new in the idea that you're meant to fear the Lord.
It's a thought that's been woven in to Israel's history right from the very beginning. Right from the time Moses gave them their law. And there's a sense right from the start that their healthy fear of God is meant to shape the way they live. Even in the secret things. Even in the mundane things. Even in the way they run their business. Or treat the blind beggar on the corner. And especially in the way they refuse to take advantage of the weakness of another. Take a look at these words from Leviticus 19. As Moses gives Israel God's law. And watch for the motivation. Three do nots. Followed by a but. Lev 19:13:
Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.
Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.
For Israel, fearing God is going to produce some very practical fruit. Because the neighbour you're thinking to defraud has got a very powerful ally. The guy you hire to clean your yard, and you tell him to come back tomorrow and you'll pay him, and then say Oh, no, come back the next day… he's very well connected. That deaf guy you abuse because you know he can't hear you… has an advocate who hears everything. Fearing God… is going to change the way the people of Israel treat one another.
And it's summarized in Leviticus 25 verse 17:
Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God.
And the same idea plays itself out in countless proverbs. The way you treat your brother, your fairness, the way you flee from evil… your wisdom in life… is all going to flow from this one beginning. Fear the Lord.
Let's take a look at some samples.
Proverbs chapter 6. Turn over and find it. Because there's a vivid picture of the kind of thing the Lord hates. That he detests. And if you fear the Lord, they'll be things you'll hate as well.
Proverbs 6 from verse 16.
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him…
Haughty eyes. That kind of flashing arrogance you can read in a person's face.
A lying tongue;
Hands that shed innocent blood;
A heart that devises wicked schemes. God hates that.
Feet that are quick to rush into evil.
A false witness that pours out lies.
And number 7, a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Or for that matter, a woman who stirs up trouble among sisters.
You say you fear God? Then what are you doing gossiping and trying to make waves? What are you doing passing on that little bit of news that paints that other person in a bad light and stirs up a dispute? What are you doing talking down unity? And creating splits instead? You're clever at it. You think nobody knows you're doing it. But God knows. And he hates it. Which means what you're doing is incredibly unwise.
See, if you go to back to Proverbs 8 verse 13, we already saw that to fear the Lord is to hate what God hates.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
And the scope of that goes further than you might be comfortable with. Because the Lord we fear isn't going to just be confined to some lip service on a Sunday. He goes to work with you as well.
I was chatting to someone the other day who was telling me about systemic dishonesty where he worked. In a way that was just barely legal. I can't give too many details; but he said, I couldn't possibly accept a promotion. Because that would make me part of it. And as someone who fears the Lord, he's not prepared to do that.
See, it comes down to the principle behind Proverbs 11 verse 1. Fearing the Lord means hating what the Lord hates. And he abhors it, he can't stand it, when the poor man comes to buy the flour and sugar for his family, and you've recalibrated the scales in your shop. So he's only getting 950 grams when he's paying for a kilo. And you'll say, well it's only a few grams. Nobody really notices. And God hates that.
Proverbs 11 verse 1…
The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.
I mean, who would have thought that the Lord God of the universe would have been passionate about your honesty in business?
Or whether you're a liar or not. Proverbs 12 verse 22…
The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
Or the way you treat your poor neighbour.
Proverbs 14 verse 20 and 21.
The poor are shunned even by their neighbours, but the rich have many friends. He who despises his neighbour sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
See, the way you love your neighbourhood… is going to depend on whether you love what God loves. And hate what he hates. Because you fear the Lord.
Same chapter. Proverbs 14. Verse 31. Here's what it boils down to. And it's exactly what Moses said back in Leviticus.
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker… but whoever is kind to the needy… honours God.
And I know there are all kinds of questions about the best way to help people, and I know there are all the good reasons in the world not to give money to the shabby looking down-and-out types who approach you in the city centre; and yet sometimes what we're really doing is arguing away every possible opportunity that we've got to show kindness. And in that way, we're showing contempt for their Maker. And not fearing him at all. So maybe next time you're approached for a dollar in Queen Street mall, instead of saying no and walking by and telling yourself he'd just spend it on booze, it's time to buy the guy a coffee and a burger at McDonalds. Maybe the next time you get a chance to help out a neighbour in need… it's time to actually do it. Instead of just thinking about it. Even if it's costly.
See, I wonder if we really believe the words of Proverbs 15 verse 16 and 17:
Better a little with the fear of the Lord, than great wealth with turmoil? Better a meal of vegetables where there's love… than a fattened calf banquet with hatred.
Because you see, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And wisdom is the beginning of a well lived life. Well lived in God's eyes. And the kind of life that's ultimately far more enriching than the empty promises that the world keeps chasing. And the quick fixes, and the fast tracks, and the selfish attitudes… Proverbs has a word for that stuff. It's folly. The way of the fool. Who doesn't fear God at all.
You know, I've heard Christians say, this whole idea of fearing God, it's kind of less than Christian. And while we saw in our Biblical Theology series a few weeks back that there are some things in the Old Testament that are profoundly transformed by the arrival of Jesus… it's important to recognize that other things remain exactly the same. And the fear of the Lord is one of them. Even though at the cross we see God's justice and love poured out for us. Even though by the Spirit our hearts are being transformed. Even though we saw in Hebrews that the old sacrifices and rituals and priesthood has gone out in the wheely bin with the green lid and is not for recycling… that doesn't mean we're invited to lose our reverence and awe and our fear of God. Because as Jesus says in Luke 12, he's the one who has the power over heaven and hell. So fear him.
The book of Acts, the history of the very first church; it's a verse we looked at in our growth groups. And it's worth taking note of. They've just seen the radical conversion of Saul, chief persecutor of the church. Absolutely turned around. Now a Christian. And Acts chapter 9 verse 31 says this.
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
I wonder if that's true of us. I mean, we might be growing in numbers. And we can rejoice in that. And yet if we're not a group of people living in the wisdom that comes from the fear of the Lord, if we're not a group of people living with priorities that come from the fear of the Lord, if we're not a group of people living with an integrity and an honesty and a compassion and a kindness that comes from the fear of the Lord… if we're just casual and complacent about our commitment to Christ… then growing in numbers counts for nothing. And we need to reconsider.
Because what we're seeing here in Proverbs is a very practical life strategy to go away with. And put in practice. Proverbs is a book loaded with lots and lots of helpful generalisations and observations about life. But then overlaid on top of those observations, there are those key principles. Last week the lesson was that true wisdom is tightly linked with God's king: Jesus Christ. That knowing the way to life comes from hearing what God's king says.
And this week, a second over arching lesson. The lesson that the wise life is built on the fear of the Lord. Living well in this world involves living in reverant obedience to the One who made this world. And so when any sort of life choice comes to us, the primary issue, the first thing that should cross our minds is: what option will best help me live out a life in fear of the Lord? What option's going to help me live out a reverent obedience to Jesus?
And you'll be faced with a multitude of options. Starting right after we sing our final song. Head home and put your feet up? Or stay around and look for someone you can encourage as a Christian brother or sister? Maybe looking around to see if anyone's on their own and looking a bit lonely... the wise person says "I'm going to follow the option which best lives out a fear of the Lord. In the way I care for the people around me. In the words I choose. In the goals I make."
And again tomorrow, when you turn up maybe at school or at work for a new week. Options about how hard you work. About how to treat your boss or your teachers. About your integrity. About the sort of contracts you sign, the way, if you're a boss, you treat your workers. About the lies you're prepared to tell when you sell your secondhand car. About the way you speak to your neighbour. And in all those options, the wise person says "I'm going to follow the option which best lives out a fear of the Lord. I'm going to choose the option that best reflects a reverent obedience to Jesus."
Because the fear of the Lord isn't an irrational fear at all. And it's certainly not out of date.
The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom… and Knowledge of the Holy One is Understanding. (Prov 9:10)