A proverb A day keeps the doctor away

In the 1990’s a British farmer lost his hammer in a field. He called a friend who owned a metal detector. They discovered not a hammer but nearly sixty pounds of gold and silver objects including over 15,000 Roman coins. The items dated from the fourth century. The treasure was valued at $3.8 million. Yes, they also found the hammer!

The Book of Proverbs contains buried treasure. Solomon was the wisest person who ever lived. God said to Solomon, “I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1 Kings 3:12). Apart from the Lord Jesus Solomon was the wisest person who ever lived.

Proverbs is God Himself through Solomon putting His arms around you and saying, “This is the way to live.” Proverbs 1:1-2 teaches there are two primary purposes to the Book of Proverbs. “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: to know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight.”

The first purpose is to teach us how to think. Verse 2b says, “….to understand words of insight.” The goal is to understand. A proverb is condensed wisdom. It is compressed truth. Many years ago people bought very small sponges for their children. When water was added the sponges grew and became an animal or an action figure. Proverbs functions in the same way. A proverb explodes in our minds and fills our minds with truth.

We need to learn to think today. The spiritual battle is won or lost in our minds. Older books are long and complicated- War And Peace, Great Expectations, etc. When television became popular people thought in terms of 7 or 8 minutes- the time in between commercials. With the internet we think in terms of click, click, click. Our attention spans have become shorter and shorter. Proverbs teaches a person how to think.

We are commanded not to be conformed in our thinking to our culture but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). The Christian faith is about right thinking.

The second purpose is skill in life. It is living life in a way that pleases God. Verse 2a says, “To know wisdom and instruction….” The goal is wisdom. Instruction is the method. The word wisdom is used many times in the Old Testament. It means skill in living.

When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle He raised up a man named Bezalel. Exodus 35:35 says, “And He has filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God, with skill (wisdom), with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship…”

The word wisdom means skill. It is the ability to live life in a way that pleases God. Let’s illustrate this. For instance, the Bible says that your work matters to God. You work is important because you work for God (Colossians 3:23-24). The Book of Proverbs expands and illustrate this important truth.

Proverbs talks about the sluggard. The sluggard has great difficulty starting his work. Proverbs 6:10-11, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” The sluggard has great difficulty finishing his work. “A lazy man does not roast his prey, but the precious possession of a man is diligence,” Proverbs 12:27. The sluggard makes excuses about his work. “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall killed in the streets!’” (Proverbs 26:13). We need to start our work. We need to finish our work. We should not make excuses.

We need the Book of Proverbs. The Bible compares the closing days of this age to birth pains. Birth pains that will give birth to a far greater age- the Second Coming of Jesus and the messianic kingdom.

The real treasure is not a lost hammer or ancient gold and silver coins. Let’s dig into Proverbs. Let’s read this great Book and meditate on it. We will learn how to think properly. We will also gain skill in living. We will learn how to live life in the details in a way that pleases God!

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.