• COLOURS OF LIFE

Some weeks ago, my friend Oyinkan and I had a conversation about this book. My takeaway was that I dislike Proverbs for the same reasons many Christians seem to love it: its convenient one-for-each-day-of-themonth layout, its bite-sized lessons and independent verses, its common-sense advice, its sometimes morally ambiguous statements.

I love reading the Bible because it satisfies my appetite for history whilst simultaneously showing the emotions, likes and dislikes of God. Neither of those is a particularly strong theme in Proverbs.

What is a strong theme amongst the proverbs is wisdom. In fact, the message of the book can be summarised in this verse:

“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.

Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7

Inspired by the Spirit of God, King Solomon warns that the costs of forsaking wisdom are high, ultimately ending in death.

Can you think of anything else the Bible tells us we will die without?

I’ve got one – Jesus.

Due to the absence of messianic prophecy or allusion, Proverbs is one book which really requires us to look at it holistically in order to see Jesus. He can’t be found in one single verse, but in all 915 verses combined.

Jesus is wisdom personified. Proverbs teaches that wisdom is more than just sagacity – it is the reverence of and obedience to God. According to that measure, all of us are foolish every now and then. The Old Testament word most often used for fool refers to one who lacks morals or incorrectly applies knowledge. So, we are foolish when we sin against God, or when we fail to live out the knowledge we have of His truth.

On the other hand, Jesus was never foolish. He acknowledged God in all His ways, and only acted as instructed by the Father. Like Solomon, Jesus taught the Jews how to correctly apply their knowledge of God. He demonstrated what prophets like Isaiah, Micah, and Jeremiah had tried to tell the people of Israel – devotion to God is a state of the heart, not only of outward actions. And when His enemies attacked Him for this, Jesus deftly sidestepped all their traps. That’s wisdom in action.

Moreover, Jesus also charged His followers to act with wisdom. He left us with many instructions in the Gospels, but the ultimate provision of that wisdom is the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit

“of wisdom and of understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and of power,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” Isaiah 11:2

that rested on Jesus now dwells within us.

Seeing as this is a series about the Bible, now would be a good time to mention that we need the Holy Spirit to understand the Holy Scriptures. Take it from your favourite Bible scholar (me!) who still struggles to see Jesus in certain books, or to pray, or to submit to God’s will, despite having knowledge. So whilst it’s good to read through the proverbs and learn from them, what is even better is to do so under the guidance of the One who inspired Solomon to write them.

Wouldn’t you agree?

“…now one greater than Solomon is here.” Matthew 12:42

Tarari Kalango

Jesus is wisdom personified. Proverbs teaches that wisdom is more than just sagacity – it is the reverence of and obedience to God. According to that measure, all of us are foolish every now and then.

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