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Learning for Life: Cultivating a Student Spirituality
Wisdom Literature- Proverbs
Week 10
Joyce Suh, Former Educational Missions Specialist, US
10.1 A Teachable Spirit
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9: 10
Universities and colleges are, at their best, all about the pursuit of knowledge. We explore and explain the natural world and investigate and celebrate human societies and achievements. The quest for such understanding is a worthwhile, high and noble calling.
But according to Biblical wisdom it is not enough. If we want to be wise, we need more than academic acumen, more that intellect and insight. “The fear of the Lord,” says Proverbs, “is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom doesn’t simply reside in more knowledge or even in ever deepening insight, it resides in our attitude toward and relationship with God.
Fear of the Lord has to do with reverence and respect for him. It means knowing that we are creatures, he is Creator. It means recognizing that he is Lord. On a practical level, it means being people who not only learn, but who can be taught.
A person who wants to be wise needs to be teachable. A good illustration is the relationship between a trainer and athlete. In the movie, “Million Dollar Baby,” a would-be boxer, Maggie, seeks to be trained and the trainer, Frankie, takes on the role reluctantly—only on the condition that she do what he says without question. When she agrees to do so, she is choosing to be teachable. She becomes, not simply a student of boxing, but the trainer’s disciple. And she eventually becomes an excellent boxer.
Likewise, Christians are called not merely to learn and know, but to become people who can be taught. We are called to discipleship. We are called to sit at the feet of the master and become wise.
I love the movie because it shows more. Maggie does question Frankie. There is playfulness in her questions and his response. I think that is what the fear of the Lord is like. I think that’s what discipleship to Jesus is like. It doesn’t shut us down. When we choose to be teachable we find freedom to really be ourselves, questions and all, in relationship with him.
In the next week we will explore some further principles and themes from the book of Proverbs.
Prayer: Lord, give me a teachable spirit. (repeat throughout the day)
Quote: “The heart is that divine gift that allows us to trust, not just God, but also our parents, our family, ourselves, and our world.” Henri Nouwen Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith (HarperSanFrancisco, 2006)
10.2 Defaults I—Folly
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. Proverbs 1:32-33
I love my computer—don’t get me wrong. But sometimes I struggle with it. In particular I struggle with default settings. It puts capitals at the beginning of lines where I don’t want them. When I’m making a list, it puts numbers where I don’t want them and won’t let me put them where I want to. It tends to certain modes and settings.
Proverbs says that the world is not morally neutral. It says that foolishness is a default setting. If we don’t proactively seek wisdom, if we don’t train under the loving direction of Jesus, we will tend to foolishness. And, furthermore, folly is a path that ultimately leads to destruction.
Martin Luther King, Jr. discerned this and wrote about it in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He criticized “white moderates” of being greater enemies of racial justice than extremists. Doing nothing amounts to doing something--to negative action. Time does not cure all ills.
Like it or not, the Christian life is not a life of passivity or complacency. We are called to grow. We are called to seek opportunities to grow. Of course, there are seasons in everyone’s life. It may not always be easy. We may not always feel like we’re moving forward. But we can keep asking questions and honestly engaging the issues that test our faith.
How do we shake ourselves out of complacency, out of misguided moderation? We may think that the best way is to become extreme. I believe that we better challenge our complacency best by a life of disciplined spirituality and even more by situating ourselves where we are accountable to faithful Christian brothers and sisters.
Are you recognizing complacency, even backsliding in your own life? Seek out a good Christian community and connect with a mentor or spiritual friend.
Prayer: Father, forgive my tendency to be complacent and ignite in me a desire to know and love you more. Send faithful friends to me and help me to walk alongside of another. Amen
Quote: “I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom….Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail
10.3 Defaults II: Laziness
“One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.” Proverbs 18:9
Proverbs has a number of admonitions against laziness: Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! (Proverbs 6:6) A little sleep a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. (Proverbs 6:10-11)
We might ask ourselves, “Why? What’s the big deal, anyway? Isn’t that a little extreme? Can’t I sleep in? What’s wrong with cutting a class or slacking on an assignment or two? I don’t have to have to go to church every week or do daily devotions to be a Christian….”
But if we think of yesterday’s meditation, and think about moral defaults, it makes sense. Complacency is not standing still, but sliding backwards. Even more then, laziness and sloth put us on a path that goes down. As the text says, we align ourselves with destruction.
It seems extreme. What’s harm am I doing someone else if I’m a little lazy? And isn’t Proverbs talking about physical laziness? How does that become a moral issue? By passing judgment on laziness, Proverbs makes it more than a physical issue. It says, in effect, that physical entropy and spiritual dissolution go hand in hand. Many of us can attest to this in our own lives to one degree or another. I can. When I am physically lazy, I become spiritually lethargic. When laziness is a habit, it can become a serious spiritual issue.
What is the antidote? Can we will ourselves to diligence and work? Some of us know how hard and seemingly impossible that is. I believe that the antidote is discipline. I believe that we can take small steps of discipline that can lead to a more diligent life and more vibrant spiritual life. It helps me to think of discipline as training, something that I work and grow at, not something that I’ve got all together. For people struggling spiritually, cleaning up a lazy lifestyle can start them on a path to spiritual health.
Prayer: Lord, when laziness becomes a spiritual matter, by your grace, lead me out of it. Show me steps that I can take to physical and spiritual health.
Quote: “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail
10.4 Prudence
“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” Proverbs 4:18
How much can I drink? Is there anything wrong with some recreational poker-playing? Does the Bible forbid me to be intimate with someone before marriage? How far can I go? Biblical wisdom invites a certain perspective on these kinds of questions.
It invites us to look at our actions not simply in themselves, but in terms of their implications and consequences. Wisdom doesn’t say, “Thou shalt not slack in your studies.” It says, “He who does not study with due diligence will not succeed.” In other words, Wisdom doesn’t say directly that an action is right or wrong, but leads us to ask “where is this action taking us?” Where does neglecting our studies lead?
Biblical wisdom tells us that actions have implications. Sinful actions are always foolish and eventually lead to destruction. Relatively innocent or seemingly neutral actions can put our feet on a path too. Wisdom says there are two paths: one that leads to destruction, one that leads to life.
Wise people become attuned to the full dimensions of their actions. More particularly, wise people are attuned to the spiritual dimensions of their actions. They evaluate a course of action depending on which path it puts them on. Is what I’m doing good for my soul? This analysis, this connecting of actions to consequences, is prudence. Prudence is not simply about being careful, nor is it about being prudish. Prudence is the habit of asking ourselves, “where is this taking me?”
Contemporary culture tells us, “Just do it.” Wisdom says, “Don’t just do it—think about it--think about where it is taking you.” Where is your step into the casino taking you? Does logging into that website take you in a good direction? If you go so far with your boyfriend, will you end up somewhere that you don’t want to go (or where you know you shouldn’t be)? If you slack on your studies now (you know you can get away with it), is it really good for you in the long run?
The call of Wisdom is a positive call to act in ways that put us on the path to blessing: “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” It’s never too late to set our feet on this path.
Prayer: Lord, help me to open my eyes to what I do. Help me to see what you see. Where I’ve gone astray, forgive me. And bring me back to a path that leads me to you. Amen
10. 5 Justice I
“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”—when you have it with you.” Proverbs 3:27,28
There are homeless people in the city where I live. Almost every Sunday someone stands at a busy intersection near our house with a placard, “Vietnam Vet.” I believe that he’s truthful, that he is a vet. But I distrust him because I feel like he’s manipulating me and others (there are a large number of Vietnamese immigrants near us) by holding up that dirty piece of cardboard. In other words, I believe that the need is real, but I don’t like the way he’s asking for help. My cynicism has prevented me from giving anything to this man.
There are sociological studies that explain why people walk past injured people and ignore cries for help. I once read a study that showed that seminary students were less likely than the general population to be “good Samaritans,” especially if they were on the way to an exam. The book of Proverbs challenges us, no matter who we are, no matter what our situation, to move past all of these reasons and excuses. “Don’t withhold good when it is in your power to act.”
We don’t normally think of justice when we think of wisdom. But Proverbs make numerous references to justice. And it takes a broad view of justice. Justice includes distributive justice, how we treat those less fortunate. It includes honesty and fairness in our dealings with others. It also extends to the reliability of our institutions and judicial system.
Proverbs connects justice to wisdom. It tells us that we cannot be wise if we are not also just. It also tells us that we can not be just, if we don’t do anything. Justice is not an attitude; it’s not just what we think is right in our heads. It’s proactive—there is no justice without action. Likewise, wisdom is not a mental state, but a way of behaving.
When I read Proverbs, I am challenged to move beyond my excuses, my cynicism, and my prejudices because, quite honestly, it is in my power to act. How about you?
Prayer: Father forgive us for walking past people we could help. Forgive us for turning our faces from situations where we could serve. Empower us so that we we not only have noble thoughts but also just actions. Amen
10.6 Justice II
“Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.” Proverbs 23: 10-11
When I was in seminary, I had a roommate who had had polio when she was a child and walked only with the help of crutches. She came from a culture that was not particularly accommodating to people with physical disabilities. She came to me one afternoon to tell me that she had received a substantial scholarship that would cover her tuition and living expenses for a whole year. But she had great sadness in her eyes and I asked her to explain. “No one has been happy for me,” she said, “no one is happy with me.”
Why couldn’t people be glad? I think that they were too busy thinking of themselves. They were too busy worrying about their own needs, thinking about how good it would be if they were the ones receiving the scholarship. They couldn’t be happy with her. If they had really thought about it, though, they might have realized that her scholarship did not take anything that they would have otherwise received. She was in a different category.
When a person receives a blessing it does not diminish another person’s chance for it. According to Biblical wisdom, it’s a matter of justice. The Bible tells us that God has given each person an allotment and Proverbs confirms that God, himself, watches the boundaries. The foundation of justice is the boundaries God has established. Justice is at the core of God’s created order and our positive pursuit of justice determines whether we are at the center of God’s will. Wise people recognize, abide by, and uphold the rights of others. They can rejoice when people receive blessing.
How can we do that? I think that it depends on a deep security in our own portion. I too have a portion, an inheritance. I too have a Defender who will take up my case against those who seek to take what is mine. This knowledge enables me to champion the cause of the unfortunate and to rejoice when others receive their portion and blessing.
The Bible tells us in Galatians 3 that we are all heirs to God’s promises through Jesus Christ. We have eternal blessings that can never be taken away from us. Although we may have troubles in this life, we also receive a measure of blessing and real taste of the glorious riches he has for us. The blessings are real now too.
Contemplating the promises of God revealed in Scripture can free us to actively seek the prosperity and blessing of others. Take time today to seek out some of God’s promises in Scripture.
Prayer: Father, thank you for Jesus Christ. Thank you that in him, I am heir to all the blessings that you promise in the Bible. Help me not to compare myself to others. Open my eyes to how you bless me and free me to rejoice when others are blessed. Amen
10.7 Taming the Tongue
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
Imagine a group of friends seated together for a meal at a college cafeteria. The conversation starts with commonplaces and moves to some joking around. It heats up to lively banter. The comments become sharper and sharper and more and more personal. At the end of the meal, everyone has laughed a lot, but everyone leaves feeling negative and some even feel hurt. What has happened?
It’s the words. From a Biblical wisdom perspective, words have power. They are like weapons—they can pierce like a sword—and they can inflict real wounds. For that reason, there are quite a few words of wisdom in the book of Proverbs pertaining to the use of words. Proverbs tells us to be careful what we say. It advises us to think about the effect that our words have on others. It warns us to be slow to speak.
How do we tame our tongues? If you’re like me, simply telling yourself not to say things isn’t enough. I don’t seem to be able to muster enough self-control. According to the Bible, the taming of the tongue is primarily an internal issue. It’s not simply a matter of self-control, but a matter of the heart. We control our words by controlling what comes into our hearts and minds and souls.
What’s coming into your heart and mind and soul these days? What are you reading? What are you looking at and watching? Who are you hanging out with? Devoting regular time to scripture reading and meditation, committing to edifying friendships and participating in worship are good ways to clean up not only our acts but also our mouths.
The really exciting thing about what Proverbs says about words is that we can also use our tongues positively to bring healing and to foster health and wholeness. In our mouths, we have the power of shalom—peace, prosperity, health, soundness, wholesomeness in the broadest sense. Why not intentionally use healing words today?
Prayer: Father, thank you for your words which are a balm to me. Forgive me for using words as weapons. Fill me with your love so that I can speak healing words to others. Amen
Copyright © CRCMA 2008
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