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Finding Wisdom is Better than Anything

March 25, 2013 By Peter Krol

We think we’re blessed when life goes well for us. But Proverbs says we’re blessed if we find wisdom.

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
And the one who gets understanding,
For the gain from her is better than gain from silver
And her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
And nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
Those who hold her fast are called blessed (Prov 3:13-18, ESV).

Thia section begins and ends with the word “blessed.” Notice the many blessings that come when one “finds wisdom” and “gets understanding” (Prov 3:13).

“Treasure Chest” by Tom Garnett (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Prov 3:14-15 says that wisdom’s blessings are “better.” We’re often drawn to things like silver, gold, and jewels to give us value and satisfaction, but Solomon promises that what we gain from wisdom is better than whatever we might gain from such treasures. “But we don’t care about money,” we might say. “There are far more important things in life. Love, family, reputation, productivity, influence, world peace, pets, and chocolate all come to mind.” Solomon brushes every one aside with a sweeping, “And nothing you desire can compare with her” (Prov 1:15).

Consider the implications of this verse. Finding wisdom is a greater blessing than having sex, even if you waited until marriage. Wisdom is more satisfying than Thanksgiving dinner. Wisdom will make you happier than conceiving a child will. If your goal is to graduate, get a job, find a soul mate, help the needy, gain a hearing, start a business, write a book, join a band, fit in, get your kids through college, protect your kids from losing their faith in college, master theology, find a good church, go fishing, win the election, pay the bills, grow your church, buy a house, retire comfortably, live close to your grandchildren, leave a legacy, or be left alone, then your goal is too small. It won’t satisfy you. All of these things are good, but none of them can compare to wisdom.

We think we’re experts in satisfaction, but we’re like adolescents absorbed in hand-held video games at the beach: captivated in our own world while missing out on all the real fun.

Top 10 OT Books Quoted in NT

March 20, 2013 By Peter Krol

Photo Credit: Kladcat (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every time the New Testament quoted an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.” I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament. I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure. For example, when Jesus is called “Son of Man,” is that an allusion to Daniel 7:13, to Psalm 8:4, or to Ezekiel 2:1, 3, 6, 8, etc? Most likely, the answer is “all of them,” but Bible interpreters disagree. Therefore, I left these unclear examples off the list altogether. One unfortunate result is that the books of 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the top 10 most quoted Old Testament books. Which books did the New Testament authors most often reference as they wrote of the coming of Jesus the Messiah?

After each book title, I include the number of times the New Testament quotes from that book.

Psalms (68 times)
Isaiah (55)
Deuteronomy (44)
Genesis (35)
Exodus (31)
Leviticus (13)
Proverbs (8)
Zechariah (7)
Hosea (6)
Jeremiah (5)

It makes sense that the top few books are some of the long books in the OT. But the longest book (Jeremiah) is pretty far down. Also, long books such as 1&2 Samuel (3 quotes), 1&2 Kings (2 quotes), and 1&2 Chronicles (1 quote) are way down the list. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

Also, I find it fascinating that Zechariah, probably the most obscure and inscrutable OT book, ranks higher than any other prophetic book except Isaiah.

Does this list surprise you, or is it exactly what you suspected? Perhaps you might consult this list the next time you choose to study an Old Testament book. One could argue that the New Testament authors wanted to draw our attention to them.

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Wisdom in Satisfaction

March 18, 2013 By Peter Krol

Over the last few weeks, we considered how wisdom speaks to our disappointment; now we’ll see that wisdom speaks to our satisfaction as well. The choices we make toward wisdom or folly can have a significant impact on the quality of our lives.

I know an aged couple who live an enviable retirement. They use their freedom to serve others more than themselves. The husband, a former pastor, provides free or cheap preaching to small churches that lack a full-time minister. The wife grows her own garden, cooks her own meals, and drives her own car. Although in their 80s, they frequent the local gym for aerobic exercise. They snack on oranges every evening, are living off their own savings, and get to see their grandchildren regularly.

Another elderly couple in my acquaintance unfortunately does not experience such delightful blessings. Their bodies have deteriorated from years of gluttony and various addictions. They have few friends because their conversation generally drifts into some sort of gossip or complaining. Their money has long since run out, and their children tire under the burden of both caring for them and negotiating matters with their creditors. I love these folks dearly, but I’m saddened by their situation.

I’m not arguing that it’s easy to make good choices, nor that the good life always results when wise people make righteous choices. My aim is simply to show that we don’t have to look very hard to uncover evidence of the fact that deeds have consequences. The chief consequence of wisdom is satisfaction: not in ourselves, but in the Lord Jesus. Satisfaction comes from having our desires met or exceeded, which can happen only through Jesus, who is our “wisdom from God” (1 Cor 1:30).

In this section of Proverbs, Solomon explains that there is tremendous satisfaction for those who find (Prov 3:13-18) and keep (Prov 3:21-26) wisdom. The reason is simple: God designed it this way so we’d be satisfied in him (Prov 3:19-20). As Augustine so keenly observed, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (Confessions, I.1.).

Disappointment Draws Us Near

March 11, 2013 By Peter Krol

For several years, a woman in our church has had a form of cancer, which requires her to periodically drive two hours to a major medical center and have her entire bloodstream filtered through a big machine. It’s both painful and exhausting, but she never complains about it. She speaks instead of the opportunities she had to share the Gospel with her nurses. She rejects depression and embraces God’s mastery of her life, and she becomes both refreshed and refreshing to be around.

“It’s Mr. Chemo” by IndyDina (2007), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Lately, her doctors have tried chemotherapy. The last time she did it, she had a life-threatening allergic reaction, which required immediate aborting of the treatment. The next day her mother had a heart attack. The day after that, she was in a car accident. The following Sunday in church (yeah, she still came to church), she praised God for sparing her from the normal side effects of chemo – since it hadn’t worked – so she could care for her ailing parents better.

Ask this woman if she’s disappointed with how life is shaking out for her, and she’ll weep. You’ll probably weep, too. She shows how the disappointment never goes away until Jesus comes back.

But at the same time, she reflects the wisdom of Christ. She refuses to feel sorry for herself. Her disappointment drives her closer to God, through the grace of Jesus. I’m a wuss compared to her, but God loves me and won’t let me stay there. What about you?

Our study of Proverbs 3:1-12 has shown us how disappointment works, and how the wise will refashion it for God’s glory. Are you willing to view your disappointment as God’s intentional love?

Disappointment and Finances

March 4, 2013 By Peter Krol

“Money” by Dustin Moore (2007), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Many teachers speak lies about God when they say he always promises material well-being to his children. Others over-react by claiming we can’t really trust God’s promises of material prosperity (as though they are not promises but mere probabilities). Both views contain a kernel of truth, and both views represent a mis-characterization of God’s promises. Gods promises are true, yet he promises so much more than more stuff.

Again, my comments will follow the pattern described here.

Honor the Lord with your wealth
And with the firstfruits of all your produce;
Then your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will be bursting with wine (Prov 3:9-10, ESV).

Command: Be generous with your stuff.

Consequence: You’ll have plenty of stuff to be generous with.

Our meager expectation: People who give money away (to help the poor or to support Christian ministries) deserve to receive stuff back from God.

God’s unbelievable reward: overflowing contentment. Those who honor God with their wealth always have more to share. Be careful here: God does not promise to multiply your possessions or increase your bank account balance. The next section will make clear that wisdom’s riches are not the same thing as getting more money (Prov 3:13-18). God’s promise here has more to do with contentment than with fortune (Prov 16:8). For the wise, who honor the Lord, whatever they have will be enough (Prov 30:7-9).

Echoes: To give a picture of this financial contentment, God often lavishes his people with plenty of wealth (Gen 13:2, Ex 12:35-36). But one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. If you expect God to reward your faithfulness (especially your generosity) with financial stability or excess, you will be disappointed.

Essence: Jesus’ most precious possession was his people (Heb 12:2), so he gave up everything else to win them (2 Cor 8:9, Phil 2:5-11). Those who set their hope on worldly riches find only uncertainty and disappointment. But those who set their hope on God find they already have everything they need, and plenty to share as well (1 Tim 6:17-19, Phil 4:10-20). Beloved children of God see themselves as rich, no matter what their account statements say. When God promises full barns and bursting vats, he doesn’t encourage love for riches, but love for Christ who is our bread and wine (Matt 26:26-29), our very life (Col 3:4).

How might Jesus’ poverty help you refashion your disappointment when you don’t have as much money as you’d like?

Disappointment and Health

February 25, 2013 By Peter Krol

“Emergency Ambulance” by Lydia (2011), share under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Health problems can be tremendously disappointing. My appendicitis hospitalized me for 3 days, and I was desperate to get back home. Once home, I couldn’t do anything for myself for about a week. All this despite asking God many times to heal me! Some people ask for healing but never receive it. What should we make of this situation?

My comments will follow the pattern I explained in a previous post.

Be not wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
And refreshment to your bones (Prov 3:7-8, ESV).

Command: Fear the Lord; turn from evil.

Consequence: Healing and refreshment.

Our meager expectation: People with strong faith will be healed of any ailment.

God’s unbelievable reward: ultimate welfare and forgiveness of sin. “A right relationship with God leads to a state of complete physical and mental well-being, not simply to the absence of illness and disease.”[1] It’s okay if you get sick or injured or exhausted. Even your death is a refuge (Prov 14:32), for it brings you one step closer to the Lord (Prov 15:24). God is at work, preparing you for the day when there will be no mourning, crying, or pain.

Echoes: To give a picture of the health of this right relationship, God often cures sickness (Ps 30:1-12). But the essence of the reward is not about physical health and wellness. If you expect God to heal every sickness, and to do it on your timetable, you will be disappointed.

Essence: Jesus underwent torture and death so we might understand God’s true healing of our sin problem. Jesus performed many healing miracles, but Matthew’s reference to Isaiah 53:4 makes it clear that the physical healings were pictures of a deeper reality: the forgiveness of sin (Matt 8:16-17). Sometimes God heals diseases and preserves lives; other times he doesn’t. But when a sin-sick soul turns from its evil and fears the Lord, God will always forgive, cleanse, and refresh. Our disappointment at sickness and injury should redirect our attention to the God who heals everlastingly.

How might Jesus’ suffering help you refashion your disappointment when an illness doesn’t get better?

[1] Waltke, Proverbs 1-15, p. 247.

Disappointment and Guidance

February 18, 2013 By Peter Krol

Have you been counseled to pray before making a decision? In praying, do you expect God to give you clear direction on what to do? Friends, there’s something good here, but don’t fall into the trap of loving the wrong thing. If you pray about decisions and ask God for wisdom, he’ll give you something you might not have expected.

Again, my comments will follow the pattern I explained in a previous post.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make straight your paths (Prov 3:5-6, ESV).

Command: Trust God, not yourself.

Consequence: Straight paths.

Our meager expectation: Fervent prayers give clear direction from God for any decision.

God’s unbelievable reward: himself. Those who seek God will find him. “Trust in the Lord” and “do not lean on your own understanding” could be summarized as “fear the Lord,” which is the first step on the path of wisdom (Prov 1:7). The path of wisdom leads to God himself (Prov 2:5-8). So when God promises to “make straight your paths,” he offers to remove any obstacles that keep you from him. He’ll make himself available. He’ll loosen your yoke and lighten your burden. He will be your God.

Echoes: To give a picture of this straight path, God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at many times and in many ways (Gen 15:1, 37:5, Ex 3:2, Jdg 20:18, 23, etc.). But the essence of the reward is not about communication from God. If you expect God to speak clearly every time you ask for help, you will be disappointed.

“Anvil and Hammer” by fauxto_digit (2008), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Essence: Jesus cried out to God and was forsaken (Matt 27:46) so we who seek would find him (Matt 7:7-11). Sometimes God doesn’t give what we ask (2 Cor 12:7-8) so we might learn to ask for more of him instead (2 Cor 12:9-10). When we ask God to draw us closer to him, he will never say “No” (Jas 4:8). Raymond Ortlund describes this process: “Wisdom is the gospel of Christ reshaping us for royalty, as God places us on his anvil and we trust him enough to stay there until his work is done.”[1]

How might Jesus’ abandonment help you refashion your disappointment when your future remains unclear or your life goes in an unexpected direction?

[1] Proverbs: Wisdom that Works (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2012), Kindle location 272-73.

We Three Kings… Sorta

December 19, 2012 By Tom Hallman

Christmas in the Hallman household always comes with an abundance of some of my favorite things, including my mom’s holly candy, incredible Christmas light displays, and, of course, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

One of TSO’s lesser-known songs is this fun tune [link no longer available] about “what really happened” when the three wise men showed up looking for the baby Messiah. It’s obviously a work of fiction but is bound to make you smile knowingly and say, “That’s creative, but we all know that’s not what actually happened!”

Image courtesy of Vectorportal.com

Do we?

Let’s take a closer look at what Matthew records in his gospel to see how our nativity traditions measure up! First, refresh your memory by reading over Matthew 2:1-18. Okay, ready for a quiz?

How many kings were there?

If you guessed “three”, you might be right, but that’s the most we can know. Matthew never tells us how many there were; he only tells us that there were at least three kinds of gifts offered (gold, frankincense and myrrh.) In fact, since these guys could obviously afford to offer some nice presents to young Jesus, they probably also traveled with a large company of servants and/or guards.

Were they actually kings?

Matthew doesn’t call them “kings”. Some translations call them “wise men”. The best word is probably “magi”, but there are many theories about who “magi” actually were.

One possible clue to their identity is way back in Daniel 2:48: “Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men (magi) of Babylon.” It’s entirely possible that Daniel went on to teach these Babylonian magi all about Yahweh and His coming Christ such that generations later, wise men in the east were expectantly watching for the star of the promised King.

When did they arrive?

If your favorite nativity characters happen to be our magi friends, I have sad news for you: they weren’t there!

We know from Matthew 2:7 that Herod asked the magi when the star had appeared. We also know from Matthew 2:16 that Herod, in his rage when the magi do not return to him, has all children under age 2 killed “according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.” It seems likely therefore that the magi had noted the star two years earlier but hadn’t made the trip for some time. By the time Mary welcomed these foreign visitors, Jesus was probably a toddler! Also, Joseph’s little family had upgraded to a house during that time (Matthew 2:11).

Application… sorta

So, consider this blog post your permission to have a new “nativity” where 2-year-old Jesus is getting piggy-back rides from a couple dozen Babylonian decedents. It’s at least as Biblical as the traditional nativity scene, and perhaps a bit more fun.

Why keep the Sabbath?

December 2, 2012 By Tom Hallman

Most Christians have heard of the Ten Commandments. Many can even tell you what they are. But how many can answer this question: Why does God ask His people to keep the Sabbath?

Photo adapted from OZinOH on Flickr

Let’s take a look at these two familiar passages and take note of the similarities and differences:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 ESV)

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15 ESV)

If you just skimmed those passages, you’ll probably miss the point of this blog entry 😉 Go back and read them again.

Here are some things that are the same:

Six days are allocated for work, but the Sabbath is to be kept holy.
The Sabbath is not just for us, but “to the LORD your God”.
On the Sabbath, no one works: not you, your family, your servants, your animals or your visitors.

But did you notice the key difference between the two passages?

In the Exodus passage, the motivation for keeping the Sabbath comes from the character of God in Genesis. God made everything in six days and then rested. Thus we should do the same.
In the Deuteronomy passage, the motivation for keeping the Sabbath comes from the rescue of God in Exodus. God (not Egypt) is now their master and has a different set of [very gracious] rules to live by.

So why am I noting this on a blog about Bible Study? It’s because we’re often tempted to assume we know what a passage means just because we’ve read it somewhere else before.

The Bible was inspired by God for all time for His supreme purpose: to reveal the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. Simultaneously, the Bible was penned by different men at different times for different purposes. With these two truths in glorious tension, we study the Bible to understand as much as we can about every word, every passage, every book – even if we’ve seen a similar story previously.

In each case, be sure to observe the context of the “duplicated” passages. It may be that the main point and application may change in each case! For example:

Why might God speak of the blessing of the Sabbath to a newly-freed nation at the foot of a terrifying mountain while recalling it later with an emphasis on commands and obedience?
Why do the details of the same battle vary between Judges 4 and Judges 5?
Why is Jesus recorded as saying different things in each of the four gospels just before He dies?

Feel free to leave your thoughts on those questions in the comments!

Difficult texts: Genesis 6:1-4

October 27, 2012 By Tom Hallman

When you’re reading through Genesis, you run into some strange things. Talking snakes (Gen 3:1), twins wrestling in the womb to see who comes out first (Gen 38:28-30), and… some kind of mixed-world marriage that results in superhero children…?

[1] When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, [2] the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. [3] Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” [4] The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4 ESV)

I’ll reveal my cards early: I don’t think this passage is talking about angels marrying people, as is sometimes suggested. (Though City of Angels is a fun flick.)

So what’s really going on?

I think what usually trips people up here is that this passage comes right off the genealogy in Genesis 5. For many of us, when we hit a genealogy, our eyes glaze over and our brain only resets once we get back to the narrative. However, genealogies serve just as important a role as anything else in the narrative. They move the story forward over generations, but it’s still the same story. So, let’s go back even a little further to Genesis 4:

[17] Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. [18] To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. . . . [25] And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” [26] To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:17-18, 25-26 ESV)

These are some of the last verses just before the Genesis 5 genealogy and our Genesis 6 text. In other words, the author of Genesis wants us to notice the two separate lines forming here: the wicked line of Cain and the godly line of Seth. In between Seth fathering Enosh and the Genesis 5 genealogy, the author notes that “people began to call upon the name of the LORD.”

With that in mind, the meaning of those verses in Genesis 6 becomes clear: the sons of God are from Seth’s godly line while the daughters of men are from Cain’s wicked line. Sadly, the theme of the “godly” seeing something “attractive” and therefore taking it shows up here just as it did when Eve saw and took the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3. (Clearly not all that appears beautiful is good!) This time the death that results from this foolish attraction is far more widespread: the Flood.

(After composing the bulk of this blog entry, my fellow Knowable Word author Peter noted to me that R.C. Sproul, Jr. just covered this text not long ago. The good news is that we agree on the interpretation! So if you’d like to read more about this passage, check out his blog.)