Proverbs 8

And here is Wisdom's song. And Wisdom's song is far more lovely, don't you think? It brings me back to an earlier post where Wisdom and I sit down at a table with a cup of coffee for a conversation. And I picture these words being there. Wisdom sits down after a hard week and says "Andy, it's been a while since we've chatted."

"I know, it's been a tough week and I just haven't had time for Wisdom."

"Andy, if you don't have time for Wisdom, what do you have time for? What I offer is more valuable than money, more meaningful than hobbies. Let's try to sit down again soon."

"Wisdom, I want to live justly and speak righteousness. How do I do that?"

"Spend more time learning from me. This is what I do. This is what I was made for. I've been doing this since the beginning of time. I was there. I remember when the world was nothing, just a swirling void. But then God and I got to work. God would set the boundary markers for the worlds, and then I would go to work designing them, filling them with my own artist's touch. But every once and a while, I would just look up at God and see the sparkle in God's eye. Creating is God's thing. God loves creating and making all things new. You know, Andy, creation isn't done. God's making all things new- and that includes your heart."

"How do I make my heart new?"

"You don't. God does. Just keep having coffee with me and following my lead. You'll get there. Now I gotta go, I have lots of meetings today."

For a moment after Wisdom is gone, I'm still staring into space, imagining what it would look like to see joy on God's face. I hardly even recognize she's gone until I let some coffee spill on my hand and the hot drink shakes me back into this world. A world, I pray, will follow the path that Wisdom lays out.

Proverbs 7

Proverbs 7-10 give us a coherent story, one of the few sections in Proverbs to actually make a narrative. It is a challenge between Wisdom and the character we came to know last chapter but will eventually learn is "Folly" (as I will refer to her from here on out). And what opens is the tragic case of a victim of Folly. This young man (lacking judgment) slips out of a crowd and is walking down a street to a house with a bad reputation. Whether he is innocent and making a poor decision or whether he has plans and hopes for this house, we cannot be certain. But out of the house comes Folly, ready to draw him into her home with the promise of love. And away he goes, drawn by false promises and "love." The narrator of this story watches this tragedy unfold from his own home, knowing that going into the home of Folly is the slippery slope to some kind of death.

We do not know this story from the outside, looking in, though. The story of being drawn into unwise decisions is one we know from the perspective of the one lacking judgment. Folly claims victims everyday, and we are often among them. But thank God for grace, that the work of Jesus rescues us from the home of Folly and into the home of Wisdom. Our challenge is the one posited by the narrator at the beginning and the end of Folly's tale- to store up understanding. We are containers, in many ways, filling up with the things around us. The challenge of Proverbs is to fill up with God. Otherwise, we leave ourselves open to be filled up with other stuff. Now, this doesn't mean only listening to Christian music, only reading Christian books and only hanging out with Christian people. Quite the opposite. Proverbs calls us to live in the world as it is. But filling ourselves with God (in prayer and learning some of the proverbs that are to come) allows us to interact with that world in a way that honors God. May that be our challenge today.

Proverbs 6

A fair warning from here - cataloging the Proverbs from here on out will get very difficult. This is the most disorganized book in the entire Bible (and there is good reason for that- the Proverbs aren't meant to tell one story). The chapters will jump around from topic to topic so fast that it could give you vertigo. So from here on out to the end of Proverbs, I will be adopting a new (and hopefully more inclusive) style of writing. I will simply reflect on one segment of the Proverbs, and I hope that you will use the comment section to talk about your favorite (or most confusing) segment of Proverbs. That way, we can hopefully have a good conversation about the Proverbs.

Now, onto Proverbs 6. Being a huge fan of the James Bond series, I can't pull away from any section that outlines the "perfect" villain (Proverbs 6:12-19). And of course, this villain is pretty bad. Always scheming, stirring up dissension, lying, shedding innocent blood, this guy (or gal) is bad! Actually, it reminds me somewhat of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the chief villain of the James Bond series (until his tragic fate in behind-the-scenes legal battles that keeps him from being used again). But this villain is altogether real- and is inside each and every one of us. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story that points to the reality that we can do what we can to hide it, but each of us has a level of darkness within us. The greatest villains in human history are still humans beings, people like us.

A problem is that we are quick to dehumanize our human brothers and sisters who remind us of our own darkness. "That's not a person, it's a monster." Or we dehumanize by taking human responsibility out. "That person is just a product of a system." Products are not people. Or we take the opposite extreme and force a person to own the entire blame of their actions and do not hold the system responsible at all. It's a dangerous game we play. People do horrible things. And certainly, part of emotional maturity is owning our responsibility in the things we do. And also, we need a hard look at the systems that may have fostered or encouraged these traits. Too often, people want to over-play the system or over-play the individual or just excise the villain from the human race. But those are defense mechanisms for ourselves which alleviate our guilt but do not seek Wisdom. May we continue to seek her in our lives.

Proverbs 5

I suppose everyone needs an evil twin. We have been introduced to Wisdom, now meet her evil twin- the adulteress. The Proverbs paint this character as one who delights in wickedness and in turning people away. With promises of quick and easy gain, she lures people to ignoble fate. She is one to be avoided, one should not find comfort in her arms. This one will use you and drain you of your resources.

Why would we flee to such a person, when we have Wisdom in our lives? Why do her words tempt anyone- especially when they see that following her sayings and advice leads to such destruction? But then again, how often do we choose easy gain over the long road of obedience? Human beings spin lie after lie in order to protect ourselves from trouble or reality. This battle between the words of Wisdom and the words of the adulteress are a lifelong battle. When we are young and our (psychological) needs focus on issues of productivity and "mattering," the words of the adulteress (temptation) siphon away our energy and work away from God's mission and into frivolous things. When we approach the end of life, when our (psychological) needs focus on peace or regret of life, the words of the adulteress heap regret, guilt and shame on us and keep us from peace.

Therefore, we should not allow the words of Proverbs 5 to pass us by. We should embrace them and look to see who we are partnering with- Wisdom or her evil twin.

Proverbs 4

Wisdom: A love story. That would make for an interesting movie. Wisdom is portrayed in a couple ways here in Proverbs 4, an object to get and a person with whom to have a relationship. On the one hand, much of the chapter talks about gaining wisdom and it will be like a compass. We can be sure that our footing is sure when the compass of wisdom is in our hands. It is like the Pirates of the Caribbean, where the compass of Captain Jack Sparrow points him to what he truly wants the most. Except this compass points us on the way we truly need the most - God's way.

But what is more interesting to me is that Wisdom is still this feminine figure. And we are called to have some sort of a relationship with her- a relationship of love and esteem. It is hard to think of having a relationship with Wisdom. And as we love Wisdom, she will be our protector and guide us away from snares and traps. She is worth chasing after. She is worth giving up everything else in order to stay with her.

Today, may our paths be like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18).

Proverbs 3

Wow, the benefits of Wisdom seem pretty good in this passage! Long life, prosperity, sweet sleep, safety, no disasters, and others are all promised to the wise in this chapter alone. But what of the wise who do suffer disasters? What of Job? As I read this chapter, I'm reminded that Proverbs is part of the Biblical witness, but not the whole. In fact, Job is considered "Wisdom Literature" because it does admit that doing good things will not always result in having a life of prosperity and "good things." Suffering, it would seem, comes to us all and is not always grounded in our conduct.

But that's not to say that these proverbs are wrong. Proverbs are just different kinds of literature then, say, prophecy. Prophets were held to the standard of being absolutely right or they were considered false prophets. Proverbs are allowed some flexibility. For example, later on in the book we will read that we should raise up a child in the way he/she should go, and they will never depart from it. But how many situations do we know where godly parents raised children who are prodigals? Generally, if all works out, this proverb is true. But the fact that there are counter-examples does not threaten the integrity of the proverb. Just like if we make wise decisions, we should be free from the snares of wickedness. And sometimes, we can make all the right decisions, but someone else's unwise decisions threaten our prosperity (recession, anyone?).

In the end, I suppose that it why Proverbs are so focused on other people. This chapter concludes by urging us to do good today and to not place violent people as our heroes. Imagine a world where we all made wise and loving decisions. Let's pray that this day may come.

Proverbs 2

When is the last time you called out for insight? I'm not sure I ever searched for wisdom like a pirate searching for buried treasure. But then the author takes a masterful turn. Searching for wisdom is really searching for God. Wisdom is not a goal unto itself, it isn't just about knowing what to do. It is seeking God. Take yourself to the desert, where water is rare. The sun is beating down on you (which could be hard to imagine in February in Northern MI) and you are thirsty. As you walk, you see right in front of you a puddle. It has clean, fresh water. But fifty yards ahead, you see a babbling brook. For the sake of argument, let's say you could only stop at one of those watering holes. Do you go for the puddle, or the source of the water? I think most of us would take the extra few steps and find ourselves at the source. The search for Wisdom is much like the search for water in the desert. We desperately need it, but the more we search for it, the more we realize that Wisdom is only kinda what we need. What we really need is the source of the Wisdom, the one who "gives wisdom" (Proverbs 2:6). May we search for wisdom, call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding today. And may we find the giver of Wisdom, our Heavenly Father.

Proverbs 1

I don't know about you, but I like to picture Biblical passages, especially the Old Testament passages, and wonder what kind of imagery they actually present. Wisdom is a female character in Proverbs, so I picture her standing in Times Square at peak busy-ness. People are trying to get to meetings, do some shopping, and generally fight the crowds to get to their destination. And Wisdom stands there trying to slow the pace down, trying to help people see the reality that life is not all about what we can get for ourselves. And she is trying to help people stop for a moment and take time for God and God's wisdom. But the crowds keep moving. She can't get anyone to talk to her. Some think she's crazy. Others think she's asking for money, so they throw a few coins at her to make her go away. Others think she's too loud, too pushy, so they write her off as a fanatic.

But maybe one person will stop and say "I don't want to hate knowledge. I'm tired to these self-destructive ways. What do I do?" And Wisdom will say, "let's grab a cup of coffee somewhere and we can talk about it" (in my picture, Wisdom likes coffee too). And while the crowds push and surge in an assembly line of empty lives, these two people sit down at a table and have the most important discussion of their lives.

Who is that person? Who will it be today? Maybe we can be one of those people. Maybe. Wisdom is on the streets of Glen Arbor, standing right outside the Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company. Will I invite her to my table for a cup of coffee and the most important discussion of my life?

Proverbs 1:1-7

Welcome to the exciting world of the Proverbs! In this study, we will fly through the Proverbs. Every week will go through one chapter of the Proverbs (except for this one, where we will only look at the prologue). Proverbs is an interesting book because it tells no complete story, it is only a collection of sayings sometimes grouped by theme, but sometimes only grouped by author. Solomon wrote many of them, but not all.

In this prologue, we get a clear idea of why the Proverbs were collected and written down. Wisdom. Eventually we will meet wisdom as a character in the book, but for the time being, wisdom is also a character trait. But wisdom is not just the result of reading the Proverbs, it is also a prerequisite (1:5). It takes a wise heart to desire more wisdom.

Wisdom, at least in the Proverbs, is all about attitude and action. Hopefully the words of the Proverbs build a better world, where people live disciplined and just lives. After all, these are not just household sayings, these are words that Solomon governed by in his better days. So let us be open to the just lifestyle God offers us and enter these Proverbs with wise hearts.

Amos 9:11-15

And finally we come to the point of Amos that we have all been waiting for- the promise of restoration. I hope that as you have read Amos with me that you have seen or felt the roller coaster ride that Amos has gone through as well as the people of Israel. I have pitied, been furious at, and now celebrated with the people of Israel in this journey they have been traveling.

What does restoration really mean? What do I know about restoration? I think many of us can sympathize with a journey where exile and restoration is a piece of it. One part of this Amos passage confuses me, and it would keep confusing me if not for the rest of the passage. "I will... build it as it used to be" (Amos 9:11). We can't go back to the way it used to be. No one can go back into the past, unless of course you are an avid follower of the show Lost (as I am). But in life, we can't go back. And God doesn't really want Israel to go back to the way they were. In the rest of this passage, there is an expansion of God's plan. God's ideas don't just include Israel, they include all nations that bear God's name. God's idea is to invite into relationship all people. And in the exile, people in Babylon do hear about God and desire to follow God's ways. And eventually, Jesus will come to invite all nations into relationship with God.

And that makes me think about my times of "exile" and "restoration." How often do I try to go back to the "way things used to be" and how often do I let my experiences be shaped by God to expand me and to invite more people into loving relationship with God? May we take the Amos journey through the valleys of life into the more difficult path of change and growth.

Amos 9:1-10

To those who have been journeying with me each day, my apologies for not having a post yesterday. I pray that you are not reserving for me the words of Amos in my shortcoming. ;)

Admittedly, Amos 9 should be read as one message from God, not in two sections I will be studying them. But there's a lot of meat to this passage, and I don't want to skip over the hard stuff just to get to the beautiful place of restoration. Let's set the stage for Amos 9 a little bit. God is standing by the altar, speaking to Amos. It would be easy to breeze right past this, but when the prophets mention a place, it's good to look at it. The altar is a place of worship. It could be at Bethel, or it could be Amos seeing a vision of God in the Temple in Jerusalem. Either way, it is clear that Amos is picturing worship in this vision. In fact, it could be Bethel, since God clearly has an intention to tear down the shrine at Bethel. In fact, kings of Israel are assessed partially based on whether or not they tear down the altar at Bethel (which they never do). God doesn't like it ("Go to Bethel and sin..." rings through my ears at this point), and God will eventually remove it from the land, destroying this source of oppression and idolatry.

What boggles the mind from this sense that God is going to tear down the idol is what comes in verse 7. This flies in the face of what Israel has been banking on as a nation. They count on the fact that God thinks about them differently than every other nation. And to some extent, there is truth there. God did create this people group with a special relationship. But Israel thinks they corner the market on God. That God is "their God" and no one else has any claim to God. And God starts talking about being the God of the nations- even the Arameans and the Philistines, who are sworn enemies of the Israelites.

I suppose what I take out of this is that God is big. Really big. Israel's attempt to shrink God into an idol was misguided. They neglected the big-ness of God. Let that challenge us when we think we have the corner of the market on God and truth. Jesus told the disciples that there were other sheep in other folds that the disciples did not know about (John 10:16). Therefore, let us be open to the big-ness of God and celebrate a love greater than we could ever imagine. A love that is shown most clearly in Jesus Christ.

Amos 8

I don't know about you, but when I read from verses 11 through the end of the chapter, I got chills. A famine of hearing the words of the Lord, a famine of God's presence in many ways. What I find most fascinating about this chapter, though, is that it directly follows a passage where a priest (a designated representative of the people in matters of God) rejects the words of the Lord. Sometimes it is true that a person does not appreciate what is there until it is gone.

As Israel went into exile, their cry became to never ignore the words of the prophets again. Ezra has an extended prayer service after the exile to return to God. Nehemiah, before beginning his work to rebuild fallen Jerusalem, prays and confesses that this particular generation ignored the words of the prophets. Times got so desperate that people were willing to listen to just about anyone. In fact, when Jesus arrived on the scene, people were already talking about other "Messiahs" who had been defeated (Barabbas, Theudas, Judas the Galilean- Acts 5:36-37).

So I read this passage and wonder sometimes where my hunger for God's Word is. I read about people wandering all directions looking for God wherever they can, and perhaps I am spoiled. After all, if I want God's Word, I have several editions and versions of the Bible on my bookshelves, in my car, in my computer case. But I pray for me as well as for all of us that we would experience this hunger for God's Word and that we would find that it truly does satisfy. Amen.

Amos 7:10-17

It is a rare occasion in Amos where we actually get to see how people responded to him. In this case, we see the priest of Bethel who is in a lot of danger from Amos. After all, Amos is telling people that worship at Bethel is generating sinful practices. Amaziah, however, thinks that Amos is just trying to stir up trouble in Israel so that people will move to Judah (Amos is from Judah). So he tries to throw Amos out on charges of espionage and treason.

But that's not what Amos is about. He's not a hired professional. In fact, Amos isn't a professional at all. He grew fig trees and took care of sheep. He was never trained to be a prophet, he didn't inherit that job from his family, he was just a simple guy trying to obey God.

Following God is never about being a professional Christian. It doesn't require all sorts of titles and degrees. It's not about social status or any of those things. Following God is simply offering yourself and being obedient to God's call. Sometimes we think we aren't qualified as Christians, that we don't know enough or have the right skills. But those aren't the things that God looks at. God looks at a heart that is dedicated and a spirit that is humble and a voice that declares that Jesus is Lord. Amen.

Amos 7:1-9

A woman went to her confessor in the early morning. And she came weeping not for herself, but for her son. Her son, who was a young man probably nearing his twenties, and and lived a very loose life. He used people, gave into every temptation that came before him, he was living the life of the prodigal son. But he was successful at the same time and saw no reason why he should ever give up his lifestyle. And his mother confessed all of his sins to her confessor (or priest), and he turned to her and said "Go home with God's blessing. For it is not possible that the son of all these tears should perish." She did. And shortly after that, a young man named Augustine gave his life to Christ and became one of the most foundational Christian writers in history, while Rome still stood as the Empire.

Now, we know that there are many who weep and intercede for people who never do turn toward Jesus. But let's consider Augustine's story for a moment and consider the power of intercession. Amos 7 gives us a clear picture of intercession. Disaster is coming toward the Israelite people in the form of locusts and fire, but Amos cries out on their behalf and God relents. Now, what is going on theologically I cannot fully explain. But what I can say is that God clearly listens to prayer. May this story in Amos inspire us to deeply pray and intercede for our community- that all might come to know Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amos 6

Sometimes Scripture functions to comfort the upset and to upset the comfortable. Amos 6 is one of those passages. In the list of the 7 Deadly Sins, near the top are sloth and pride- the two sins being talked about in this passage. In an earlier post I quotes George Bernard Shaw- "indifference is the essence of inhumanity." And it works right here too. This passage starts with the complacent; specifically, the powerful. They are the ones "to whom the people of Israel come" (Amos 6:1). They are the heroes, the ones who have the power to affect change. But they just sit and ignore the world around (and below) them, cheerfully distracting themselves with parties and lots and lots of alcohol. And the comfortable couches and drunken parties have kept them from seeing that Israel is collapsing. All of their neighbors are more powerful and are still about to be brought into exile by the Assyrian Empire. But as long as the distractions keep coming, they will be fine. It is similar to the days of the Roman Empire, when the empire was collapsing, the rulers would throw festival after festival in the Colosseum, hoping to distract their people into ignoring the disaster they were in. Or perhaps it is like an entire society watching talking heads screaming at each other on the television, ignoring the problems of the people around them. Who knows?

Amos also brings up pride, and this is a place where we see the sarcasm of the prophets. Amos brings up the conquest of "Lo Debar" in verse 13. Before you scramble to a map to find Lo Debar, don't. It literally means nothing. Lo means no, debar generally speaking means thing or word. The pride of the people is misplaced. They have conquered nothing. They believe that they have taken strength by strength, pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and made it happen. But the Biblical stories and the prophets make it clear- that is not how the story really goes. But pride is a unique poison. It blinds, deafens and paralyzes. It rewrites history to favor us, and re-casts our opponents as vicious villains (all defeated, of course).

Pride and sloth are dangerous, yes, deadly sins. They invite disaster and welcome the oppressor. After all, their is no easier opponent to face than one who is lazy but thinks they are unbeatable. And so we are reaching the climax of Amos, the fact that the exile of Israel is coming. The Assyrian army will waltz into Samaria and take the nobles and all the people into captivity. But we will talk about that another day.

Amos 5:19-27

For all that Amos has been tough to read, the opening to this passage has at least traces of dark humor to it. I can imagine a person running away from a lion, getting away and stopping to rest, leaning against a big furry pillar. Then they look up, and it's a bear! It's almost something out of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. Except that this image isn't meant just to be laughed at, it says something pretty significant to the Israelite people.

They are waiting for the "Day of the Lord," a prophesied day when God will appear and set things right. We as Christians are waiting for a similar day in the return of the Lord Jesus. But the Day of the Lord is not simply an "end of the world" vision, but a kind of reset button so that life can continue. And the Israelites celebrate the coming of this day in their worship services and pray for it every night. They assume that God will come and destroy their enemies and justify their own injustices. Amos (and by extension, God) is not so impressed. God realizes that to justify the Israelite people would be to ignore the oppression and harm they do to people. And so God rejects the sacrifices they bring because they are using them as a bribe for God to turn a blind eye to downright evil actions.

God is concerned with the oppressed in the world. God cares for the marginalized, the despised and the left-out. And when God's people don't reflect that attitude, that's a problem. Everything else may be right, but if our attitude does not reflect God's, then we have a problem. It's a gut check for all of us today (and the gut check we have had every day we have been in Amos). How do we consider the people around us? What is our attitude toward the marginalized, the despised and the left-out? Let our prayer be that God would open our eyes to suffering and open our hands to reach out in the midst of it. Amen.

Amos 5:1-18

This passage is yet another heart-wrenching section of a book bathed in human sorrow. If you came to this blog expecting a devotional on the five simple ways to be happy all the time, you may want to check your search engine. This is not it. The opening of this chapter is a lament cry from the depths of Amos. As Amos sees all that is supposed to happen, a gutteral cry burst out of him that basically says "Israel is doomed forever!" And in the midst of all this pain, God comforts Amos. And God does not comfort with simple platitudes like "it will be all right" and "just don't worry, it'll all work out in the end." No, God's comfort is a tetanus booster full of grace in a needle made of reality. Sure, it still hurts, but there is healing there.

"Seek me and live" says God in Amos 5:4 and "Seek good, not evil, that you may live" in Amos 5:14. I wish I could wake up to those words every morning. Now, God's reality is not that I would seek God and be guaranteed a long life. God's meaning of life in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is far more than that- life in eternity. But that is not to ignore what God says about the here and now. There are things in our lives that give life and things that take life away. Israel has been caught up in a lot of life-denying activity. They oppress people to make their houses. They make and take bribes in order to get their way in the courts. In that way, the words justice and righteousness are trampled until they are hardly recognizable for what they are.

But when we are seeking God, trampling the poor to build our stone mansions (Amos 5:11) does not seem to be an option. In fact, when we seek God, we seek the restoration and life for all people. Not just the ones who can give us some kind of benefit, all people. The words of Amos, although harsh, do not sound all too different from the words of Jesus, Paul and James at times when they remind us that following God has a horizontal and a vertical component. So let us go in God's grace to live just and God-seeking lives. Amen.

Amos 4

"Go to Bethel and sin... bring your sacrifices every morning" (Amos 4:4). Bethel was an important place of worship for Israelites after Israel and Judah divided. Jerusalem was the capital city of Judah, so Israelites were often forbidden from going there to worship in fear that they would stay. So they went to worship at this shrines in Bethel and Gilgal.

Unfortunately, those shrines would be populated with idols and people would go to worship there after committing the same injustices that Amos describes in the previous chapters. They would sell their neighbors and children into slavery and go offer the money at their shrines, boasting about their religious fervor. God sees right through it, though, and prepares a "meeting" with Israel (Amos 4:12).

It's important for us to know that God sees through our masks and disguises. And that's good news. Really? Yes, really. It's good news. We don't need to approach God hiding our baggage. We don't need to pretend to have it all together before God. The Psalms tell us that a broken and contrite spirit will not be rejected by God. So let's come to God with authenticity, seeking to see God as He is as God sees us as we are. Amen.