July 11, 2010 - Hidden Treasure in Everyday Life

Proverbs 2: 1-6  My child, if you accept my words
   and treasure up my commandments within you, 
² making your ear attentive to wisdom
   and inclining your heart to understanding; 
³ if you indeed cry out for insight,
   and raise your voice for understanding; 
⁴ if you seek it like silver,
   and search for it as for hidden treasures— 
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
   and find the knowledge of God. 
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 

Ever hear about the dihydrogen monoxide hoax? It's been around for a while, but it got a lot of media attention in 1997 when a 14-year-old student named Nathan Zohner circulated a petition to ban the substance as part of a high school science fair. According to Zohner, dihydrogen monoxide "may cause severe burns, accelerates the corrosion and rusting of many metals, and has been found in the excised tumors of terminal cancer patients." Despite these risks, he further noted, the nefarious chemical is often used "as an industrial solvent and coolant, in the production of Styrofoam, and as a fire retardant."

By now some of you have figured out that dihydrogen monoxide is the technical name for H2O, water.

Nathan’s story llustrates an important truth: it's possible for us as human beings to develop a lot of misconceptions—even a dangerous familiarity—about something with which we are intimately connected. Sam O'Neal, "What the Bible Says About God,"

The Scriptures can be like this when only a few familiar stories or passages are referred to for our spiritual growth. In post-modern terms, it’s like having access to a new computer with high-speed internet and only using the system to check the weather!

However, within its pages of rich history, moving poetry, and relevant faith stories are embedded applications that when utilized are transforming to our spiritual life and our life in the world.

Elias Boudinot, early American lawyer and statesman (1740–1821) Once said, “Were you to ask me to recommend the most valuable book in the world, I should fix on the Bible as the most instructive, both to the wise and ignorant. Were you to ask me for one affording the most rational and pleasing entertainment to the inquiring mind, I should repeat, it is the Bible; I would make it, in short, the Alpha and Omega of knowledge.”

The theology found within the wisdom books of the Old Testament (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes) instruct the next generation, solve specific problems, and pass on traditions.  The central understanding of all these writings is that God made the world, an order within which the human race must learn to live. Through wisdom, human beings can cope with the world and live happy lives.  Of great concern to the sages who write of wisdom were the consequences of our choices upon the individual and society.

Wisdom is more than human ability to master life and control outcomes of our choices; it is hidden with God and is given to human beings as they seek it. “Hidden treasures in everyday life.”

The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible records,

“In the biblical wisdom literature we find principles governing daily living that, when rightly understood, can lead us to God. These principles, given by a loving God through the means of natural human wisdom, reveal God’s will for our lives and how we can live harmoniously in the world. The book of proverbs begins, “The proverbs of Solomon… for learning about wisdom and instruction” and for finding “the knowledge of God” (1:1-2; 2:5)

The wisdom tradition of the Bible focuses on building character, promoting virtue, condemning vices, and teaching us ways in which we can do the right thing, for the right reason, at the right time, and in the right way.

Now, in contrast to other sections of Scripture, the Proverbs do not focus on the more dominant biblical theme of salvation history, i.e. how we overcome our separation from God.  Instead, these Scriptures focus on the practical choices we make in life and the consequence that flow from these choices. In essence, the proverbs are a collection of sayings that serve to build an important foundation of moral character which honors God.

Seeking wisdom offers a counterbalance to the tremendous power of our emotions and feelings that can overtake our attitudes and actions – ruling too much of our lives. Wisdom provides us the great benefit of being able to learn from the experiences of others without having to repeat those same experiences.

Through the Proverbs passages, God, much like a parent advising a child, reveals the patterns that help us gain an understanding of our own person life, work with one another, and ultimately discover God himself.  They teach us that joy and happiness, sorrow and despair are a direct result of the life we lead and the choices we make (7:21-27).  They represent a stored treasure of human experiences that reveal the wisdom and grace of God (3:5-8)”

It’s also important to address the wisdom information in the book of Job.  Most of us have categorized Job in the file of suffering. However, the book of Job is among the best of the wisdom literature, because it ventures far beyond and at greater depths than other writings.  For example, by other wisdom writings, if Job lived a virtuous faith life, then he would not suffer. Yet he was virtuous and he did suffer. His friends represent conventional wisdom, saying that he must have done something to mess up or upset God. And this is why the “cause and effect” of his suffering exists.

Yet the teachings woven throughout the book of Job explores the deep space of wisdom beyond the simple arithmetic of divine justice for human sin - examining suffering and misfortune in the midst of living an upright and faithful life.

Job presents his case and asks profoundly hard questions of God – demonstrating that there is no easy relationship between good fortune and righteousness or between misfortune and wrath.  And God responds “Shall a fault finder contend with the Almighty?... Will you condemn me that you may be justified?”  I recommend reading Job chapters 28-31, not from the surface issues of suffering, but as wisdom literature that both transcends suffering and intimately addresses it.  In the end, Job finds that life is a mystery that can be faced only by trust in and reliance upon God; That suffering challenges us to trust in a God, who, in ways beyond our knowing, orchestrates the ultimate destinies of humans and nations.

Wisdom writings teach us several valuable lessons:

1)    Our faith life with God develops in the middle of everyday tasks and relationships. How we relate with God through our relationships, our work, our play.

2)    The wisdom tradition connects the link between the ethical teachings of scripture with our daily living.  It’s tempting to separate our religious life with our everyday living. Yet religious rituals, like prayers at meal times, connect us to our faith.

3)    Reading and reflecting on biblical wisdom passages offer guidance to be used in real life situations. For example “A tranquil mind give life to the flesh, but passion make the bones rot” can remind us of David’s ill health after his adulterous tryst with Bathsheba and can help us seek to do everything possible to avoid a similar fate (Prov. 14:30; Ps 38).

4)    Finally, the wisdom writings point us beyond ourselves to others and ultimately to God.  It expands our awareness to include relationships with others – even globally – and therefore helps us to help God’s creatures and creation, which in effect, draws us closer to the Creator for our own benefit and blessing.

My daily drive home now involves 16 switchback turns over four miles up the Monument. Around any turn can be beauty or tragedy, danger or opportunity. Yet I must follow the road in order to arrive home. In his book A Sweet and Bitter Providence, John Piper offers these thoughts about God's providence:

Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of (the Lord).

When Donna’s brother and sister-in-law were expecting a baby, she asked her four-year-old niece, "What do you want, a baby brother or a baby sister?"   "Aunt Donna," she replied, "sometimes you just gots to take what God gives ya."

The sage advice in Proverbs 2 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 
⁷ he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
   he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, 
⁸ guarding the paths of justice
   and preserving the way of his faithful ones. 
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice
   and equity, every good path; 
¹⁰ for wisdom will come into your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; “