Together with our church, I am reading through the Proverbs this month. There’s a simple theme – “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and following God’s wisdom is key to a good outcome in life. For example, this morning in Chapter 10 I read, “ Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (10: 9)
I find myself reading with “a grain of salt.” What I mean by that is that I immediately discount the face value reading of that proverb. I say to myself, “that is generally true, but not always.” Or, “That will be true in the end, but not necessarily here on earth before the return of Jesus.” I am so concerned about warding off a “prosperity gospel” that I have trouble reading these things in the Bible at all. I just Googled the prosperity gospel:
“The prosperity gospel (also known as prosperity theology or the “Word of Faith” movement) is a religious belief asserting that God rewards unwavering faith and devotion with material wealth, physical health, and personal happiness. It treats prayer and financial giving as tools to unlock divine blessings.” (taken from The Gospel Coalition)
The core beliefs are listed: that financial prosperity is the right of all believers and indicator of God’s favor, that we can utter words of faith to claim blessings, that Jesus’ death not only removed sin, but also sickness and poverty in this life for those who walk with him, etc.
Okay, so I don’t believe those core beliefs! I don’t believe financial prosperity is the divine right of all believers, in part because I don’t think financial prosperity is an unqualified good for all of us. I don’t think we know what is best for us, such that we can name and claim “blessings” for ourselves just by pronouncing them and believing our pronouncement. And I really don’t believe Jesus promised the removal of sickness and poverty in this life. He promised those things in the life to come!
But then what do verses like Proverbs 10:9 teach us?
I wrote before about the walking groups Bill and I have joined since moving to our neighborhood in Colorado. As far as I can tell we are among the few in those groups who read the Bible regularly and try to follow it, not to say that our fellow walkers are flagrant sinners. But as with many social groups, people start gossiping about others, putting a smile on their faces when they are face to face with someone, then criticizing them behind their backs. I have sought to behave differently, not joining the gossip and occasionally defending the person who is being criticized. That hasn’t gone well. I am beginning to feel unwelcome and that my integrity is not paying off. And using a straightforward prosperity gospel metric, Bill and I have lately been chronically ill with small stuff, so that we are known in our neighborhood for our frequent illnesses! We are not compelling in our witness, if the message God wants to convey is that those who follow him will be healthy and wealthy!
Even within Proverbs itself, there are indicators of the complexities of life before Jesus comes to make all things new. In chapter 10 there is a verse which says, “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, the poverty of the poor is their ruin.” This verse seems to acknowledge that the poor are more vulnerable than the rich. But in Chapter 11:28 it says, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” This verse teaches wealth is not ultimately trustworthy. And in Proverbs 18:11 it says, “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.” In other words, he erroneously thinks, he imagines he is secure because of his riches, so wealth is deceptive and will ultimately be to his harm.
I remember listening to a sermon by Tim Keller years ago, which I would be challenged to find again. But I remember him saying that the book of Proverbs starts out with clear elementary teaching which instructs truthfully to warn us to fear the Lord and to live by his wisdom. These elementary teachings are helpful for children to learn that their actions have consequences. As the book progresses, the author nuances that message more and more: by the end there are more and more proverbs which acknowledge adversity for those who are faithfully following God’s wisdom. I went looking to find this specific statement, and didn’t, but I found this sermon which underscores the need for both prosperity and adversity in the life of a believer: The Two Great Tests – Timothy Keller [Sermon] Keller says that our loving Father will give both experiences in the lives of his children, to grow us up in mature faith. Adversity teaches us to trust God’s discipline, because we know we are secure in his gracious love. Prosperity teaches us to stay humble and give generously, because we know prosperity is not a result of our wisdom and superiority, nor the provider of our security. Therefore, our good Father tests us with both prosperity and adversity for our good, so that we might trust him for our salvation and walk humbly with him.
As I have been writing this post, musing on these questions, it has been helpful for me to process these things, not merely vaguely in my thoughts, but in writing! I have concluded that for me there are two mistakes I can make when reading Proverbs. First, on a good day, when things are going well, I can read the Proverbs and feel affirmed – like MY wise actions have yielded good results. If it always turned out that way, good cause yielding good effect, I would be prone to congratulating myself, because the temptation to self righteousness runs deep in me. I would forget the Lord who leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. But the goodness in my life is not from me. It is from the Lord who guides me. It is from the Word of God to which I listen. God’s law is a sure guide to us whether the outcome is good or not. As I have grown in faith, I know the Proverbs describe a wise person, who obeys God in fair or foul weather, and by his grace I want to be that person. My God is not merely a fair-weather friend to me, and I would like to resemble him more and more.
The second mistake I make while reading the Proverbs is back to where I started: reading with too big of a grain of salt. I am generally satisfied with how God has shepherded my life, but I worry that others have somehow fallen through the cracks. There are poor and starving Christians around the world. What about them? Do these proverbs work for them? There are younger believers who have experienced massive health challenges, which, if they had befallen me would sorely shake my faith. What about them? In wrestling with these things this month, I am reminded of all that I do not know of God’s care for all of his children throughout the world. His word tells us that no one falls through the cracks. “I will never forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5) “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) We will hear the stories of his care in heaven. That will be a glorious account!