WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.100 Good morning. We're going to be reading from the Bible now. 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:06.580 You can open up to Proverbs chapter 31. 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:19.960 Proverbs 31 verse 10. 00:00:21.580 --> 00:00:24.620 An excellent wife who can find. 00:00:25.339 --> 00:00:27.800 She is far more precious than jewels. 00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:33.820 The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain. 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:38.579 She does him good and not harm all the days of her life. 00:00:39.700 --> 00:00:43.120 She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands. 00:00:44.040 --> 00:00:45.679 She is like the ships of the merchant. 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:48.340 She brings her food from afar. 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:53.060 She rises while it's still yet night and provides food for her household 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:55.400 and portions for her maidens. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.739 She considers a field and buys it. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:01.759 With the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:06.319 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. 00:01:07.239 --> 00:01:10.000 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:12.939 Her lamp does not go out at night. 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:18.539 She puts her hands to the distaff and her hands hold the spindle. 00:01:18.540 --> 00:01:23.940 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. 00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:27.440 She is not afraid of snow for her household. 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:30.900 For all her household are clothed in scarlet. 00:01:31.900 --> 00:01:33.920 She makes bed coverings for herself. 00:01:34.660 --> 00:01:37.060 Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 00:01:38.240 --> 00:01:42.280 Her husband is known in the gates where he sits among the elders of the land. 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:45.500 She makes linen garments and sells them. 00:01:45.960 --> 00:01:47.939 She delivers sashes to the merchant. 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:53.460 Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come. 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:59.659 She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 00:01:59.659 --> 00:02:05.000 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:12.199 Her children rise up and call her blessed and her husband also and he praises her. 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:16.719 Many women have done excellently but you surpass them all. 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:25.079 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman that fears the Lord is to be praised. 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:30.700 Give her the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates. 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:34.580 Why do we need wisdom? 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:39.820 When you think about it, God's people have actually always needed wisdom. 00:02:39.939 --> 00:02:45.100 Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve still needed wisdom. 00:02:45.300 --> 00:02:47.260 They didn't know everything. 00:02:48.420 --> 00:02:53.300 Even they still needed to listen to God to learn about the world and how they should think and act. 00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:56.660 And they obviously showed a lack of wisdom. 00:02:58.160 --> 00:02:59.140 Even back then. 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:04.880 Now, this side of the floor, how much more do we need wisdom? 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:06.840 Biblical wisdom. 00:03:08.160 --> 00:03:11.880 When you look at our church in this time and place, 00:03:11.880 --> 00:03:20.520 I think there are maybe three groups of people who demonstrate why we still desperately need God's wisdom. 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:25.740 The first group of people I would call reactionaries. 00:03:27.380 --> 00:03:34.219 Some of you are seeing the world and in the world you're finding things concerning and you're reacting to them. 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:37.500 And some of the things you're reacting to are concerning. 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:46.000 But the way you're reacting to them could be described as an overreaction. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:50.860 Not Christ-like and more akin to a freak out. 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:56.759 Speaking harshly about the topic to others and putting others down who disagree. 00:03:56.759 --> 00:04:02.359 You might obsess over this one thing and make that one thing the thing. 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:06.679 You're getting swept up in a culture of outrage. 00:04:07.359 --> 00:04:13.340 And sometimes the thing you react against you think is biblical when it's not really. 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:17.680 And the reason we can know that is because there's a whole bunch of people who aren't Christians 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.800 who feel just as strongly about the same thing. 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:26.540 We need wisdom to know how to deal with things in our world 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:29.579 and to know when something is actually an issue. 00:04:31.860 --> 00:04:35.100 The second group of people I would say are asleep. 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:38.720 You too are being swept up in the culture. 00:04:38.840 --> 00:04:43.280 But instead of freaking out, you're like the frog in the pot of boiling water. 00:04:44.280 --> 00:04:47.019 Unaware of how much you've become like the world around you. 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:52.759 You're more likely to think about things from the culture's perspective than God's perspective. 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:58.699 We need wisdom to know when we've become more like the world than like Christ. 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:03.680 The final group of people are treading water. 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:06.959 You see that you're impacted by the world. 00:05:07.139 --> 00:05:08.199 You want to be wise. 00:05:08.359 --> 00:05:11.139 You're turning to God's word for wisdom. 00:05:11.799 --> 00:05:14.419 You desperately need him. 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:17.300 But when you turn to your Christian brothers and sisters for help, 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:20.100 they're either freaking out or they're asleep. 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:24.199 We desperately need wisdom. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.879 I don't know about you, but I find myself in a given week, 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:30.000 I go through all of those three categories. 00:05:30.540 --> 00:05:32.700 I overreact to people's overreactions. 00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:36.319 I go for a few days and then I think back on my days and think, 00:05:36.400 --> 00:05:37.200 what was I thinking? 00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:38.580 How was I living? 00:05:38.579 --> 00:05:44.620 Well, thankfully today, as we reach our final sermon in Proverbs, 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:48.219 wisdom is once again on offer to all of us. 00:05:49.919 --> 00:05:54.439 Now, as we look at Proverbs 31, there are many different approaches. 00:05:54.719 --> 00:05:59.539 There's been books written about how Proverbs 31 has been looked at over the years. 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:03.019 But I think there are two main ways of interpreting it. 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:06.539 The first way, which is probably the most common, 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:11.139 is to see it as a description of what a good wife should be like. 00:06:11.919 --> 00:06:13.419 Puritan Matthew Henry says, 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:19.579 this description of the virtuous woman is designed to show what wives the woman should make 00:06:19.579 --> 00:06:22.579 and what wives the men should choose. 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:26.859 And so people who see it this way will then go through the passage, 00:06:26.860 --> 00:06:31.060 looking at it and then applying it to their contemporary context, 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:34.460 saying this is what a wise woman should be like. 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:40.080 But one thing about this interpretation is often the conclusions 00:06:40.080 --> 00:06:43.699 that different people have come to over the years are contradictory. 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:49.160 It's more just a picture of the gender roles and stereotypes of that particular time. 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:52.600 So in one period of time when people interpret it like this, 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:56.699 this passage is about a stay-at-home mum who homeschools her kids. 00:06:57.400 --> 00:07:01.580 There's nothing wrong with a stay-at-home mum who homeschools their kids. 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:06.180 But then some people reading it today see an entrepreneurial businesswoman. 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:11.939 But there is also a second way to interpret it, 00:07:12.020 --> 00:07:16.620 and that is to see it as one final portrayal of lady wisdom. 00:07:17.520 --> 00:07:19.780 For those of you who were here last week, 00:07:19.780 --> 00:07:23.040 you might remember how Dave summarised the beginning of Proverbs. 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:25.759 He said, at the beginning of Proverbs, we see two women. 00:07:26.860 --> 00:07:30.879 There's lady wisdom, who's a personification of wisdom, 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:34.580 and there's madam folly, who's a personification of foolishness. 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:38.300 And they're both vying for the attention of the reader. 00:07:38.300 --> 00:07:43.340 Now, in this view, lady wisdom is here one last time, 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:45.540 making one last appearance. 00:07:46.400 --> 00:07:49.639 She's pushed madam folly away, and here she is. 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:53.480 Why do they think it's lady wisdom? 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:56.340 Again, here at the end of Proverbs. 00:07:56.420 --> 00:07:57.680 Look at verse 10. 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:02.100 An excellent wife, who can find. 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:05.079 She's far more precious than jewels. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:07.060 She's far more precious than jewels. 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:10.160 Now, let's go flipping through Proverbs. 00:08:10.280 --> 00:08:13.780 I want you to go to chapter 3, verse 13. 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:16.860 Go to chapter 3, verse 13. 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:26.420 3, verse 13. 00:08:26.420 --> 00:08:30.340 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:32.360 and the one who gets understanding. 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:37.060 For the gain from her is better than gain from silver, 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:39.120 and her profit better than gold. 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:43.440 She is more precious than jewels, 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:46.539 and nothing you desire can compare with her. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:47.800 That's talking about wisdom. 00:08:49.139 --> 00:08:51.879 Let's go to chapter 8, verse 11. 00:08:51.980 --> 00:08:52.960 Chapter 8, verse 11. 00:08:53.060 --> 00:08:55.379 Another portrayal of lady wisdom. 00:08:55.379 --> 00:09:01.200 For wisdom is better than jewels, 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:05.419 and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:08.679 The language is quite similar, isn't it? 00:09:09.599 --> 00:09:12.479 But you might just be thinking, well, that's one similarity. 00:09:12.659 --> 00:09:14.879 Maybe it's a common phrase. 00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:19.059 But the thing is, if you start looking through the rest of the description of Proverbs 31, 00:09:19.860 --> 00:09:23.219 and then start comparing it to lady wisdom at the beginning of the book, 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:26.620 you start to see that they're actually quite alike. 00:09:27.139 --> 00:09:29.040 And we don't have time to look through all of them, 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:33.399 but one person summarises the similarities really well by saying, 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:39.100 both women are hard to find and are more precious than jewels. 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:43.399 Both have a house and a staff of young women. 00:09:44.040 --> 00:09:46.940 Both provide food, prosperity, and security. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:52.120 Both are known at the city gates and bestow honour on their companions. 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:55.840 Both are physically strong and loathe wickedness. 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:58.040 Both extend their hands to the needy. 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:00.100 They laugh and both teach. 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:05.379 Their identities and instructions are associated with the fear of the Lord. 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:06.820 End quote. 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:10.680 I don't know about you. 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:12.540 Feel free to take the first view. 00:10:12.620 --> 00:10:19.280 But I think that's compelling enough to convince us to see this is one final look at lady wisdom. 00:10:21.520 --> 00:10:26.600 But with all that said, if you do look at the two, they do seem a bit different. 00:10:27.400 --> 00:10:32.720 The Proverbs 31 woman, she just seems more tangible and real life. 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:34.660 Why is that? 00:10:34.659 --> 00:10:42.100 Well, I think it's because this passage is not just a summary of the first nine chapters of Proverbs. 00:10:42.219 --> 00:10:44.419 It's a summary of all of Proverbs. 00:10:45.959 --> 00:10:49.100 It's acting as a conclusion, an epilogue. 00:10:49.980 --> 00:10:55.379 And so the woman here is not just woman personified, she's woman typified. 00:10:55.379 --> 00:11:02.620 In this woman, we also see a summary of what wisdom looks like in action for all people. 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:04.419 Men and women. 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:05.840 Young and old. 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:07.639 Married and single. 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:15.199 So, as we get into this passage, on one level, we'll look at it as how good wisdom is. 00:11:15.439 --> 00:11:18.639 We'll be thinking, what does this show us about how good wisdom is? 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:20.120 Why should we embrace it? 00:11:20.659 --> 00:11:24.960 And on another level, we'll look at it at the example of wisdom. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:35.180 This fits in really nicely with what Graham Goldsworth, in his book, Gospel and Wisdom, says about wisdom. 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:40.860 He says, wisdom is both a gift to be embraced and a task we need to do. 00:11:41.040 --> 00:11:43.940 It's a gift we need to embrace and a task we need to do. 00:11:43.940 --> 00:11:52.040 So, in this woman, we see someone we need to embrace, but then in the wisdom she portrays, it's wisdom we need to act out. 00:11:53.800 --> 00:11:57.360 And one final thing is, this passage is an acrostic. 00:11:58.020 --> 00:12:04.300 The writer has determined what they're going to write based off the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, not by a logical flow. 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:09.940 And so we're going to look at groupings of things that the passage says about wisdom. 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:13.700 So, let's get into the text then. 00:12:13.940 --> 00:12:18.120 The first thing that should attract us to wisdom is her heart. 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:19.600 Her heart. 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:20.880 Look at verse 30. 00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:23.160 Charm is deceitful. 00:12:23.660 --> 00:12:24.700 Beauty is vain. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:28.760 But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 00:12:29.880 --> 00:12:35.780 Out of everything said in this passage, this is the main thing we should praise her for. 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:41.500 The basis for everything else she does is her fear of the Lord. 00:12:41.500 --> 00:12:45.399 And this fear leads to amazing strength. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:47.899 Look at verse 17. 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:53.279 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:56.159 Now, go down to verse 25. 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:58.980 Strength and dignity are her clothing. 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:01.860 And she laughs at the time to come. 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:08.899 In the Old Testament, if you're clothed in something metaphorically, it's showing your true character. 00:13:09.340 --> 00:13:11.639 And so her true character is that she's strong. 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:13.300 She has dignity. 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:15.259 And she's fearless. 00:13:16.379 --> 00:13:19.919 Because she fears the Lord, she doesn't have to fear the future. 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:21.659 She just laughs at it. 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:25.959 What a formidable woman. 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:32.919 Now, for us to embrace wisdom means we need the fear of the Lord at the center of our heart. 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:34.360 God doesn't work outside in. 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.279 He works inside out. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:39.079 And remember chapter 1, verse 7. 00:13:39.199 --> 00:13:41.360 It's sort of the intro to all of Proverbs. 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:58.759 To fear the Lord is to see who God is, what he has done and what he has said, and respond in reverence and faith. 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:06.320 Wanting him to be supreme in all of your life and have your whole life ordered by your relationship with him. 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:09.659 And you can see why it's the beginning of knowledge. 00:14:09.659 --> 00:14:15.679 As soon as you have this posture and mindset, you're on the path to wisdom. 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:22.039 If you fear the Lord, you begin to listen to him and obey him. 00:14:22.079 --> 00:14:26.319 And like Dave said last week, you begin to see that what he says works. 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:27.980 He's God. 00:14:28.719 --> 00:14:29.860 He created all things. 00:14:29.959 --> 00:14:30.959 He knows all things. 00:14:32.980 --> 00:14:36.679 But wisdom is more than just obedience. 00:14:36.939 --> 00:14:38.220 And this is really important. 00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:40.320 It's more than just obedience. 00:14:40.580 --> 00:14:42.379 It's more than just reading Proverbs and doing it. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:53.620 Biblical wisdom is listening to God and what he says and then using your brain and interpreting what you observe and experience in light of what God has told you. 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:55.980 It's using your brain. 00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:56.500 It's using your brain. 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:56.519 It's using your brain. 00:14:56.519 --> 00:14:56.539 It's using your brain. 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:56.560 It's using your brain. 00:14:56.560 --> 00:14:56.659 It's using your brain. 00:14:56.659 --> 00:15:01.259 Interpreting everything in light of what God has told you. 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:08.220 At the beginning, John quoted Proverbs 3, I think it was. 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:11.139 In all your ways, acknowledge him. 00:15:11.139 --> 00:15:18.620 We'll see in the next two points examples of how we can have this mindset of fearing the Lord. 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:22.779 But one example of what this looks like in our passage is in our fears. 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:24.279 In our fears. 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:28.840 There's been a lot of talk of fears recently, hasn't there? 00:15:29.059 --> 00:15:31.100 Probably too much talk about fears. 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:32.159 It's getting a bit old. 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:34.179 But I'm going to talk about it again. 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:42.100 During the pandemic, some people have said that the government and Australians have been too fearful of COVID-19. 00:15:42.319 --> 00:15:45.439 The response doesn't meet the disease. 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:53.199 But then people have then shot back at those people and said, you're too fearful of vaccines and the government. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:56.879 Who's right? 00:15:57.240 --> 00:15:57.839 Who's wrong? 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:03.840 I think we can say everyone has been expressing their fears in one way or another. 00:16:05.160 --> 00:16:10.180 But the fear of the Lord in our heart can help us deal with our fears. 00:16:11.160 --> 00:16:17.259 I think one of the main reasons wisdom isn't afraid of the future in verse 25 is because she fears the Lord. 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:26.180 If you're finding yourself fearful of something, you can go to God and meditate on who he is and what he's done. 00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:34.099 And just doing that begins to stoke a fear or reverence of God, which can minimize your other fears. 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:37.939 This situation is out of control. 00:16:38.299 --> 00:16:39.500 It's out of my control. 00:16:40.219 --> 00:16:41.739 But God is in control. 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:46.479 These people might think bad of me, but I have God's approval in Christ. 00:16:47.319 --> 00:16:48.659 We don't have enough money. 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:50.639 God will provide. 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.639 God will provide. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:56.159 The fear of the Lord minimizes those other fears. 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:03.019 Another reason she isn't fearful is because she's once again used her brain and prepared for future hardship. 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:04.180 Look at verse 21. 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:11.519 She's not afraid of snow for her household for all her household are clothed in scarlet. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:18.920 There are some things which we should actually have a healthy fear about, but she's prepared. 00:17:19.940 --> 00:17:22.740 And this goes together with the fear of the Lord. 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:28.019 You're fearful of something, but you remember that ultimately with God, you have nothing to fear. 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:36.039 But that doesn't stop you using your God-given brain to think of ways to minimize the risk of the thing you fear. 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:41.859 But you make these plans in the context of that greater ultimate fear of the Lord. 00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:47.799 Now, if you aren't fearing the Lord, this is not how you're going to react to fear. 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:52.319 You might just give in to it and overreact. 00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:55.839 Or you'll put your mind to work trying to sort it out. 00:17:55.920 --> 00:18:03.859 You'll try really hard to solve the problem without that bigger perspective of the fear of the Lord, of who God is. 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:08.679 Do you fear the things of the world or do you fear the Lord? 00:18:09.579 --> 00:18:11.599 Is this how you think about life? 00:18:12.059 --> 00:18:16.419 Interpreting everything in reference to who he is and what he has said. 00:18:17.379 --> 00:18:19.219 Do you have wisdom's heart? 00:18:21.479 --> 00:18:27.019 Wisdom's heart is pretty beautiful, but the next thing we see about her is her relationships. 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:29.859 Look at verses 11 and 12. 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:46.619 Remember, this is supposed to be an appeal for us to embrace wisdom. 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:49.539 No lack, only good. 00:18:49.659 --> 00:18:50.979 That's pretty appealing. 00:18:51.579 --> 00:18:53.799 But it gets better when you look at verse 23. 00:18:53.799 --> 00:19:00.319 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. 00:19:01.139 --> 00:19:08.379 It seems like her husband is in a place of honour simply because he is her husband. 00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:10.899 I think a lot of us could relate to that. 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:16.480 But her relationship is not only positive with her husband, it's positive with her household. 00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:17.720 Verse 15. 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:24.579 She rises while it's yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maiden. 00:19:25.579 --> 00:19:26.720 Then go down to verse 27. 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:31.819 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 00:19:33.180 --> 00:19:37.120 She works hard to look after her kids and her servants. 00:19:38.600 --> 00:19:43.940 Now, plenty of people will only care about their families, but not others. 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:46.000 But that's not the case for wisdom. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.180 Look at verse 20. 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:53.039 She opens her hands to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:58.160 She's willing to look out for those who are vulnerable, who are rejected. 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:01.839 And she doesn't just serve people physically. 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:03.559 She serves them spiritually. 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:05.059 Look at verse 26. 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:10.519 She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:15.579 No wonder in verses 28 and 29, it says, 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:18.379 Her children rise up and call her blessed. 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:19.700 Her husband also. 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:20.740 And he praises her. 00:20:21.259 --> 00:20:27.099 Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:35.160 Once again, we're just stunned and attracted to this wonderful woman as we look at how she relates to others. 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:41.680 And as we embrace wisdom, it too should impact our relationship with others. 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.460 Relationships can be hard. 00:20:44.800 --> 00:20:45.480 Have you found that? 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:49.380 I think I've gotten better at interacting with the others over the years, 00:20:49.380 --> 00:20:56.520 but often I'll find myself going into a situation where I want to work extra hard to get along with someone really well. 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:58.920 And then I fail abysmally. 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:01.460 Relationships are hard. 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:05.160 So how does wisdom help us in our relationships? 00:21:06.120 --> 00:21:11.200 Remember, the basis for everything this woman does is her fear of the Lord. 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:18.180 And when you have a posture of fearing the Lord, you want to see people the way God sees people. 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:22.240 And you want to treat people the way God tells you to treat people. 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:28.279 There's a lot in the Bible that could be said about how we should see people and how we should treat people. 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:35.460 But one thing, just from the very beginning in Genesis, is that we should see people as the image of God. 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:45.759 We should see them as the image of God, which, among other things, means that every human is a representative of God in the world. 00:21:47.180 --> 00:21:50.359 In our sin, that image has been tarnished, but it's still there. 00:21:51.460 --> 00:21:56.119 Now, if you mistreat a representative of a country, you slight the whole country. 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:01.500 There's a lot of Serbians annoyed at our country right now just because of one person. 00:22:02.639 --> 00:22:04.859 And it's the same with God's image bearers. 00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:09.500 When we do wrong to others, we're really doing wrong to God. 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:14.939 And when we treat others well because they're God's image bearers, we're really doing good to God. 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:27.320 Is that what's going on in your mind when you interact with others, with your family, with your work colleagues, with the checkout chick, the guy at the petrol station? 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:30.259 This is God's representative. 00:22:31.700 --> 00:22:34.299 This person is made in the image of God. 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:40.099 But wisdom in relationships is more than just seeing people rightly. 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:42.419 It's doing right to them. 00:22:43.159 --> 00:22:46.519 Like this woman, doing good and not harm. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:54.779 And this requires us to know what God says about how we should treat people, especially in a world which calls good, bad, and bad good. 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:58.619 But remember, wisdom is more than just obedience. 00:22:58.879 --> 00:23:05.420 It's taking what God says and using our God-given brain and thinking about how to apply it in a situation. 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:09.379 That's what most of the Proverbs are from chapter 10 to 30. 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:13.420 They're just reflections on the world in light of what God says. 00:23:14.700 --> 00:23:18.059 And we see this wife doing it in this passage. 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:19.279 Look at verse 27. 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:23.379 She looks well to the way of her household. 00:23:23.380 --> 00:23:24.600 She looks. 00:23:25.260 --> 00:23:26.280 She thinks about it. 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:27.260 She plans. 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:32.060 And then puts those plans into action to do good of those around us. 00:23:33.360 --> 00:23:34.760 And that's not always easy. 00:23:34.940 --> 00:23:36.220 Wisdom's not always easy. 00:23:36.580 --> 00:23:39.320 The Bible tells us to love others. 00:23:40.020 --> 00:23:42.580 The Bible tells us to do good to others, to have compassion. 00:23:42.720 --> 00:23:46.980 But what that can look like in a given situation, that's not always easy, is it? 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:48.180 It's not always simple. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:49.840 It can be hard to figure out. 00:23:51.060 --> 00:23:52.640 So we've seen wisdom's heart. 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:55.580 And at that heart is the fear of the Lord. 00:23:55.640 --> 00:23:58.600 And we've seen how it flows out to impact her relationships. 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:03.480 Now let's see how it impacts wisdom's work. 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:06.760 Look at verses 13 and 14. 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:11.420 She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands. 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:16.000 She is like the ships of the merchant and brings her food from afar. 00:24:16.859 --> 00:24:19.960 She has practical skills and is resourceful. 00:24:21.180 --> 00:24:21.720 Verse 16. 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:25.079 She considers a field and buys it. 00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:27.779 With the fruit of her hand, she plants a vineyard. 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:29.480 Verse 18. 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:32.660 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. 00:24:32.819 --> 00:24:34.860 Her lamp does not go out at night. 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:36.480 She's business savvy. 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:39.480 Making profit from wise investments. 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:42.940 And then reinvest those profits to make more profits. 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:45.019 Verse 19. 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:49.420 She puts her hand to the distaff and holds her hand to the spindle. 00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:51.079 22. 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:53.460 She makes bed coverings for herself. 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:55.779 Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 00:24:57.460 --> 00:24:58.539 Verse 24. 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:01.359 She makes linen garments and sells them. 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:03.960 She delivers sashes to the merchants. 00:25:05.419 --> 00:25:08.980 A linen garment could be worth around three months' wages. 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:15.339 She uses her practical skills to make things that are both beautiful and expensive. 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:19.380 I don't know if you've heard the term before. 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:21.019 It's relatively new. 00:25:21.860 --> 00:25:25.079 But I think we could describe this woman as a girl boss. 00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:27.220 She works hard. 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:27.900 She's smart. 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:28.599 She's strong. 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:29.360 She's successful. 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:30.240 She's profitable. 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:36.500 Now, imagine for a second, you're a teenage shepherd boy in ancient Israel. 00:25:36.500 --> 00:25:39.779 And in a lot of ways, that's like the target audience of this book. 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:42.740 You're a teenage boy in Israel. 00:25:43.559 --> 00:25:46.019 What do you think he would think about this description? 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:47.660 I think he would be impressed. 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:51.319 To quote Dave Blunt, I think it'd be a, he'd say, oof. 00:25:56.339 --> 00:25:59.940 So how does wisdom then impact the way we work? 00:26:00.059 --> 00:26:00.700 She's amazing. 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:02.279 How does she impact our work? 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:06.000 Well, first, it helps us see it as something good. 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:15.380 This passage is obviously commending work, working with your hands, up to investing your money in your work. 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:19.720 And in the rest of the Bible, God says work is good. 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:22.579 Now, Australians don't agree. 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:25.140 I found research from a company called Hayes. 00:26:25.140 --> 00:26:32.660 They put out a report in June of last year, and they found 49% of people aren't satisfied with their jobs. 00:26:33.120 --> 00:26:34.780 And there's probably a lot of good reasons for that. 00:26:35.880 --> 00:26:38.000 People don't like their work. 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:41.160 But God created us to work. 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:46.660 Back at the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 1, 28, God says to Adam and Eve, 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:53.720 be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, 00:26:53.820 --> 00:26:57.560 and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. 00:26:57.559 --> 00:27:02.319 This passage is often called the creation mandate. 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:03.679 The creation mandate. 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:08.339 And I really like what Barry Cooper says on his podcast, Simply Put. 00:27:09.059 --> 00:27:13.759 It's a great podcast where he explains biblical concepts simply, like eight minutes. 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:15.259 He says, 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:37.740 Work is good. 00:27:38.579 --> 00:27:41.839 You can serve God and honour God as an engineer. 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:45.240 You can honour God working at Officeworks. 00:27:45.459 --> 00:27:47.159 You can honour God as a lawyer. 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:48.980 You can honour God as a vet. 00:27:49.359 --> 00:27:50.839 You can honour God as a builder. 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:52.720 You can honour God working at Maccas. 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:53.939 You don't need to be a pastor. 00:27:56.199 --> 00:28:02.059 And these things don't only become honourable if you've managed to use them as a means for evangelism. 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:03.079 Now, don't get me wrong. 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:04.839 Evangelism is good. 00:28:04.939 --> 00:28:07.259 And evangelism in your work is great. 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:12.480 But work can be good just because it's done for God. 00:28:13.059 --> 00:28:14.900 It's good because it's what we're made for. 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:18.779 It's good because through it we show ourselves to be made in the image of God. 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:20.119 Creating things. 00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:22.420 Making order out of chaos. 00:28:25.019 --> 00:28:27.440 And wisdom doesn't just help us see work as good. 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.160 It helps us go about our work. 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:33.079 Think about how this woman works. 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:36.639 In verse 13, she works with a willing hand. 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:41.879 Because she's working for the Lord, she works hard and happily. 00:28:42.039 --> 00:28:43.819 I don't think it's just because she likes sewing. 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:51.279 Verse 16 and 18, she works shrewdly and efficiently, wanting to be profitable. 00:28:52.699 --> 00:28:57.740 And connected to our last point, she wants to use her work to do good to others. 00:28:57.740 --> 00:29:04.920 She's taken what God says and used her God-given brain to think about how it applies to her work. 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:10.400 Have you ever stopped and thought about how your faith should change the way you work? 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:17.799 Not just with how you interact with your peers, not swearing or gossiping, but how you actually do your job. 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:24.019 How you pack shelves or draw up plans or whatever the random things you do. 00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:29.200 Have you thought about how God impacts the way I do this? 00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:30.579 And it's not always simple. 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:36.259 Tim Keller has a really good book on work called Every Good Endeavor. 00:29:37.139 --> 00:29:41.519 And in that book, he encourages Christians to get together with Christians of the same profession 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:45.940 and chat through what it looks like to live out their faith in that job. 00:29:45.940 --> 00:29:56.299 Imagine if all the engineers in our church, and there's many of them, got together and just chatted about how God's word changed the way they work as engineers. 00:29:56.820 --> 00:30:00.180 Imagine if all the other, the different groups of professions did that. 00:30:01.600 --> 00:30:03.600 Doctors, they're smart. 00:30:04.080 --> 00:30:05.660 And so they've been doing it for years. 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:14.779 Catherine Hollier, she heads up the Christian, the Newcastle branch of the Christian Medical Dental Fellowship of Australia. 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:18.119 And pretty much what they do is they meet up multiple times a year. 00:30:18.980 --> 00:30:23.899 And they just talk about how they can work out their faith in their profession. 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:28.019 But you don't need to organize something formal. 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:37.579 Grab a Christian who works in a similar field after church and just chat through how you can integrate your faith and your work. 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:41.579 Maybe you would like to organize something more formal. 00:30:42.139 --> 00:30:43.019 That's up to you. 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:49.319 So we've seen this final look at wisdom in Proverbs. 00:30:50.259 --> 00:30:52.460 And isn't she beautiful? 00:30:52.599 --> 00:30:56.319 Isn't she intimidating if we were to be her? 00:30:57.039 --> 00:31:01.139 We've seen her heart, her relationships, and her work. 00:31:02.420 --> 00:31:07.500 We've seen that biblical wisdom is not just for Sundays, but it's for every aspect of our life. 00:31:07.579 --> 00:31:11.019 The fear of the Lord goes into every aspect of how we live. 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:15.440 Verse 31 correctly says, 00:31:15.940 --> 00:31:22.259 Give her the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates. 00:31:23.259 --> 00:31:25.460 We really should embrace wisdom. 00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:28.420 But we can't stop you. 00:31:29.619 --> 00:31:30.599 Why can't we stop you? 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:35.659 Because when Jesus talked about the Old Testament, he taught that it's all about him. 00:31:36.399 --> 00:31:39.959 In John 5, when he was speaking to the Pharisees, he said, 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:45.859 You search the scriptures because you think in them you have eternal life, but it is they that bear witness to me. 00:31:46.519 --> 00:31:50.459 The whole of the Old Testament, including Proverbs, bears witness to Jesus. 00:31:50.460 --> 00:31:53.880 How does this passage point us to Jesus? 00:31:55.460 --> 00:32:00.759 Well, in Proverbs, we've seen wisdom personified as lady wisdom. 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:05.460 In Proverbs 31, we've also seen wisdom typified. 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:09.680 But Jesus is wisdom incarnate. 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:13.519 In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says, 00:32:14.600 --> 00:32:16.920 Christ is the wisdom of God. 00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:19.460 Christ is the wisdom of God. 00:32:21.220 --> 00:32:23.460 What's more tangible than that? 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:28.900 God come as a man, the ultimate wise man, in the flesh. 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:34.400 He is the true and better Proverbs 31 woman. 00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:38.000 Now, we don't fear the Lord. 00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:40.220 We aren't wise. 00:32:40.420 --> 00:32:41.040 I'm not wise. 00:32:42.200 --> 00:32:47.759 We find him charming and beautiful, and we happily embrace the world's view of things. 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:51.240 We overreact or we're just asleep. 00:32:52.380 --> 00:32:56.680 Our hearts, relationships, and work don't reflect someone who's embraced wisdom. 00:32:57.900 --> 00:33:02.900 And because of this, we rightly deserve to fear the Lord, but not in awe, but in terror. 00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:09.860 But Jesus didn't just do good to his bride all the days of his life. 00:33:10.560 --> 00:33:18.140 He did good to his bride, the church, by loving her and giving up his life for her. 00:33:19.019 --> 00:33:25.200 This lady provided for her family by giving them wisdom and clothing and food. 00:33:25.720 --> 00:33:29.519 Jesus is wisdom, and he gives the ultimate provision. 00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:34.059 He clothes us in his righteousness and lets us feed on himself. 00:33:35.980 --> 00:33:42.059 Because of Jesus taking the punishment for his people's sin on the cross and giving them his righteousness, 00:33:42.319 --> 00:33:45.799 God can see us as if we live the perfect wise life of Christ. 00:33:47.660 --> 00:33:51.599 Because of Jesus, we can come to God in reverent fear. 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:57.299 And because of Jesus, we actually can be wise. 00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:01.659 Many people here in this church, you are wise. 00:34:03.480 --> 00:34:06.000 He gives us the spirit of wisdom. 00:34:07.740 --> 00:34:12.779 But Jesus is also the final and fullest revelation of God by which we can interpret the world. 00:34:14.519 --> 00:34:18.199 Colossians 1 says this, talking about Jesus. 00:34:18.199 --> 00:34:22.799 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 00:34:23.239 --> 00:34:25.500 For by him all things were created. 00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:30.000 All things were created through him and for him. 00:34:31.379 --> 00:34:34.339 All things were created for him. 00:34:35.799 --> 00:34:38.839 How's that for a framework to view the world? 00:34:38.840 --> 00:34:49.200 In Ephesians 5, when Paul kicks off his section talking about how Christians should relate to one another and work, 00:34:49.780 --> 00:34:51.940 he starts that section off by saying, 00:34:53.340 --> 00:34:56.079 submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 00:34:56.940 --> 00:34:59.260 And the translators are a bit chicken there. 00:34:59.340 --> 00:35:03.320 It really should say, submit to one another out of fear of Christ. 00:35:03.320 --> 00:35:10.360 For Paul, the fear of Christ is the starting point for our relationships and our work. 00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:16.480 Now, some people here might openly admit that you're not a Christian. 00:35:17.300 --> 00:35:26.100 You might say you don't believe in Christ because your wisdom and intellect makes you think that he's not worth believing in. 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:30.180 Or maybe you're someone who just hasn't made up your mind. 00:35:30.179 --> 00:35:34.839 Here's the thing, without Christ, things are never really going to make sense. 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:41.019 Because of the mind God has given you, you can make some sense of the world. 00:35:41.619 --> 00:35:45.480 But if you're missing Christ, you're missing the most important piece of the puzzle. 00:35:46.940 --> 00:35:50.980 Instead, actually, it's more like you're just looking at one piece of the puzzle and you're missing the rest of it. 00:35:51.599 --> 00:35:55.759 It's like you're looking at the world through a hole in the wall. 00:35:55.980 --> 00:35:57.259 That's your view of the world. 00:35:57.260 --> 00:36:05.520 Without him, your heart, your relationships, your work, your life will always be missing something. 00:36:07.140 --> 00:36:10.380 Remember, all things were through him, for him. 00:36:12.100 --> 00:36:15.360 But Christ, the wisdom of God, caused you to embrace him. 00:36:16.560 --> 00:36:18.000 It's on offer to you. 00:36:18.840 --> 00:36:23.120 Or maybe you're someone who has been overreacting or just asleep. 00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:27.059 And maybe you've realised you've never truly been wise. 00:36:27.159 --> 00:36:31.679 You've just been flowing with the world. 00:36:32.039 --> 00:36:34.500 You've never truly embraced Christ, the wisdom of God. 00:36:34.819 --> 00:36:38.460 Well, Christ, the wisdom of God, calls you today to embrace him. 00:36:38.839 --> 00:36:40.880 Wisdom is on offer for you. 00:36:42.519 --> 00:36:47.139 Now, for those of you who have embraced Christ, the wisdom of God, the life of wisdom never stops. 00:36:47.139 --> 00:36:51.579 Abraham Kuyper famously said, 00:36:51.579 --> 00:37:02.199 There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, mine. 00:37:02.199 --> 00:37:16.599 As you continue to embrace Christ in reverence and faith, that will overflow in the depths of your heart into Christ-like, wise relationships and work. 00:37:17.839 --> 00:37:21.039 Christ, the wisdom of God, calls to you and says, 00:37:21.379 --> 00:37:23.139 Keep embracing me. 00:37:23.299 --> 00:37:25.899 Because that is what the life of wisdom is. 00:37:27.059 --> 00:37:27.859 Let's pray. 00:37:27.859 --> 00:37:27.899 Let's pray. 00:37:32.199 --> 00:37:39.519 Lord, Father, we ask your forgiveness for how often we aren't wise. 00:37:40.119 --> 00:37:41.500 We don't look to you. 00:37:41.659 --> 00:37:42.699 We don't fear you. 00:37:42.859 --> 00:37:46.279 We don't acknowledge you in all our ways. 00:37:46.379 --> 00:37:55.319 But, Lord, we're thankful for Christ, the wisdom of God, that you freely offer to him, to us, so that we can be wise. 00:37:56.039 --> 00:38:01.739 Help us embrace him, not just on Sunday, not just at small group. 00:38:02.199 --> 00:38:05.179 But in every aspect of our life, Lord. 00:38:05.759 --> 00:38:06.779 We're thankful for him. 00:38:07.139 --> 00:38:08.439 We pray all this in his name. 00:38:08.899 --> 00:38:09.139 Amen.