The Beginning and End of Wisdom (Foreword by Sidney Greidanus): Preaching Christ from the First and Last Chapters of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job

by Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Sidney Greidanus (Foreword by)

Overview

The wisdom literature of the Old Testament can be daunting. Sidney Greidanus, in the book's foreword, describes Old Testament wisdom literature as "one of the more difficult genres to interpret and preach."  Yet the numerous proverbs and sayings meet us in everyday life, teaching us much about understanding and applying the gospel.  

Pastor Douglas O'Donnell writes, "Just as every book of the Old Testament adds light to our understanding of Jesus, so the revelation of God in the person of Christ enlightens our understanding of the Old Testament." Not only do the wisdom books teach us about Jesus Christ, but we understand the books better in light of the revelation of God's Son. 

O'Donnell opens up the genre of wisdom literature through six chapters that look at how the gospel shines through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. He specifically centers on the first and last chapters of each book, noting how the texts illustrate "the wisdom of God in the sufferings of our Savior." Pastors, church leaders, and students of Scripture will find this thoughtful volume demonstrative of seeing the gospel in the Wisdom Literature. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433523373
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	08/02/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	943,096
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Douglas Sean O'Donnell (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is the senior vice president of Bible editorial at Crossway. Over the past twenty-five years he has helped train people around the world to read and teach the Bible clearly. He has pastored several churches, served as a professor, and authored or edited over twenty books, including commentaries, Bible studies, children's books, and a children's curriculum. He also wrote The Pastor's Book with R. Kent Hughes and The Beauty and Power of Biblical Exposition with Leland Ryken.

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is the senior vice president of Bible editorial at Crossway. Over the past twenty-five years he has helped train people around the world to read and teach the Bible clearly. He has pastored several churches, served as a professor, and authored or edited over twenty books, including commentaries, Bible studies, children’s books, and a children’s curriculum. He also wrote The Pastor’s Book with R. Kent Hughes and The Beauty and Power of Biblical Exposition with Leland Ryken.

Sidney Greidanus (PhD, Free University of Amsterdam) has taught at Calvin College, Calvin Theological Seminary, and The King’s College. Since his retirement from full-time teaching in 2004, he has devoted his time to writing commentaries specifically for preachers. He is the author of many books, including Sola Scriptura; Preaching Christ from the Old Testament; and The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

SHIP OF FOOLS

Proverbs 1:1-7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

— Proverbs 1:7

Thank God I didn't vow to God. Last year I began a decade-long process of reading the Pulitzer Prize–winning novels from the last century. Yet, after drudging through four more recent winners and finding drab protagonists and meatless plots, I abandoned my aren't-I-eccentric? ambition for a less lofty but more rewarding one: The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Jungle Book, Robinson Crusoe, Kidnapped, Sleeping Beauty, and Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights. These six children's classics — beautifully bound, sitting patiently, uneccentrically atop the black desk in my family room — beckoned me. Take and read. Take and read.

I took and read — six classics in one year.

And what fun it was. Three cheers for plots and protagonists. Hurray for stealing from the rich. Hurray for shipwrecks. Hurray for talking animals. And hip, hip, hurray Aladdin, my favorite of the six. Hurray for medieval Arabian (Islamic) folktales!

The Disney version leaves out anything and everything Islamic (too bad). Yet, like the book, the movie covers Aladdin's discovery of the magic lamp, the emergence of an all-powerful genie, and that genie's willingness to fulfill his master's every wish. How exciting! With the ability to request anything, Aladdin asks for what most sensible single men would ask: to marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, the sultan's daughter. Yet he takes a roundabout way. I would have commanded that genie, "Give me the princess now!" and let the genie work out the details. But Aladdin asks for riches to impress the princess's father. He gets the riches, which opens the door to the sultan's approval. Our hero gets the girl. Now, there's more to the story (much more), but that's the first and most important half of it.

I begin with that folktale because an Aladdin-like moment occurs in King Solomon's life. In 1 Kings 3:5 we read not of some magic genie but of the Lord God Almighty coming to David's son, the author of the book of Proverbs. In a dream, God speaks to him: "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (NIV). Now, that's not "Your wish is my command," but it's fairly close.

And how did Solomon reply? Did he say, "Show me the money"? No. How about, "Give me the girl"? No. Solomon wanted wisdom. After praising the Lord for the Lord's steadfast love, he asked for the ability to discern right from wrong — for wisdom. He wanted wisdom so that he might govern his life and his kingdom in a fitting manner.

This so pleased the Lord — that Solomon didn't ask for long life, riches, or military victory (or for Pharaoh's daughter or any other "sultan's" daughter) — that God bestowed upon him "a wise and discerning mind" (v. 12b) and gave to him "wisdom and understanding beyond measure ... so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all" (4:29–30a).

We All Need Wisdom

When I was a newborn Christian (for me — age nineteen), I remember the first time I came across James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." At the time, I considered wisdom to be the icing on the cake of Christian discipleship. I reasoned, "Oh, things are going pretty well in my Christian life, but now and then I need a bit of wisdom to make an important decision — what girl I should marry; what college I should attend — and so that's when I'll ask for it." That's when I rub the lamp, if you will. Yet now I realize, as Solomon did much earlier, that I need wisdom like I need oxygen and water — and love.

Isn't this true for you? We all need wisdom. And not just wisdom in the massive decisions of life but in our everyday relationships with their moment-by-moment choices — at home, in the workplace, in our neighborhoods. Thankfully, our gracious God has not left us to our own devices. He has given us the Wisdom Literature of the Bible, especially the book of Proverbs, where its short and salty Solomonic sayings teach us God's mind on many matters under the sun.

How do I find a good wife? It's in there. How do I raise godly children? It's in there. Why should I deal honestly in business? It's in there. What I am to do with this tongue, which sometimes likes to fib, gossip, and yell? It's in there. Why is it important to roll out of bed each morning and work hard? It's in there. How do I become a wise and respected leader within my community? It's in there.

Here at the very start of Proverbs (1:2–6), Solomon calls everyone who needs everyday wisdom — the young, the simple, and those already wise — to listen up. Do you need practical wisdom: "instruction in wise dealing" and "prudence ... knowledge and discretion" (vv. 3–4)? Well, then, listen up. Do you need intellectual wisdom: insight into insightful words (vv. 2b, 4b)? Well, then, listen up. Do you need moral wisdom: "instruction ... in righteousness, justice, and equity" (v. 3b)? Well, then, listen up. And do you need mysterious wisdom: "guidance" and the ability to understand or comprehend "the words of the wise and their riddles" (vv. 5–6), difficult or complex concepts and sayings? Well, then, listen up. If you want wisdom — practical, intellectual, moral, and mysterious wisdom — well, then, listen now to what God's Word has to say. Listen to what Proverbs has to say about where to begin.

In the Beginning

If you closed your Bible but kept your mind open, where would you begin? What would be your starting point? What would be your first controlling principle? Just fill in the blank:

____________ is the beginning of knowledge.

Perhaps you would jot down natural intelligence, or acquired intelligence, or experience. Is it the man with the high IQ, or the woman with the elite education, or the kid with street smarts? The Bible says it's none of the above. Its answer: genuine wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.

In Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job, this is the answer we are given. At the very end of Ecclesiastes, after Solomon speaks of the frivolities of this life, he writes in 12:13: "[This is] the end of the matter. ... Fear God." In Job 28, the thematic middle of this narrative poem, the dialogue between Job and his friends is interrupted with a question: "Where shall wisdom be found?" (v. 12; cf. v. 20). What is the answer? "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom" (v. 28). Then in Proverbs, right from the start, we are introduced to this foundational concept: "the fear of the LORD" (1:7) — that's the beginning. If we don't start here (and stay here) we'll get nowhere.

You see, the book of Proverbs is not God's version of Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac — "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Proverbs is not ancient Israel's version of the ancient Chinese sayings of Confucius. Confucius says, "Silence is a friend who will never betray." And Proverbs is not just a less humorous version of Murphy's Law — "Never argue with a fool, people might not know the difference." Proverbs has some of the characteristics of these other famous compilations of practical wisdom, but what sets it apart is its teaching that knowledge begins with an appropriate disposition toward God. This is not to say that Proverbs contains no practical truisms, but rather that it sets these truisms upon the foundation of a relationship with a specific God, "the LORD" (Yahweh), the true and living God who has covenanted with Israel. Proverbs claims that the acquisition of true wisdom comes from a right relationship with Yahweh and an appropriate attitude toward him: fear.

The Beginning of Wisdom

Okay. Fine. That's the "beginning." But what then does it mean to fear the Lord? Well, let me give you my definition, which I derived from studying all the references to "fear of the LORD" exclusively in Proverbs. I will give my definition, briefly explain it, and then thoroughly illustrate it. Here's the definition:

According to the book of Proverbs, "the fear of the LORD" is a continual (23:17), humble, and faithful submission to Yahweh, which compels one to hate evil (8:13) and turn away from it (16:6) and brings with it rewards better than all earthly treasures (15:16) — the rewards of a love for and a knowledge of God (1:29; 2:5; 9:10; 15:33), and long life (10:27; 14:27a; 19:23a), confidence (14:26), satisfaction, and protection (19:23).

So the fear of the Lord isn't as fearful a concept as it sounds. (Although, don't take all the fright out of fear.) It is simply a way (both an Old and New Testament way; see Acts 9:31) of talking about one's attitude toward God, an attitude of submission, respect, dependence, and worship.

The Fear of the Lord — Illustrating the Idea

As I thought about illustrating this idea, human-angelic encounters came to mind. In the Bible, what often happened when an angel appeared to a human being? What was Mary's response to the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:29–30)? Fear. And how did the guards who saw the angel that rolled back the stone of the tomb react? Fear. Matthew tells us that they "trembled and became like dead men" (Matt. 28:4). Do you remember what Samson's father said after the angel of the Lord visited him? He said, in great trepidation, "We shall surely die" (Judg. 13:22). Angelic encounters are fearful, and that is why it's not uncommon that the first words an angel says are, "Fear not."

As I thought about those angelic encounters, I thought they might be the perfect illustration of what it means to fear God. The point being: if we fear even angels, mere creatures, how much more ought we to fear God? But since such encounters involved fear mostly in the sense of fearing for one's life — i.e., "I'm scared"— I decided against that. It gets part of the idea, but not all of it. It touches on the holiness aspect, which demands our respect and awe, but touches little on faith, which is also necessary for "fearing" the Lord.

So, next, I thought about using one of the many examples of encounters with God from the Old Testament narratives. I thought about Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3). I thought about Isaiah's vision of the thrice-holy God in whose presence the purest of angels veil their eyes (Isaiah 6). I thought about Daniel's vision, where he describes himself as having "no strength" left in him and falling with his face to the ground (Dan. 10:8–9). I thought about righteous Job's repentance after he "sees" God in his holiness and sovereignty over creation (Job 38–41), where he says, "I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (42:6).

These divine theophanies — better than the angelic encounters — illustrate the balance of fear (fright of God) and faith (trust in and obedience to God). So they work well to illustrate the idea. Yet I have found that the best, fullest, and clearest pictures of "the fear of God" occur in the incarnation, when people encountered God in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, it is to the Gospels we turn next.

Although Jesus's humanity often veiled his divinity, we nevertheless have scenes in the Gospels where the brilliant light — the terrible majesty of God — shines through. What does it mean to fear the Lord? Well, let's look to Jesus and at Jesus. Let's look at when the Lord became a human and dwelt among us.

Can you think of times in the Gospels when a person shows the fear of the Lord to our Lord, this attitude of submission and respect and dependence and worship? Think about the wise men. When the star of Bethlehem led them to the King of kings asleep in a lowly manger, what did they do? "When they saw the star" resting over the place where the child was, "they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (Matt. 2:10). But then, once they entered into the room and saw the child, what did they do? "They fell down and worshiped him" (v. 11). Or think of the various reactions to Jesus's miracles. After our Lord spoke to the dead son of a widow, "Young man, I say to you, arise," and the boy sat up and began to speak, how did the mother, the boy, the disciples, and the crowd react? "Fear," we are told, "seized them all ..." (Luke 7:14, 16).

Or think of the time when Jesus told Simon Peter and the others to put down their nets once again into the water after a fruitless night of fishing. Reluctantly but faithfully Peter agreed. And then what happened? They caught so many fish that the "nets were breaking" (Luke 5:6). They filled two boats full of fish. Now, how would you respond to such a miracle? Leap for joy? Throw a party? Give Jesus a high-five? How did Peter respond? Look at this: "But when Simon Peter saw it [this miracle], he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord'" (v. 8).

Or think about the time when Jesus's frightened disciples woke him in the middle of a storm at sea, and he simply rebuked the wind and the waves with his word. He said, "Peace! Be still" (Mark 4:39), and the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Now, there was a great calm outside the boat, but inside there was a new fear, a greater fear — not a fear of drowning or of death but of God. "And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'" (v. 41). Or think of when that very question was answered at the Transfiguration — by God! "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him" (Matt. 17:5). How did Peter, James, and John respond? "When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified" (v. 6).

While each of these Gospel narratives illustrates only part of what is meant by "fear of the Lord," each frame seen together fills in the picture. Seen together we see fear and faith.Seen together we see Jesus's greatness, power, and holiness, along with our recognition of lack of greatness, power, and holiness. Seen together we see the attitude of submission and respect and dependence and worship. Seen together we see "the fear of the Lord."

No Fear of God before Their Eyes

And seen together, we see why today such a sight is unseen. As it was in Paul's day, so it is in ours: "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:18). For most people today there is no fear of God because, as I see it, they don't understand who they are dealing with. Jesus has been raised from the dead. Jesus has ascended into heaven. Jesus now sits exalted at the right hand of God the Father. This is the Jesus to whom heaven's highest creatures fall down and worship (Revelation 4–5). There is no fear of God in people's eyes today because they have the wrong Jesus before their eyes! They don't understand who he is, what he has done, and what he will do. They treat him like a pauper when he is the prince, the heir of David's eternal kingdom, the very God to whom they ought to bow down and adore.

In this way they are like that one thief on the cross next to Jesus who joins the crowd in taunting and teasing our Lord: "If you are the Christ of God, the king, his chosen one, then save me and save us and save yourself." People are just like that today. They don't understand who Jesus is. They don't understand the purpose and the power of the cross. And that is why they won't heed the words of the other thief, who recognized his sin and his need for Jesus as savior and therefore turned to his thieving buddy and said, "Don't you fear God, and don't you understand we deserve to die?" And it is why they won't follow this thief's example of faith: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

This thief understood his need for Jesus as did former slave trader turned hymn writer John Newton, who wrote:

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me!
Is that what you need today? Are you ready to begin the way of wisdom? Do you need this amazing grace, a grace which teaches our hearts to fear, to fall before the Lord, even our Lord Jesus Christ, and cry out, "I'm a wretch, I'm blind, I'm lost; cure me, find me, open these eyes"?

The End of Fools

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." But that's not the end of it. Proverbs 1:7, which has been the focus of this chapter, has another lesson to teach us, for it continues, "Fools despise wisdom and instruction." What does it mean to fear the Lord? We've spent most of our time thus far answering that question. But there are two other important questions raised by the second half of this verse: first, who doesn't fear the Lord? Answer: fools! "Fools despise wisdom and instruction." Second, what does it matter? Fools despise wisdom. So what? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but what is the end of fools? What becomes of those who reject God's wisdom? Well, that's what much of Proverbs and some of the rest of Scripture is all about. And that's what I want to explore with you now briefly.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Beginning and End of Wisdom"
by .
Copyright © 2011 Douglas Sean O'Donnell.
Excerpted by permission of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

List of Tables, 11,
Foreword by Sidney Greidanus, 13,
Acknowledgments, 17,
Preface: The Beginning of Wisdom for Beginners, 19,
Introduction: Why Christians Are Fools, 25,
Chapter 1 Ship of Fools (Proverbs 1:1–7), 33,
Chapter 2 Imperishable Beauty (Proverbs 31:10–31), 47,
Chapter 3 Why Work? (Ecclesiastes 1:1–11), 61,
Chapter 4 Repining Restlessness (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14), 77,
Chapter 5 The Devil's Question (Job 1:1–12), 91,
Chapter 6 My Servant (Job 42:1–17), 105,
Chapter 7 How Shall Wisdom Be Preached?, 119,
Appendix A: Preaching Hebrew Poetry, 139,
Appendix B: Book Summaries and Suggested Sermon Series, 153,
Bibliography, 161,
Notes, 177,
General Index, 223,
Scripture Index, 229,