Do you see Jesus in Proverbs?
Over the past few weeks I’ve been spending a lot of time reading and thinking about the book of Proverbs. My goal is to put together a series of Bible studies that I hope will be helpful to people from a Thai Buddhist background who want to learn more about God. This idea was sparked by some conversations with Lung Seri (our landlord). We had studied a section of Proverbs 3 at one of our worship services and he really liked it. He took the printed-out passage home with him, read it again and later told me how much he appreciated its clarity, simplicity, and truth. He has studied other parts of the Bible with us and has found some passages to be either too complex or too disconnected from his life.
Thai Buddhism also uses a lot of proverbs and the focus on the distinction between wisdom and folly is one that makes sense in this culture. And, as Seri told me, the way that Proverbs succinctly presents deep truths is “classic.” In Proverbs we can easily see the problems that face all humans. We see that “the evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him” (5:22), that “reckless words pierce like a sword” (12:18), and that “an anxious heart weighs a man down” (12:25). These and many other truths are great points of connection between God’s word and our experience.
Proverbs is also very clear about the source of this wisdom that is so desirable and useful in life: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (1:7), “the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (2:6). And throughout the book we see the promises and warnings about what will happen if we follow the LORD’s way or our own way.
From what I know about Lung Seri and our other Thai friends who like to study the Bible, I think that all of these concepts will be well-received and easy to discuss. The challenge that I’m coming up against is how to point out the gospel message in Proverbs. What do you think? Where do we see the work of Jesus – and the need for the work of Jesus – in this book? I’ve got some ideas, but I’d really like to hear from you. I’m excited about the possibilities that Proverbs offers for talking about righteousness, sin, and trusting in God with all your heart. And I’m anxious to hear from some of you. So leave a comment or send me an email. Let’s do this together!
-Tom