Sermon Tone Analysis

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Review:

We have been spending a few weeks in the book of Proverbs.

And what the wise Hebrew sages teach us is “How to live well in the world.”

We began the mini-series looking at select Proverbs that dealt with our words and the power that each of us contain in the way we use our words.

Last week, we began walking through one of the ten father-son talks.

In that conversation the father (King Solomon) is pressing his son to put the obtaining of Divine wisdom high on the value chart.

Your attitude must be one of intentionality and desperation.

You must go hard after Divine wisdom.

And when you are pursuing God’s wisdom, he says:

Prov 2:7

This is the very Jewish dynamic duo that is presented in the OT, it is the combination of awe and intimacy.

As a reward for pursuing Divine wisdom, you will develop a healthy fear, an awe-inspiring reverence for YHWH and because you’re seeking and searching he says, you will find the knowledge of God.

In other words, when you’re pursuing Divine wisdom, you will discover intimacy with God, a deep and abiding relationship with the LORD of all and the fruit of that deep abiding relationship with YHWH is that you will gain wisdom and the cycle literally continues to repeat itself.

And the longer you are seeking and searching the deeper your relationship becomes with God and the more of His wisdom you possess.

Wisdom (then) is the Divine resource we all desperately need in order to live well in this broken world.

Introduction:

What we’re going to see this morning (as we continue to walk through this father-son talk), are the other benefits to the intentional and desperate pursuit of Divine wisdom.

The first is found in verse 5 (awe and intimacy with God) and the second begins in verse 9

Prov 2:9-

This is quite the find.

You will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path… In other words he’s using good moral sensitivity (a strong conscience) as a motive for seeking and searching for Divine wisdom.

These three terms are relational terms.

This is the second time King Solomon uses them as an ethical trio...

Two phrases stick out to me, wisdom coming into your heart and knowledge being pleasant to the soul

Two phrases stick out to me, wisdom coming into your heart and knowledge being pleasant to the soulThis intentional and desperate pursuit will not just shock us in the intellect although it willThis intentional and desperate pursuit will touch us in the heart and reorder our loveDavid experienced this, see if you can catch the irony

Two phrases stick out to me, wisdom coming into your heart and knowledge being pleasant to the soulThis intentional and desperate pursuit will not just shock us in the intellect although it willThis intentional and desperate pursuit will touch us in the heart and reorder our loveDavid experienced this, see if you can catch the irony

Two phrases stick out to me, wisdom coming into your heart and knowledge being pleasant to the soulThis intentional and desperate pursuit will not just shock us in the intellect although it willThis intentional and desperate pursuit will touch us in the heart and reorder our loveDavid experienced this, see if you can catch the irony

Two phrases stick out to me, wisdom coming into your heart and knowledge being pleasant to the soulThis intentional and desperate pursuit will not just shock us in the intellect although it willThis intentional and desperate pursuit will touch us in the heart and reorder our loveDavid experienced this, see if you can catch the irony

This intentional and desperate pursuit will not just shock us in the intellect although it will

This intentional and desperate pursuit will touch us in the heart and reorder our love

David experienced this, see if you can catch the irony

​Psalm 119:97–104 ESV97 Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.

102 I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

​ ESV97 Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.

102 I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Hyperlinks back to

Do you see the irony?

And the similarity?The irony is that God’s law is often looked at like a grueling set of restrictionsDavid delights in them, meditates upon them, they’re sweeter than honey to himHow?

In David’s pursuit of the LORD, he found that he was transformed from the inside outIs it possible for a knowledgable person to be a caring and compassionate person?Knowledge puffs upThe difference is Divine wisdomThere are two primary life threatening temptations that are waiting for everyone - the way of men of perverted speech and the forbidden woman

Do you see the irony?

And the similarity?The irony is that God’s law is often looked at like a grueling set of restrictionsDavid delights in them, meditates upon them, they’re sweeter than honey to himHow?

In David’s pursuit of the LORD, he found that he was transformed from the inside outIs it possible for a knowledgable person to be a caring and compassionate person?Knowledge puffs upThe difference is Divine wisdomThere are two primary life threatening temptations that are waiting for everyone - the way of men of perverted speech and the forbidden woman

Righteousness - conforming or adhering to the expectations of a relationship

​Proverbs 2:12–15 ESV12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, 13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, 15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

​ ESV12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, 13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, 15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

Between the variety of relationships in life

Between a husband and a wife

Between parents and children

Between covenant partners in a faith community (church)

Between employer and employee

Between members of a society (laws)

Prov

A marriage, a church, a society where the people who can be trusted increase, there is rejoicing.

We know deep inside that righteousness is a part of what it means to be made in the Image of God.

Justice - “Divinely righteous action, whether taken by humanity or God, that promotes equality among humanity.”

Lexham Bible Dictionary

Use your imagination - a judge is paid off to tip the scales so the guilty is seen as innocent and the innocent is charged unjustly

In equity is using a privilege to benefit one person over another; Jesus called out the Pharisees for this behavior in Matthew 23

Justice isn’t just something that we are just to be aware of and even hope for, it’s something to seek for the benefit of others

Equity - that which is smooth and straight.

It’s only used twice in the Proverbs and we’ve just read both of them

It’s used throughout the OT in the context of the way YHWH as King rules over the nations

Inequity is using a privilege to benefit one person over another; Jesus called out the Pharisees for this behavior in

So in addition to awe and intimacy with God himself, this trio of righteousness, justice, and equity are given to those who pursuit after Divine Wisdom.

And you might even be wondering, why do I need to be able to discern and understand these?

Church you’ve all figured out by now, that living in the world is hard; living well in the world, is a daily challenge.

We must have God’s wisdom!

Politics, child-rearing, business ventures, friendships they all are so difficult to discern.

We can’t punt the ball husbands and wives, moms and dads, church members, Sacramento...

I hope that we will cry out for wisdom before we just look for the (R) next to a politicians name this election

So how does this happen?

From a functional perspective, you are humbling yourself, having an open ear and heart to God’s Word, you then experience awe and intimacy with God (gratitude)...

And as you take the time to consider right paths and right choices, you choose righteousness, justice, and equity in your relationships.

Wisdom is in your heart, knowledge is pleasant to your soul.

You come to the place where, like the Psalmist, you come to the Scriptures and instead of it being a mere ritual or even a drudgery, you say:

Ps 119:

This father-son talk has a path.

Dad prepared this talk to go somewhere.

He has two specific types of people that he knows if his son has wisdom, he will be able to withstand when the temptation to walk the easy, yet dark path show up.

Who are these people and how will wisdom protect us from these types of people?

Prov 2:11

Men of Perverted Speech

The Wicked Man

These are categories that we are to be on the lookout forPerverted speech is not limited to “profanity” or “dirty jokes”They forsake the paths of uprightness, walk in darkness, rejoice in doing evil, etc...The goal of the tempter is not hidden, the men of perverted speech openly use their words to convince you to believe that the way of darkness/doing evil is not all that badThis “Inner Ring” makes you feel like you’re in controlYou deserve thisYou gotta do what is best for youThis is the party scene where peer pressure to do wrong is high, people are shouting your nameBeing intentional and desperate for God’s wisdom will make our antennas go up and discern what is true and pureDivine wisdom will also protect you from another temptation, dad warns against the forbidden woman

“Perverted speech” is not limited to “profanity” or “dirty jokes”

Perverted speech is not limited to “profanity” or “dirty jokes”