Sermon Tone Analysis

Slide 2: Orientation Day ()

Whether a new student, employee, or volunteer, before starting a newbie will go through orientation.

However it’s done - formal or informal — one one one or in a large auditorium - orientation serves to help you adjust to your new surroundings.

Sometimes, you are introduced to the go-to people who take you under their wings.

Hopefully selected carefully, they will come to be your advisors or mentors to learn from.

As we enter the third section of Proverbs today, taking us under their wings are the sayings of the wise.

Read Verses 17-21

Slide 3: The Sayings of the Wise (4)

Like it’s own little book, these few chapters form an ancient orientation handbook.

Who are they for?

Given that a handful of the thirty sayings speak to royal conduct, the evidence leans toward the audience being persons of responsibility new leaders, commanders, or royalty.

But in a broad category their target audience would be public servants.

But who are the wise?

We don’t really know.

Some posit Solomon modified wisdom found outside of Israel to fit Israel’s needs- perhaps Egypt.

Still others think experts in God’s law were trying to make relevant applications.

A minority of holdouts say the wise are God’s prophets advising the public servants.

Regardless we don’t know who they are or when their wisdom originated.

Yet as inspired Scripture, these 30 sayings are no less true.

Compared to some of the other Proverbs - we are missing answers the questions we have.

We don’t know who they are.

Some think that Solomon made use of wisdom found outside of Israel - like Egypt.

OthersWe don’t know when or their wisdom or when their wisdom was shared

But we do know why they were written: The first reason: An echo of our earlier sermon studies — Verse 19 - So that in the performance of their duties, your trust may be in the Lord.

Otherwise, trust will fall elsewhere either on another person or even self.

Fearing the Lord trumps every other reason.

But a second reason: Verse 21: so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you… In other words - the one who masters these sayings in knowledge and practice will become an advisor or mentor to others — the humble go to person for others to gain wisdom.

Though we only have time in our fall series to cover one of them, all of us can benefit from their poetic wisdom.

In time, we’ll come back to some of them.

Very carefully worded with links to Israel’s history, each saying is meant to be sipped and savored rather than gulping all thirty down in one sitting.

Today, we start with the 25th saying from Proverbs 24.

We don’t know who the wise are?

Some think that Solomon made use of wisdom found outside of Israel - like Egypt and modified it to fit Israel’s needs.

Still others think are experts in God’s law trying to make relevant applications, while a minority of holdouts say the wise are rooted in God’s prophets.

Regardless we don’t know who they are or when their wisdom originated.

OthersWe don’t know when or their wisdom or when their wisdom was shared

We don’t know who they are.

Some think that Solomon made use of wisdom found outside of Israel - like Egypt and modified it to fit Israel’s needs.

Still others think they could be from experts in the law trying to make relevant applications, while a minority of holdouts say the wise are rooted in God’s prophets.

Regardless we don’t know who they are or when their wisdom originated.

OthersWe don’t know when or their wisdom or when their wisdom was shared

As inspired Scripture, they are no less true even if we are missing answers to questions we might have.

The majority of them read as if written for today.

Slide 4: Wisdom’s Rescue Squad -

SLOWLY Read

SLOWLY Read

Slide 5: The Link to (in Context)

Before jumping ahead to it’s application today — As with any Proverb , we want to try and understand this Proverb in it’s original context.

Otherwise speeding ahead, we are likely to get it wrong.

We start again with .

Every proverb in this book has its link back to .

There, the first seven verses serves as both editor and filter - justifying why it was given space to be included.

As a big picture - every proverb begins under the umbrella promoting one to Fear of the Lord.

From there, looking back at all the reasons for studying Proverbs, this rescue squad proverbs is linked to .

--doing what is right and just and fair regarding our treatment of others.

That was God’s concern when he gave — “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the Lord.”

That was similarly Jesus concern in the Gospels when giving the Second greatest Commandment to Love you neighbor as yourself.

Slide 6: Understanding the Saying in Context

Sitting down at orientation - if you as public servant, leader, or royal bears responsibility for the lives of others, this 25th saying would come as a real eye opener.

That one’s responsibility for others is serious business.

This is saying is broken down into three proverbs.

In other words, it is related to having the best interest of others before self.

If you are a public servant or leader or ruler of some sort, this saying offers wisdom of high importance in it’s three proverbs.

Slide 7: 1st Proverb: “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength.”

Our interpretation is shaped by who it was written for-the public servants in training.

Otherwise we quickly take it out of context and limit this proverb to our own individual troubles.

When it comes to these public servants though - this Proverb reveals that one’s strength is not about title, power or authority over others, but the true test is how the servant responds when trouble hits their community.

The weak falter in their duty - they put themselves first or even remain content while others them suffer.

Or overwhelmed - they do almost nothing.

But the wise public servant will do the opposite.

In the face of trouble, the strong will respond with wisdom and action for the betterment of others.

Consider the line of Israel’s Kings in the Bible… those who did right in the eyes of the Lord were strong and those who did wrong - living for themselves were weak.

Another classic example is the Apostle Paul.

Again and again as a strong leader, Paul faces crisis head on.

His letters boldly speak encouragement and wisdom to Christ’s church when under attack.

He goes to great lengths to rally support for the church in Jerusalem that is in crisis mode.

Without a doubt, the leaders in orientation would also be given examples.

But continuing on, the next two proverbs in this saying orient the public servant as to show how far one should go.

The next two proverbs in this saying parallel the first orienting the leader as to show how far one should go.

Slide 8: 2nd Proverb: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”

This 2nd Proverb offers a parallel line — one that sharpens its impact on the responsibility public leaders in that day had.

To understand it, one has to look carefully at the words being used.

Take the first phrase, rescue those being lead away to death.

The word for death is just that - a physical death.

Public servants are being oriented to understand they are their brother’s and sister’s keeper.

When one rescues — they are putting themselves at risk.

They are risking reputation, material well being or perhaps even risking their own lives.

But the rescue of others is not optional here - it is commanded.

The root phrasing of being led away has to do with righting injustice.

It’s Joseph - making wise decisions to store up reserves in Egypt before famine strikes.

It’s Jesus interrupting a stoning of a condemned woman when the jury had their own sins to deal with.

But the second phrase goes even further.

“Hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”

Today we attribute this word slaughter to a horror movie or a real life genocide.

But keeping the word in Scriptures context the word for slaughter is used by the prophets as the result of God’s judgement when a nation and its leaders refuse to repent.

Time and time again, Israel ignored God.

At the root of it was her leaders.

Her leaders failed to call the people back to repentance.

There was a high price to pay.