Friday, August 31, 2012
Dan Phillips' book "God's Wisdom in Proverbs" - or - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Proverbs
Here's a the first of a series of short reviews I intend to write for Dan Phillips' "God's Wisdom in Proverbs" that originally appeared on my Facebook wall:
In his book "God's Wisdom in Proverbs" Dan Phillips remarks how Henry Virkler makes a "startling insight" into proverbs: a simile, if extended, becomes a parable; and metaphor, if extended, becomes an allegory; then if the resultant allegory or parable is compressed, it becomes a proverb. He notes the genius and the peril of this, and here is an excerpt from pg 25 of his book:
"... But this compression factor is PERILOUS to the interpreter, too. If we try to force the compressed form to say everything, we miss the point. A proverb is not always intended to be a guarantee, or an exhaustive statement on any given subject. Rather, it is a pithy pointer, usually designed to drive one truth into the mind. Ryken says it well: "The aim of a proverb is to make an insight permanent." Note well: AN insight; not ALL insight." (caps mine, originally italics, used with permission)
I've been excited to learn how to read Proverbs, a book that for many years has escaped me, and Dan spends an entire chapter teaching how to do just that. Even in the few chapters I've read, it's come to be a valuable tool. Pick one up at Kress or Amazon and support the hard work of a fellow brother and learn something valuable. - 8/14/2012
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Still trucking through "God's Wisdom in Proverbs", and being greatly encouraged, convicted, and educated in the Word. In Chapter 2 Dan Phillips begins to explain what Solomon means by "wisdom" in 1:2a when he says "For becoming acquainted
with wisdom and discipline" and after explaining much on what the Hebrew idea of wisdom is gives this little nugget at the end of pg 39 to the beginning of pg 40:
"The wisdom with which Solomon proposes to acquaint us, then, is SKILL FOR LIVING IN THE FEAR OF YAWEH. It subsumes all under the Godhood of God (Prov 1:7; 9:10; 31:30) and casts every bit of life within that framework. This God-centered wisdom will encompass all our endeavors, including excellence in relationships, in personal pursuits, finances, child-rearing, the "whole shooting match." But the constant backdrop of these living skills will be the imperative of a life lived in reverence for God, in conscious application of His revealed wisdom, and dedicated to promoting His glory." (caps mine, originally italics)
If you have ever been intimidated by Proverbs, or just didn't know how to read the book, this will be a great help to you, and I greatly encourage you to get a copy. Just like his first book "The World-Tilting Gospel" Dan encourages you to open up your Bible beside the book and walk with him through the scriptures (and there are plenty per page, including footnotes at the bottom - I've been 2 weeks in the book and am only on page 42), making God's Word, not his word, the foundation and authority and carefully explains things in a way that's easy to understand. -
8/21/12
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Proverbs has really began to stick to my ribs lately now that I've gained understanding on how to read the book. Honestly I'd read Proverbs, see the wise sayings and go "yeah, but what do I DO with that?" But thankfully our good brother D
an Phillips
has toiled to make a tome to help us understand that's EXACTLY what Proverbs was meant to do - make us think!
Here's another nugget from pg 47, speaking on the 3rd benefit from reading Proverbs from 1:3, namely, receiving intelligent discipline:
"So ask yourself this: Why would Solomon write a book to give us something we could get easier and better by mystical channels? If the formula for wisdom is "just add prayer and mystical openness, and pop! wisdom!" - then why wast all the quills and papyrus? Just tell us to go mentally limp, and you will save a few trees... or, rather, reeds.
This "intelligent discipline" will not come to the intellectually lazy. Intelligent discipline becomes our only as we DILIGENTLY APPLY OURSELVES TO OBTAINING WHAT YAWEH HAS OBJECTIVELY GIVEN, ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME, IN SCRIPTURE. To access it, we must open up, bear down, and accept instruction. Fox well says that the phrase here means "to take it to heart, to absorb it and change one's ways."" (caps mine, Fox reference from his book "Proverbs" 1:59) -
8/27/12
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I intend to write all my subsequent reviews on this blog, and I'll link it at my Facebook wall as well. My hope is that I'll talk enough about it between the two places and folks will begin to catch onto this great help. Proverbs has been so abused by folks trying to justify all manner of unbiblical ideas that, for me at least, it was intimidating. I'm glad that our fellow laborer Dan Phillips has condensed his years of study into this work so that those of us who are young and dumb and immature can see the jewel that the book of Proverbs is and see the intended effect laid out by Solomon, namely that those who are immature would gain wisdom (skill for living in the fear of Yaweh) to the glory of God in Christ.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Why 2 Little Girls Need to Know God is Sovereign and How Ligon Duncan Helped Me Teach Them That
Last night at dinner we had our family worship time - yes, at the dinner table - and my teaching came from 1 Kings 19 (inspired a great bit by this sermon by Ligon Duncan (http://t4g.org/media/2012/04/the-underestimated-god/) which would be well worth your time to listen to). In the chapter before, Elijah had just been used mightily by God to strike down the priests of Baal after God showed Himself to be the One and Only God by devouring Elijah's sacrifice, while the priests of Baal were left hanging by their idol of a god. As Ligon explains in his sermon, Elijah's greatest desire was to see God glorified, and in that, to see all of Israel turn away from the mute, lifeless idols they worshiped and to the Living God - Elijah wanted to see a nationwide revival so that God would be worshiped as he ought to. And so when we get to 1 Kings 19, and Jezebel threatens Elijah, there's a plot twist - Elijah runs for his life. He just witnessed the power of the LORD God as He sent fire from heaven to devour the sacrifice, the water in the trench around it, the stones, the wood, and even the dust; he had just put to death the priests of Baal; he had just outrun a chariot across the desert; he was vividly familiar with the power and faithfulness of God. But in the face of a threat from a mere woman (a vicious woman, but still a woman) he runs for his life. Why? Again, as Ligon points out, Elijah ran away and wanted to die a discouraged man. God's fierce power hadn't melted the heart of Jezebel and Ahab, the killing of the priests had only enraged them further, and Israel remained faithful to their idols. God hadn't worked the way Elijah wanted Him to. Elijah desired a good thing - to see God glorified in the faithfulness of Israel - but he was disintegrated when it didn't happen as he imagined it.
How does this make any sense to 2 little girls 1 and 2 years old? Am I throwing seeds on unfruitful ground?
Let me show you why it matters that my daughters learn this story and it's application:
Their mommy is sick with a disease she'll be fighting the rest of her life, unless the Lord decides to heal her. She'll have good days, for sure. But it's the bad days that will be trying - and the bad days will be equally as bad as the good days are good. She'll be tired alot. She may pass out. She may go to the hospital. They may be displaced from us again. She won't be able to do all the things that other mommies do with their little girls. They'll have to rely on their daddy - who has to go to work and spends maybe 2 hours in the evening with them 5 days a week in addition to the weekends - to make up for all the things mommy can't do on her sick days. Since most of their time will be spent with mommy in a days time, they'll have more disappointments than met expectations. To little girls who are still too young to understand even the simple things of the goodness of God in suffering, this gives lots of opportunity for their sinful hearts to justify their rebellion against God - and it's here where it matters most.
They're going to see me love my wife, their mommy, and they're going to see me doing my best - but they won't see me be able to fix mommy's problem. They're going to see us pray, hear us read the Scriptures, sing with us extolling the goodness and majesty of the Triune God; they're going to hear us go on and on about the goodness of God expressed in Jesus Christ, His son, and the wonder of the Holy Spirit's work in the Christian's life. And then they're going to see mommy not being well all the time. They may see her get worse. I know my own heart and how I struggle with suffering and the goodness of God, so multiply that in relation to their limited understanding and lack of the Holy Spirit, and we have a problem. This is why they need to know this story. They need to know that God isn't going to always work the way they want Him to - even if it's a good way. God loves their mommy, but He loves His glory more - and there's a relationship between those two that I'll get to in a moment.
And it's also why they need to know it's application. Elijah, after having seen the glory of God displayed before the "prophets" of Baal, runs into the desert at the threat of Jezebel and wants to die. Instead of allowing that, God feeds him by way of an angel with some bread and water (twice), and sends him on his way to Mt. Horeb. It's here where, contrary to the way this scripture has been abused to justify listening for that "still small voice" of God, Elijah again encounters the glory of God in a way he doesn't like very much. God passes by the mountain and causes a catastrophe - an earthquake, a fire, a great wind that causes the mountains to crumble - and it seems that Elijah looks for God in those awesome displays of power, as the scripture recites that "God was not in" any of those. But then a low whisper comes, and it seems that God is there because Elijah goes out of the cave, albeit with his cloak wrapped around his face (and as Ligon pointed out, it's hard to see anything with your cloak wrapped around your face). God then rebukes Elijah, gives him assignments - one which includes his succession - and effectively ends Elijah's ministry after which he takes him up in a chariot of fire before Elisha, his replacement. And then, oh boy then, a thousand years later, God sends Elijah down the the mountain whereupon stands 3 ordinary men with the Glorious One, Immanuel, Jesus Christ and Elijah gets to see him! Jesus' face is transfigured and a vision of His glory displayed before the men and before Elijah who comes from heaven with Moses (Luke 9:28-36) - God reveals His glory to Elijah, His Son Jesus Christ who would atone for all who repent and believe the gospel. Elijah got to see the glory of God as he never imagined it! How God chose to glorify Himself was infinitely greater than what Elijah expected or desired, and how God chose to give his servant the very joy of his heart, the very thing Elijah truly longed for, was a far greater joy than what Elijah would have experienced had God done it his way!
Remember how I said that our girls need to know this story and it's application, and that I'd connect the dots between my wife's suffering, God's love for her, and His love for His own glory? My girls need to know that although what they desire is good, and that although they love their mommy, and I love my wife, that God, her Father loves her so much more than we do, and He loves His glory too and desires a better thing than we do because of those two facts. And how those two meet is that if God loves their mommy way more than we do, and he's allowing her to suffer with this illness, then His love is expressed in that her illness will glorify Him in a way that her wellness never could, and that it will make her to enjoy Him more than her wellness ever did. We teach our daughters what the Westminster Catechism sums up from Scripture: that God created us to glorify Himself and that we may enjoy Him forever. And contrary to us glossing over her illness with happy platitudes and smiles in a varnish that will collapse when their sinful hearts bear more fruit, I am convinced that we need to reinforce the truth that our God, the God of the Bible, our Father in Heaven, His Son and Holy Spirit, our Triune God is working all things together for their mommy's good and His glory - and by extension, their good too.
So here's what I told our girls last night to apply what they'd heard in the life of Elijah (and again, it was a variation of what Ligon had preached, so go listen - it's an hour, but an hour worth your time):
"You know how mommy is sick, and that sometimes she's in the hospital?" Ayrie shook her head, and Naomi shoved a handful of rice in her mouth (gotta work on that one, Naomi), "And you know how when you pray for dinner and you pray to "God our Father?" Ayrie shook her head again, and Naomi was still stuffing her face. "Ok. And you know how daddy loves mommy? Well, God, mommy's Father in Heaven, loves her way more than daddy does. And He's got a plan to use mommy's sickness to glorify Himself, and to make mommy enjoy Him even more than she does now."
They may not completely understand now, but I want to plant the seed there and continue to water it, trusting our Father to give the growth. It may be that she will continue in her rebellion and grow to hate God because of an unrepentant heart, in which case I can praise God that He gave me the knowledge to teach my daughter the truth about who He is, though I will mourn my daughter's rebellion. But the flip side of that scares me more: gloss over the truth, which may be hard to understand, with rainbows and unicorns and cute puppies telling her that everything will be OK - and when things get as bad as they possibly could, be left with my hands in the air, full of broken promises, having provoked my daughters to sin against the Lord and be a cause for their rebellion. No thanks; I'll go with the former.
Relatedly, if this is the means by which God intends to be glorified in the salvation of my daughters as they learn that God is sovereign over suffering and sickness and uses those things for their good to His glory in Jesus Christ, then praise God for answering our prayer to raise up Godly girls for His kingdom. Amen.
How does this make any sense to 2 little girls 1 and 2 years old? Am I throwing seeds on unfruitful ground?
Let me show you why it matters that my daughters learn this story and it's application:
Their mommy is sick with a disease she'll be fighting the rest of her life, unless the Lord decides to heal her. She'll have good days, for sure. But it's the bad days that will be trying - and the bad days will be equally as bad as the good days are good. She'll be tired alot. She may pass out. She may go to the hospital. They may be displaced from us again. She won't be able to do all the things that other mommies do with their little girls. They'll have to rely on their daddy - who has to go to work and spends maybe 2 hours in the evening with them 5 days a week in addition to the weekends - to make up for all the things mommy can't do on her sick days. Since most of their time will be spent with mommy in a days time, they'll have more disappointments than met expectations. To little girls who are still too young to understand even the simple things of the goodness of God in suffering, this gives lots of opportunity for their sinful hearts to justify their rebellion against God - and it's here where it matters most.
They're going to see me love my wife, their mommy, and they're going to see me doing my best - but they won't see me be able to fix mommy's problem. They're going to see us pray, hear us read the Scriptures, sing with us extolling the goodness and majesty of the Triune God; they're going to hear us go on and on about the goodness of God expressed in Jesus Christ, His son, and the wonder of the Holy Spirit's work in the Christian's life. And then they're going to see mommy not being well all the time. They may see her get worse. I know my own heart and how I struggle with suffering and the goodness of God, so multiply that in relation to their limited understanding and lack of the Holy Spirit, and we have a problem. This is why they need to know this story. They need to know that God isn't going to always work the way they want Him to - even if it's a good way. God loves their mommy, but He loves His glory more - and there's a relationship between those two that I'll get to in a moment.
And it's also why they need to know it's application. Elijah, after having seen the glory of God displayed before the "prophets" of Baal, runs into the desert at the threat of Jezebel and wants to die. Instead of allowing that, God feeds him by way of an angel with some bread and water (twice), and sends him on his way to Mt. Horeb. It's here where, contrary to the way this scripture has been abused to justify listening for that "still small voice" of God, Elijah again encounters the glory of God in a way he doesn't like very much. God passes by the mountain and causes a catastrophe - an earthquake, a fire, a great wind that causes the mountains to crumble - and it seems that Elijah looks for God in those awesome displays of power, as the scripture recites that "God was not in" any of those. But then a low whisper comes, and it seems that God is there because Elijah goes out of the cave, albeit with his cloak wrapped around his face (and as Ligon pointed out, it's hard to see anything with your cloak wrapped around your face). God then rebukes Elijah, gives him assignments - one which includes his succession - and effectively ends Elijah's ministry after which he takes him up in a chariot of fire before Elisha, his replacement. And then, oh boy then, a thousand years later, God sends Elijah down the the mountain whereupon stands 3 ordinary men with the Glorious One, Immanuel, Jesus Christ and Elijah gets to see him! Jesus' face is transfigured and a vision of His glory displayed before the men and before Elijah who comes from heaven with Moses (Luke 9:28-36) - God reveals His glory to Elijah, His Son Jesus Christ who would atone for all who repent and believe the gospel. Elijah got to see the glory of God as he never imagined it! How God chose to glorify Himself was infinitely greater than what Elijah expected or desired, and how God chose to give his servant the very joy of his heart, the very thing Elijah truly longed for, was a far greater joy than what Elijah would have experienced had God done it his way!
Remember how I said that our girls need to know this story and it's application, and that I'd connect the dots between my wife's suffering, God's love for her, and His love for His own glory? My girls need to know that although what they desire is good, and that although they love their mommy, and I love my wife, that God, her Father loves her so much more than we do, and He loves His glory too and desires a better thing than we do because of those two facts. And how those two meet is that if God loves their mommy way more than we do, and he's allowing her to suffer with this illness, then His love is expressed in that her illness will glorify Him in a way that her wellness never could, and that it will make her to enjoy Him more than her wellness ever did. We teach our daughters what the Westminster Catechism sums up from Scripture: that God created us to glorify Himself and that we may enjoy Him forever. And contrary to us glossing over her illness with happy platitudes and smiles in a varnish that will collapse when their sinful hearts bear more fruit, I am convinced that we need to reinforce the truth that our God, the God of the Bible, our Father in Heaven, His Son and Holy Spirit, our Triune God is working all things together for their mommy's good and His glory - and by extension, their good too.
So here's what I told our girls last night to apply what they'd heard in the life of Elijah (and again, it was a variation of what Ligon had preached, so go listen - it's an hour, but an hour worth your time):
"You know how mommy is sick, and that sometimes she's in the hospital?" Ayrie shook her head, and Naomi shoved a handful of rice in her mouth (gotta work on that one, Naomi), "And you know how when you pray for dinner and you pray to "God our Father?" Ayrie shook her head again, and Naomi was still stuffing her face. "Ok. And you know how daddy loves mommy? Well, God, mommy's Father in Heaven, loves her way more than daddy does. And He's got a plan to use mommy's sickness to glorify Himself, and to make mommy enjoy Him even more than she does now."
They may not completely understand now, but I want to plant the seed there and continue to water it, trusting our Father to give the growth. It may be that she will continue in her rebellion and grow to hate God because of an unrepentant heart, in which case I can praise God that He gave me the knowledge to teach my daughter the truth about who He is, though I will mourn my daughter's rebellion. But the flip side of that scares me more: gloss over the truth, which may be hard to understand, with rainbows and unicorns and cute puppies telling her that everything will be OK - and when things get as bad as they possibly could, be left with my hands in the air, full of broken promises, having provoked my daughters to sin against the Lord and be a cause for their rebellion. No thanks; I'll go with the former.
Relatedly, if this is the means by which God intends to be glorified in the salvation of my daughters as they learn that God is sovereign over suffering and sickness and uses those things for their good to His glory in Jesus Christ, then praise God for answering our prayer to raise up Godly girls for His kingdom. Amen.
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