When many think about the Bible, they see it as a guide for good moral
living. Certainly, the Bible is much more than this. It is the testimony of what God has done in the world. It is the testimony of God’s people. It is a
faithful account of the redemption of the world through Jesus Christ. It is the very words of men inspired by the very breath of God to create a book like none other in all Creation.
And yet it very much is, like many views it, a guide for good moral living.
The Bible calls us to pursue virtues like humility, patience, justice, self-
control, mercy, and most of all love. Even in a book like Esther where God is never mentioned explicitly, these virtues remain front and center. If you
seek to increase in moral goodness, there is no better place to begin than the
Bible.
And then there are the “practical” day-to-day questions we all face. Should I
buy a house? Should I take this job out of town? Should I pay off a loan early? Should raise my own food? At first glance, much of the Bible seems unconcerned in guiding us toward these answers. Many Christians end up living a divided life because of this. The Bible guides them in perceived moral choices, and other counsel guides them in these practical decisions.
To describe it most starkly, half our lives are lived as if God does not exist.
This is where Proverbs more than any other book in the Bible counsels us on
these practical decisions. Among many topics, Proverbs addresses
industriousness (6:6-11), saving money (13:11), using assets to produce
wealth (14:4), the advantages and disadvantages of wealth (10:15; 13:8),
hard work (14:23), how to treat animals well (12:10), tact (15:1), and the
the reward of children (17:6). And on and on Proverbs addresses these
questions with practical wisdom that have served the people of God well for
thousands of years.
But something else is happening in Proverbs. Proverbs connects the dots between our “practical life” and our “moral life” and shows us that all of life has a moral dimension. Every decision we make is a moral decision.
Proverbs is just as deeply moral as every other Biblical book. If we desire
Christ to rule over every area of our lives, Proverbs can open our eyes to see how we can put our finances, hobbies, physical health, work habits, and everything else under his reign. God calls us to make every area of our lives holy, set apart for God. Proverbs will lead us, “shining ever brighter till the
full life of the day.”
Pastor Rich