Simon O'Grady - Unlocking the Proverbs - Class 4 - Wisdom and Understanding

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Very good morning, brothers and sisters, as we come to this session on getting wisdom and getting understanding. And I think this is my favorite out of all of these sessions, really. This is the one where my head just goes and explodes as I come to understand the incredible, awesome wisdom of our Heavenly Father.

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   And the way he's put it out in his scriptures, his understanding and his wisdom. So today we're going to be looking at this purpose statement number five in chapter one to six. So remember, of course, that in chapter one of Proverbs, it helpfully sets out a purpose statement. This is the promise of the book. This is what you're going to get if you engage with it.

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   There are five statements and we're going to look at purpose number five, which is in chapter one, verse six, which says to understand a proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise and their dark sayings. So there's a lot going on in there, isn't there? So let's just for a moment unpack it.

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   There's going to be an understanding in this book of something called a proverb. What's a proverb and how do you understand it? And why does it need an interpretation, an explanation? That suggests there's something hidden in it. There are wise words. So we're going to be dealing with words here and their dark sayings.

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   It's the term riddle. It's often translated elsewhere as riddle and Samson's riddle. Dark sayings is something hidden behind these words that needs to be understood and seen. So that's our purpose, really, to look at this statement here and to understand how that's delivered in the book of Proverbs. As we saw, this purpose statement is in expanded in chapter two and also in chapter four here, where we read.

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   Turn up with me to Proverbs chapter four and you can read it in your own Bibles. Well, we have this purpose statement expanded a bit, unpacked a little bit. So we get a little bit more information on what it means to get understanding. So Proverbs chapter four, verse one, it says, Hear ye children the instruction of a father and attend to know understanding.

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   So it's a fundamental part of the book here as we listen to the father, the words of the father, as the Lord Jesus Christ, the son, listened to the father and said, Hear ye children the instruction of the father and attend because you're going to know understanding. Verse five of chapter four. Get wisdom, get understanding.

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   Forget it not, neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, she shall preserve thee. Love her and she'll keep thee. Idea of hedging about or guarding you these words and understanding. Wisdom's the principal thing, therefore get wisdom. And with all your getting, get understanding. Verse eight, exalt her and she shall promote thee.

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   She shall bring thee to honor when you do embrace her. She'll give to thine head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory. She'll deliver thee. So what an incredible promise here. And you can see all the allusions in the New Testament, the crown of glory in first Peter chapter five, verse four.

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    Hebrews chapter two, verse nine, that use this phrase, the crown of glory to represent eternal life with God and with Christ. That's the promise of the book. If we get to understand a proverb, to unpack the riddles or dark sayings of the wise. Notice also that there's married language. Forsake her not. Embrace her.

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    A crown of glory in Proverbs chapter 12, verse four is a virtuous woman's a crown to her husband. So there's married language behind here. An idea that's starting to emerge that we're married to wisdom. So that's the purpose. And it seems well worth it, doesn't it? In terms of the promise that we will get.

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    The reward at the end of promotion and honor and an ornament of grace and a crown of glory. So here's our agenda today. There's two things. At the end, we know to understand. We want to understand a proverb. What is a proverb? What does interpret a proverb mean? What have they got to do with getting understanding and wisdom that we're instructed to do?

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    Get wisdom. Get with all your getting understanding. The second thing we want to do is take a closer look at this woman wisdom. Who is she? As she pervades the book of Proverbs. And what does she have to do with getting understanding and getting wisdom? Wisdom. So that's our agenda today. And those are the two objectives we have.

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    Now, we need to remember a few things as we build on our earlier sessions and studies. So here's three things to remember. First, the book of Proverbs, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, is fundamentally about discerning between the good and evil in thought, in speech, in action, and in judgment. So it's about moral knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in its first and primary focus.

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    That's what the book of Proverbs is about. Right and wrong, and the choosing of the good, and the rejecting of the evil. Second, it's a relationship book. It's about a father and a son, and the chastening correction process that he puts each of us through as his children, so that we can, along with the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, refuse the evil and choose the good.

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    And remember the process. Knowledge, understanding, wisdom is a process. Wisdom is knowledge and understanding in practice. And a fear of Yahweh, or his judgment in the ellipsis, is the beginning of our journey in knowledge, that proceeds to understanding, and wisdom includes the fear of Yahweh, knowledge and understanding in its application. So there's three big ideas that we've looked at in previous sessions, and we're going to use these again today.

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    One last thing. The concept of understanding we saw yesterday is about taking complex things and breaking them into their smaller parts. And so the Hebrew term for understanding, b'nai, means to separate mentally into the pieces. Or in the Greek New Testament, sunimi, the term normally translated as understanding means to send or put together.

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    So we've got this idea, don't we, that understanding fundamentally is about bits. They've either been deconstructed from complexity so we can see them, or they've been put back together to create the complexity. And in the separation and the assembling is the idea of understanding. All right, so those are some things to remember, and we're going to be using those as we go through this morning.

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    But today we need a helper. So we've got a young helper who's going to help us today. Just let you go, oh, oh, for a few moments. So this is Obadiah. Is Obadiah in the tent, or is he in his? He's in the crying room. Having a feed. Great. That's where he should be.

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    So this is Obadiah Jackson. He's about two months old. Wonderful name, the servant of Yah. And he's going to help us this morning and come to know understanding, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in the process. So all of us here at some point were two months old, like Obadiah. And we had no knowledge, no understanding, no wisdom.

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    We were helpless. We were reliant on our parents and those around us. Now somewhere around about two months old, a baby starts to become really aware of its environment. So from birth, baby's born, doesn't know anything really, doesn't understand anything, it doesn't have biblical wisdom. But immediately, a baby has been born with God-given capabilities.

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    They have five senses. Now just to accept there's five, I had quite a debate with one of my daughters the other day about whether there were other senses. But let's just agree to disagree that there are five organs of sense. So there are eyes, sight, hearing, smelling, taste, and touch. So there are five senses, and Obadiah has these.

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    Each of us were born with them. And as we came into the world, those five senses began to interact with the world around us. And we began to create patterns. I read a very interesting article, academic article, that was trying to answer the question, does language come first or does pattern recognition come first?

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    Is a baby born with a language structure in its head that then gets applied to its experience? Or does its experience start first and then language comes after? And it's an important question because there are certain aspects of babies that they already have an instinct to eat. Animals already can be born and within minutes of standing up and walking around.

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    So there's already somewhere a map in them that's created. And they wondered, is there a map of language in a baby? The answer of this, they concluded, was no, language comes second. And it all starts where, with the five senses, babies begin to recognize by comparison that some things are similar and some things are different.

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    So they hear a voice. It's mum's voice. They hear a voice. It's dad's voice. They're different, but they're similar. They see things. They see mum. They see dad. They're different, but they're similar. And through each of the senses, a baby begins to create a map of experience, of comparison. Some things are similar.

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    Some things are different. Some things are very different. Some things are very similar. Then after a while, they begin to see a repetition of a pattern. So when I am hungry and I cry, then immediately mum or dad turns up and I'm fed. So they begin to see an association of sounds and visions and smells.

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    And so they begin to create this map of comparisons. You know, it's amazing, isn't it? The heavenly father and his genius has created us from birth to have this drive for food and need for food. And if we don't have it, it creates this hunger, this pain, this anguish. And we need it satisfied.

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    So right at the very base of a born baby, God's created just the kernel of an idea of good and evil, pain and satisfaction. And so a baby cries because it's painful. It's hungry. Its mother picks it up, feeds the baby, and it's satisfied. And so while it's not a moral concept yet, the baby doesn't know what morality is.

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    God's created in it this idea that will become a base for a concept later of good and of evil, of satisfaction and something that's painful. You know, when you get to my age, I still have the satisfaction and pain of hunger and of eating. We all do. Isn't it incredible that God's created us, created a baby, and his genius like this to have the kernel of these ideas?

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    Now, at some point, around about 9 to 12 months, Obadiah is going to start really associating these objects, these actions, these qualities of things, this vast web of categorizations, and similarities and differences that are evolving in his mind through experience of five senses, is going to note that the people around him are making noises that are associated with certain events or certain things.

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    And so the kernel of an idea of language is going to start being created in Obadiah's mind. And at some point, he's going to realize he can make sounds. And he can make sounds similar when he compares them to others. They're the same, or the sounds are different, and they're connected to objects and things.

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    Incredible, isn't it, that our Heavenly Father's created us to learn like this? By comparing, we're similar, they're different, and through associations. And so Obadiah, at some point, will say his first word. I'm sorry, Dex, I don't know whether it will be mummy or daddy, but I'll leave that to you. First conflict around a baby.

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    Was it mum, or was it dad? So Obadiah's going to learn language. He's going to put sounds, we call them phonemes, associated with it, and he's going to learn language from those around him. At some point, four years old, five, he will be sat down, he'll be given a pen, a pencil, and he'll be taught that actually you can put little symbols that represent the sounds, that represent the ideas that you were learning right from a baby when you were born.

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    And so he'll develop written language. And every baby born in any country, anywhere in the world, will be going through that process. They just happen to have different symbols and different sounds. But, of course, it's all based on the same process, which is why you can translate from one country or language to another, and people can understand each other because they've got the same processes sitting behind it.

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    It's the formation of language and words. And, of course, God's Bible is the word or language of God. All right, well, that's Obadiah. Thank you, Obadiah, for your help. Appreciate that. So he'll begin to see patterns and compare them and see that some things are similar and different. He'll begin to see that some things are similar in ways that other things aren't, and he'll create a category called animals and a category called fruit.

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    And then there'll be fruit that are similar and different as well. So you have a vast interconnected web of these comparisons, similarities, and differences by the time he's one or two and begins to speak, by the time he becomes five and he begins to write. And when we get to our age, of course, we do this without even thinking because it's built in us.

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    Now, the point is our Heavenly Father's created us to be able to do this, and it's the basis of thought, comprehension, and understanding. Now, Paul had something really fascinating to say. He got quite frustrated here on Hebrews 5, verses 12 to 14, as he was trying to explain through words to the brethren and sisters of the time that he was trying to teach them something.

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    So he says in Hebrews 5, verse 12, you hear this frustration. When for the time ye ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again what are the first principles of the oracles of God. And you'll become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness because they're a baby.

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    But strong meat belongs to them who are of full age, who by the reason of use have their senses, that's literally their organ of perception, that is our five senses, exercised to discern both good and evil. So Paul's used the analogy of a baby and their need for milk to compare it to someone who is an adult and their need to eat strong meat and used it to represent the idea that each of us, when we're born with our five senses, have those exercised progressively through our life by reason of use to discern good and evil.

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    So this is telling us our five senses, our senses are related to the perception of good and evil and an exercise of them in a certain way is necessary to discern. All right, well let's move on from that foundation of ideas. The formation of all language with just two ideas taken away. Language begins, thinking begins, by comparing things and seeing they're similar or that they are different.

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    Just take that thought away. All right, what is a proverb? Well, the proverbs, this is the primary mode of the book. So in chapter 1 verse 1 it says they're proverbs of Solomon. Chapter 10 verse 1 again is the proverbs of Solomon. Chapter 25 verse 1, the proverbs of Solomon. So it's the primary mode of the book, a proverb.

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    We saw from chapter 1 verse 16 that there's something about proverbs that are related to comprehension, to understanding that need interpreting. There's something hidden behind them. When you see it, it's interpreted and you can perceive. And it's something to do with the process of learning comprehension of understanding. Now the Hebrew term, as you'll probably know, is mashal.

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    It's the term which means a superiority in mental action coming from a base term, primitive root used in Genesis, to rule. Where the sun, moon and stars, the sun ruled the night. And the moon was to rule, sorry, sun was to rule the day and the moon was to rule the night. So that's the origins of the idea.

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    But this derivative means mental action that is superior. So it's talking about comprehension, wisdom, knowledge. It's something to do with that encapsulated in words. That's the term, a proverb. Proverbs are inherently about comprehension. Here's a passage on the screen, 1 Kings 4, Ecclesiastes 12. And as we read these, see that proverbs are about wisdom and comprehension.

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    And they're about words. So they're taking knowledge, understanding wisdom, and they're putting it into words. 1 Kings 4, verse 29. God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much. Verse 30. Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the East Country and all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than all men.

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    Verse 32. And he spake 3,000 proverbs. So you can see that there's an association of speaking 3,000 proverbs and being wiser than everybody else. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 9 to 10 says, Moreover, because the preacher was wise, he taught the people knowledge, gave good heed, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

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    So proverbs and the setting out of order is about teaching. It's about wisdom. It's about the imparting of knowledge. Yea, the preacher sought to find out acceptable words. So there's something to do with words that was written upright, words of truth. So proverbs are about comprehension and understanding. They're an encapsulation in words of knowledge and understanding and wisdom.

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    And they're the output of the wisdom of Solomon captured for us. That's what a proverb is. There's something to do with the mind, superiority of thinking, martial, of a proverb. And that's a proverb. Now when we look at the proverbs themselves, come with me to chapter 10 of Proverbs, where the proverbs that we typically think, oh, that's the proverbs, these little couplets begin.

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    And we're going to observe a few things about them. Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 1 to 2. The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivereth from death. So immediately we can see something, can't we?

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    That they're couplets. They're parallelisms. And they're created by putting two things together. That's what the proverbs are. That's how they're structured here in chapter 10. Now there are three types of proverbs. So this next three slides, I'm going to step you through. And it's really important to understand. There are three types of proverbs, but they're all doing the same thing.

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    So what is a proverb? What's this parallelism? What's this pair about? And what I'm going to suggest to you, and then we'll go through the evidence for it, is that each of them is an illustration of a basic building block of thought. It goes right back to the foundation of all thinking, of all thought, where you put two things together and create comprehension or understanding.

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    So that's what we're being shown here. In its simplest form, we'll be given two ideas to associate, and we'll be able to bootstrap our understanding and comprehension from it. So we're being taught the process here of knowledge and understanding in very simple ways. So here's the first style or type of proverb. The first I've called CC, and it's compare and contrast and consequence.

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    Maybe I should have called it CCC. But you'll see what I mean. Here on Proverbs 10, verse 4, there are two things compared and contrasted. A wise son makes a glad father, but there's our contrast. A foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. So there's a contrast between two things, and there's a consequence.

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    Glad father, heavy mother. Proverbs 10, verse 4. He becometh poor that deals with a slack hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. See the process. We're being asked to compare two things, notice that they are different, and infer some consequence. So that's our first type of proverb. In fact, most of the proverbs are like this, and the giveaway is it will have the word but in there normally.

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    The second one does essentially the same process, but it's a little bit different. Here it is. They are a contrast, and there's a comparison. This works with this.

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    Actually, I won't go there yet. I'll go back and deal with this one particularly. We'll dig into this a little bit further. All right. All right. So let's stay with the we compare them, we contrast them, and they are different. And so there's a contrast, and the point, the understanding is based on that contrast.

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    And we're going to do a little bit of an exercise to demonstrate that. So you should all have a worksheet. Hopefully, anyone not got a worksheet? Great. So on that worksheet, you've got four proverbs set out in little boxes. And what we're going to do is we're going to draw the proverb. Now, this is a really neat thing to do when it comes to unlocking the proverbs.

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    We can do it with our children, and it creates a visual. Now, if you stop and think about it, every proverb started in a visual and has been turned into words by the wise man, Solomon, and written down for us. So what we're doing is we're going to reverse the process and turn it from the words back into the visual.

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    That's what we're going to do. It's a very powerful tool. So we're going to draw this. Now, as you do, so we're going to, in a moment, go to Proverbs 10, verse 4, so top right-hand side of your sheet, where it's, He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

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    So we're going to draw that. You're going to draw that. But when you do, think about the base building blocks of thought. And see if you can draw it in terms of the times. You'll see there's a timeline running through this. You'll see there's a choice point or inflection, and you'll see there's a consequential outcome.

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    All right, so these are little sound bites where there's a time, a choice, and a consequential outcome. So I'll give you a moment to do that, to draw that.

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    All right, we might stop there. Otherwise, everyone will get carried away, and we'll get some elaborate pieces of art. So this will do. This is my attempt at drawing it. Okay? So what we've done is we've taken words. We've broken them into their pieces. Then, A, to separate out mentally. We've recreated the visual that was in the mind of the man wisdom, and the wisdom that was the one who wrote the wisdom in the beginning, and recreated it as the picture.

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    So here's mine. There's the hand. Here's me at the top, my lazy boy, slack. And that's my end, an empty box, poor. This is Cindy down there with the wheelbarrow in the garden, diligent.

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    And she's rich. She's got all the dollars. All right? So that's my representation of this parable. Now, just notice that turning in a picture makes it far more obvious, right? So it's a really powerful tool to come to unlock the Proverbs and do it with your children. It's great. Just draw it. And then you can start discussing the implications of this.

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    Because we've identified this core time, a choice, and consequences. So here I am going through life. I hit a choice point. I can choose to be slack, and if I do, I'll be poor. I can choose to be diligent, and if I do, there's a consequence. I will be rich. And of course, the next layer is we can then make that a spiritual concept and apply it.

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    But you can see the base building block. So you can see what the Proverbs are doing. They're teaching us, with training wheels, how to think about the Bible. How to compare two things and see that they're contrasting and they're different. And then to learn a spiritual principle or lesson from it. All right, let's do another one.

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    Take your sheet, and we will do top left-hand side, Proverbs 13, verse 20. He that walks with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. So I'll give you a moment to draw that.

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    All right, that should be enough time. So here again, here's my piece of spectacular artwork. There's me. And I'm walking through life, and I've got a choice confronting me. I can walk with the wise on the top there. And if I do, there's a consequential outcome. I will be wise. Or I can choose to walk with the fools down there.

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    They're all doing foolish sort of stuff. And if I do, I'll be destroyed. Right now, you can do all of the Proverbs. Hundreds of them. All these brilliant little couplets, they've got this condensed concept or idea where two things are compared. There's a difference to them, so they're contrasted. There's a choice point, and there's a consequential outcome.

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    So that's a powerful tool to unlocking and understanding the Proverbs. You know, it's also a brilliant representation of life, isn't it? It's representing our life as we go through it, and we will be confronted with choice points. And a wise person can observe, in the moment of that choice point, what the issue and the principle is, and choose the good and not the evil, and have the outcome of consequential good and not evil.

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    A fool will not. Will go on and be punished. So it's telling us that actually this is a representation of our life. Just a series of thousands of choice points where we're confronted with a choice between good and evil. And the book of Proverbs, the word of God, helps us get to a point, becoming wiser and wiser, where we're more effective at understanding, perceiving in the moment, and making the choice.

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    So that's our first type of proverb. You compare them, and they contrast. But there's a next one. A little bit different. But same sort of process. So this is the type of proverb where there is a statement. There's then an expansion of the statement, and then a statement of consequence. So it's actually the process of knowledge, expansion to comprehension and wisdom.

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    In these tiny little statements, we've got a mini microcosm of the process of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. We'll be given a statement. We'll be given more information by an extension of it. We increase our knowledge, which will be extended to comprehension, and then a practical outcome or consequence, wisdom. So here's two examples.

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    Just watch how the process occurs. He that hideth hatred with lying lips. So we're given some knowledge. And here's the expansion of it. That utters a slander. So now we've got more information, a bigger picture. Is a form. A consequential outcome. And the implication, of course, that consequence is related to that behavior.

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    Second one. Proverbs 12, verse 28. In the way of righteousness is life. We're given a statement. It's expanded. And in the pathway thereof is consequence, no death. It's brilliant, isn't it? It's a tiny little couplet and statement. It's not a compare and contrast now. It's a statement, expansion and knowledge and understanding through to consequence.

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    There's a whole lot of these. But it's teaching us how to think about the process that God uses to create knowledge, understanding and wisdom. It's our training wheels for the rest of scripture.

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    Here's some more complex versions of those. But you'll see the same process. Something's stated. Something's expanding on it. And there's a consequence. Proverbs 22, verse 22 to 23. Rob not the poor. We're given a piece of knowledge. Because he is poor. Neither. So it increases and expands the knowledge. Oppress the afflicted and the gay.

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    Now we've got an expanded set of knowledge and picture. For. Because. Yahweh will plead their cause. And spoil the soul of those that spoil. And it's the consequence. It's a little bit more complex. But you see it's the same process. We're gaining knowledge. We're given more knowledge. And it's pushed through the consequence.

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    Proverbs 22, verse 24 to 25. Make no friendship with an angry man. So we're given a piece of knowledge. And. It will be extended. With a furious man thou shalt not go. Lest. You learn his ways. And get a snare to those all. So there's our second type of proverb. But it's still teaching us the process.

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    Of knowing. Understanding. And of wisdom. The consequential practical outcome. Of the principle. So we're being taught here in the proverbs. In baby steps really. Of how to think about things. All right. Here's our third type of proverb. This one. Just ups the ante a little bit. It's a little bit more complicated. But it's teaching us again.

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    These ones leave us to complete. A representation. So we're going to take. All the ideas we've looked at so far. And just extend it a little bit. So right back to baby Obadiah. Who before he even learnt language. Was comparing things. And saying they were similar. And some things were different. And was creating this incredible.

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    Complex mapping of the world around him. In terms of his senses. And will continue to do so. Until the process of development. Of language. And ability to comprehend. And have wisdom occurs. We're taken through the same process here. So these are what we would typically call. Similes or metaphors. Two things are compared.

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    But they're not different this time. They are similar. They are the same. In some respect. And so one thing is used to represent the other. So we have this idea of representation. So remember that. Because we're going to start using it. More and more as we go through the rest of the session.

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    Representation. Two things are compared. There's a similarity. So we use one to represent the other. The basis of all simile and metaphor. We don't even think twice about it. We use it all the time. Every day. In our language. But what we're doing is comparing. Similar. One thing represents. So here's a few.

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    Proverbs 26 verse 17. He that passes by. And meddles with strife. Belonging not to him. So there's an idea. Is like. It's compared to. One who takes a dog by the ears.

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    Why? Well that's up to you. You complete the representation. What would happen if you. Took a dog by the ears. Anyone taken a dog by the ears here? Right. So. If you take a dog by the ears. He doesn't like it. Dogs don't like being taken by. Most dogs don't. And will react.

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    If you took our dog by the ear. A border collie. It will have a good nip at you. What happens if you go and meddle. In strife that doesn't belong to you. As you're passing it by. Oh you're going to have a reaction. Like the dog does. You're probably going to get savage.

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    Like the dog might. Alright. So it's asking us to complete the idea. But again. We're on training wheels here. We're being taught the basics of simile and metaphor. The basics of comparison. They're similar. So one thing represents the other. It's right back at baby Obadiah. As he began to create categories of things.

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    Oh that's like that. And it's not like that. And so that's a category. And later you would call it animals. And that one fruit. But a fruit's not an animal. And an animal is not a fruit. But inside animals they're all different too. So there are cow like ones. And elephant like ones.

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    And so there's this huge vast web of compare, contrast, compare, similar, represent. Proverbs chapter 24 verse 14. Whoever boasts himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. What two things are being compared here? Well, a cloud that comes across. You think great. It's going to rain on my garden.

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    And it doesn't. So it's a dashed expectation. Someone who boasts himself of a gift but turns out to be false. There's a dashed expectation. And so we compare two things and they're similar. So now clouds and wind without rain can represent someone who boasts and has a false gift. We use this all the time in our language as a basic principle of representation.

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    So the book of Proverbs has a whole lot of these too because it's teaching us in these very simple little couplets. One thing compared to the other. They're similar. So you use one thing to represent another. Here's a few more. I'll just quickly run them through on the screen.

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    He that passes by. We've done that one. Chapter 31 verse 14. In the virtuous woman. She is like the merchant ship. She brings her food from far. Is she a merchant ship? She's like one. If you compare her to a merchant ship there'll be a similarity. So a merchant ship can represent her in an idea.

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    Well this one. It's a good one isn't it? Proverbs 26 verse 11. As a visual. As a dog returns to its vomit. So everyone's seen a dog.

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    And then eats it back up. Disgusting. That's the visual. Draw a picture of that. Because the man wisdom. The one who holds the wisdom strength. Remember that visual. Well that is like. A fool who goes away. Vomits up his folly. Goes away. And comes back. And eats it up again. No we don't really have a problem with that.

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    Do we? Oh sorry. We don't have a problem. We don't have a problem with understanding the metaphor. We have a problem with that. So it's just. It's natural for us. Why? Because from two months old. Baby over die. We've been learning to compare things. They're similar. They're different. If they're similar. I can represent in terms of another thing.

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    So the principle of simile and metaphor sits there. All right. Let's summarize. Because we've gone through a lot here. What we've seen is that.

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    When we compare two things. They're going to be similar. In one or more respects. And if they are. We can represent one thing by another. Foundation of simile. And of metaphor. And of analogy. We can compare things. And they're different. So we can contrast them. And we can use it. To represent some comprehension.

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     Or understanding. That process. Is the first step. In all thought and comprehension. When a baby's born. It's God designed. It comes through our five senses. And it's the foundation. For all language. All words. So it's a process. That God's created. And then he's created his word. His language. His words. That are going to follow the same process.

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     So that's our takeaway. Okay. Let's take the training wheels off a little bit. Actually we'll leave them on. But we'll just. Give ourselves a little bit more space. And we're going to go beyond the little couplets. Where the Proverbs is teaching us the basics. And we're going to go through an extended metaphor.

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     Psalm 1 verse 3. Now we compare two things. And there's more than one similarity. A tree shall be plant. He. A man. The righteous man. Shall be like. Now it's a comparison. A tree. Planted by rivers of water. That bringeth forth his fruit in season. And his leaf will not wither. And whatever he does will prosper.

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     And so we know what understanding. Benet is. We're going to start mentally separating it into the pieces. So we've got a tree. Planted. By river water. Brings forth fruit in season. Leaf doesn't wither. And when we compare it to this righteous man. They're a person. Who's established by God's word. For good works.

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     At an appropriate time. And they receive eternal life. Does anyone have a problem with that? Pretty simple. It's not. It's complex. But you see. Our brains. Our minds. Have been created by the father. To think like this. So we now have a complex. An extended metaphor. An extended similarity. The same process. Two things compared.

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     They're similar in multiple points. So one thing's used to represent. Another. Interesting thing is that. Sorry. I'll just get through that. Parables. Are a complex form. Of a proverb. So in Matthew chapter 13. Verse 34. The Lord Jesus Christ. We know of course. Spoke in parables. We're going to bring an extra idea.

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     In here. In a parable. In a proverb. There's an element. Of a hidden meaning. If you think about that. That's because. They're about understanding. Understanding is about. Not knowing something. And then knowing it. Not understanding. Then understanding. So previously. There's something hidden. Then it's not. So the idea of. Hiding meaning. Inside words.

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     Is fundamental. To the concept. Of understanding. And parables. Are all about that. So this is what. It says in Matthew. Chapter 13. Verse 34. All these things. Spake Jesus. To the multitude. In parables. And without a parable. Spake he not. Unto them. That it might be fulfilled. Which was spoken. By the prophet.

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     And he quotes. Psalm 78. Verse 2. I will open my mouth. In parables. But that's the Hebrew. Marshall. Our term proverb. From Proverbs chapter 1. Verse 1. I will utter dark sayings. Oh that's that phrase. Out of Proverbs chapter 1. Verse 6. Our fifth statement. The dark sayings. Of the old. The riddles of the old.

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     So we're being told here. That the parables. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are in some way. Equivalent to the Proverbs. Proverbs 1. Verse 6. To understand a proverb. A marshall. The interpretation. The words of the wise. And their dark saying. So parables. Are a complex form. Of these proverbs. Now let's have a look at that.

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     Again on screen. So it's easy. Here's a parable. Are we having two things compared. And their like. He said. Whereunto shall we liken. The kingdom of God. With what comparison. Shall we compare it. Now the term parable. Literally means parabola. To cast beside an order to compare. Alright. So that's parabola. So I do casting something upon another.

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     So you can contrast and compare them. And because they're similar. They can represent. Amen. The kingdom of God. Verse 31. Is like. A grain of mustard seed. It's not actually a mustard seed. But it is. Like. A grain of mustard seed. Which when it's sown the earth. Is less than all the seeds that be in the earth.

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     But when it is sown. It groweth up. And becomes greater than all the herbs. And shoots out great branches. So that the fowls there may lodge. Under the shadow of it. Of many such. Parables. Spake he the word to them. As they were able to hear. But without a parable. Spake he not to them.

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     When they alone. He expounded all these things. Disciples. So. The process is the word. And it's revealing. So a proverb is about. Two states. And a transition between. Not understanding. Now we are understanding. The seed. So the parable of the sower. When they came and said. Why do you speak in parables? He says.

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     Well it's given for you to know. To have knowledge. About the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But to others in parables. That seeing. They might not see. And hearing. They might not understand. They can't have the knowledge. And understanding. But my parables are the vehicle. By which I'm imparting it. He said.

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     Now the parable is this. Ah. There's an interpretation. The seed. Is the word of God. It's not. But it's. Represented. Because when you compare them. They're similar. So one can represent the other. Those who are by the wayside. Are they that hear. Then comes the devil. And takes away the word out of their hands.

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     Lest they should believe. And be seen. See the process. That Christ's going through. The building blocks. That he's stacking up. To create comprehension. So the training wheels. Are well off now aren't we. We've moved out of the book of proverbs. They're not couplets anymore. But it's following the same process. That baby Abadiah.

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     Learned when he was two months old. From birth. But. Proverbs and parables. Are just part of a much more complex structure. In the scriptures. Starts with basic symbols. Simple metaphors and simile. We've seen in the book of proverbs. They're stuck together. To create proverbs. And types. And parables. Then we have type patterns.

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     Where entire narrative stories. Mapped to something else. And all their similarities. Then there are visions and dreams. Where you're released. From the natural restraints. Of the physical world. And have fantastical things going. Like dragons and stars. Born within the sky. But the dimensions of representation. Are much higher. Before you get to master types.

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     And thematic structures. That begin in Genesis. And finish in Revelation. So the book of proverbs. Is teaching us. The very start. Of the way God thinks. And presents his thoughts. In the scripture. You know. When we get to the revelation. Look at this. 18 symbols and metaphors. Cascade out of the statement. I saw a woman.

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     Sit on a scarlet colored beast. Full of names of blasphemy. Having seven heads. And ten horns. The woman was arrayed. In purple and scarlet colored. Depped with gold and precious stones. And pearls. A golden cup in her hand. Full of abominations. And filthiness of her fornication. On her forehead. Was a name written.

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     Mystery. Babylon great. Mother of hearts. Abominations of the earth. 18 symbol and metaphors. In an avalanche. In the book of revealing. Revelation. The book of proverbs. Is where we learn. How this process operates. The whole of proverbs. Is like that.

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     It doesn't end there. When we look at this process. We discover that all language. Is fundamentally about representation. Of the physical world. And symbols. Sounds and words. Mathematics is a representation. Of a physical world. Of numbers. Art. Is a representation. Of a physical world. In terms of our five senses. People play around.

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     With minimalization. Or minimal art. Where. What sort of picture. Could you create. That's got the smallest. Amount of representation. That you just see. It represents it. It's a minimalist art. All the abstractions. Of love. And hate. And hope. And faith. That we can't touch. And feel. Are dealt with. In terms of representation.

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     Repentation. So it's an idea. It's the way God created. Everything. And why did he do that? Because it's the glory of God. To conceal a thing. Now that word is. Doba. It's a word. Normally translated word. The word of God. It's the glory of God. To do this. To conceal his word. But it's our honor.

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     To search it out. That's why he's done it. Because it's the way. He's created the world. It's the way. He thinks. I'm going to jump over. The next slide. But I'll just tell you. The point. I was going to make. From here. First Corinthians. Chapter 15. Paul deals with. A highly complex metaphor.

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     With multiple representations. And comparisons. Between the first man. Adam. And the last man. Adam. But he makes a point. That was not. First which was spiritual. But that which is natural. That is the physical. Creator material world. And afterward. That which is spiritual. Pneumaticus. The breath of air. The things which are invisible.

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     So God explains to us. The invisible things. Of creation. Of himself. And his abstractions. And his characteristics. And his purpose. Through representations. In the physical world. So take that point away. If that didn't make sense. Because it almost didn't to me. And I said it. Come and see me afterwards. Alright. So here's the summary.

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     And we're going to have to race. And I'm going to. Please have. Can I have five extra minutes. At the end. Just to complete this. Before our heads go. Alright. So this is what we've learned. Proverbs are words. They have meanings. Between contrasts. Similes. Parables. Aversions. Of proverbs. They all rely on the same principle.

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     Of representation. You compare two things. They're similar. So you can represent one with the other. You compare two things. They're dissimilar. So you contrast them. And in that process. Is hidden understanding. And seeing it. Is the process of comprehension. And understanding. The book of Proverbs. Is a training ground. That's where we're being taught.

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     In these little simple couplets. To know. Understand. Perceive consequential wisdom. And outcomes. Putting into practice. And we're being taught. How to understand. And approach. The word of God. Because he created. Babies. And humans. To think like this. And he represented it. In his scripture. Like this. Because this. Is the mind. Of the spirit.

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     It's his own way. Of thinking. It's how he thinks. How he designed us. To think. It's his glory. To do this. And it's our honor. To search it out. It's hidden. And then revealed. As the process. Of knowing. Understanding. And then manifesting. In his principles. In the world around us. And we use this process.

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     In every doctrine. And belief we hold. We do it every week. When we take. The emblems. Of the bread and wine. They represent. The body. And blood. Of the life. Lord. Principles. Representing his life. We talk. Like this. Whenever we talk. About a bible concept. It's the way. The scriptures. Created.

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     I'm not going to do this. We were going to do. A little representation. Breathing exercise. But we don't have time. So. Take a deep breath. Alright. Training wheels. Are well off now. And we're going to take. All this back. Into the book of proverbs. And ask the question. Who's the woman wisdom? Because she's a.

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     Representation. You compare her. To something else. She's similar. And she comes. To represent her. So. Buckle up your seatbelts. We're going to go. Real fast here. And what I hope to do. Is just. Open up a little bit. For a glimpse. And you'll see. The incredible complexity. And dynamism. Of the representation. Of God's knowledge.

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     Understanding wisdom. In this one. Wisdom. So. Here's the first thing to know. Wisdom is represented. As a woman. In the book of proverbs. Proverbs 1 verse 20. Wisdom cries without. She utters her voice. In the streets. Proverbs 2 verse 2 to 3. Incline thine ear to wisdom. And apply in the heart. To understanding.

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     If you cry after knowledge. Lift up your voice. For understanding. If you seek. Her as silver. Search for her. As for her treasures. Proverbs chapter 7 verse 4. Say to wisdom. You are my sister. Call understanding. Your king's woman. Proverbs 8 verse 1. Does not wisdom cry. Understanding put forth. Her voice. Proverbs 9 verse 1.

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     Wisdom's builder. Her house. She's hewn out. Her seven pillars. So mental note. She's represented. As a woman. In the book of proverbs. Or a woman. Is representing. Her. Second. There's a lot of text here. Where wisdom. Is represented. A woman. Chapter 1 verse 20. 33. She is a cry. Into the city. That is unheeded.

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     And the council. Is not listened to. And destruction. Comes on the city. And at the end. She laughs. At them. For not. Listening. Chapter 3 verse 13. To 18. There's an immense. Comparative value. Of wisdom. Than kid. Anything else. But it's couched. In terms. Of a woman. Chapter 4 verse 5. To 13.

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     Our relationship. To knowledge. Understanding wisdom. Is in a picture. A representation. Of being married. To it. The wife. Of our youth. In chapter 8. Verse 1. To 20. There's another cry. Into the city. Where there's an instruction. For Ish. The men. And bed Adam. The children. Men. To listen. To knowledge. And understanding wisdom.

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     In chapter 8. Verse 21. To 32. Wisdom. Was there. Before. And in. And founded. In the creation. Of God. Right at the beginning. Chapter 9. Verse 1. To 12. There is an invitation. To come to wisdom's table. And finally. Of course. Well loved. Well known. Chapter 31. The virtuous woman. But what's hidden.

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     In the representation. What's the understanding. Well the first thing to know. Is all of this wisdom. Is from God. It's Yahweh's. It comes from him. In the first instance. We see this. In Proverbs chapter 2. Verse 5. Then you'll understand. The fear of Yahweh. And find the knowledge. Of God. For Yahweh. Gives wisdom.

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     Out of his mouth. Comes knowledge. And understanding. So. Whoever this woman wisdom is. The wisdom she has. Is God's. From him. And is God's knowledge. Understanding. And wisdom. What we find. As we go through. Is the woman wisdom. Is all about the voice. She cries. She puts forth her voice. My voice. I'll speak.

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     Open my lips. My mouth. My lips. Cries. Utters voice. Uttereth words. My words. I've called. That's her hallmark. She's crying out. And calling. Words. Which are God's knowledge. Understanding. And wisdom. Who's she calling out to? Well in Proverbs chapter 1 verse 22 to 23. And 8 verses 4 and 5. It's the men.

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     O ye sons of men. The ish. The men. The Ben Adams. Sons of men. Two biblical themes. To a group called the simple. The ones who have nothing in their head. They don't have knowledge. Understanding wisdom. The fools. Who are going through life without this. And keep stumbling. Walking into things. Because they don't have it.

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     That's who she's calling out to. Which is us. So who is she? Well I'll quickly take you to the conclusion. She's God's wisdom. Manifest through the woman wisdom. To the simple. So she's an intermediary. She's an agent of God. As his vehicle for imparting knowledge. Understanding wisdom. Secondly. She's both the message. And the messenger.

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     Come to me. For I am wisdom. She says. She represents God's knowledge. Wisdom and understanding. His word. In a human being. She's seen in Jesus Christ. She's seen in the scriptures. She's seen the prophets. And she's seen in us. Now why a woman? Well that's obvious. That's why I put it. Except that reason.

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     Because God's wanting to represent a picture of Emmanuel God with us. The divine. The word. The begotten of God. The son. Inhuman. Made of flesh. And born of a woman. The word made flesh. So it's a picture. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a picture. Of his word. Manifest in those who are born of a woman.

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     The seed. Of the woman. The wisdom. Emanating from the woman. So a lot more to this. But hopefully you can see the idea. She represents that concept idea. The knowledge and understanding. Wisdom of God. Manifest in a human being. Born of a woman. God manifestation. The words and actions. Of the person. Are the knowledge and understanding.

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     Wisdom of God. Revealed. So. Was that too quick? Gotta go faster now. I'm going to take you through. Most of the woman wisdom passages. And just give you a glimpse. Into the representation. Okay. So. Proverbs 8. Verse 22. To 33. Let's turn that one up. And now. I think you did the wrong place.

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     Sorry about that. Now it's frozen. So just bear with me here. While I try to. Get this to. Right. You were supposed to go to chapter 1. Verse 20 to 33. It's here in the opening chapter. It says in verse 20. Wisdom cries without. She utters a voice in the street. She cries in the chief place of the concourse.

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     In the openings of the gates. In the city. She utters a word saying. How long ye simple ones. Will ye love simplicity. And the scorners delight in their scorning. And fools hate knowledge. Turn up my reproof. Behold. I will pour out my spirit to you. I'll make no of my words unto you.

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     Because I've called. You've refused. I stretched out my hand. No one regarded. You've said it not my counsel. You've none of my reproof. And then finally in verse 27. So when your fear comes as desolation. Your destruction as a whirlwind. Distress and anguish comes upon you. You'll call upon me. I will not answer.

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     They will seek me early. And will not find me. Those who hated knowledge. And did not choose the fear of Yahweh. They were none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. So they'll eat of the fruit of their own way. And be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple.

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     Shall slay them. The prosperity of all. Shall destroy them. But whoever hearkens to me. Shall dwell safely. And shall be quiet from fear. Fear of evil. And what we've got here. Is a representation. Of the word of God. And the call of the prophets. So.

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     There's all the passages. Where it uses this language. To describe the call of wisdom. Through the prophets. To the nation. And they're rejecting of it. And the consequential outcome. So that's chapter one. Let's go over chapter three. Verses 13 to 26. August. happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that gets understanding the merchandise of it shall be better than the merchandise of silver the gain thereof of fine gold she's more precious than of rubies and all the things you can desire are not to be compared to her length of days is in her right hands in her left hand riches and honor her ways are ways of pleasantness all her paths are peace she's a tree of life to them who lay hold upon her happy is everyone that retains to her and jahweh by wisdom has founded the earth so i drew a picture there it is what does that look like to you a path it's a pleasant way a peaceful path there's a length of day and riches and honor the woman wisdom and understandings there at the end is a tree of life and you take hold of her does that look like the way of the tree of life out of genesis and a representation of it all right here's the next one proverbs chapter 8 verse 22 23 here wisdom is couched in terms of the creation proverbs chapter 8 verse 22 yahweh possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old i was set up from everlasting from the beginning of the earth it was when there were no depths i was

156. 59:36

     brought forth when there were no fountains abounding with water before the mountains were set before the hills were brought forth as yet he had made the earth and all the fields are the highest part of the dust of the world and so if we go through that we draw a picture you should get something like that is that all built around the template the genesis chapter one and the creation and founding of the world and of the earth yes it is why why well because yahweh founded by wisdom the earth and created everything in it romans chapter 1 verse 19 because that which may be known of god is manifest in them for god has showed it to them for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the created things that are made even his eternal power and godhead his knowledge understanding wisdom and principles of good and evil were embedded in creation

157. 1:00:36

     come to proverbs chapter 9 here in proverbs chapter 9 we have a picture of wisdom who's built a house she's hewing out her seven pillars she killed her beast she moved up to wine she's furnished her table she sent forth her maiden she's cried in the high place of the city whoever's simple let him turn and hither and if we draw a picture what does that look like to you a house with a table with bread and wine on it with dead beasts with maiden sent out with a woman wisdom sitting in the high place of the city calling out to the simple and asking to come and hither and eat bread drink wine does that sound like the emblems does that seem like the saving work of jesus christ this is the message of the woman wisdom so the training wheels are off now we know how it all works we've got to draw the picture and we compare it because it's a representation somewhere but she's not the only one verse 13 a foolish woman is clamorous she's simple knows nothing she sits at the door of her house on a seat in the high places that means a throne or kisei of the city to call passengers to go right in their ways whoever's simple let him turn and hither as for him that wants understanding exactly the same call and cries the woman wisdom stolen waters are sweet bread eating the secrets present but he knoweth not the dead of their and her guests in the depths of hell is that a pseudo version

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     pseudo version competing version of the salvation in christ so now we know what to do we drew the picture you can compare it this is what the scriptural book of proverbs is seeking to show us

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     all right finally chapter 31 be nice to spend an hour on this we find a virtuous woman who can find a virtuous woman her price is far above rubies oh that's what wisdom's called in chapter 3 15 8 11 the heart of her husband safely trusts me she'll have no need of sport ah that's the opposite of the woman proverbs 7 whose husband's gone on a far journey chapter 7 19 6 verse 34 to 35 she will do him oh good not evil so we're being represented here wisdom showing this is wisdom it's the doing she will do good and not evil and then we have all of these prime root verbs see the point this is the essence of wisdom knowledge and understanding and action doing good and not evil is the exemplar in this woman give her of the fruit of her hands her actions her wisdom let not let her own works praise her in the gate

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     but there's more solemn when he had this wisdom spake of trees in first kings chapter 4 verse 34 from the cedar tree in lebanon to the hiss of the springs out of the world he spake also of beasts of fowl of creeping thing of fishes the four categories of created life the dominion given to the man and woman genesis 1 verse 26 you see from the beginning god possessed this knowledge understanding wisdom from the way before his works of old he set it all up before ever the earth was he created the principles of following the good and not the evil so we're told here that the entire created world abounds in representations designed by god to teach moral principles of good and evil and here they are in proverbs there are four things which are little upon the earth but are exceeding wise and when i compare one thing to another they're similar the ants are a people not strong but they prepare their meat in summer the conies are but a feeble folk but they make their houses in the rocks the locusts have no king but they go forth all of them by bands the spider takes hold with the hands as in king's palaces go to the ant they're sluggard and consider their ways see the wisdom of god and the physical creation where you can compare them they're similar they represent and it abounds with thousands and thousands of them go look at the physical creation of god and you'll see his knowledge understanding and wisdom of the principles of good and evil we are told

161. 1:05:04

     let's slow down i'll go past that so let's go to proverbs back to proverbs chapter one four verse one and just quickly conclude so we had a very quick journey through the incredible way in which the book of proverbs is teaching us just the very basic building blocks of knowledge how you put together to create understanding and how apply it wisdom it's teaching us about the way the whole scripture and word is structured which gets much much more complex but all following the same foundational principles so in conclusion let's just read proverbs chapter four verse one to nine hear ye children the instruction of a father and attend to know understanding get that wisdom get the understanding forget it not neither decline from the words of my mouth forsake her not she will preserve thee love her she shall keep thee wisdom is the principle thing the application of knowledge and understanding the choice between good and evil that's the principle thing that god wants us to get because it's a manifestation of him into the physical world and a manifestation of god and with all you're getting get the understanding that drives that he says and exalt her she'll promote thee she'll bring thee to honor and when you embrace her she will give to thine head an ornament of grace and a crown of glory she will deliver to thee