❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
Taking refuge at the tree of life
(Proverbs 3:13-20)
Andy Nagahara
Today is the week to read Proverbs. Today’s reading is from verse 3:13-20. Let’s start by reading up to verse 16.
1. It is not wealth but wisdom that brings happiness (13-16)
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
A former president passed away last Tuesday. This is Jose Mujica from Uruguay.Mr. Mujica was called “the poorest president in the world.
Even during his term in office, he did not live in the official residence or use an official car; instead, he drove a light blue 1987 Beetle that he had received from a friend. Even after becoming president, he donated most of his salary and did not change his modest lifestyle.
It is true that in terms of assets and income, he was the “poorest president in the world.” However, in God’s eyes, he was “the richest president in the world.”
When asked about his own poverty, he replied, “A poor person is someone who has endless desires and is never satisfied, no matter how much he has. I am content and live a simple life, but I am not poor.” He also said, “Poverty is not a matter of material things but a matter of the heart, and the most serious poverty is loneliness.” He has continued to argue that modern capitalism, with its greedy nature, is bringing about poverty and uneven distribution of wealth.
When he visited Japan in 2016, he not only spoke about these things to university students, but also, what was impressive was that he told them that the most important thing was “love.” Mr. Mujica is a good example of a person who is fortunate enough to have found wisdom. Because he knew the essence and true value of things, he was able to live a rich life without being seduced by the temptation of empty wealth.
Do you all understand the true meaning of verse 16: “Long life is in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and honor.” What is being said here is not longevity in time, material wealth, or prestige among people. Proverbs exhorts us to seek God’s wisdom, but it won’t give us anti-aging, wealth, or fame. However, this misunderstanding has seriously permeated the Christian church as the “prosperity theology” that I talked about last time.
So in what sense does wisdom bring longevity, wealth, and honor? That means longevity, wealth and honor in your relationship with God. In our relationship with God, it doesn’t matter how many years we live, how much we have, or how well known or respected we are. The important thing, as I have repeated many times throughout this series, is to maintain a “healthy relationship with God.’’ And what is necessary to maintain a healthy relationship with God is to simply trust in Him and live each day with Him, but this is not just an abstract thing like a mindset.
2. Our Tree of Life (17-20)
17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
Do you remember what Jesus said about life last week? It is from John 12:
25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
From this we learn that “hating one’s life in this world” means trusting in God more than trusting in oneself. And we confirmed that this is not something abstract, but a personal relationship with Jesus – following Jesus and walking with him.
In the context of the time when Proverbs was written, when Jesus did not yet exist on earth, this means “living by taking refuge in the tree of life, which is God’s wisdom.” The “tree of life” is a phrase not used very often in the Bible, appearing only three times in the first book, Genesis, four times in Proverbs, and four times in the last book, Revelation. Another passage in the Bible that comes to mind for many is the “Tree of Life” that was planted in the center of the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis along with the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.”
There are many interpretations of this episode in Genesis chapter 3, and we don’t have time to go into them all today, but there is no doubt that this episode symbolizes the incomparable importance of the omniscience and omnipotence that only God possesses and the eternal life that only God can give. And it is God’s wisdom and life, symbolized by the two trees, and human’s sinfulness in disregarding them, that is the consistent central theme throughout the Bible.
God, the Creator, created us in His own image and likeness commanded us to be “good” stewards of all of God’s creations. However, I believe that the Garden of Eden, the center of God’s creation, and even more so, the life and knowledge symbolized by the two trees placed at its center, were matters directly under God’s control and could not be managed by humans. Isn’t it true that from the very beginning, humans have disregarded these commandments and have continued to be conceited, believing that they can control things on their own?
We need to take an entirely different approach to the matters of life and wisdom, one that is not about being in control but about being obedient.
I would like to ask again. What is the tree of life to you? Do you remember when Jesus compared Himself to a tree and spoke about his relationship with us? It is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 15. Read verses 1-4.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
According to Genesis, the “tree of life” is not an object of our control, but an entity to be obeyed.
According to Proverbs, the “tree of life” is the “wisdom of God.”
And, according to the Gospel of John, this tree is Jesus Himself.
We don’t believe in Jesus just to avoid trouble, like taking shelter from the rain. And we are certainly not one of those pastors who preach prosperity theology and sell this tree for their own business.
When we take refuge in Jesus, the true “Tree of Life,” it is not about using him to avoid misfortune or for our own gain, but about becoming branches and leaves of the tree of life and bearing fruit from the tree of life.
President Mujica has also taught us that the fruit we bear is not wealth or fame, but the fruit of love. Anyone who eats this fruit can know love, know God, and live a new life.
However, many people are hesitant to eat this fruit because they don’t think it tastes very good. Remember the words of Jesus we heard last week, which I mentioned earlier? To eat of this fruit means to give up the part of ourselves that wants to follow our desires, live a self-centered life, and want to be loved more than we want to love. This is the exact opposite of the attractive “fruit of the knowledge of good and evil” that enables us to become wise like God.
It was our Lord Jesus Christ who paid this sacrifice for us in advance. In this light, the cross can also be called the tree of life. I hope that you too will take refuge in the Tree of Life, receive new life, and embark on a peaceful journey through life.
(Prayer) God, we thank you from our hearts for the blessing that you have given us in the form of the true Tree of Life, Jesus.
You gave your life on the cross so that we could gain true life and true wealth.
Give us the abundant spiritual nourishment we need so that we may not stray from you and bear fruit worthy of you.
Help us, as your branches, to grow stronger, bigger, and bear more fruit.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
When we take refuge in Jesus, the true “Tree of Life,” it is not to use him to avoid misfortune or to use him for our own gain, but to become the branches and leaves of this Tree of Life and bear its fruit. This fruit that we bear is the fruit of love that enables those who eat it to know love, know God, and live new life.
For Discussion
1. What does the Bible mean by longevity, wealth, and honor?
2. What is the Tree of Life?