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Happy? Lucky? Blessed?
(Proverbs 8:32-36)
Andy Nagahara
Today’s reading of Proverbs in the series is chapter 8, verses 32-36. Today we would like to listen again to what God is telling us from here.
This section is a summary of the first part that we have read so far. It may be difficult to understand just by reading this part, so let’s briefly review the content so far and the background.
The Old Testament is the Jewish scriptures that existed before Jesus Christ came to this world. The 39 documents are arranged into four types: 1) the history of Judaism and the Israelites, 2) commandments given to the people of Israel, 3) wisdom literature, and 4) prophecies.Proverbs is a document that belongs to the “wisdom literature” section.
The Book of Proverbs has been called the proverbs of Solomon, the wise king of ancient Israel, but it is actually a collection of proverbs written by several authors and compiled much later, about 500 years before the birth of Jesus.
The first part, which we have read so far, is characterized by the alternation of sections written mainly in the form of “a father’s admonitions” and sections written in the form of “Wisdom (personified) admonishing the people.”
We have seen that the book of Proverbs was passed down from father to son, and so we are both hearers from previous generations of believers and transmitters to the next generation. And we have learned that what we need to listen to and what we need to convey is “wisdom from God.”
The wisdom imparted by the Bible is not merely a clever aphorism that is useful in everyday life, but is essential for people to live righteous lives. Moreover, wisdom does not exist within humans, but is something that exists with God, and humans cannot use wisdom unless they are connected to God.
God’s wisdom, introduced in the book of Proverbs, part of the Old Testament, is now brought to all people through Jesus Christ. The premise of today’s message is that living by God’s wisdom means living with Jesus. The following passage is where wisdom personified speaks to the people.
32 “Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
35 For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.
36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
1. Let’s live by listening to God
Wisdom tells us to “Keep his ways.” It means that we should live our lives relying on God’s wisdom. In reality, it is not personified wisdom that speaks to us, but God who speaks to us.
He is saying that by listening to God’s wisdom and applying it to our own lives, we can live the way we were meant to live.The warning, “Do not neglect to listen to instruction and to gain wisdo m,” means that many people live their lives in a neglectful manner. This is true both in the time when Proverbs was written and today. Verse 34 goes on to say that we should not just listen to wisdom, but should also be people who daily keep watch at the door where wisdom dwells, guarding its doorposts. What this metaphor means is that we should not only value God’s wisdom above all else, but also be people who admonish those who neglect it and strive to ensure that God’s wisdom is respected in society.
Why does God want us to listen so much? God is not like some leaders of some countries who want everyone to listen to him no matter what. When the Israelites cried out for a king, God warned them of the danger through the prophets, but ultimately left it up to the people to decide. (Is it just me? I feel like I’ve heard something similar recently.)
The last two verses show that God is concerned about us and encourages us to listen. This is because the choice of whether to live with the wisdom given to us by God or to live neglecting it will greatly change a person’s life.
35 For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.
36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.
In other words, it’s a life or death choice. Is that an exaggeration? Of course, it doesn’t make a difference whether you live a long life in this world or not.
But in fact, it is much more serious than that, and it is about the state of our souls and the difference between life and death. I think many people don’t understand what is meant by “the more serious life and death of the soul.” If more people understood this, the world would be a little different.
Just one word used in this text gives us a good hint to turn our attention to the “state of our souls,” something we should really be thinking about seriously. So let’s think about this word in the second half.
2. Let’s walk with Jesus
Read verses 32 and 34 again.
32 “Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
What I want to draw your attention to here is the phrase that most Japanese translations of the Bible use: “happy people”. It is translated as “blessed” in many English Bibles. The Japanese word “幸いな人:blessed person” has a stronger nuance of “a happy person” rather than “a blessed person.” The English word “blessed” is often used with the nuance of “happy” or “lucky” without any consideration of its original meaning, but here we would like you to be aware that it means “the blessed one.”
The difference between “happiness” or “luck” and “blessing” is that the former are words that express our feelings, while the latter are facts given by God. Just as the life and death of the body can be perceived by the senses, the life and death of the soul cannot be perceived by the senses. The reason we are not very interested in the state of our souls or God’s blessings is because we cannot understand them intuitively.
However, we have no control over our physical life or death. Furthermore, feelings of “happiness” and “luck” are unreliable and may or may not be felt depending on changes in the situation.
Walking life with Jesus is walking the path of blessed life. It means being with God regardless of circumstances or health condition, and transcending the limitations of time and space. The Gospels contain many of Jesus’ own words. When we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus also encourages us to seek to be blessed by God rather than to seek sensory “happiness” or “good fortune.”
Jesus also uses the word translated as “blessed” in the same sense as the writer of today’s Proverbs to explain an important teaching. Of course, the meaning is not “happy” but “blessed.” Here are the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew 3:3-10:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The term “poor in spirit” can be easily misunderstood, but it means “a person whose soul longs to be filled with the good things God has to offer.” And, as we will see in the following sections, such a person is one who desires to improve not only his own soul, but also his relationships with others and the state of the society in which he finds himself.
Jesus called such people “blessed by God.” Because that is also God’s wish. Jesus wants us to seek God’s blessings, not happiness or good fortune. “Happiness” is something we feel based on what we can do and what we have, but these are unreliable things that can suddenly disappear. But the blessings will never be lost unless we stop walking with Jesus. I do hope you continue to walk as a “blessed person.”
(Prayer) God, thank you for the blessings you have given us.
Tell us your thoughts as we worship you.
Give us the wisdom and strength to do your will in our lives.
We are grateful that you came into this world as Jesus Christ, showed us the way of blessing, and are keep walking with us.
Please let us walk with you forever.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
Receiving wisdom from God is essential in life, but many people don’t realize this. However, without the wisdom we receive from God, we will be swayed by the events that occur before us and will live a life of joy and sorrow restlessly. Jesus taught us the way of those who live a blessed life. By walking that path, we can live a life where we continue to walk joyfully with Jesus, regardless of the events that occur.
For Discussion
1. What kind of person is a blessed person?
2. Why is God blessing you?