July 16 - Proverbs 10-12: Comparisons

As I was reading and taking in all the wise sayings of Solomon, I was struck by the continuing list of comparisons:  wise son/stupid son, honest soul/wicked, wise heart/empty head, good person/wicked, generous/stingy, stuck-up/down-to-earth, diligent/lazy and so on.  Solomon used these comparisons to illustrate wisdom, to give us practical ideas of an honest life, a disciplined life, a God-shaped life.  And it's helpful to me to see the two lives illustrated.  I recognize people on both sides of the coin.  I've encountered people, even in the church, whose lives demonstrate both the wise and the fool.  Including myself.

I usually try to avoid comparing myself to others because it can lead to resentment over what I have (e.g., thick thighs) or disappointment over what I don't have (e.g., a defined ministry role).  Comparison is a no-win situation and not a good mental and emotional habit for me.  So, I'm trying to understand what God is really saying through Solomon's juxtapositions.  Is He saying it's all-or-nothing?  Is He saying it's this behavior, not that one?  Are the Proverbs just a manual for right living or a call to "bask in the delight of God" (12:2)?

"Continue asking your questions.  They are good.  But stop demanding answers.  Live those questions long enough in My presence, and you will run out of words....you will tremble before My power and surrender to My goodness.  You will fear Me, and your ears will open to hear My wisdom.  I meant what I said:  the fear of the Lord is the beginning, though not the end, of wisdom.  My Son is the beginning and the end."  (66LL) 

"Most of us work and work trying to prove ourselves, to convince God, others, and ourselves that we're good people.  That work is never over unless we rest in the gospel....On the cross at the end of his great act of redemption Jesus said, 'It is finished' - and we can rest [quit comparing].  On the cross Jesus was saying of the work underneath your work - the thing that makes you truly weary, this need to prove yourself because who you are and what you do are never good enough - that it is finished.  He has lived the life you should have lived, he has died the death you should have died.  If you rely on Jesus's finished work, you know that God is satisfied with you.  You can be satisfied with life."  (Tim Keller, King's Cross)

Father, thank You for your wise sayings in Proverbs that lead me to satisfaction in You, to life, to dependence and to humility.