“In the plea for the way of wisdom, there is a sense in which wisdom personifies Christ. Verse 23 says, “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” This is like Christ’s first coming and Israel’s rejection of His teaching…We now have, for instance, the revelation of God (the Bible), and we have a connection to the One God through the New Covenant in Christ. Those rejecting the way of wisdom thus reject the truth of God’s revelation, preventing them from having a covenantal relationship with God.”
2: An Introduction to Godly Wisdom
“…the ‘fear of the Lord [is] a “gateway to knowledge, [where] everything that follows is reframed in terms of one’s relationship to God.’ In effect, this makes everything in Proverbs—all the value of its teaching—hinge on whether or not one has a right relationship with God. “Fearing” God refers to viewing Him as bigger or greater than everything else, to the point that we orient our lives around what He desires for us…”
1: The Teaching Program of Proverbs
“It is true that, in a biblical book like Proverbs, we find an endless treasure trove of biblical wisdom. Yet, many seem to think that its wisdom is inaccessible or for some super-spiritual or intellectual elite. Despite this perception, Proverbs was written for everyone. In fact, since the time it was written, it has been recognized as the Bible’s education program for passing down the faith to one’s children…”
What About When We Don't Feel Like Singing?
These things don’t always resonate with everyone at all times. There are times in our lives when we just ‘aren’t feeling it’. But take heart Christian: for even on those days when our hearts aren’t feeling it, the days when the worries of this world drown out the natural response to God’s revelation of Himself to us, the rejoicing that is necessitated by it. Even on those days, the days our hearts are not in it, God’s heart is. He is committed to his people, for His glory, for our joy. He is faithful. He is steadfast. He is true.
What Do We Prioritize in Our Singing?
What Do We Sing?
Songs have a unique way of wedging themselves into our hearts and minds. Who hasn’t had a song get stuck in their head - even an annoying little ditty - that they just can’t shake? Well, this is the way we teach these doctrines to our children: through theologically rigorous songs, that stick themselves into our hearts and minds in this unique way.
Authentic worship arises out of an authentic understanding of who God is.
Why Do We Sing?
One thing that always comes to mind about churches - and may seem a bit strange to our unbelieving neighbors - is that we are a singing people. Why is that? This may seem a silly question, but humor me: Why do we sing? Do we sing merely because we are told we have to? Do we sing because it’s what we’ve always done? Or do we sing because “the Gospel is so good that it has to be sung!”
The Greatest of Christian Duties #44
The Greatest of Christian Duties #43
The Greatest of Christian Duties #42
We are continuing Flavel’s conclusion of Keeping the Heart. He gives us four more benefits to this greatest of Christian duties. Last time we looked at (1) how keeping the heart helps us to understand the deepness of the Christian Faith, (2) how it helps inoculate us against error, and (3) how it is among the best evidences of our salvation in the Faith. Here is Flavel on help number 4…