10-03-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
October 3, 2021
People often read a verse of scripture, smile and nod, and then move onto the next one. For instance, in Proverbs 16:32, we read: “Better to be patient than a warrior, and better to have self-control than to capture a city.” The focus for many is on the words, “…be patient…,” and that’s an excellent suggestion; no one will argue with that. Yet notice how there is a comparison happening – it is better to be patient and to have self-control than to be a warrior or capture a city. The Proverbs were mostly written during the monarchy in Israel, at a time when warriors and the capturing of enemy cities was prized. Yet here we have two ideas, patience and self-controlled, amplified and lifted above these historically prized ideas. What is the author attempting to suggest to his audience, specially those who extol the warrior and the warrior’s victories? What might be an equal comparison in our culture, in our individual lives? It appears as if the author of the Proverb does not wish for the reader to simply read the verse of scripture, smile and nod, and the move onto the next one. There is a greater challenge being spoken here.

Continue to find ways, O Lord, to bring the purpose of scripture into the current moment, so as to be relevant and potent. Let us do more than glance at a few words, otherwise we just might miss a profound truth for our lives. Amen.

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