Dr Greg Bahnsen - Proverbs: Proverbs 3:13-26 (Wisdom as a Tree of Life) (Part 8)

Will be wisdom as a tree of life. I think a subject that is somewhat striking should be of interest to us, and we'll find this discussed in Proverbs the third chapter, beginning at the 13th verse. And I'd like to read for you through the 26th verse, Proverbs chapter 3, beginning at verse 13. Hear now God's word. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of of silver, and the profit thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honour, her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her. And happy is every one that retaineth her. Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth by understanding he established the heavens by his knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies dropped down the dew. My son, let them not depart from thine eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion, so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble when thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid. Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For Jehovah will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being taken. And thus far, the reading of God's Word. One of the most persistent images and figures of speech throughout the Scriptures, from COVID to cover, it's the subject of life. Life as God gave it originally, at the time of creation, as we see it in the Garden of Eden. Life as it was lost immediately when man sinned against God and rebelled against his requirements as death came upon him. Spiritual and eventually physical death. And then, of course, the difficulties of life in this world, with all the threatenings, with all the fears, with all the sources of death and all the complications that come with it, as we see it throughout the Bible. But above all, the subject of life as it can be regained through God's mercy and forgiveness. Eternal life as God offers it to us. And so we read of the way of life in the Bible, and we read of the bread of life in the Bible, and we read of the water of life in the Bible. And life is a perception. In fact, if you read John's literature in the New Testament, he is just overflowing with references to life and images of life in terms of the Gospel. With all this emphasis upon life, I suppose there's no subject more fascinating to us as we think about it, no figure of speech more beautiful really, and more unifying in terms of the whole biblical story than the tree of Life. And the tree of life is a subject that is brought before our attention in this passage from the Book of Proverbs. And though it lies in the middle of the passage, I'd like you to see how everything leading up to it and following from it really unites around the subject of the tree of life as a theological subject topic that we find in the Bible. But first of all, in Proverbs 3, let's look at verses 13 to 18 leading up to the tree of Life. These verses have a rather hymn like style, very similar to some of the Psalms that are called wisdom Psalms. If you read Psalms 37 or 49 or Psalm 73 or 112, you will see the same kind of quality, literary quality and subject matter here. This section of Proverbs does not make specific demands upon us. It rather is put in there with the intention of recommending wisdom. That we should be interested in wisdom, we should pursue it. It should be of value to us. Indeed, verse 13 opens up by saying that wisdom is our beatitude, which is a way of saying wisdom is our happiness. This is an important theme in this paragraph in Proverbs, verse 13. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. And look at the end of verse 18, she is a tree of life. We read and then. And happy is every one that retaineth her. Wisdom is happiness to the believer. One thinks of the opening of the Psalter Psalm. One begins with those same words, happy is the man. Happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, and so forth, and so on. We think of the preaching of Jesus and the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount. Matthew, the fifth chapter opens up with Jesus saying, happy are such and such. Happy are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, so forth, and so on. This is a kind of literature, beatitude literature. And here in the Proverbs, it shouldn't surprise us then that we read, happy is the man that finds wisdom. Wisdom is something that should give cheerfulness to our demeanor, should bring joy to our souls. Wisdom gives us a cheerfulness about doing what is right and what is proper, rather than following Duty, like a chore, you know, it's interesting. I think that's one of the easiest marks. It's not the only. It may not even be the most important. But it is certainly a ready mark of spiritual maturity that those who really love the Lord and have wisdom do what is right with a sense of cheerfulness instead of doing it begrudgingly as a chore. You know, there are ways. I've noticed this as a counselor. There are ways in which I can usually get people, unless they're going to renounce their faith, to do what is right. You can lay a very heavy load of obligation upon people, and it's a legitimate load. It needs to be loaded on sometimes. But, you know, when people go out to do what is the right thing to do, and they do it with a sense of, well, I guess I have to do this, and you know immediately that you're dealing with somebody who has not progressed a great deal in his spiritual or her spiritual life. We should not obey the Lord and do those things which are right and walk in the path of life out of a sense of, oh, I hate this, but I guess I have to do it. Proverbs tells us that happy is the man that finds wisdom and the man that gets understanding. To understand the Lord and to do his will is something that makes us cheerful people. And if you have learned wisdom and put it to practice, you have profited. The Bible tells you profited far more than the wealthiest of men. I want you to stop and think about the wealth that is about us. You know, a couple of weeks ago, when we were out on the yacht watching the boat parade, a number of us were commenting on the incredible wealth that is evident down there in Newport, I guess, Newport beach in general, but especially there, as you see all these yachts docked and you think of the kind of money that goes into purchasing and keeping these things up. There's a lot of wealth in this world. There's a lot of wealth right here in Orange County. There's a lot of wealth right in our backyard, isn't there? I think the tendency is for us to look around and say, oh, wouldn't it be nice if I had that Mercedes? Or wouldn't it be nice if I had a big house like that? Or wouldn't it be nice if we had this luxury or that we see all this wealth. And the book of Proverbs tells us, however, that you are far better off than any of the wealthiest men in Orange County. If you've learned wisdom, if you've gained Understanding you are so much further along than them. Verse 14. For the gaining of wisdom is better than the gaining of silver, and the profit thereof than fine gold. You know how the Beatles sang that song can't buy me love. And that's true, you can't. Money can't buy love. But you know, money can't buy wisdom either. There are many things, in fact, perhaps the most valuable things in life that cannot be purchased with money. Indeed, wisdom is far more valuable than any business transaction and will make you wealthier than money could ever provide. And verse 15 says, Wisdom is actually incomparable. She's more precious than rubies, as we've just said, and none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her. Think about that. Wisdom's in a category all by herself. She is so unique, so valuable, so surpassing in value that you cannot find anything that you can liken it to. Now, how would you like it if you have gone out to dinner somewhere and you've had a fine bottle of champagne, say some Dom Perignon, some very nice champagne, and then someone asks you, what is that like that champagne? And you say, well, I don't know, have you ever had a good Coke? Somebody say, oh, come on, that's terrible. You can't compare Coke, some soft drinks, some rot gut stuff like that to this wonderful champagne. That's just inappropriate. They don't even come into the same league. And that's what the Bible tells you about wisdom. You know, nothing can be compared to wisdom. The Bible has just said it's better than riches, but then it turns out and said that's not good enough either. It doesn't even come close. Riches aren't even worthy to be compared to wisdom. What is it you're going to bring and compare to wisdom so you can have some idea of how great it is? Nothing goes close enough to it to even show how great it is. That's how great it is. It's incomparable. Nothing else in life which we desire comes close to the worth of wisdom. And here's another mark of spiritual maturity for you since we're doing a little barometer of our lives. Is that the way you see things? Is that the way you operate in life? Is that what you make your number one priority? Do you want to be a person who demonstrates wisdom before God that demonstrates walking in the ways of the Lord and demonstrating his character? Is that so valuable to you? You'd give up anything if you could accomplish that? You know, the answer, sadly, is in my case and I think in yours so often it's not. Yes, it's rather, well, wisdom. Maybe down the line, when I get older, when I get a little free time, I'll develop some wisdom. And that's terrible. Our priorities are all botched up. Wisdom is the number one point. We need to be pursuing it. In verse 16, by the way, there's an interesting thing in terms of the literature and artistry of the ancient world we read. Length of days is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honor. It turns out that the pictorial representations of the Egyptian goddess Ma', at, you all know about Ma'. At, You've been reading up on world religions, right? Ma' at was the goddess of order and truth in the Egyptian pantheon. And Ma' at is pictured as holding forth her hands. And there are symbols, there are objects in her right and left hand that interestingly are exactly as depicted here in Proverbs. Length of days in the right hand, riches and honor in the left. And I can't help but think this is a little bit of ancient Jewish challenge, you see, to the worldview and the outlook, the religious outlook of the Egyptians. Wisdom before God is what truly brings you length of days and prosperity. Indeed, Wisdom promises us just that. Verse 16 says, Long life, prosperity. And then verse 17, Pleasantness and peace. Well, that's not bad. Long life, prosperity, honor, pleasantness and peace. Think about that. How many of you would like long life? How many of you would like prosperity? How many would like to have honor? How many of you would like to have a pleasant life? How many would like. Well, I mean, this. We stop and think about it. This is nothing less than heaven on earth. Wisdom is offering you all the benefits of heaven, indeed, the kind of reward that Adam would have enjoyed if he hadn't foolishly challenged the truth and authority of his Creator. Wisdom offers to us what Adam relinquished when he decided to live his own life. He'd lean on his own understanding. He'd make himself his own final authority. He'd no longer submit to God, but he'd do things his way. And when he did, what did he give up? Well, he gave up length of life, didn't he? In the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die. And he did, emotionally and spiritually. And of course, his body died too. What else did Adam give up? Did he give up riches? Yes. Now by the sweat of his brow, he'll work with thorns and thistles in order to eke out a living in this world. Did he give up honor? Well, he certainly did. Where he once had an openness and beauty in his physical relationship with his wife, the Bible says after he sinned, he became not became naked, but in his nakedness he became ashamed. And not only did he give up the honor of that kind of integrity with his wife, look at their relationship when the Lord appears and now wants an accounting of what they have done. What a miserable home. We see this is not the symbol of marital bliss. Here's Adam blaming Eve, and Eve blaming Adam and everybody blaming the snake, and no one taking responsibility. There's no honor in this. And God is ashamed of them. And God puts them out of the garden, out of the home that he made for them. So Adam gave up his honor. And how about pleasantness? His life was very pleasant for the fall. Ideal temperature, ideal climate, ideal terms for making things great, grow and developing the garden, ideal social relationships. I mean, everything was beautiful and he gave that up. And peace. Where was peace to be found after sin entered the world? Now there's hostility between Adam and Eve, hostility between the creation and the man that God has put over creation, hostility between the created order and the Creator himself. Now it's just the whole story of hostility. And so wisdom now comes before us. And wisdom says, you know those rewards Adam could have had, I offer them to you. I offer you long life, prosperity, honor, pleasantness and peace. Indeed. If Adam had ever been allowed to enjoy the tree of life, that's what he would have had. And that's why it's not at all surprising that the very next verse says by way of summary, wisdom is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her. And happy is every one that retaineth her. Wisdom is now compared to a tree of life. Often in the Bible, trees and vines are used as figures of speech for life itself. One remembers John 15. Jesus says, I am the vine, ye are the branches. An image about life and sustenance spiritually that comes to us as we are united to Christ. And indeed, life is a unifying thread throughout this passage that we have read this morning. Notice how often it's mentioned. Verse 16, length of days is in her right hand. Verse 18. She is a tree of life to them. And then verse 22, so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Life is the subject, then indeed the instruction of wisdom. What wisdom instructs us to do, and what wisdom is, is actually identified with spiritual life for us. In chapter four, look at verse 13, take fast hold of instruction. Let her not go, keep her, for she is thy life. Verse 22. Speaking of the words of wisdom, keep them, for they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. What does this mean, the Tree of life? How can wisdom be a tree of life? I want to try to explain what that positively means. And then toward the end of our sermon today, I want to make it very clear what it does not mean. Because it would be very easy to fall into a trap that I think that will preclude us from coming to know the Savior if we don't understand this properly. What is this wisdom being a tree of life? Of course, the background is found in Genesis, isn't it? Let's turn in our bibles to the first book of the Bible, Genesis 2 at the ninth verse. God has created the garden for Adam to live in. He planted the garden, verse nine says, and out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The Tree of Life also in the midst of the garden and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I can't draw a map of the Garden of Eden for you. Many people have attempted that. But I can tell you this much. Whatever the configuration and layout and the exact contents of that garden, we know somewhere about the middle of that garden, in the midst of the garden was the Tree of Life. And God made that tree to grow, and he placed there also the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. They are not the same tree. Make sure you understand that. If Adam had passed the test, if he had sustained the probationary test that God placed upon him to not eat of the tree, the knowledge of Good and Evil, to take his understanding about good and evil from God himself and not to become an authority for Himself by eating of that tree. If Adam had sustained that, God would have granted to him the right to eat of the Tree of Life. Now something else. The Tree of Life was not some kind of magical tree, okay? It didn't have some kind of special juices running in it. And if you eat the fruit from the Tree of Life in some literal way, then eternal life would be granted to you. I'm getting very tired of reading liberal commentaries that tell us that. That was the primitive notion of the writer of Genesis. They had this idea that man had to be put out of the garden because if he ate of the Tree of Life, then he would have lived forever in his sinful state and there wouldn't have been any hope for him. And that's the superstition that's involved here. Not at all? Not at all. The tree of life is something which, as we see in chapter three, would be granted by God. It therefore has what we would call in theology a sacramental character. It's something which is an outward sign that God, by his inward grace gives to us. And if Adam had been confirmed in righteousness, if he had passed his probation, then God would have given him eternal life, symbolized by eating of this tree of life. And it's in the midst of the garden, you know, in his wonderful commentary on Genesis 3, E.J. young tells us, and if you have not read that, then by all means go out and get a copy. Genesis 3 by E.J. young. It's a small little paper book, a little devotional thought on every verse of the third chapter of Genesis. And I think it's just one of the great building blocks for a pious life and a theologically accurate life as well. Pick that book up. In that book, E.J. young points out for us that the tree was in the midst of the garden. Because Adam and Eve were to learn that the source of their life and all of their lives as they lived them were to be centered on God. God was not a peripheral thought in Adam's life. God was not a peripheral source of life for Adam. God was the very center of Adam's life. God was the very center of the garden. Everything revolved around him. Everything. And so life should be today. Life, of course, is out of sorts, isn't it? It's out of balance. It's lost its focus. And even many who name the name of Jesus Christ as Lord have forgotten that he is Lord over every area of life. Life. And that he's come into this world not simply to save souls, to go to heaven, though, praise God, he's done that. But he's come into this world to make people reoriented toward their Lord, toward God, and to live now in redeemed spiritual lives in a way that pleases him in everything. So their economic transactions and their social transactions and their political transactions and their recreations and their family life and everything, everything you see should come to show the glory of their Maker and Redeemer, so that all of life would be again God centered. But in the beginning, that's the way it was. The tree of life was there in the middle of the garden. But in chapter three, verse 22, we read these words. After Adam has taken of the tree of the knowledge of good and Evil and shown that he wanted to be a law unto himself. Therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from thence he was taken. That's verse 23, verse 22 says Jehovah. God said, behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever, therefore Jehovah, God sent him from the Garden of Eden. If Adam would have dared to try to take eternal life on his own terms, God says there would have been no hope for Adam. God would have indeed never been reconciled to Adam if he would have taken the second step of his sacrilege and now tried to lay hold of life on his own terms. And so God, in terms of the sacramental importance of that tree, sends him from the garden. He says, you are alienated from life, and it will not be given to you except on my terms, Adam. And then what does God do at the. At the entrance to the Garden of Eden? He sets cherubim with flaming sword to keep man from ever returning again and on his own, in his own strength or wisdom or prowess, to try to take the tree of Life. That's a rather sad story. There's a happy ending. However, you have to turn to the very last book of the Bible to see it. However, so turn with me to Revelation. Now, Revelation2.7 is the first promise made to the seven churches of Asia Minor, that they will faithfully follow Jesus Christ and become victorious over their problems because they have repented and follow him more faithfully. Verse 7. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the garden of God, which is in the paradise of God. God is now granting to his people, redeemed by the saving blood of Jesus Christ, the right to eat of the tree that Adam was barred from. Adam was prohibited from eating of the tree of life. But we now in Christ can enter the garden of God and go right to the midst of it and take of the tree of life. Jesus says, this is what I grant to those who love me, who serve me, and overcome in terms the power that I give them. And in chapter 22, the book of Revelation, at verse two, John says he's now describing the new Jerusalem, the city of God, and the eschatological completion and consummation of that city. And he says, on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing 12 manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. And the Leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The day is coming where God's salvation will be extended so fully and so purely that the nations will be healed from the very leaves of the tree of Life which will be available to man, indeed, on this side and that side of the river of life flowing from the throne of God. Beautiful poetic pictures of salvation and restoration of life. Then, in verse 14, blessed are they that wash their robes that they may have the right to come to the Tree of Life and may enter in by the gates into the city. Blessed are those who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb and in so doing have the right, have authority, are authorized to come now to the Tree of Life and to eat of it. Man was once banished from the garden and from the prospect of the Tree of Life. The Book of Revelation shows that in the eschatological day at the consummation at the end of history, God will, for his people, have restored that right through the blood of Jesus Christ that we can eat of the Tree of Life again. All right, so that's the beginning and that's the end. How about in between? Well, in between you find the Book of Proverbs. And in the Book of Proverbs, what we find is that what was lost in the Garden of Eden and waits to be regained in the paradise of God can be enjoyed in some measure now by those who walk with God in imitation of his wisdom, those who submit to God, those who have wisdom from God and enjoy even now in this life what Adam forfeited and what we will not enjoy in consummation form until the future. Even now, wisdom is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her, and happy is everyone who retains her. In verses 19 and 20, the author of Proverbs goes on to show us the beauty of wisdom. He's talked about the beatitude of wisdom. Now he looks at the beauty of wisdom, and then finally he's going to tell us what the benefits of wisdom are. The beauty of wisdom in verses 19 and 20 is just this. Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth. By understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge, the depths were broken up and the skies dropped down the dew. It never ceases to amaze me the way liberal critics, who do not have spiritual insight and have no ability really to read and understand the Bible, treat this kind of thing over and over again. We'll read. Well, obviously this is another portion of a poem from some other author that got stuck in here at this place because it has nothing to do with anything. It just doesn't fit. And I'm saying, how can you miss the connection? Isn't it obvious? First of all, we've been talking about the Tree of Life, which takes us back to the creation scenes in Genesis and reminds us of the Creator. I mean, that in itself should have been suggested to them. But even more importantly, since wisdom is being recommended to us, one of the ways in which we can see the true character of wisdom and see the beauty of wisdom, the way in which this becomes very relevant, if you will. The very warrant for this section is the underlying assumption that wisdom is the same for God and for man. The wisdom we are to follow and display is not something somehow in a different category from God's wisdom, but it's actually a reflection of the character of God himself. To have true wisdom is to be in line with God's character and to respect God's character. To be wise is to be godlike. And this wisdom has its own beauty and its own wonder. And the way of saying that is to say that wisdom antedates the physical universe. Wisdom is much older than this world. Indeed, wisdom is the particular characteristic of God's creative work as we see it in the forming of the universe. The author looks at the beauty and the intricate wisdom of the created order. He sees first of all the heaven and the earth as they were created by God. And then he looks specifically at the water cycle as God controls that the physical world is a marvelous testimony to the intelligence and order, orderliness and insight and skill of God. If you could just see how smart God is in the way he made the world, then you'd really desire to be like that. So we need to think about that. I wish I could give you a course of lectures on this. I would keep you. Your roast would burn. I'm sure if I told you everything I wanted. Let me just take a couple of illustrations this morning. Things that it's of kind. Kind of like how dense can an unbeliever be? Not to see this. Some of the evidence of God's orderliness, intelligence in the world round about us. You have, for instance, water. Everybody is aware of water, right? Scientists tell us over 70% of this Earth is water. So we all know about it. We need water to live. It's crucial, in fact, water was so pervasive a reality and so cross crucial to living things that that led apparently led one of the first Western philosophers, Thales by name, to hypothesize that the underlying reality of everything, or the unifying Factor of everything is water, he said, all is water. So water is everywhere, and water is crucial to us. What do we know about water? Well, there's some amazing qualities of water. Anybody heard about hydrogen bonding? Well, what is water? Probably you don't even have to be in high school to know that water is chemically H2O. H2O. Difficulty is that if water were only H2O, we'd never get our hands on it because it'd be a gas. It would always be escaping us. But because of hydrogen bonding, molecular bonding between these things, these little atoms that are joined together to make water, we are able to have water in the form of a liquid. But you see another problem. If water were not bonded in the way that it were when it evaporated. Let's take the seas. Let me take the Pacific Ocean. Out here. There's this mighty body of water. If water did not become gaseous and break its molecular bond in that gaseous state, what would happen is that it would hang very low and thick upon the face of the water. It would be a gas, like many gases we know that you cannot get to rise. And what happens when water in its evaporated form doesn't rise from the face of the ocean? It never gets carried out to the dry land. And therefore the dry land finally parches away into death. I guess, you know, if you're an unbeliever, you're supposed to believe that's just somehow miraculous that water has that bonding characteristic that enables it to be liquid and be accessible to us. And yet when it evaporates, to break the bonding and become a gas and then in condensation to be able to come down as the water cycle is described here. The dew upon the earth. Again, another interesting factor about water, about 4 degrees centigrade, if I understand correctly, water, water is at its densest when it becomes ice. It's the densest it's going to become. And even at that, it is not as dense as water. You say, so what? Well, you see, if ice were more dense than water, then ice would form on the bottom of the lake first. Wouldn't would sink to the bottom instead of floating to the top. What would happen if ice formed on the bottom of the lake first? Well, then the whole lake would freeze during the winter. And all the life in the lake would die and all the seas too, eventually. Because, you see, it would then be shielded from the sun because of the top body of water that is there. And everything would continue to have layers of ice develop. And we'd become just one huge floating planet of ice. Now, the beauty of it, you see, is the way God made water. Unlike, I think there's only two other liquids that are known demand that do this because of the crystallization and the forming of ice. It turns out that water expands upon freezing and therefore turns out to be less dense than liquid water in its liquid form. And for that reason, it is able to float to the top. What if water were like any other liquid, though, or at least the vast majority of liquids we know? Well, life would cease here on planet Earth. God in wisdom made this world. So this water that's so crucial to us can indeed water the Earth can sustain our lives and we don't turn into some kind of planetary glacier. What about the plants and the animals too? I mentioned one more thing. You children can understand this. You don't have to have an advanced degree to catch on to the wisdom of God. In the plant and animal world, what do plants do? Well, there's this fancy word scientists use called photosynthesis. Plants are made up of complicated molecular structures involving carbon and hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen. And as they are formed around magnesium, they absorb sunlight and photosynthesis takes place. And what happens in photosynthesis, very simply, is that the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, part of it is absorbed by the plant. And as this is absorbed and nutrients grow and soil gives its moisture to the plant, it then gives off oxygen as a result of that chemical process. Is it just by accident? We believe that it so happens plants need carbon dioxide to absorb, and they get that from animals that breathe when we breathe out, and other animals, when they breathe, they breathe out carbon dioxide. And what do we need to live? What do plants need? They need oxygen. Excuse me, not plants. What do other animals need? They need oxygen. And so it turns out the animal world breathes out carbon dioxide. It's absorbed by the plants, they give off oxygen, and that's what we need to breathe. That's not that tight a circle, obviously, but I mean, in terms of a macro process, this is cross crucial. God in wisdom made the world. That's one of the wonders of studying. You know, See, if you become a scientist and you go to school, though, that isn't the course that I chose to take. I think it would be just fascinating because the more we study the world, the more we should come to respect God for the intelligence and order that he displays all around us. And now what Proverbs is saying is if you look at the world and you see the mighty wisdom of God and That's the sort of thing you should want. You should see the value and the beauty of that. And then what will be the benefits if you follow it? Verses 21 to 26 My son, don't let them depart from thine eyes what keep sound wisdom and discretion, so shall they be life unto thy soul and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid. Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shalt shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. For Jehovah will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being taken. In our fallen world, with so many sin produced dangers, so many sin produced threats, the man who displays wisdom is the one who will enjoy the benefit and security that comes from God. And so we're told to give diligent attention to wisdom and discretion in verse 21. For you see, wisdom and discretion don't come spontaneously, and they don't stick with us automatically. Wisdom and discretion are not the sort of character features that you can expect. You're just going to come by lying around thinking, well, one of these days I'm just going to boom. I'm going to be wise. It's just going to hit me. You're more likely to be hit by a truck than to have wisdom overtake you in that way. Wisdom calls for thinking and prayer and correction and doing your homework and concentration and changing habits. And you know when you have wisdom, you've never arrived because you must be careful lest it leave you, lest it creep away. Wisdom. You don't reach a certain plateau and say, okay, now I'm wise. It's easy sailing from this point on. Just doesn't happen that way. Just about anything worthwhile in life requires constant attention lest it slips away. Think about a good marriage. You know you don't maintain a good marriage because you've reached a certain point, say, okay, now we can stop being considerate. Now we can stop thinking about each other, stop living self sacrificially for each other. No, you got to work at a good marriage and keep a good marriage. Good, good. Likewise, wisdom, if it's to be retained, must be worked at. One never can coast along. But if you do gain wisdom and you retain that wisdom, verse 22 says, it will become life and adornment to you. In a verse like this, I wish I could somehow find the words to express to you the Hebrew conception of life, that rich conception of life that's being promised. It will be life to you. What is life in terms of the book of Proverbs is far more than mere existence, far more than just breathing. I want you to see what life is. I'm going to do a little study of this briefly. We might put it this way in an English idiom, real life. If you want to really live, then this is what you're going to have according to the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs 15:27, real living is made the opposite of deathlike disharmony within the family. Proverbs 15:27. He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house, but he that hateth bribes shall live. Notice how life is the opposite of a troubled house. Life brings vitality to one's whole being, whether it's psychological or physical. Proverbs 14:30. A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is the rottenness of the bones. And life is placed in contrast to sin. In Proverbs 10:16, there we read the labor of the righteous tendeth to life. The increase of the wicked to sin. You'd expect it to say to death, but instead the labor of the righteous is. Is within righteousness. That is life for the righteous over against the sin of the wicked. And indeed life is correlated with righteousness and kindness in Proverbs 21:21. For there we read, he that followeth after righteousness and kindness findeth life. And thus the concept of life here is one that points to godliness, harmony, psychological and physical health. There's a sense of wholeness to it that can best be put as the favor of the Lord in every aspect of your being. The favor of the Lord. Proverbs 8:35. What do we read? For whoso findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtain favor of Jehovah. And what does that bring? When we are right with God? It brings satisfaction. Satisfaction in life. Proverbs 19:23. The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall abide satisfied. Now we can't go on any longer. It's already drug on long enough. But you see the point here that life is a very rich and broad and full concept. And those who find wisdom, those who retain wisdom, shall be granted life. And then your foot will be secure and your fear will be removed. Indeed, maybe some of you know the frustration of lack of sleep. Lack of sleep that comes because maybe sickness or because of travel or anxiety or fear, or maybe just noisy neighbors. But you go a few nights without sleep and you begin to understand the beauty of the promise. And wisdom will grant sweetness of sleep to God's beloved. And now the final point, and this is the one you must not miss. Wisdom is a tree of life. Obviously, what Adam forsook and what we can look forward to in the future is already being enjoyed by those who walk in wisdom. But and this final verse makes it very clear. But wisdom is not just a mass of impersonal principles of behavior. Verse 26 For Jehovah will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being taken. Jehovah is the anchor of our soul. Jehovah is our guardian, true Jehovah, a personal Creator, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the one who controls all things, even the water, the water cycle of creation, creation Jehovah, the one who will send his Son as the Redeemer. Jehovah will be your confidence and your protection. This language of verses 25 and 26 about not being afraid of the sudden fear or the desolation that cometh, because Jehovah is thy confidence. How can we help but think of those beautiful words in Psalm 91 he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shall shadow of the Almighty. I will say of Jehovah, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover thee with his pinions, and under his wings shalt thou take refuge. His truth is a shield and a buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor the destruction that wasteth at noonday. You see Jehovah. Jehovah personally, wonderfully, consistently is our protection and our security. Psalm 121 has the same message, and indeed much of the same imagery is used there as well. Verses 1 to 6 I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains from whence shall my help come? My help cometh from Jehovah, who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Jehovah is thy keeper. Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Jehovah will keep thee from all evil. He will keep thy soul. The book of Proverbs says, wisdom is a tree of life. Wisdom will grant you life, but in the end, you need to know that behind wisdom, behind these principles of life, behind these commandments and instructions for living, is our true confidence. And that's Jehovah himself in a very personal and mighty way. Is there anything more comforting in all of God's Word than this promise? Think about it. You know, our world today, society today, people today, full of phobias, full of fears. Psychologists are doing quite a trade. Psychiatrists are really in business because of all the fears people have, all because they foolishly refuse to place themselves in the hands of the Almighty, because they refuse to find wisdom and therefore a tree of life. Now, the serenity of life which is promised here, that we've been talking about, however, does not arise. I'm saying just because you manage your life by sound principles of conduct, it arises because you walk with God personally. And because of that, you manage your life by those principles. If ever those principles are separated from the Lawgiver himself, they do not become a way of life. They become a way of condemnation and death and curse. Jehovah must be our confidence and not just impersonal principles of life. The Tree of Life cannot be reduced to just formula for behavior. You know, you find that in other world religions. You find that in Taoism. Taoism says we have these universal principles, you see, that everybody should just get in line with Wu Wei and be part of this life force that's flowing through everything. Just these impersonal principles. Indeed, the Kabbalah, the. The mystical Jewish writings speak of the Tree of Life as the middle way of ascent. It's through esoteric knowledge and ritual practices to finally being made one with the God that's beyond all knowledge. But the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah, you see, is not something personal. It's not geared to a relationship of walking with God. It's geared to secret pieces of knowledge and little rituals one goes through. Not in the Bible. In the Bible, everything as the Tree of Life is God centered. Everything arises from or is a reaction to our relationship to God. Life. There's nothing more interesting, more crucial in all the Bible and of all the images of life that we're seeing, set that are set before us. The Tree of Life I find to be one of the most fascinating of all, the Tree of Life. For those who come to know Jehovah and submit to him and know his wisdom, the wisdom of the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. The Tree of Life is yours to enjoy today. And Happy will you be if you find it. Let's pray. Lord, we ask this day that you would help us to value wisdom. And as you do indeed, that we would value your personal character, because that's where wisdom is found. We honor you and bless you and magnify and glorify your name. Because you indeed have created this world in wisdom in a marvelous and orderly and intelligent way, a way that makes life possible. And beyond this, you've made spiritual life possible because you've called on us to trust you and to submit to your promises and of salvation in Jesus Christ our Savior. And you have promised that through him your Holy Spirit will be given and wisdom and abundance to those who are lacking it. Help us to value that wisdom, because we value you. Not to value impersonal principles or just little tidbits about life, but to value you as the true source of life. Indeed, you who are our life, we do pray that you. You would help us to know you, to know the one whom you have sent. And in knowing these things, to come to enjoy eternal life that promises us not only length of days, but prosperity and honor and pleasantness and peace. The very things that we often find lacking in our lives. And we thank you that you are willing to do this for us, that you should not only come and live and die for us, but that you should continue to work in our lives now and begin to create a sense and taste of heaven in our hearts even this day. Help us to value that, to take hold of it and not to let it go. For we pray in Jesus name, Amen. It.