Sermon for Proper 15, Year B – 1 Kings 3:3-14 – August 16, 2009
St. Faith’s Episcopal Church, Cutler Bay, Florida
Preacher: The Very Rev. Jennie Lou D. Reid+

Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray:
to see thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.

As I reflect on the lessons for today, my attention is drawn to a turn of phrase we encounter again and again in Hebrew Scripture: namely, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” On the one hand it is a turn of phrase that disturbs me. The fear of the LORD puts me in mind of branches of Christianity that emphasize the imminent possibility that we will burn in the Kingdom of Satan forever unless we straighten ourselves out and walk the straight and narrow path of righteousness every minute of our lives, which as far as I can tell, is an impossible accomplishment for a human being. On the other hand, I take seriously Jesus’ admonition that we are not to be anxious about our life. As a result, I generally reinterpret this verse by changing the word fear to the word awe. When our posture before God is the awe of a mere human being in the presence of a wonderful, all-powerful, and loving God, we stand open and eager to receive whatever God desires to offer us.

But I wonder. Am I playing word games to make this saying more agreeable? I decide to explore one of the tomes in my library to see what the real scholars have to say about wisdom and what the “fear of the Lord” means in relationship to wisdom. I start with the ten pages of text in eight-point typeface offered in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, which discusses a range of Biblical topics in six volumes, each containing over 1,000 pages. That is to say, this resource goes into considerable detail. It turns out that the term wisdom occurs 318 times in the Old Testament, over half of these in three books: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Sometimes wisdom refers to skill; other times, to cleverness or cunning – either good or wicked. Wisdom can also be about good steering, which helps in the voyage through life. The truly wise know when to speak and when to keep silent. Wisdom teachings offered by the Israelite sages are practical, not theoretical, and cover topics like truthfulness, fidelity, kindness, honesty and control of appetites. The sages recognize a connection between wisdom and righteousness – that is, a right relationship with God. To pursue wisdom involves growing in understanding, reflecting on advice, and welcoming criticism.

My wonderful Old Testament professor Ellen Davis helped me understand the relationship among the three Biblical books that focus on the concept of wisdom. First we consider the Book of Proverbs. Here Lady Wisdom attempts to woo the young men and even fools to come to her sumptuous feast of good advice. Lady Wisdom urges,

My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures – then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding… Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you.

Following Lady Wisdom’s invitation, the text offers a dozen chapters of two-part sayings, attributed to King Solomon. Here is a sample: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” “Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs than to confront a fool immersed in folly.” And “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without good sense.” What the sages offer here is a sense of order in God’s creation – predictable patterns of human behavior that are part of the stability God has established in the universe. On my visit to Los Angeles last month I heard a ninety-year old birthday girl at the House of Blues express this concept in her homespun philosophy of life, “Do what you know you’re supposed to do, and you’ll get what you’re supposed to get.”

But that is not always the human experience, is it? In the last third of the eighth century, God’s people Israel were carried away as captives by the Assyrian army and became slaves in foreign territory across Asia Minor. During this period of exile, lasting over one and a half centuries, the religious thinkers of Israel wondered how to explain the possibility that God’s people may not always be blessed according to the predictable patterns described in the Book of Proverbs. Was this captivity evidence that the God of Israel is limited in power or perhaps that their God is not completely good after all? The Rabbis look at the reality of the suffering of God’s children and scratch their heads, bewildered. Their reflections lead to the development of the extended parable that is the Book of Job. There God allows Satan to have his way with a pious person to settle a bet. God has been bragging about Job’s uprightness when Satan interjects a simple question, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” That is, does Job expect nothing in return for his posture of fear of the Lord? Confident in Job’s sincerity, God gives Satan power over Job, who then becomes afflicted with personal sorrow and physical suffering. Eventually Job demands that God explain why his life has fallen apart, and God in response says essentially, “I am God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Who are you?” On the spot Job repents of his arrogance and receives restoration and blessing through the goodness and mercy of the Lord . The sages do not really have a good explanation for the problem of evil here, but they acknowledge that God allows evil in the world. Evil is part of the world’s order.

The last book in the Wisdom trilogy is the Book of Ecclesiastes, in which the Teacher (in Hebrew Qoheleth) explains, “For everything there is a season” and advises, “I know that there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy” life. God gives us life as a gift to be enjoyed, not an experience to be endured. Good times and bad times come to every life. People cannot figure God out, because God is infinitely free. We must accept God as mystery, and the divine mystery permeates all of life. The Greek philosopher Aristotle similarly concludes, “Wisdom…can be rooted in wonder.”

Webster’s dictionary defines wisdom as “the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships” and also as “good sense” (in judgment). Wisdom does not require brilliant intellect. Wisdom grows out of a humble spirit that observes the world with an open curiosity. Wisdom is also the fruit of self-reflection – a search for truth deep within. We receive courage for the journey of self-reflection when we accept both our human limitations and the love of God who has already forgiven us for the ways we have hurt each other and even ourselves. The first two steps of the twelve-step process to help people overcome any sort of addiction are these: “I am powerless” and there is a power greater than myself ready to help me. That’s the idea behind the fear of the Lord that allows us to receive the divine enlightenment called wisdom: we recognize that we need fixing, we admit our mistakes and limitations, we trust that God can guide us and is dying to lead us, and then we lean into those everlasting arms. Awe for the Lord opens in us a listening heart.

As newly anointed king, successor to his father David, Solomon asks God in a dream to bless him with an understanding mind (according to the New Revised Standard translation) – literally, a listening heart. This petition pleases God, who grants the request and even more. Solomon’s wisdom becomes revered in Israel and in the ancient world. Likewise God will respond to our desire to cultivate a listening heart. As we give our full attention to each other and to this blessed universe, we will encounter the mysterious wonder of God in the ordinary words of our earthly companions and the normal experiences of our daily lives. Thereby we will walk through life with a lighter step and a deeper joy.
Thanks be to God! Amen.

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The Hymnal 1982, hymn 654
Proverbs 3:1-11
Proverbs 15:1
Proverbs 17:12
Proverbs 11:22
Job 1:9
See Job 23:1-7
Job 38:1-40:2, and 40:6-41:34
Job 42:1-6
Job 42:7-17
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14