How do we find Jesus in the book of Proverbs? The proverbs regarding the good and wise represent the very values of Jesus. They give us clarity regarding the good and evil persons, and the wise and foolish. They are the lens of how Jesus views His creation.
To read proverbs is to learn to hate what Jesus hates. Do we want to appear at the final judgment as evil or foolish persons? When Proverbs reveal that we are living as the evil or foolish, we need not wonder why our spiritual lives suffer. But when we live as the good and wise, we acknowledge that they’re the fruit of the Spirit in us.
The carpenter and bricklayer use a plumb line to be sure their work is tracking straight. If our goal is the same as the Spirit’s, which is to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), the book of Proverbs is a plumb line to compare ourselves against the heart of Christ, and adjust where crooked.
Jesus is the plumb line for the perfect, good, and wise life. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, / Watching the evil and the good” (15:3 NASV). We want to be like Christ, and Proverbs makes good and evil plain to all.
The proverbs are all about character, and the actions that come from it. This book is a deep dive into the sterling character of Christ. It’s an unboxing of His faithful heart.
Do we influence people with harsh words, or gentle (Proverbs 15:1)?
Do we react roughly to discipline and correction, or respond properly (v. 5)?
Do we pursue abominations, or righteousness (v. 9)?
Do you seek foolishness, or knowledge (v. 14)?
Are we hot-tempered, or slow to anger (v. 18)?
Do we utter evil plans, or speak pleasant words (v. 26)?
Do we accept bribes, or hate bribes (v. 27)?
The Holy Spirit is the God of the gaps. He brought the apostle Paul from “Who will set me free from the body of this death,” to “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24, 25). So it can be when we read that some foolish and evil aspects of the book mirror our own hearts, and are convicted. He opens the eyes of our understanding to our perilous state, reveals the grace of God to sinners, and at our surrender He swings us across the gap to wisdom and life.
Christ ever lived as the wise and perfect Son before the Father, and yet died on the cross to bear the guilty load of our evil and foolish choices. He took them to the grave to bury them forever.
He rose from that grave and now calls us to the cross to acknowledge our sins to the living Lord. He invites us to leave our guilt there and believe that He will make us new.
“He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof / Will dwell among the wise” (Proverbs 15:31). When you recognize the traits of the guilty in yourself, accept the Lord’s “life-giving reproof” and let the abundance of His lovingkindness of grace transform your life.
Trusting Him and His saving power, we leave the ranks of the foolish and join the wise, who live by His grace. “But a man of understanding walks straight” (v. 21), letting Christ’s plumb line of faith and love for the Father guide his own wise choices from then on.
The cross of Christ reveals God’s abhorrence of our sin. “Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way; / He who hates reproof will die” (v. 10). The rod of God’s wrath must dispense justice to us for our wrongs, but Christ took the blow.
“Before honor comes humility” (v. 33). Let your humility draw your steps to the cross. Let shame turn into relief and gratefulness as you ask for and receive His gracious pardon. Then let that grace impart power to you to live the life of the good and wise. Then as you live out this life, you will discover the secret: it’s the life of Christ living through you that makes this life possible.
