Kent R. Hughes reminds us that we live in a culture of death: “We play violent video games, watch documentaries on serial killers, and murder our unborn.”[1] The culture of death got pushed back a few steps recently. Last week, the North Carolina legislature passed a 12-week abortion ban. There can be no abortions after 12 weeks, a bill that is more restrictive than the existing law. The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, on Saturday, held a rally in order to publicly veto the bill that had been adopted by the legislature.
On Tuesday the General Assembly overrode the governor's veto of the bill and thus, this particular ban on abortions after 12 weeks in the state of North Carolina will become law. The result is as one senator said, the lives of “millions of unborn children” will be saved.
We have been discussing the life and death of the unborn in their mother’s womb. Solomon contrasts life and death in the book of Proverbs. If you can imagine, the consequences are even more urgent than the vote to restrict the death of pre-born babies. The choice in Proverbs is between eternal life and eternal death. Eternity in heaven or eternity in hell.
Solomon continues to contrast the two roads or lifestyles each of us must choose. The road or lifestyle of the fool dead ends in eternal separation from God. The road or the lifestyle of the wise happily terminates in eternal life. Solomon is pitting these two ways of living and their destinies to motivate us to choose life, not death. Choose life in a culture of death.
1. Choose life
If we choose the lifestyle of wisdom we can live longer
We can live longer not just in eternity in heaven but in this life on earth. In Proverbs 3:1-2 Solomon reminds his son that if he obeys God’s Word, which is the essence of wisdom, he will have “length of days and long life.” We know there are heart breaking exceptions to this general principle in Proverbs. My wife has a cousin who just lost her second grandchild. The funeral was last week.
If you live right, however, you will probably live longer. While Paul reminds us that “bodily training is of some value” (1 Tim 4:8) he quickly points out that “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Nevertheless, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore we should glorify God in our bodies (1 Cor 6:19-20).
If we choose the lifestyle of wisdom we can live not only longer but better
First, we can live better with others (15:27). People who are not greedy have better relationships with others, and thus as Solomon adds “shall live.” The citizens of Chicago wanted Al Capone to be mayor until they learned how many people he had murdered in order to make millions off of booze and prostitution, e.g. St. Valentine’s Day Massacure. His greed finally drove away his supporters. Elliot Ness had a group of clean cops called the “Untouchables.” They could not be bribed or bought by Capone who had payoff politicians and half of the Chicago policemen to look the other way. They were untouchable by greed and they eventually helped bring down the murderous mobster. God’s wisdom enables us to be selfless in our relationships which adds joy to life.
Not only does God’s wisdom enable us to live better with others but with ourselves (14:30). A healthy mind [“a sound heart”] makes for a healthy life [“the life of the flesh”], Solomon recommends. Poor mental health affects one’s physical health. We can be “worried sick.” C. S. Lewis said we are made up of three neighbors: body, soul, and mind. And when one gets sick, the others also catch the disease. Jesus commanded believers to stop worrying about life in Matthew 6:25. Then he asked in 6:28, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Jesus connected worry with our physical well-being.
Paul followed up on Jesus’ advice with the remedy of prayer for anxiety in Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” To live by the wisdom of God in these verses and pray can bring peace to your troubled mind.
Make a “Worry List” and list all that you are worrying about. To practice Philippians 4:6, strike through “Worry” and write “Prayer” and turn your “Worry List” into a “Prayer List.” Start praying about what you were worrying about and enjoy the “peace of God.”
Lastly, we can live better with God (3:13 and 18). If we possess God’s wisdom, we can be spiritually blessed [“happy”]. The tree of life is found at the very beginning of God’s Word in the pristine Garden of Eden and at the end of the Bible in Heaven in Revelation 21, 22. The tree of life is also highlighted in Proverbs 3:18; 11:30; 13:12; 15:4.
In the Garden of Eden were two literal trees. The first was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned Adam and Eve that if they ate of this tree they would die. The day they indulged they became sinners and died spiritually and started dying physically. The second tree was the Tree of Life which provided immortality. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree and became fallen sinners, God immediately showed them mercy and expelled them from access to the Tree of Life so they would not live as sinners and never die. “Earth would have become an outpost of Hell. Imagine what it would be like if every evil person who ever lived was still alive, getting older and older in wickedness. The cherubim were posted to prevent such a consequence.”[2] The Tree of Life was transplanted to heaven.
The literal Tree of Life will be accessible to all believers in the heavenly New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:1-2. In heaven the Tree of Life will symbolize eternal life for the believers living and enjoying all the blessings of God.
Solomon declares there is a spiritual tree of life today for believers who will live by God’s wisdom. In 3:18, God’s wisdom is the source of this tree of spiritual life or blessings. At 11:30, the Tree of Life provides fruit or spiritual blessings for others. We were cleaning out Dad’s shed and found his pear picker. Dad grew a pear tree that many in our little neighborhood enjoyed. Dad a had stick with a loop of rope at the end so he could pick the pears from the top of the tree and share with his neighbors. Dad’s pear tree was for others. We can be a tree of life to spiritually help others in our lives like our family and friends. One specific fruit on the Tree of Life is highlighted in Proverbs 15:4.
The fruit of a healthy tongue speaks healing words: “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Warren Wiersbe in his commentary on Proverbs has a chapter called “A Matter of Life and Death (Human Speech).” Wiersbe writes, “Never underestimate the power of words. For every word in Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, 125 people died in World War II. Solomon was right: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue’” (Prov. 18:21). A heart broken by injurious words is much harder to mend than a broken limb. Just think of the painful words you and your mate have exchanged, or the words of anger you spilled out on your children in anger that you immediately regretted.
Job was beaten up verbally by his so-called friends, whom he called “miserable comforters” and lamented to them: “How long will you vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words” (Job 19:2). The believer living with God’s wisdom can bring healing with words seasoned with grace. Barnabas, was the nickname his friends gave him which means “son of encouragement.” Contrast “the son of encouragement” with the nickname Job tagged his friends with: “miserable comforters.” Which kind of friend am I?
If we know Christ as our Savior who is “the way, the truth, and the life” we can live longer and better. The stark contrast to life is death. After admonishing us to choose life, Solomon warned us not to choose death.
2. Do not choose death
Solomon wrote of two deaths to not choose (11:4)
There is a future “day of wrath” for all unbelievers and only the “righteousness” of God will save us from that day of eternal separation according to Revelation 20:14. When we trust Christ as our Savior, God imputes his righteousness to us (Romans 3:25) which makes us judgment proof.
In addition to future death, Solomon focuses on the present death discussed in 5:23
Before the unbeliever meets his appointment with death, he already goes “astray.” He staggers [שָׁגָה sagah] like a drunk . The word is used in Isaiah 28:7 twice to picture a drunkard reeling back and forth: “These reel [שָׁגָה sagah] with wine and stagger with strong drink ... they stagger with strong drink, they reel [שָׁגָה sagah] in vision they stumble in giving judgment.” The unwise fool weaves like a drunk driver on the road of fools. Paul describes every unbeliever as presently “dead in trespasses and sins” in Ephesians 2:1.
Solomon in his last book, Ecclesiastes, wrote that another aspect of the culture of death can actually have a godly effect in our lives. Solomon spoke of the benefit of attending a funeral in Ecclesiastes 7:1-4. At the time of your death and at your funeral “a good name” or a good reputation is worth more than what only the rich can buy, expensive perfume. He spoke similarly in Proverbs 22:1: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Our most valuable inheritance to our children is a Christian testimony.
In Ecclesiastes 7:2, Solomon made a statement that may seem odd: “The day of death is better than the day of one’s birth.” We all know the joy of a new baby in the maturity ward. How can that compare to standing in the family line in the funeral home? When someone is born, however, Job quite frankly stated: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). But when a believer dies he or she goes to heaven to be with Jesus, in which the Apostle Paul rejoiced: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain .... I am in a strait between two, having the desire to depart, and be with Christ which is far better” (Phil 1:21-23).
With this truth in mind that the day of death is better than the day of one’s birth, Solomon declared not once but twice, “It is better to go the house of mourning [a funeral] than to attend a party” (Ecc 7:2, 4). Why is this true? At a funeral unlike a New Year’s Eve party, you are forced to think seriously about the brevity of life, the certainty of death, and the reality of eternity. When my mom’s brother, Paul died, who was an alcoholic, she attended his funeral. When she looked into the casket, it was like she was looking in a mirror seeing herself there eventually. That truth led her to receive Christ as her Savior. She chose life, eternal life. So can you!
[1] Hughes, R. Kent. The Pastor's Book (p. 182). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
[2] John Phillips, Exploring Proverbs, vol. one (Neptune: Loizeaux, 1995), 90.