The Sacred in the Secular

The passages in chapters 5-7 warning the young man to resist the temptations of the adulterous woman sound sexist and even demeaning to women to modern ears, and we need to reinterpret the text into a warning for men and women to beware of sexual temptation. We can also note that the first lesson in Proverbs (1:8-19) was a warning against evil men–and that wisdom is portrayed in this chapter as a woman!

Wisdom, the epitome of goodness and godliness, clearly provides the balance to the adulteress of Proverbs 7, who accosts a youth stealthily by night with deceitful words. Wisdom, in contrast, appears in broad daylight in public places, addressing everyone in words that are right, true, just, faultless and free of wickedness and perversity (6-9). For this reason they are more valuable than anything else (10,11). Wisdom epitomizes the fear of the Lord (12,13). She gives the ability to rule justly and effectively (14-16). Wisdom bestows benefits, which include material wealth and success, but there is also a clear moral emphasis. She bestows the righteousness and justice that prevent wealth leading to corruption (17-21). That is why wisdom must be pursued, not wealth.

This passage asserts that Wisdom is to be found in the public places of our culture, places of recreation, commerce, the law and government. Even in a fallen world God’s “common grace” is still at work. Jesus’ prayer for his disciples in John 17 sets up a tension. Some try to resolve it by retreating into a Christian ghetto, others by compartmentalizing life into a sacred/secular divide. Godly wisdom calls us to reject these approaches and to live with the tension of engaging fully in our culture as Christians seeking wisdom as our guide who is already there.

Jesus prayed that his disciples might be in the world but “not of the world” (John 17:14-17). What does this mean?