Homophone?

Proverbs 20:30
Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As do stripes the inner depths of the heart.

Every scripture, every point made in the Bible, can be (and should be) linked directly to Jesus. Scholars may read the words of Solomon in Proverbs and think, “Wow, what an incredibly smart man.” However, unless they are actively seeking Jesus, they’ll never receive the true blessing of God’s wisdom.

It is actually quite simple and really doesn’t take a lot of thought or time to glean the worldly wisdom and bullet-point sermons to be found in the Proverbs. At their core, these Proverbs aren’t much more than the fortunes found in the middle of a cookie at your local Chinese buffet. They are quick one-liners, simple and easy to remember, and occasionally amusing to the unenlightened mind. (Please allow me to clarify; I am not meaning to imply that Biblical scholars are simple-minded or unenlightened people! But there is more to the Bible than surface wisdom.)

We (we meaning church folk) seem to get caught up today in the how-to fix-it mentality of Christianity. We go to the Bible and use it as a manual for life’s repairs. We have become a professional body of Scripture-quoting robots. “Oh, you’re having financial problems? Hmmmmm, well, Proverbs says...” Or, perhaps there is a friend going through a marital struggle. “Well, Ephesians 5 says...and 1 Corinthians 7 says...” Instead of using Scripture to expound to our brothers and sisters the things concerning Christ, we use the Bible to expound to each other the things concerning ourselves. We point out to each other how screwed up we are! We are Scripture chuckers, so to speak, not teachers.

The key to true wisdom and true understanding of God’s word isn’t found in reading the Bible as a manual, but rather reading the Bible because it is Emmanuel. Get the homophone? A manual or Emmanuel?

So back to our Proverb, what does it mean? I guess first you have to ask yourself, “Why am I reading the Bible? Am I reading to gain wisdom and knowledge about how to fix my life, or am I reading in order to have a greater understanding of who Jesus really is?” The simple fix-it message in Proverbs 20:30 is this: you can physically beat the crap out of someone who has done wrong in order to correct them and cleanse them from their evil ways. Or you can spiritually flog a person with blow after blow from the Bible making each Scripture another strap on your flagellum. Incidentally, both of these methods of using Scripture (or brute force) actually work. Why? Because the lesson certainly is true on this level; it’s just not very grace-filled!

Of course, there is a second method. You could look to find Jesus in this very same verse and realize something more freeing and sanctifying than any good beating could ever be! Christ chose to become our whipping boy. God made it a point to hurt Christ with His wrath so that evil could be cleansed away. The stripes that were laid across His back were dealt out so that our hearts could be purified and made holy through Him.

From a Biblical standpoint both of these methods of teaching and correction will work. The first method is of the Law. Focus on you and your problem and do, do, do, do, do in order to fix it. The second method is based in grace, the grace that came at the cross. Focus on Christ and the fact that it’s done, done, done, done, done! The Man, Jesus, said, “It is finished!” 2 Corinthians 3 tells us that the Law had glory and was glorious, but can’t hold a candle to the Grace found through Christ! (2 Corinthians 3:7-11)