LOOKING FOR SOPHIA
Proverbs 8: 1-31
June 10, 2001
Are you looking for Sophia? Maybe you haven’t called her by that name before, but I’m sure you have been looking for her. You might find her working in the kitchen or in the garden; she could be found in the shop or at the library or a school classroom. But you could as easily find her at the beach or in the mountains or sitting in the living room on the couch. She is at the dining room table with you as you eat your breakfast and dinner; she is with you as you are riding in the car or sitting next to you at work. You can find her at church, but you could also find her in the books you read. I’m sure you have been looking for Sophia all your life, and you have been in her presence on many occasions. Maybe you didn’t realize it at the time.
She is beautiful, though not in a physical way. She is what we would all hope to become. I have seen her in my mother and my sister; I saw her in my grandmother and great aunt. I have seen her, even in my father and grandfather. I have seen her in my teachers, especially those who have guided me when I have sought their counsel. I have seen here in this place and among many of you. We generally don’t call her Sophia, though that is her name. We generally have known her by the very neutral yet important term, "wisdom." If you look carefully, you will sense Sophia’s presence in this place today.
We know that God is not an actual human figure; God is spirit. Yet, from days of old, God has always been spoken of in male terms, because men have dominated cultures and women have been seen as not as good as men; therefore God has been defined as male to show power and strength. Wisdom, on the other had, from ancient Israel and Greek times, has taken on the feminine image. The pronouns of "she" and "her" are used; wisdom is a feminine word. The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom saying gathered over a period of centuries. Coming out of the faith community of Israel, wisdom sayings are a combination of practical living and a deep faith in God. In fact, the two go together. The quote from Proverbs 1:7 puts it clearly, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction." As one person put it, "wisdom’s words mediate God’s wisdom for life in the cosmos." Through wisdom, God is seeking to communicate how we are to live in the world. Listen to Sophia as she speaks from Proverbs 11:1, "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight."
Sophia proclaims that she was created at the very beginning of God’s work, long before the world ever came into being. She was with God, in fact, a significant part of God, when the earth was formed, when the foundations were set and when life came into being. Wisdom is an essential part of who God is.
I remember from my college and graduate school days some individuals who were able to do the bookwork and come out with a straight 4.00 average, yet, they didn’t have the sense to come in out of the rain. They were not fit candidates for ministry by a long stretch. I have also known people who struggled to get a 3.00 average yet are very wise; I would pick them if I were stranded on a desert island or needed counsel. Wisdom is not something that shows up on the SAT scores or the IQ tests, but show up in people who are grounded in the reality of life with a sense of the reverence of God. Listen to Sophia, "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death." (11:4)
When Proverbs talks about "fear of the Lord," it is not talking about being afraid or scared of God, but rather a sense of awe, wonder and reverence – a positive fear that recognized the greatness and majesty of God and does not take it lightly. In light of this "fear of the Lord" we are to listen to the wisdom of God that instructs us in daily living. God’s way for living leads to fullness of life. One writer stated that, "The beginning of wisdom lies in taking seriously that we are dealing with a reality that transcends the world of the everyday, even as that reality is known in the world of the everyday." Sophia is of God and leads us to God and at the same time instructs us in the everyday living that is the heart of God. Sophia says, "Whoever belittles another lacks sense, but an intelligent person remains silent." (11:12)
Sophia talks about two ways of living. We humans are capable of recognizing, embracing and living God’s way, but we are also able to distort, reject, ignore and even rebel against what is right. We have that freedom of choice. Sophia talks about contrasting ways of life: wise – foolish; wisdom – folly; righteousness – wickedness; life – death. One way is of God and leads to God and fullness of life, the other way leads away from God and death and misery. Listen to Sophia, "The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright, but destruction for evildoers." (10:29)
The other day I heard a person say that when he talks with youth who get into gangs or drugs, he says they have two choices: they will eventually go to prison or die. Those are the two choices. Youth sometime think they are indestructible and can get out of any problem, but some learn the hard way that there are consequences to risky lifestyles. Drugs are addictive and lead to other unhealthy lifestyles (stealing, prostitution, unemployment); fast driving can get one killed (or someone); sex outside of a committed, loving, long term relationship leads to all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, as well as the risk of unwanted pregnancies. Alcohol does affect judgment and behavior; it’s misuse destroys lives. Stealing and theft will get you into trouble; it will catch up with you. Lying leads to more lies that leads to more lies that leads to more lies. As Sophia said, "Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her." (8:10-11)
The values of our culture reveal that Sophia is not as exciting or instantly satisfying as the seductress of popularity, possessions, sensuality, power and pleasure. Like drinking salt water that only makes us thirstier, the longing of things of this world consume and destroy us apart from the guidance of God. It is interesting to note that in the time when Proverbs was written, Israel did not have an understanding of an afterlife, life after death as we think of it (heaven and hell). That concept came 2 – 3 centuries later. Sheol was where everyone went at death. Rather, when they talked of life and death, they talked about two different ways of living on this side of physical death. The way to life is the way of God; the way of death, foolishness, wickedness, folly leads to an unfulfilling life of misery and despair, in this life! Sophia says, "The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life; so that one may avoid the snares of death." (14:27) "The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves the one who pursues righteousness." (15:9)
When I was growing up as a child, I sat on my mother’s lap and listened as she read stories to me. I observed my parents on a daily basis and they taught me right and wrong, respect for other people, take care of the earth; they taught me all of this in the context of faith in God - we respect other people because they are God’s children like you and me. We take care of the earth because it belongs to God. In my growing up years my parents and people like Hope Woodhead, Myrtle Bailey, Ada Lambert, Betty Goss, Noel Campbell, John Boosinger, Howard Huff, Fred Craddock instructed me in the ways of life and faith. In each of them I heard the voice of Sophia, God’s wisdom, God’s way. Yet, it was not enough just to hear the voice of Sophia, I discovered that as I became an adult that it was no longer someone else’s words but they were becoming my words.
I remember clearly the day. It was a bright spring morning in Nampa, Idaho; Kathy and I were newlyweds just out of college. I was sitting at my desk doing my morning devotions. I turned to Proverbs and read some words out of the 3rd chapter. And I was overwhelmed at the impact at the words – I truly sensed that God was in that room with me right then and that I had heard the voice of God speak to me. The faith that had been handed to me was now becoming my own.
READ Proverbs 3: 5-8.
I was in the presence of Sophia and her voice and presence was a delight.