Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Teacher
- Teacher: One who holds forth the truth and is excited by it. The teacher looks for ways to explain, enlighten, and apply truth. A teacher's authority doesn't come from how smart they are but from the Word of God and the power of a transformed life.
In my
blog post from three years ago, I focused a lot on the first section of this
chapter. Today, I’d like to focus on the
end. In fact, what really inspired me
today is the part about the words of the wise being like goads and the
collected sayings are like nails firmly fixed.
This leads me to the teachers in my life.
Let’s
take the easier one: nails firmly fixed.
Wise sayings – otherwise known as proverbs – are reliable. They are true. They lead us into good choices because they
have been tested throughout time and human culture. They are firm fixtures that we can rest upon
and know we will find wisdom. They are
fixtures in our life that can support our faith and worldview.
The harder
one is the words of the wise: goads. A
goad is something that is designed to provoke a reaction. A goad is something that is designed to spur
someone forward. Goads are designed to
make us uncomfortable. So what are the
words of wisdom? They are words that
when we hear them we feel uncomfortable.
We feel uncomfortable because we know that we should change.
So, what
is the role of the teacher and the wisdom that comes from sound teaching? In this chapter we hear that the teacher
makes us uncomfortable. Their words push
us just beyond our comfort zone. But
they are also fixtures in our life. They
are reliable because their words are tested.
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