Two men, one living & one promoted to heaven, have come out with a dangerous doctrine I feel I must address. Both are well-known highly respected ministers whose messages have benefitted many over the years. The one who passed away some time back is still aired on radio via recordings; no telling how long his erroneous conclusion has been repeated. The other repeated the first’s mistake just this past week. Both are mighty men of God I deeply appreciate – but both are human, too. The error is too dangerous too ignore.
In each case, Proverbs was quoted, but qualified. The error is in the qualification. Proverbs, they said, is wisdom declaring how the world operates, but there are exceptions, so it cannot be relied upon as promises are meant to be. From Solomon’s standpoint, their view is correct. He was sharing the wisdom God gifted to him, BUT WHEN THEY BECAME PART OF THE WORD OF GOD, new weight was added to them. God supplies His word as our foundation. NO PART OF HIS WORD CAN BE DISMISSED AS INFERIOR OR LESS RELIABLE.
If this practice is embraced, where does it stop? The Psalms are songs, so taking instruction from them is a misuse of their purpose. Lamentations expresses the grief of Jeremiah, so it should be respected, but not taken to heart. Paul’s epistles are literally someone else’s mail handed to us, but if it doesn’t address us, we’re stretching the meaning in a big way if we take it personally. I believe both of these men would be appalled to realize labelling Proverbs as only wise suggestions opens a door to judge & reject any part of scripture. Paul himself would object to it, along with the writer of Hebrews & the apostle John.
My point is this: if God leads you to scripture in Proverbs, stand on it without fear! That’s why He furnished it to us. Solomon’s wisdom takes on new dimensions when it is incorporated into scripture, as does everything else in the Bible. No one can stand in faith without being rooted in scripture. His Word stands when all else fails, so don’t let anyone minimize any part of it!