SOUL-CARE IN THE NEW COVENANT COMMUNITY: READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS WITH A CHRISTOLOGICAL HERMENEUTIC

This is a paper that I wrote for my intro to Biblical Counseling Class with Dr. Johnson. The Puritan-like title gives away what the paper is about, so I won't expound upon that here. This is a very practical paper, with some theology undergirding it. I'll post other papers soon (after I edit a few minor details). For those of who want to read seminary papers, enjoy. For those of you who don't... well, don't read it, or do and hopefully learn something.

Soul-care is foundational to the Christian ministry. This world is under the dominion of sin and Satan (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3, Colossians 1:13); and in this state there is loss, pain, and death. One does not have to look far to see the ravages of sin in this era; one needs to look no further than his/her own life. With people being hurt by sin, enslaved to sin, and dead in sin, reasonable soul-care is necessary to help all who are afflicted. It seems that scholars, however, have given their attention mostly to academic endeavors rather than pastoral concerns of the church. Those who do have a desire to administer soul-care are often ill trained and mal-equipped to provide good biblical, theological, and theocentric soul-care. The book of Proverbs, with its rich instructions on the life of wisdom as a member of God’s covenant people, may be the best place to begin to understand how to biblically administer soul-care to oneself and others; but how are we, Christians under the new covenant to understand and apply the book of Proverbs to soul-care?

Hermeneutical Key: The New Covenant in Christ

Christians are no longer under the Old Covenant (cf. Hebrews 8:13) and therefore cannot interpret the Old Testament without a New Covenant perspective. A New Covenant hermeneutic must employ biblical theology, seeking to understand all of the parts of the Bible in light of the story that permeates the entire canon of Scripture—that is, in light of the gospel of the kingdom of and in Jesus Christ. One must see Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament texts, and the goal of the Christian life. A New Covenant approach to soul-care must assume the counselor and counselee are Spirit indwelt, regenerate members of the New Covenant community (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-27). Proverbs must be read from this perspective and applied from this vantage point to care for the Christian soul. This paper will explore three major themes in the book of Proverbs, consider them from a Christological perspective, and consider their bearing on Christian soul-care.
Humility and the Fear of the Lord

The portrait of Jesus in the New Testament is one of the utmost in humility. Paul writes: although “He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a think to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him…” (Philippians 2:6-9). Jesus emptied Himself by taking on humanity. He did not exercise His divine prerogatives, but “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). For such humility and “fear of the LORD,” Jesus is rewarded with the greatest of riches, honor, and life—a name above all names and salvation for His people (Proverbs 22:4, Philippians 2:10-11, 1 Peter 2:24; cf. Isaiah 45:23-24). He is the new covenant standard of humility.

Peter reveals that Christ-like humility works itself out by “casting all your anxiety on Him [God], because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Those who humble themselves and trust in God will be exalted by God (v.6). Proverbs counsels in a similar way: “a humble spirit will obtain honor,” and “he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted” (Proverbs 29:23, 25). The Christian counselor must have the conviction that anxiety (as well as many other sins) stems from pride—a self-reliance rather than trusting in God, which is unbelief. The counselor can then delve deeper into the issues of the counselee and uncover where unbelief exists and what obstacles continue to inhibit the counselee’s trust in God. Obstacles such as the fear of man (Proverbs 29:25) can act like a snare, entrapping a person to live for others’ approval rather than trusting God in life’s situations, such as for promotions in a job or the ability to make a business transaction with integrity.

In commenting on Proverbs 29:23, Bruce Waltke gives a most valuable incite: “the humble… has an attitude of dependence on God and of submission to his moral ordering of society. In that upright order, one behaves to achieve the highest good of others and bestows on others—not demands for oneself—their rights to life, home, property, and reputation….” Jesus Christ Himself is the best example of self-giving humility, the same kind of humility Paul calls the Philippians to exhibit that they may be “of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” and “considering one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:2-3). When strife emerges in the Christian community, humility alone is the answer to regain unity. Humility will even put an end to strife before it begins, for people will treat others “the same way you want them to treat you,” which fulfills the commands of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12). “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9) because they are living like the Son of God par excellence.

Humility in counseling is not just the antidotal advice for strife and anxiety from the counselor to the counselee; it must be the mark of the interactions of the entire counseling relationship and in every session. Pride when counseling others leads to dishonor, but from humility will flow wisdom and helpful words (Proverbs 11:2). Humility will lead the counselor to rely upon God in directing the counselee, while the prideful counselor will trust in his/her wisdom and speak quickly (i.e. as a fool would do). Humility will also give the counselor wisdom on whether or not he/she is able to counsel a person, or whether he/she needs to send the counselee to someone who is more capable. Above all, humility will help the counselor to deal graciously with the person, recognizing his/her own sin and that God is the only One who can bring about real, meaningful change, relief, and freedom (cf. Matthew 11:28-30).

When a person fears the Lord and walks in humility, he/she will not seek to repay evil for evil, but will “wait for the LORD, and He will save” from evil schemes (Proverbs 20:22). When a person seeks to avenge him/herself, that person acts in pride, not from a humble trust in God. The counselor must advise plainly: “the disciple looks to God to right wrongs no matter how long he must wait for divine intervention.” Christ acted in this very way as He entrusted Himself to God’s righteous judgment (1 Peter 2:22). Christ, in His innocence, was unworthy of His oppression at the hands of evil men. The counselor must continually point to Christ’s example, calling the counselee to fix his/her eyes upon Jesus, “the author and perfecter of faith, who…endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” so that he/she does not become overwhelmed and lose heart, but continues to live in faithfulness toward God, waiting for Him to render judgment (Hebrews 12:2-3).

It is key for the counselor and counselee both to remember, however, that we all have fallen short of God’s standard. Jesus Christ alone is the man who truly fears the Lord and walks humbly with His God (Micah 6:8). When we trust in Him and are united to Him, we are forgiven, and we must continually repent and be forgiven for our failures. The Spirit, the promise of the New Covenant, abides in those united to Christ, and so enables us to pursue humility and the fear of the Lord as revealed in Jesus Christ—the way of life in the New Covenant Community.

Lady Wisdom and Madam Folly

Jesus exhorted His followers: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Though most people today, living in this postmodern context, claim that there are many ways that a person can live a “good life,” Jesus warns otherwise. He proclaims only two ways: one that leads to life, and the other (which encompasses all other ways) that leads to death. Proverbs explains how this can be: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25), for deceptive pride can be lethal. Jesus Himself is the pathway to life—the way to the Father (John 14:6), for “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The way of life is by being united to Christ through faith.

Proverbs speaks in a similar way when it describes two women: one who is a seductress (using flattery) who leads to death (Proverbs 5:3-6), the other who leads the virtuous life (31:10-31) and admonishes people to learn from her the way of wisdom—of fearing the Lord (Proverbs 8; cf. 1:7). Though the ways of the immoral woman are sweet at first, like honey dripping from her lips, the end of an adulterous relationship with her is death, as the Lord brings judgment upon those who follow her (Proverbs 5:3-6, 7:6-23). The way of lady wisdom may bring difficulties, as one must learn humility, accept reproof, and walk in righteousness (1:25, 30; 8:5-9, 13), yet her reward is wisdom, which is better than the greatest riches of the earth (8:10-11). She, unlike madam folly who is found only in darkness, stands in all the public places and cries out loudly for all who are willing to listen (8:1-4)—one must love darkness (cf. John 3:19-21) and spurn her knowledge with a desire to continue in unrighteousness (cf. Romans 1:18ff.) to follow another path.

Jesus Christ, as presented in the gospel, is the way of wisdom. As lady wisdom stood and proclaimed the way of life, He spread the seed of the gospel abroad; and all who heed His word and follow Him bear abundant fruit and receive life (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23; cf. Colossians 1:23-24). The world, like the adulteress, madam folly, entices people to follow its ways, which seem enjoyable but ultimately lead only to eternal destruction (cf. Revelation 14:9-12). The naïve, all who continue in the natural sinful state in Adam, will follow the ways of the world to death, but those who are drawn by the Father through the Spirit will despise the wisdom of the world, eat of Christ, the wisdom from God, and be rewarded with eternal life (John 6:35-40, 44-51; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16).

Though many applications can be drawn for soul-care from this truth, I will mention only two. First, the counselor must know with whom he/she is working. The counselor is an evangelist to those who do not know Christ, and must therefore follow in the footsteps of lady wisdom and Christ, calling those on the path to death to forsake their ways and follow the path to life. It is futile to seek to admonish a person who is enslaved and dead in sin (Romans 6:16, Ephesians 2:1-4) to live a life free from sin and its effects, and to live a life that is pleasing to God. A person still in sin will either seek to establish his/her own righteousness before God, which is legalism, or will be driven by sin only further from the path of life into darkness and rebellion (Romans 7:7-13). Only the person who has been regenerated has the mind of the Spirit (John 3:3f, 1 Corinthians 2:14-16), thus only Christians will heed Christian counseling. Only that person recognizes inwardly that Jesus of Nazareth alone perfectly followed the path of life—only He is the God-man, and therefore only He, having learned obedience through suffering, is worthy to stand in our place before God (1 Timothy 2:5-6, Hebrews 2:10ff)—will be able and willing to follow Christ, since that person has the Spirit.

Second, counselors must recognize that the path to death is deceptive and alluring. The way of death is one of pride, one that boosts a person’s ego and is marked by “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life”—it is a love of this world (1 John 2:15-16). The way of death, like the seductress, will boast of the abilities and successes of those who follow its road. Those on this path may be quite unaware of the danger in which they dwell. The Christian counselor must pay careful attention to the words of such people and use them and Scripture together to show the counselee his/her folly, relying upon the Spirit to bring about conviction and change.

Giving Help to the Needy

Jesus was known for His compassion toward those who were ostracized by society. His messiahship was manifested by the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised up, and the poor having the gospel preached to them (Matthew 11:5). He bid all the weary to lay their burdens on Him, to follow Him, and to find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Near Jericho, a blind man named Bartimaeus cried out to Him: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Despite the attempts of the crowd to silence him, Jesus, in compassion, gave attention to Bartimaeus and healed Him (Luke 18:35-43).

The Pentateuch is full of exhortations for the Israelites to remember the poor, aliens, widows, orphans, and all who are needy (cf. Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 15:7, 11; 24:17). Those who help the needy act like their maker—for God is the greatest giver to all and the greatest helper of all. He makes some rich and others poor, and He is the maker of both classes (Proverbs 22:2; 29:13). The one who is “gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed” (19:17). Duane Garrett remarks, “To be compassionate to the poor is figuratively to put God in your debt, which is always a good place to be.” The one who “shuts his ear to the cry of the poor,” on the other hand, “will also cry himself and not be answered” (21:13; cf. 22:16, 22-23).

Only Jesus of Nazareth was compassionate toward the poor on every occasion. Everyone else has failed to defend the oppressed and render social justice to those less fortunate (Proverbs 31:8-9). He is the king who “judges the poor with truth,” and so “His throne will be established forever” (29:14). Because everyone else has increased wealth by immoral means, Jesus, the One who is gracious to the poor will receive the work of their labor—the world (28:8).

Counselors, in light of Jesus’ compassion, must therefore exhort their counselees to acknowledge their bankrupt position and turn to Christ, for He will show mercy toward the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). Counselees who know Christ should be reminded to cast their poverty upon Christ continually and to ask Him for His abundant riches. He gives from the treasure troves of God without restraint to all who are children of God (cf. Romans 8:32, Galatians 3:28-4:7). New Covenant members give because God has given first in Christ—Christians give from a thankful heart because they desire to participate in God’s great work and because they desire God’s blessing (2 Corinthians 9:6ff.).

Children of God must not hold on to worldly treasures. They should provide for themselves “money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys” (Luke 12:33). Christians must seek to become ever distant from attachments to this world, since this present age is passing away, and where their treasure is, there their hearts shall be (Luke 12:34, 1 Corinthians 7:31). Riches can easily become an idol and can lead to many difficulties in life, and we were all once enslaved to such powers (cf. Matthew 6:24; 19:21-24, Ephesians 2:1-3, 1 Timothy 6:10). Christians, having been regenerated, must seek the eternal treasure, the kingdom, so that they do not get lulled or sucked into worldliness.

Conclusion

Who has walked in humility and the fear of the Lord? Who has followed the path of life? Who has given help to those in need? The Apostle Paul is clear: “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). Jesus Christ is the only man to ever fulfill the life of wisdom set forth in Proverbs. If one takes Proverbs honestly, he/she will see that he/she does not measure up to the ideals of wisdom set forth. Each person must acknowledge, “Surely I am more stupid than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man. Neither have I learned wisdom, nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One” (Proverbs 30:2-3), and then trust in Jesus Christ alone to be his/her wisdom, righteousness and sanctification from God (1 Corinthians 1:30).

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Books

Garrett, Duane A. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. The New American Commentary. Vol. 14. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1993.

Goldsworthy, Graeme. According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991.

Waltke, Bruce K. The Book of Proverbs. Vol. 2. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005.