Over the past month, I have been immersed in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs by preaching from it and reading it as part of a challenge given as we began this sermon series. I have studied and taught Proverbs multiple times, however, this recent season has made me appreciate the book more and hopefully has even made me a bit wiser (I’ll let those who know me be the judges of whether or not I am wiser!).
In the midst of this season, I was also immersed for two days in leadership training as Faith Church once again was a video host site for the Global Leadership Network’s annual Global Leadership Summit (GLS). A concern and critique I heard about the GLS again this year is that it includes as speakers leaders of Christian organizations as well as leaders from the “secular” world who may or may not be Christians. Can and should Christians learn from leaders who aren’t explicitly Christian in their leadership?
I feel like my recent engagement with Proverbs gave me a new perspective and way to engage this concern and critique of the event. Proverbs helps us think through how to approach a conference such as this by affirming the validity of “general revelation,” but also highlighting the demand of faith in God for comprehensive application of truths shared.
The Value of General Revelation
A common theme that emerges year after year at the GLS is that leaders need to have character and should be marked by humility and a life of service. The need for a grander vision that goes beyond yourself/making money to help others/making the world a different place is emphasized. There are practical tips on how to care for your own soul and how to become more empathetic to care for others. We are reminded to use the strengths that we have to help others and to recognize that our weaknesses may be opportunities for others to shine. Some of these speakers will point out that these principles are taught in the Bible, but often they do not and teach them back upon research and/or experience.
This is actually similar to the Book of Proverbs. Many of the sayings in the book are not grounded in the law or covenant of God, but are from the practical experience of generations and what they observe. For example, financially we learn that it is bad to get in debt (Proverbs 22:7), it’s good to know your financial situation and save up for difficult times (Proverbs 27:23-27), and that generous people finds themselves refreshed as as result (Proverbs 11:24-25). At times, we are explicitly given pictures from the world, being told to consider the ant and how they labor (Proverbs 6:6-7). At various points, the Book of Proverbs may not seem “spiritual enough” since it is focused on how to live well in this world and does not mention God.
Interestingly enough, something scholars have noticed over the years is that some of the sayings that appear in Proverbs seem to have parallels in other Ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. These parallels show us that truth about this world and how things work best can be found by people who do not have faith in God as well. The theological concept behind that idea is called “general revelation,” which teaches that God reveals truths in the world He created, and thus people can discover those through observation and attention to the patterns of His design. An insight about life does not have to be grounded in a particular chapter and verse for us to see it as being true and helpful.
This means that there is value in learning from others who learn from “general revelation.” That said, something that general revelation lacks is an overarching explanation of why. It can show us things that are true, but doesn’t explain why, which is why there is a need for something else.
The Need for Faith
While we can learn things about life and how it works apart from God, Proverbs also reminds us that there are limits to these insights and that they need to be integrated into a wider frame that can be called “the fear of the Lord” (see especially Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). Many proverbs do not contain a reference to God, but I was struck by the number of references to God there are outside of the opening frame and the call to fear the Lord. God doesn’t appear everywhere, but regularly enters the picture (see for example 10:3, 27, 29; 11:1; 12:2; 14:2, 27….and the list could go on). The why behind the way things are is God…He designed the ways things work and also stands as the one who brings ultimate judgment.
True meaning and purpose is only found when we submit ourselves to God and His ways, when we don’t trust ourselves – or even what we can observe – but trust Him with all of our heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). It is not just a generic belief in a higher power or “the man upstairs” but rather belief in the LORD – the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God known by the name Yahweh and ultimately revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. He gives purpose and hope. He issues the ultimate display of humility and empathy. He offers a new way to view the world that is not about ourselves, money, or fame, but about the glory of God.
Something I have noticed about some of the GLS speakers is that they do not always give an explicit answer or explanation for why things are true. However, when they do, it is grounded in the concept of faith, and thus springs from the idea of “fearing the Lord.” This is what gives value and direction; Jesus is the embodiment of what is true and best. Like Proverbs, not every statement is connected back to God explicitly, but God as the driving and grounding basis for truth appears (and more often than you might think). In order to benefit fully from these insights, we need to have faith that offers the purpose and explanation behind all that we find in this world; the leadership principles taught are in some ways incomplete without it.
Temporally Good vs. Eternally Great
Just as a person who does not believe in the God of the Bible might gain some good insights from the Book of Proverbs that makes life better, so one might become a better leader through insights at the GLS that stream from general revelation. But without the fear of the Lord and that frame for how to view life that is also highlighted in Proverbs, one will never have the truly great life on this earth nor experience the “good life” for all eternity. When we trust in God, we don’t only learn how to live and how to lead, but also why that is the case and to whom we are to look.
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