Deceptive charm, fleeting beauty and the noble woman of Proverbs 31

When my grandfather was 18 he saw Harry Houdini jump off Newport bridge, there near the castle. Houdini was best known as an escapologist but he also used to be able to tense himself and let people punch him without him flinching.

I mention it because I would guess that some of you are doing a sort of mental Houdini trick as I speak. I'm not talking about escapology but about riding a punch. You know Proverbs 31:10-31 and you know that it describes what, on the face of it, appears to be the perfect wife, what one writer (Alison Le Cornu) describes as “the epitome of every man's conjugal dreams”.

Perhaps you have been beaten up with this very passage in the past. Perhaps, you've beaten yourself up with it in the past. So you're sitting there, as some people do in the dentist's chair, thinking "this isn't going to be pleasant but once it's over I'll be okay for another six or twelve months".

Now let me begin with a word of encouragement. I have not come here this afternoon to beat anyone up. As can often be the case, I think this passage has been rather misunderstood and far from discouraging women, it should be a passage they (and men for that matter) turn to not only to be challenged but to be encouraged too.

I don't know if it has ever struck you but this does seem an odd way to end the Book of Proverbs. The ending doesn't seem to be what we might expect.

What it is is an acrostic poem. We don't know who the author is but whoever finally put Proverbs together has chosen to end with it. Acrostic poems have been popular in many cultures at different times and in the Bible we have as many as 14 examples (besides this one there is most famously Psalm 119 plus eight other psalms, Lamentations 1-4 and Nahum 2). The Hebrew pattern was to begin each successive stanza with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which has 22 letters.

The poem here apparently describes the ideal woman. “An omni-competent woman” with “no blemish other than her perceived perfection” according to the writer I just quoted (Alison Le Cornu). Surely an unusual choice of subject for such a conclusion! There has certainly been an emphasis on men in the book so far, with references chiefly to the son but also to the shepherd, the farmer, and other predominantly male preserves. Several potentially derogatory things are said about the distaff side. Think of the adulteress, the nagging wife and so on. This closing passage comes, perhaps, as a refreshingly different approach.

On the face of it, it is an idealised description of a well-to-do woman of ancient times. At first, it appears to be a guide for men looking for such a wife, or for women wanting to be all that they ought to be. It is common for evangelical commentators to take it that way.

I have not read these books but they do make me a bit nervous for your sakes. I don't know if you know any of them. There are

• Susan Sikes' A Woman of Noble Character: Becoming A Proverbs 31 Woman in Today's Busy World
• Tiffany Langford Becoming a Proverbs 31 Woman: A 21 Day Devotional for Her
• Susan Nnanabu You - an Ideal Woman! Becoming the Proverbs 31 Wife and Mother
• Becoming the Noble Woman by Anita Young - a study based on God's blueprint for the ideal woman as set forth in Proverbs 31.
• The Noble Woman by Daunyae Harris This book is part of a 10 week Bible study where we breakdown 10 virtues found in the life of the Proverbs 31 woman. You will be challenged to evaluate every area of your life and undergo a complete internal makeover.

I'm sure such books have many good things in them but I have to say that the main purpose of these verses in Proverbs 31 is probably not to make women feel guilty about how much they need to improve as wives or mothers.

In Proverbs 1 and Proverbs 8 Wisdom is personified as a woman. Again, in 9:1-6 we have Wisdom as a welcoming hostess. In contrast, 9:13-18 introduces the woman Folly. There are various references to the adulteress in the book too and I think it is clear that they are there not only to counter physical adultery but also spiritual adultery too, when people are attracted to false teaching. Such warnings are found in Chapter 5 and 6:20-7:27.

In a similar way 31:10-31 teaches not only principles of feminine godliness, but also principles of wisdom that can be useful to all. Indeed, the main purpose of the passage, I would suggest, is to give a final, memorable picture of wisdom ‘at home’. Here we take up the invitation offered back in 9:4-6.

The scholar John H Stek has written that this final section

... constitutes a subtle return to the central theme of the book found in the opening speeches and forms with them an envelope around the book of instruction as a whole. Hence, it appears to be a recommendation to marry Lady Wisdom.

As for the deeper question of why wisdom (or its opposite) should be thought of in feminine terms I’d guess it has to do firstly with the fact that this book is framed in terms of a father speaking to his son.

Possibly, the idea that wisdom is often found where least expected is underlined but that sounds a little chauvinist I suppose. Maybe it has to do with the fact that women are usually physically weaker than men and so are more reliant on their native wit, the power of the mind and the subtle approach. We speak of feminine intuition, feminine wiles, etc. As a generalisation, it is fair to say that there is something more delicate, more gentle, quieter, more subtle, tender and thoughtful about the feminine approach as opposed to the often coarse, loud, rather gauche one that we associate with males!

The American teacher Greg Uttinger adds appropriately that

It is in their wives that godly men find or should find the clearest and the dearest personal representation of Jesus Christ.

If wives even approximate to the dignity, skill, energy and well-doing exhibited here in Proverbs 31 they will.

The wise woman is not an unusual character in the Old Testament, of course – Think of the wise woman of Tekoa (2 Sam 14), Abigail (1 Sam 25) and the woman from Abel Beth Maacah (2 Sam 20). They are obvious examples along with Rahab, Deborah, Samson's mother, Ruth and Esther, not forgetting Tamar and Bathsheba who display a measure of dignity and wisdom. Such women, like their counterparts today, epitomise what is described here.

We can divide what is said here about this ideal woman into three sections and we can speak about her desirability, her qualities and her glory.

1. Her desirability

Isabella wants to be popular with her friends and even a famous TV presenter one day. Jessica would be happier to get on in her present job and build up a healthy bank balance to put down on a house. Emily says that as long as she has her health and peace of mind that is enough for her.

Many people think that the great thing to have in this life is fame and popularity, wealth and success or health and peace. These are fine things in their own way but, as the Book of Proverbs sometimes reminds us, what we need more than any of these things is wisdom from on high.

Thousands of people in this country do the National Lottery week after week because they think that if they win the jackpot all their problems will be over. In fact, money solves very little. If you are a fool with a little, you will still be a fool when you have a lot. They won’t suddenly become wise (or happy) just because they have won millions – there is plenty of evidence for this. No, the great need is for wisdom.

At least three reasons are found here as to why wisdom is so attractive and desirable.

1. Her great rarity and innate worth (10)

She is worth far more than rubies (10). There are plenty of healthy people around in this world. In this country perhaps 90% are able bodied. There are plenty of rich people too. I am told that every 5,000th person in the UK is a millionaire! There is no shortage of famous people either, even if it is only of the 15 minute variety.

But how many wise people are there in this world? They seem to be so very few. Try to think of someone who is wise. Names do not immediately spring to mind. In civil government, in law, in medicine, in science, in the churches, there seem to be very few wise people. The thing we most need in every branch of learning and industry is the rarest asset of all.

Those of you who follow these things may know that back in 1986 when Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson he gave her a ruby ring, apparently because she was a redhead. The ring held a Burmese ruby that was then reported to be worth £25K. In today's terms that would be about £72K. Imagine that, a £72K ruby ring. But wisdom is worth far more than many such rubies!

2. Her power to provide complete confidence and everything of value (11)

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value (11). Once you find wisdom and embrace her as your wife you can have complete confidence in her. Others may let you down but wisdom never will. You can put your full confidence in her. She will always do the best thing in every situation. You may lose your health, your money may disappear and your popularity may not last but if you have wisdom, you lack nothing of real value.

3. Her power to be a constant source of good and not harm (12)

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life (12). A person who has wisdom has a constant source of good. Wealth and fame are as likely to do you harm as good. Not even health and peace guarantee inevitable good.

Have you recognised how desirable wisdom is? It is your greatest need. But where to find it? It is clear from the Bible that true wisdom is found only in Jesus Christ who is God's Word and God's Wisdom. It is by trusting in him that we learn to be wise. Trust in him. Trust in him more and more.

2. Her quality

A number of characteristics of true wisdom come out here. If we have true wisdom, it will produce these same characteristics in us.

1. She is careful and caring

See verses 13, 14 and 27 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar ... She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Careful selection of wool and flax is necessary to provide ample supplies for her needlework so that the family can be fed. Food stuffs are needed to nourish them. Today the woman might be headed for the haberdashers and the supermarket but the point is the same – she selects. She does not stuff any old rubbish into the supermarket trolley. She looks at the labels. Wise people are careful people. They choose with care.

2. She is diligent and hard working

What a hive of activity there is here!

See especially verses verses 15-19

She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her women servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

She is not only up early but she works late too, if necessary. She is enterprising. In 21st century Britain she may be dealing with household appliances and tradesmen rather than with women servants, and a little business run from home may be more likely than buying fields and planting vineyards, but the principles of diligence and hard work don't change. Wisdom does not fly to you. You must be up and about working at gaining it and employing it. The distaff and spindle have also been superseded by purchases at the department store or the charity shop but vigour and strength are still the way forward and there must be no idle moments. At the end of verse 27 it says she does not eat the bread of idleness. Nor does anyone who is wise or who hopes to be wise.

3. She is giving and loving

20, 21 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She works for the sake of her family, but not only her family – also for the poor and needy. Anyone who lacks generosity and love has not begun to understand wisdom.

4. She is attractive and creative

22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. There's nothing dowdy about this woman Wisdom. She has flair. She not only knows how to provide for people but there is something aesthetically pleasing about her whole approach.

I will never forget the first visit to our church of Michael Toogood who is retired now but who worked so faithfully some years ago planting a church in the notorious Soho area of Central London. Among the pictures he showed us were “before and after shots” of the first family home in a block of flats there in Soho. In the first exterior shot even a glance revealed the dirty and dilapidated state of the residence. But the next shot was a burst of colour as a clean, freshly painted flat shone out from behind beautiful hanging baskets and standing pots of pretty flowers. He and his wife had transformed the place!

It has been argued that the power and beauty of 17th century paintings of Dutch interiors derive from the renaissance of Calvinism in that part of the world at that time. Certainly, wherever Christian people have gone in the way of wisdom there has been an undoubted beauty in the artefacts they have produced. We may not all be artistically gifted, but where wisdom is at work then beauty will be found too.

5. She is valuable and honourable.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. Inevitably wisdom brings both responsibility and honour. The city gate was where the elders met in ancient Israel and where judgements were made. If Wisdom is your wife you'll be given responsibility and while you remain true to her (to wisdom) you will be accepted and respected by all who love justice and fair play.

6. She is enterprising and outgoing

24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. We have already alluded to Wisdom's enterprising nature. Here she is seen not only providing for her family and for the needy but producing goods for sale at a profit both for her own retail and to supply others. Some take a narrow view and suppose that a woman's place is in the home and only in the home. That sounds more restrictive than the Bible. Wisdom certainly doesn't sit around waiting for things to happen. It sees where the demand is and supplies it. It is active in buying and selling. It is business-minded, commercial, enterprising, adventurous even.

7. She is dignified and assured

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Wisdom gives a strength and dignity that cannot be bought. Some think physical exercise will secure their future. Others suppose the latest fashions will give them some sort of status. True wisdom recognises that dignity and assurance come from Christ. Only he can give us absolute confidence for both time and eternity.

8. Committed to teaching others

26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She is committed to teaching others. True wisdom always has an effect on others. Like the woman here who speaks wisely to others and faithfully teaches, so wisdom imparts its fruit to others. It may be in a formal setting such as Sunday School class; more often not. Chatting after church is often where a lot of good work is done. Whatever the circumstances, true wisdom finds ways to share its discoveries with others.

Which of these qualities are yours by God's grace? Where do you need to do the most work?

3. Her glory

In verses 28-31 there is a description of the rewards that the woman Wisdom receives. This brings home to us the glories of wisdom.

There are three things to notice in particular

1. She is gratefully praised by those nearest to her (28, 29)

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Those who have wisdom, who know Christ, will know gratefulness and glory, whether we think of it in terms of a husband's embraces or the praises of Wisdom’s children.

When you ask truly wise people the secret of their wisdom, they don’t say ‘Oh it’s me. I’m just like that’. No, they acknowledge that any wisdom they have is God given. They give the glory to Christ. Their highest praise is for him. Many have done noble things but the Lord Jesus surpasses them all. His alone is the pre-eminence.

Listen to this testimony from the wise. It is not wealth or fame or even good health or education that you need most but Christ.

2. She shows that charm is deceptive, beauty fleeting and the fear of the Lord pre-eminent (30)

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Charm can take you a long way in this world but it is deceptive. ‘Watch her - she’s a real charmer’ people say. Beauty, of course, does not last, however much help it receives from bottles, tubes and even plastic surgeons! But what does last is the fear of LORD - which, of course, is where wisdom begins.

In 1 Peter 3:3, 4 Peter is so bold as to give the women of the churches to which he writes some beauty tips. What does he recommend? Not outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. By the way he's not banning elaborate hairstyles or gold jewellery or fine clothes he's just saying don't rely on these to look beautiful. Instead he says your beauty should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

How are you seeking to make yourself beautiful?

3. She is the source of many great works for which she should be praised (31)

31 Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. As with the neighbouring book of Ecclesiastes, Proverbs ends with a reference to the judgement. Here we are at the city gate, the place where Wisdom's voice is first heard in this book (1:21) and the place of judgement. And who is before the court, or perhaps better, whose name is on everyone's lips? The name of this woman. And so it will be on the final day of judgement itself. The name on everyone's lips then will be the name of Christ, God's wisdom, for then it will be realised that every good work ever done has been done through him.

Will your good deeds be on display on that day? It is only possible to have any truly good deeds through the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s wisdom. Therefore, look always and only to him. That is the message of these verses and of the whole Book of Proverbs and hopefully of this message too.

This paper was given at an EMW Conference for minister's wives in Bala

Encouragement from Ecclesiastes Part 2

 ... We can say five things

1. Consider this leading principle for life and three balancing considerations

1 Consider this leading principle – the principle of action. Overarching principles can be very helpful. This is what Solomon gives us here – a general rule for life and for the Christian ministry in particular. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. It doesn’t tell us everything, of course, but when it comes to practical every day living then

• If a thing isn’t worth doing thoroughly it isn’t worth doing at all. The devil tempts you to, say, commit adultery or to steal. What is his aim? He wants to take you as far in that sin as possible. But we are compromisers. We don’t want to go as far as the devil wants we just want to think about these things. Forget thinking about adultery, about stealing. Put them behind you.
• Whatever you do, do you do it with all the zeal and enthusiasm you can muster? Really pray, really study the Bible, really live it out. That’s how the commandments speak – not love God a little bit but with all your heart, etc. No pussyfooting, no half measures. Nothing lackadaisical. Throw yourself into it. Be thorough.
• Now is the time. Very soon we’ll be in the grave. There’s no planning, etc, there. Cf 6:9ff. We don’t know how long we will live but it won’t be long. Life goes by so quickly. When we’re young we have all sorts of ambitions but by my age you realise you are, more or less, what you are. Cf John 9:4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no-one can work.

Is this principle part of your thinking? How you approach ministry? When you wake up? Through the day?

2 Consider these three balancing considerations to keep in mind.

Now if this principle is going to be of any use to us we need to balance it with other considerations.

• God’s sometimes surprising providence. Verse 11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. It is tempting to think that the person who does things with all his might is going to be the most successful. However, things are not quite so simple. My father was a great fan of horse racing and I remember him taking me to Chepstow racecourse once or twice and him teaching me how betting works with its system of odds long or short. It seemed to me at first that you should always bet on the favourite. But, as my father would point out, ‘Sometimes the favourite doesn’t win’. You know the story of the hare and the tortoise.  Think of boxing matches or of battles in history. Significant changes in history have come when there have been surprise turn arounds. Life is full of turnabouts. It is one of the things that makes it so unpredictable and interesting. They say that Vincent Van Gogh never sold a painting while he lived. Yet his paintings now sell for millions. The Jamaican bobsleigh team in the 1992 Olympics beat USA, Italy, France and Russia in the four man bob and were ahead of Sweden in the two man event. In 2000 they took gold at the World Push Championships in Monte Carlo. Sometimes the least likely people rise to power – Abraham Lincoln born in a log cabin for example. Time and chance happen to them all – this is not a denial of providence but an assertion of it. There are various ways of understanding this phrase but God is in control of all. In 2006 England lost to Northern Ireland (ranked 116th in the world) after 78 years of winning. If we knew that 10 in every hundred we spoke to were converted, wonderful but there is no simple formula – such as, pray for an hour a day and revival will come, etc. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul says I planted the seed, etc …. But God made it grow. Parents say ‘Work hard at school and you will do well’ – but it is not always true. There is plenty of variety. It is a great mystery that we live with.
• Our general ignorance. 12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them. We don’t know when we will die. Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22 1859 and died July 7 1930 – I was born exactly a hundred years later but whether I will die exactly one hundred years later I do not know. I can’t know - not yet. Think of fish caught in a net or a bird in a snare. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans last year very unexpectedly. There are always disasters - hurricanes, floods, terrorism. Everything can change in a moment. The man driving the 31 bus in London last summer couldn’t have known what would happen. Situations can change very quickly. We have to say ‘If it is God’s will …’.
• The public’s scorn and amnesia. We don’t tend to think of this. Solomon starts on what we expect to be a story of heroism but that’s not what it is about as we see. 13-15 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. You think to yourself – I wish I’d been that man. No, says Solomon, it wasn’t like that at all. But nobody remembered that poor man. After they’d got over the shock, he was forgotten. A few years passed and people couldn’t even remember his name. I read an article on Northumbrian Cuthbert Collingwood the man who fired the first shot at Trafalgar and took over command after Nelson’s death. He is forgotten. Andrew Griffin wrote ‘The history books tend to give all the glory to Nelson. In fact they were equal partners.’16 So I said, Wisdom is better than strength. But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded. Wisdom is a truly great thing no question – it teaches you what to do - but it doesn’t solve every problem. It is no good thinking that if we were wise all our problems would be over. We are in God’s hands and we must look to him. People’s memories are very short – politicians bank on this. People forget. Otherwise we would all be increasingly wise but sadly things are forgotten and wisdom is scorned and despised. ‘Nobody likes a smart Alec’.

2. Further principles to keep in mind

• A Proportion principle. Keep in mind foolishness’s disproportionate influence. 9:17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. All around us the world is shouting at us – media, advertising, etc. It’s loud and brash. We hear a noise – we are drawn. What’s going on? It’s very easy to be drawn after foolishness. But, Solomon says, don’t listen to the noisy man raging at the front but to the quiet man at the back speaking words of wisdom. See 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war. It’s not a matter of these things. But one sinner destroys much good. He uses a proverb to illustrate (10:1) As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honour. You buy Chanel No 5 for your wife and it is a great hit. She loves the smell. Then it starts to lose its attraction and stinks. You look and you see that a fly has got in and is putrefying.

The point is not so much that one foolish act can spoil a life of wisdom but rather that one fool or just a few can undo all the good that wise men have brought about. Make no mistake – at all levels there is a struggle going on between the wise and the foolish. Verse 2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. The right stands for strength. There’s strength in wisdom but the heart of the fool is all in the wrong place. What a mess it makes. Verse 3 Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is. You only have to look at a fool – but so often we don’t and we don’t see. So fools can be very influential indeed. No matter how many wise you have one fool can make a terrible mess – in a company, a government, a family, a church. What a disproportionate impact a fool can have. In a nation. It is clear from Scripture that it is wrong. Only a tiny number are actually homosexual and yet what a disproportionate influence they have. or think of how movements like Saddleback or Toronto can so influence the churches. 

• A Patience principle. Keep in mind wisdom’s power to strengthen. Solomon goes on with an example of wisdom in action. Verse 4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you, you’re in trouble with someone further up the chain do not leave your post; calmness can lay great errors to rest. Again we are being called to heavenly wisdom. Wisdom demands diligence, demands that we are faithful, that we press on. We mustn’t panic. Paul says to Timothy Keep your head in every situation. Here calmness can lay great errors to rest. If we panic every time the truth is under attack we’re not going to make much progress. Think of all the things that have been thrown at the gospel – Modernism, Marxism, Freudianism, WCC ecumenism. They have come and they have gone. Cf Marxism, psychiatry. It is so easy to panic – some did. They ran around like headless chickens. We need to stay calm. When people attack - stay calm. However, at the other extreme, we mustn’t become complacent. Charles Hodge was famous for the boast that nothing new was ever taught at Princeton Seminary – that can have a good meaning or a bad one. How many Carey Conference Ministers to change a light bulb? Change?

• A Perversity principle. Then in verses 5-7 we read There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. Let’s be patient and faithful but realise that patience and faithfulness isn’t going to solve all our problems. We must be realistic – patience and faithfulness doesn’t guarantee success in this world. Cf 1 Cor 7:16 and Paul’s comment How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, …. How realistic Paul is. All sorts of anomalies will exist. When Jesus came – think of those in leadership then. Or think of the way the media turn to the Archbishop of Canterbury for religious comment, etc. A sense of reality is so important. Be soberly faithful and cry out to God. We feel so powerless and frustrated sometimes. We want a revolution. But we must stay calm.

• Proportion principle. Keep in mind the need for a balanced approach. In verses 8, 9 we have a series of activities where a danger is involved. Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them. The wise person doesn’t say I’m never going to dig a pit, etc, because it is too dangerous. Rather he recognises that there is danger in these activities and so he takes care. An example would be spending time with unbelievers. Somehow we need a balance between telling them and yet not being influenced by them so that we go astray. Or think of local church/wider church; public/private; work/leisure balance. Praying, reading the Bible/Everything else. Bringing up children – not ramming it down their throats. Giving – physical/ spiritual.

• A Preparation principle. Keep in mind the advantage of thorough preparation. Verse 10 If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success. ‘Do it with all your might’ it says so he hacks and hacks. He would be wiser to stop and sharpen the axe. Doing it with all your might involves preparation not just rushing into things. Examples include preparation for ministry or sermon preparation.

• A Procrastination principle. Keep in mind the dangers of procrastination. The other side of it. 11 If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. ‘I’m going to ...’. Think of perpetual students for the ministry, pastoral problems.

3. Common errors to avoid

As Solomon develops this idea of doing everything with all your might he goes on to warn against five particular errors.

• Inaction. Wise words are kind words. Back in Chapter 4 Solomon has a great deal to say about the wise and the foolish. In 12a he says Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious. As one writer says we never go very far reading about wisdom before the subject of how we use our tongues comes up. If you are wise you will take care how you speak. What you say will be gracious, pleasant and kind. There is something attractive about wise speech. By commending action, doing things with all your might, Solomon is not speaking against words altogether. Endeavour always to speak graciously. However, some people are all talk. The full verse is Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious but a fool is consumed by his own lips. There is such a thing as favourable speech but there is also harmful speech and the fool is one who is all talk and no action. 13, 14 At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness – and the fool multiplies words.
• There is something destructive about the fool’s words a fool is consumed by his own lips. Unlike the wise man the fool speaks not in a way that builds up and edifies but one that tears down and consumes. You remember how James calls the tongue a fire. That fire destroys people’s reputations and in the end burns up the fool himself. Think of the way a fool will lie and lie and in the end he says something that incriminates him and he is found out.
• There is something unreasonable about the fool’s words. At the beginning his words are folly. If you listen to what a fool says you will see how unreasonable and stupid he is. It can sound pretty impressive if you don’t know any better but it’s not.
• There is something wild about the fool’s words at the end they are wicked madness and the fool multiplies words. The fool doesn’t know when to stop. On and on and on he goes causing more and more problems. He makes great boasts but he never does anything. Oh what dangers there are in letting our tongues run away with us. Words can be a great blessing to others but we must act not merely talk. Are you all talk and no action? Let me quote Spurgeon

‘Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stop, and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

Surely it is an intolerable disgrace to anyone to profess to be a Christian, and have no concern about the souls of others, while they are perishing by millions.

Etiquette nowadays often demands of a Christian that he should not ‘intrude’ his religion on company. Out with such etiquette! It is the etiquette of hell! True courtesy to my fellow’s soul makes me speak to him, if I believe that his soul is in danger.

Brethren, DO something, DO something, DO something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov’s idea of war is mine: ‘Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the centre of the enemy!’ Our one aim is to win souls; and this we are not to talk about, but do in the power of God!

We must school and train ourselves to deal personally with the unconverted. We must not excuse ourselves, but force ourselves to the irksome task until it becomes easy.

• Ignoring your ignorance. It is difficult to be sure how what comes next should be taken. The note is again sounded, however, that we are ignorant. No-one knows what is coming - who can tell him what will happen after him? Even a wise person has to admit his ignorance. Indeed, it is part of wisdom to do so. Nevertheless, just because we do not know certain things that is no excuse for simply sitting down and doing nothing or not trying to do something. Rather we need to get ourselves organised.
• Indolence and incompetence 15 A fool’s work wearies him; he does not know the way to town. There are some people who have a distaste for all hard work. Sometimes it is because they are very intelligent and because some things come easy to them they want everything to be like that. For whatever reason we have a disinclination towards hard work we need to turn from it. We need to be ready to work hard and serve the Lord in whatever way he requires. Some are simply incompetent. They do not know the way to town as it were. It is well signposted but they get lost anyway. Again there are some who find the simplest things difficult. Their mind is really not on the job in hand. Such a person needs to buy a map or to walk out the route for himself until he does know it. There can be no excuses. Is your incompetence letting you down? Get it sorted out.
• Immaturity and indulgence 16, 17 Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time - for strength and not for drunkenness. Here we see a situation where a country is going to rack and ruin. Why? In one case it is because the person on the throne has not been trained up for the task. He lacks maturity. Sometimes this can be the problem with someone who is unwilling to work hard. Certain jobs are for those who are up to it. If we try and press ourselves into something beyond our capabilities then it will not work. Parkinson’s Law speaks of everyone rising to their own level of incompetence. Better that we work hard and successfully at some task that we can handle than that we take on something and then make a mess of it. Others are simply indulgent. Instead of hard work they throw themselves into every indulgence. It’s a constant round of parties and festivities. This is not how it should be. Is that what is letting you down? Is that why you are not more competent in the Lord’s service?
• Idleness. 18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. ILL Here is a house with sagging rafters and a leaky roof. Why? Because the owner is too lazy to do anything about fixing it. Here is a small church with little activity. Why? Are the people simply lazy? How many problems, how many things are not done just because people are too lazy.

4. Important approaches to cultivate

Further cautions come in verses 19, 20. Again there is some dispute over their meaning.

• Cultivate a practical approach. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. It sounds a strange verse to be in the Bible. Some are convinced it must be the sentiment of an unbeliever or spoken with heavy sarcasm. It is much more likely that this is simply Solomon getting us to face up to reality once again. You can imagine some people getting hold of verses like this Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle and really pushing for the most active and vigorous sort of Christian program imaginable. Great plans could be hatched for leafleting the whole of London, etc. When people come back to you and say ‘Yes, but who’s going to pay for all this?’ you dismiss them as unspiritual and lacking in vision. But no, says Solomon, we must be practical about things. He gives two examples and then his third over-arching point.
• A feast is made for laughter. That is the point of a feast. It is to be enjoyed.
• Similarly wine makes life merry. That is a fact of life, as it were.
• But money is the answer for everything. Without money there will be no feast and no wine either. Some people would describe such an attitude as unspiritual but Solomon would not agree. We need to be practical about things. Be diligent but be practical. I recall my own attitude as a youngster – what shall we do with the harvest offering? ‘give it all to missionaries’. That’s one of the great things about William Carey. Yes, a real dreamer with his ideas for bringing the gospel to India but very practical too. Being zealous for God is not a matter of being impractical.
• Cultivate a respectful approach. 20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. Here is a warning too against being disrespectful. Again Carey is a model. You know how for very many years he spoke to other ministers about the needs of the heathen and was largely ignored. There is the story of the man who said to him ‘When God decides to save the heathen he will do so without your help or mine’. It is probably not accurate but it sums up the sort of attitudes that did exist. In such a situation it is easy to show disrespect for those who are holding things back. Here we are warned not to say anything even in the privacy of our own rooms against such people. Be full of respect. Again I recall my won lack as a youngster. I wrote a letter to my minister complaining about fellow members. He reminded me it is Christ's church.
• Cultivate an enterprising approach.
• Be enterprising despite your ignorance. 6:1, 2 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. This verse makes you think of throwing bread on a pond for ducks, perhaps. You may think of doling out portions to people around a table. It is much more likely that we are thinking of trading ships here, something Solomon knew all about. Whatever we do we must enter into with an enterprising attitude. A certain amount of risk taking is involved. You knock people’s doors to tell them about Jesus. They may be nasty to you but you will see results eventually it may be. You want to pass on the good news to others. Don’t stick to just one or two. Give to many. Whatever you do, do it with this spirit, a generous open-hearted and hopeful one.
• Do not make providence an excuse for inactivity. 3,4 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. Think first of a gathering storm. You see the rain clouds gather and then down comes the rain. Then think of a very strong wind. It is so strong it brings down a tree. Where that tree lands it lands. Now if you think to yourself ‘I want to plant my seeds where the trees will not fall’ and so you try and figure out which way one might fall in a storm then you will never get around to sowing. Or if at harvest time you keep looking at the clouds and thinking it’s no good harvesting now as it might rain after I’ve started then you may never get the harvest in! God’s providence must not be made an excuse for inactivity, for not doing anything. If you say we can’t try and plant a church here it might not work, it might never be planted. If you say we may not be able to afford to pay a pastor so we can’t go ahead with trying – you may never get one. It’s no good thinking ‘I won’t speak to him/her they might not be converted’.
• Recognise life’s mystery but still be active in doing good. Verse 5 follows on As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Yes, we are in tremendous ignorance as we have said several times. As competent as weather forecasters are they cannot get it exactly right. We cannot be sure which way the wind will be blowing tomorrow. We now have photographs of babies in the womb and we understand better than ever what happens but we don’t understand it. In a similar way we cannot predict the work of the Spirit or who will be born again when or how. And so Solomon exhorts (6) Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. We have no way of knowing the future. We do not, therefore, simply forget about doing anything. Rather we pray and we witness and we work with all our might at sharing the truth and in everything else we do we work with great fervour knowing that we are entirely in God’s hands. 2 Cor 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Encouragement from Ecclesiastes Part 1

Encouragement. We probably all make the mistake of underestimating its importance. When we’re discouraged and downcast we know how bad we feel and how it can affect us detrimentally in all sorts of ways. One of the great purposes of Scripture is to encourage us. It is there to give us heart, to be our help and support and give us confidence in God. I believe this can be demonstrated from every book of the Bible.

In particular. I want to assert that it is especially true of what are often referred to as the wisdom books (Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, etc). This fairly extensive body of writing will in different ways encourage us and build us up and give us confidence in these dark days. In particular, I want to focus today on Ecclesiastes. Now I’m very aware that the title ‘Encouragement from Ecclesiastes’ may be greeted with scepticism by some. That’s one reason why I chose it. Encouraging? Surely it’s quite the opposite! What is encouraging about words like these? See 1:1-3,8,9,11,13,14,18; 2:14-16, 17-23; etc, etc.!!!!

Yes, ‘Encouragement from Ecclesiastes’ does seem a little ambitious on the face of it. However, I want to assure you, if you have any doubts at all, that it is a very encouraging book in fact and one that we can really gain help and support from in all sorts of ways. I think that despite what do seem to be quite gloomy passages the very fact that the Jews traditionally read the book at the Feast of Tabernacles (Shavuot), a very joyful feast, should encourage us to look a little harder at what is here.

Introductory Remarks

Obviously we can’t look at the whole of the book, rather we’ll narrow down to one particular section for our study. But first, let me make some general remarks by way of introduction to the book as a whole.

1. Author

1:1 says The words of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem. (Cf 1:12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.) He has two descriptions then

1. The Teacher. Qoholeth. This title occurs here in the beginning and at the end. It’s also in 7:27. The word really means ‘one who assembles’ (hence Ecclesiastes), a title very much associated with Solomon when he brought the ark into the newly built temple and spoke to the people, praying for them and blessing them at that great assembly. More generally, the assembly (or church) is God’s people and so the Teacher is their leader ‘the assembler of God’s people’. Ultimately this is a title of Christ.

2. Son of David, king of Jerusalem. This title speaks even more clearly of Solomon (and of Messiah), as do several other phrases in the book. Those who argue against the idea suggest the Hebrew is late but others are willing to vouch for Solomon, saying that the apparently late Hebrew is in fact Hebrew influenced by the Phoenician dialect, no surprise for a man who knew Phoenician king Hiram so well!

Clearly the work is by a man of unrivalled wisdom, great wealth, a builder and a compiler and arranger of proverbs. Who could this be but Solomon? I see no reason for rejecting the ancient view that he wrote it near the end of his life following his fall into idolatry. This would clearly suggest that he did come back to the Lord. One modern writer notes that ‘There is in the book an air of repentance and humility’.

So here’s an encouragement already. Here is a book written by a wise man, the wisest ever. More, it is the considered opinion of a man who knows what it is to fall and fail. We can be sure not only of his wisdom but also of his sympathy.

2. Approach

Among the more common approaches to the book are those that take it as a sort of pre-evangelistic tract, a piece of apologetic helping unbelievers see how empty and useless life without God is. I think that back in the sixties a lot of people noticed how the writer sounds a bit like Jean Paul Sartre in places and so assumed that his scepticism should be understood in this way. That, I suggest, was a mistake. Older commentators also often saw it as chiefly a warning to backsliders and the unconverted, which is again rather limiting.

Others see it as a deeply sceptical, even cynical or nihilistic book or one advocating asceticism and abstinence from life’s pleasures. Some feel that the theology is so pessimistic that without the important epilogue it wouldn’t even be in the Bible. It is there chiefly as a foil to the rest of Scripture. This is surely wrong. The book can possibly be taken in this way but it is better to see it firstly, like Job, as a wisdom book that warns against taking the very positive wisdom of Proverbs in a superficial and simplistic way and failing to see how complex and difficult life can be. Here is life in the raw, life as it is. The writer is not looking at life without God in the strict sense but at life as it is even though there is a God – something much more demanding and profound. The book is firstly for God’s people - to help them in their daily toils and struggles. It is not only hard-nosed but uses many words of encouragement, calls on us to fear God and frequently draws attention to the coming judgement.

Having said that, the fact that it does not mention the Law (though there is a call to keep the commandments) or facts from Israel’s history and refers to God without using the covenant name (LORD) argues for a wide audience being in view. Solomon had a large empire and many international contacts. No doubt he had them in mind.

Further, whenever we turn to Scripture we should expect to see Christ there. That’s what the Bible is about. Here, I would suggest to you, because the writer causes us to get real and to see life as it is, we are encouraged to long for a better world, the world to come, the world of the resurrection. That resurrection has begun, of course, with Jesus Christ. If we trust in him – the one who has known all the frustrations and difficulties of life and death in this fallen world and yet has triumphed over them by rising and ascending to the glory – then we too can share in his glory and even now we can understand why life is so often difficult and frustrating. We can get Paul’s perspective, as given in Romans 8:18-23,

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration (Abel), not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies

3. Opening

I say ‘opening text’ as although the book begins with one text, one repeated near the end - 12:8, it actually ends with another - Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (12:13). But it does begin (2) Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. Here we come to another problem with this book – how to translate the Hebrew word meaningless (NIV). It occurs some 36 times altogether and is a key word. We need to get it right then. It is the Hebrew word Abel (cf Adam and Eve’s son) and means something like ‘breath’ or ‘vapour’. Older translations use the word vanity. The NIV has meaningless, GNB useless. The word is used not so much to describe meaninglessness as what is fleeting, ephemeral, elusive. Here is a fallen, cursed world in all its stark reality and yet not missing the beauty and the grandeur and recognising that God is in control. One writer translates the text, very helpfully, Subject to the Fall! Subject to the Fall! says the Teacher. Everything is subject to the Fall. The truth is that the word has a wide semantic range and so a number of words really need to be used to translate it.

Further, when the writer says that everything is meaningless or vain/empty/transitory we mustn’t absolutise that everything. It obviously doesn’t include God or heaven or a whole lot of other things. He clearly has in mind only what is fallen. He is echoing the curse of Genesis 3 where mankind is told how God will

greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. … and … through painful toil you will eat of the ground all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you,… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

We are loathe to do it sometimes but we must confront this brute fact – the essential fallenness of this world, its emptiness and vanity. Remember James words to those over-confident businessmen bragging abut how they are going to do this and that next year? Why, he says you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14). The Bible reminds us of this fact in many places. Eg Isa 40:6-8

A voice says, Cry out. And I said, What shall I cry? All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

4. Overview

The whole book can probably be divided into some four parts. The first three main sections are – 1:12-2:26;3:1-5:20 and 6:1-8:15. To summarise

1. True contentment is found in God alone. It is not found in man but in God and so we must look to him for wisdom, knowledge and happiness, refusing to go on any longer in our sins.

2. God wants us to live in a way that is good and proper. It is a satisfying way. Indeed to know how to enjoy life and to be content is a gift of God. Such people are so taken up with God that they have no time to worry about death or such things.

3. Prosperity is not always a good thing nor is adversity necessarily a bad thing. Rather we must avoid running to unwise extremes, thinking too highly of human power or giving up seeking wisdom because it is so difficult. We should recognise the importance of obedience to the powers that be and the good it does while recognising their undoubted weakness. We should also consider both the judgement of God and the unfairness of life now. He concludes (15) So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.

4. The final section is found in 8:16 to the end.

One feature of these different sections is that they basically say the same thing. Repetition is another feature of scripture that we ought to recognise as fundamental. And so in the final section (where we will be focusing today) Solomon doesn’t really open up new arguments but confirms and enlarges upon what has gone before. Here he comes to the practical exhortations.

Ecclesiastes 9:10-11:6

What I want us to do today is to focus on 9:10-11:6. In 8:16-9:9 three points are made

1. Recognise that life is full of mystery

2. Recognise, however, that we do know two things

We know that we will all soon die

We know that it is good to be alive.

3. Therefore aim to enjoy life despite its emptiness and toil

Chapter 9 verse 10-Chapter 1 verse :6 covers many different points and it may be difficult to see quite what ties the verses together. However, you notice that the section begins (9:10) with the words Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Now if you go down to 11:6 you see that it says Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. The words are not identical but the command is pretty much the same. The reason given is in both cases our ignorance. You may also notice that there are other correspondences. Eg 9:12/11:5 (ignorance) – 9:11/11:3,4 (providence). I haven’t been able to work it out completely but the pivot is probably between 10:15 and 16. We begin with Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might and end with Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle.

...

This paper was given at the Carey Conference

The King James Version - history and current use

As you are well aware this year (2011) is the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of the Bible known as The Authorised or King James version. The event has been marked not only by Christians but also by others who have an interest in the history of the English language and of English speaking peoples, as all are agreed that the impact of this particular version of the Bible in those areas is very great indeed. And so there have been several programmes on the BBC (on Radio 4 and BBC 2 and 4), several special editions of the AV and a plethora of books from various authors including Lord Melvyn Bragg, David Crystal and others. What I want to do today is simply to remind ourselves of the genesis of this particular Bible version, say a little bit about its subsequent history, look at where it stands today in the minds of various people and finish with ten possible myths.

At the outset I ought to say something about myself briefly so that you know where I am coming from. When I became a Christian in 1972 there was pretty much only one Bible. It was almost always black and it was the AV. However, I was aware of other translations. At Sunday School sometimes we would read in a circle and somebody would have a different translation. At home we had a green Bible – the New World Translation of the Watchtower Society! I soon learned what to think of that. When I began at Secondary School we were all given purple Bibles – the RSV. I was also warned off that. In other circles everyone seemed to have a Living Bible or a Good News Bible, but I was warned that these were paraphrases. Elementary studies in Koine Greek made me aware that the AV was not perfect but I was assured by my minister that it was the one to hold on to, and that is what I did until I was about 20 and I bought my first NIV, as a supplementary Bible. I found it so much easier to understand that I never went back to the AV. I think I am reasonably sympathetic to those who would see that move as regrettable but maybe I am not as sympathetic as I think I am!

Before the AV

When coming to a study of the history of the KJV it is important to remember that it did not fall from the sky ready formed but was the result in part of at least two centuries of previous work on translating the Bible into English. The important predecessors are perhaps known to you. There are six or seven of them.

• Tyndale's New Testament, 1526. First and most important is the New Testament of the father of the English Bible William Tyndale (1494-1536).
• Coverdale's Bible, 1535. Tyndale did not complete his work on the Old Testament. However, in 1535 a complete English Bible was published by Miles Coverdale (1488-1569) who translated using Latin and German sources only. Coverdale's Psalm versions have survived in the Prayer Book and rival the popularity of those found in the KJV.
• The Matthew Bible, 1537. Shortly after Coverdale came the Matthew Bible (Thomas Matthew was a pseudonym for its assembler John Rogers, born around 1500 and martyred in 1555). This Bible was mostly Tyndale's (anonymous) work, supplemented where necessary by Coverdale's (ie Ezra-Malachi and the Apocrypha).
• The Great (Whitchurch) Bible, 1539 . Printing began in Paris but was completed in London, the first Bible to be published in England. Coverdale supervised the work. It is chiefly a revision of the Matthew Bible in light of Munster's Hebrew Testament and the fifth edition of Erasmus's New Testament (both 1535). Coverdale retained his own version of the Psalms.
• The Geneva (Breeches) Bible, 1560 (NT 1557). Following Mary's accession (1553) many Protestants fled the country, some to Calvin's Geneva, where the English were pastored by William Whittingham (1524-1557). There he translated the New Testament (leaning on the Great Bible and Tyndale). A complete Bible appeared in 1560. The Old Testament was a collaboration between Whittingham, Knox, Coverdale and two others. The first Bible to include verse numbers, unlike previous Bibles, it was intended chiefly for private study. For this reason it contained maps, tables and marginal notes or comments, some of which offended King James and others. (In 1579 a “King James version” appeared in Scotland but James was only 13 at the time so had little say in the matter no doubt). This is why the KJV had none until the appearance centuries later of the first Scofield Bible (1909). Early on the two Bibles were sometimes distinguished as with notes (Geneva) and without (AV). Someone did produce a version of the AV with Geneva notes in 1672. Very popular, there were 70 editions of the Geneva Bible by 1644. Over the years two versions of the text and notes of Revelation grew up. The Puritan Bible, its cheapness and size drew many other readers. In 1616 printing it in England was outlawed and that, along with the increasing saleability of the AV, contributed to its demise.
• The Bishops Bible, 1568. The Bishops did not like the anti-episcopal notes in Geneva and they soon produced a revision of the Great Bible to rival it. Known for its dignity rather than its clarity, 20 editions appeared by 1602.
• Douai-Rheims, 1610 (NT 1582). This Roman Catholic translation from Latin may not seem worth mentioning but the New Testament is said to have had an influence on the KJV translators who needed to take note of it.

By 1611 three of these versions were still in print – Geneva for the Puritans, the unadorned Bishops Bible for Anglicans and the Doaui-Rheims for Romanists.

How the AV was proposed

The story of the commissioning of the Authorised Version, as it is often called, is fairly well known. The tension that existed between the various parties under Elizabeth I came to a head with the arrival of a new monarch following Elizabeth's death in 1603. Scotland's James I was an unknown quantity in England and the Puritans, like others, were hopeful that he would prove sympathetic to their cause. As soon as he came into England they handed him their millennary petition, seeking his favour. This lead to the setting up of the famous conference in Hampton Court Palace, January 14-18 1604. Participants were chiefly bishops and deans of the established church but four moderate Puritans were also invited – John Rainolds (1549-1607, President of Corpus Christi, Oxford), Laurence Chaderton (c1536-1640, Master of the very Puritan Emmanuel, Cambridge), John Knewstub (144-1524, a Suffolk rector and Cambridge fellow) and Thomas Sparke (1548-1616, a Lincolnshire minister). One modern writer speaks of them as being a second division team chosen by James to face his league champions!

The conference was not really intended to discuss Bible translations but on the second day of discussion Rainolds (according to Barlow's official account) “moved his majesty that there might be a new translation of the Bible, because those which were allowed in the reign of king Henry the Eighth and Edward the Sixth were corrupt and not answerable to the truth of the original.” This was a widely accepted view. Back in Elizabeth's reign Hugh Broughton (1549-1612), who had publicly tangled with Rainolds and later a fierce critic of the AV, had petitioned the Queen about a new translation. It may have been that Rainolds was hoping that the Geneva Bible would be authorised. What happened, it seems, is that James seized on the suggestion and urged his bishops to it. David Norton points out that at a General Assembly of the Church of Scotland two years before James, who had a thorough knowledge of the Bible and was conversant with the ancient tongues, had urged a new translation and a new psalter and had even set about producing his own metrical psalms. James no doubt liked the idea of a new Bible that could supplant the Geneva and be connected with his own name, as it still is. The idea of a Bible to unite the warring factions was also attractive. It is his promotion of the idea that lead to his being referred to, in the dedication to the translation, using almost divine terms, as “the principal mover and author of the work”.

How the AV was planned

Previous translations had mostly been done by individuals but this one was to be done by a group of about fifty men. Originally 54 were commissioned but most lists include only 47. Probably the figure 54 includes revisers brought in at a later stage. Several died before the project was completed (Lively, Hutchinson, Dakins, Rainolds, Ravis, Aglionby). These were not replaced, it seems.

There is some lack of clarity over this. For example, lists of translators for the first Oxford company (Isa-Mal) always have the same seven names (Harding, Rainolds, Holland, Kilby, Smith, Brett, Fairclough). However, in a petition signed in 1606 by 14 bishops, two known translators, William Thorne, Regius Professor of Hebrew at Oxford, is said to be “now likewise very necessarily employed in the translation of that part of the Old Testament which is remitted to that university.” he was probably one of the seven overseers appointed for further revision.

The teams worked chiefly in six committees or companies of about 7-10 - two in Westminster (Gen-2 Kings/NT Epistles), two in Cambridge (1 Chron-Canticles/Apocrypha) and two in Oxford (Isa-Malachi/Gospels, Acts, Revelation). These men are sometimes written of as great and holy men, which many of them were. In 1858 Alexander McClure wrote that “the translators enjoyed the highest degree of that special guidance which is ever granted to God's true servants in exigencies of deep concernment to his kingdom”. It is important to remember that they were chosen, however, chiefly for their scholarly ability not for their piety as such. The translators were not paid but all had positions in the church that paid them well enough.

With his advisers James drew up a list of guidelines for them.

1. The Bishops Bible to be followed where possible. Hence in the preface they say that their intention was “not to make a new translation ... but to make a good one better”. This was often done but by no means always.

14. Other translations to be used - Tyndale, Matthew, Coverdale, Great, Geneva. You may notice that nothing was said about what text to translate from. English style rarely seems to have been a chief concern. Accuracy was the thing.

2. Proper names to retain their English style. This was often not done and there is no consistency.

3. “Old Ecclesiastical Words to be kept, viz the Word Church not to be translated Congregation &c”

4. Where a word can be translated more than one way, the word “most commonly used by the most of the Ancient Fathers” to be used.

5. No changes in chapter divisions if possible.

6. No marginal notes except for alternative readings. There were eventually 6,637 of these.

7. Where Scripture refers to other parts of Scripture a reference to be given in the margin.

8. Individuals to translate their allotted portion first then finalise it with others in their company.

9. The other companies then to weigh up what each company produced.

10. A final select arbitrating company also envisaged.

11. Help to be sought wherever it could be found on difficult passages.

12. All bishops and other scholars to be encouraged to contribute.

13. Directors of each Company to be the Deans of Westminster and Chester and the King's Professors in Hebrew or Greek in either University.

15. (Added later) Besides the stated Directors, three or four “of the most Ancient and Grave Divines, in either of the Universities, not employed in Translating” to be assigned to be “Overseers of the Translations”. Four of these names are known. A further committee of two (Miles Smith 1554-1624, who wrote the preface, and Thomas Bilson 1547-1616, who may have written the sycophantic dedication) also acted as revisers, with Richard Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury (1544-1610) having the final say.

It was also intended from the beginning that words necessary only to make sense of the passage but not in the text should be put in a different typeface, as they still are). Arguments were to be placed before each book and headings to each chapter. A map was also to be included.

Robert Barker (d 1645), the royal printer, supplied the translators with 40 unbound copies of the 1602 Bishops Bible, which could be annotated. The Bodleian library has a collection of these sheets, which have subsequently been bound together, that process frustratingly hiding some of the notes made.

There is evidence, then, that, as the translators declare in the preface, they worked very thoroughly. It “hath cost the workmen, as light as it seemeth, the pains of twice seven times seventy two days and more” they say “... neither did we disdain to revise that which we had done, and to bring back

to the anvil that which we had hammered ...”.

How the AV was produced

It has been suggested that King James lost interest in the project as the years went by but it is more likely that he was occupied with other matters. When it finally did appear some years later, in 1611, there was something of a rush to get it out it and there seems to have been little fanfare.

Barker bore the cost of the printing (and subsequently suffered for it, dying in debtors prison). In 1611 he produced two folio editions of the Bible. These two were famously known as the “He” and “She” Bibles. This refers to Ruth 3:15 where the Hebrew has He though the context demands She (as in the Bishops Bible and subsequent KJVs). Also in Lev 1:6 the He Bible has “flay the burnt offering” and the She Bible “slay the burnt offering”. There also seems to have been some problem with the marginalia. Otherwise printing errors seem to have been quite low - around the 350 mark.

These early Bibles were in old fashioned black letter with the headers, chapter summaries and supplied words in Roman type. Initially they were unbound; binding was a separate task. There were 74 introductory pages, consisting of

• A title page

• A dedicatory epistle to King James

• A preface from the translators

• A Calendar

• An Almanac

• A table for the calculation of Easter

• A table and calendar setting out the order of psalms and lessons to be said at morning and evening prayers throughout the year

• A list of books of the Testaments and the Apocrypha

• The Royal coat of arms and a Latin statement that the book was printed ‘by authority of the King’

• Genealogies

• A table of the place names in Canaan

• A map of Canaan

How the AV was perceived in the earliest years

The book that was eventually produced was, and was intended to be staid, even majestic in style. When Luther had translated the Bible long before he had wanted it to read as though “it had been written only yesterday” but things had now moved on and something more respectable and safe was sought, even to the point of using language that, even at the time, seemed slightly archaic. One wit called it the first effort at “mock tudor”.They wanted something that was not only clear but that sounded good on the ear. It was also intended to be a unifier, which, perhaps surprisingly, it turned out to be.

The early comments of Hugh Broughton, not chosen as a translator, are fairly well known. “The late Bible” he says “was sent to me to censure: which bred in me a sadness that will grieve me while I breathe, it is so ill done. Tell His Majesty that I had rather be rent in pieces with wild horses than any such translation by my consent should be urged upon poor churches - The new edition crosseth me. I require it to be burnt.” No doubt a certain amount of sour grapes entered in here. Hebrew scholar John Selden (1584-1654) was approving but pointed out that “the Bible is translated into English words rather than English phrases. The Hebraisms are kept and the phrase of that language is kept. As for example, “he uncovered her shame,” which is well enough so long as scholars have to do with it, but when it comes among the common people, Lord what gear they make of it.”

Some Puritans also questioned the lack of precision and no doubt people noticed things like the famous use of the word charity in 1 Corinthians 13 and the translation in Romans 14 “Him that is weak in faith receive but not to doubtful disputations” (Tyndale has “not in disputing and troubling his conscience”).

Criticism would have come as no surprise to the translators who say in their preface “whosoever attempteth anything for the public (especially if it pertain to Religion, and to the opening and clearing of the word of God) the same setteth himself upon a stage to be gloated upon by every evil eye, yea, he casteth himself headlong upon pikes, to be gored by every sharp tongue. For he that meddleth with men’s Religion in any part, meddleth with their custom, nay, with their freehold; and though they find no content in that which they have, yet they cannot abide to hear of altering.”

Though there were few major objections there was no great rush to adopt the AV either. The Geneva remained the most popular version for a generation to come.

How the AV was perceived from the 1620s to the 1880s

The AV really became popular only after those early years had passed. Even Milton in his Paradise Lost of 1667 and Bunyan in his Pilgrim's Progress of 1678 were still using the Geneva version alongside the AV. As early as 1645 John Lightfoot (1602-1675) was calling for a revision and, according to David Norton, twice in the 1650s (1652 or 53 and 1657) official attempts (one under the Baptist Henry Jessey) were made to bring about revision, but these came to nothing.

It took some time for all the churches in the land to replace their lectern Bibles with the AV and the Geneva Bible continued to be popular even after it was banned by Archbishop Laud in the 1630s. However, by the time of the civil wars in the 1640s the AV was beginning to become the standard Bible for more and more people, whichever side of the divide they were on.

From as a early as 1656 it began to be used as an educational tool a well as an aid to devotion and that has had a big impact. For generations the first book people read was the AV. The literatti were not convinced at first but eventually came to appreciate its merits so that it came to be known as “the noblest monument of English prose”.

The text of the AV itself was not completely settled, as is well known, until 1769. David Norton has interestingly stated (110) that there is no clear evidence that the final manuscript of the AV “was used from after the first edition was printed: it may have been referred to but subsequent editions were made, with an increasing degree of randomness, from earlier editions, not from the manuscript.”

There were four major revisions of the text – in 1629 by Samuel Ward and John Bois; in 1638 by the Cambridge University Press; in 1762 by Dr Thomas Paris of Trinity College, Cambridge and in 1769 by Dr Benjamin Blayney.

It is said that some 24,000 changes were made altogether down the years but this would include the Apocrypha and changes in the marginal notes too. Although most of these were to do with updating spellings, correcting printing errors, replacing obsolete words and such like there is evidence to say that some changes were a little more significant than that. F H A Scrivener’s volume, The Authorized Edition of the English Bible (1611): Its Subsequent Reprints and Modern Representatives documents hundreds of textual revisions of the original 1611 version. In an appendix he reveals that a number of the revisions were corrections of translation errors. Even D A Waite admits “136 substantial changes that were different words ... 136 changes of substance”

The AV eventually became so popular that although people were aware of deficiencies in it (there were some 30 alternative translations of the Bible or the New Testament by 1800, including Wesley's revision “for plain, unlettered men who understand only their Mother tongue”) nothing could dislodge it from its supreme position in America and throughout the British Empire.

Its growing popularity in the 19^th Century can be gauged from the quotations that are often cited of the approval of Thomas Macaulay (1800-1859), John Ruskin (1819-1900), Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) and even Darwin's Bulldog Thomas Huxley (1825-1859). It should be noted that when these quotations are produced the writers are really talking about the Bible rather than the AV as such, although there is no doubt that it is this version that they are familiar with. I think a better literary commendation of the AV is that of William Blake (1757-1827) who when he began learning Hebrew said “astonishing indeed is the English translation, it is almost word for word” and nothing short of inspired!

In 1881 the Revised Version appeared. It had been mooted back in 1870 by Samuel Wilberforce (1805-1873) and was executed on similar lines to the KJV. American scholars were originally involved and in 1898 they produced the American Revised Version. The RV was “to introduce as few alterations as possible into the text of the Authorised Version consistently with faithfulness”. A modern writer suggests that while the RV may have been more accurate, it “lacked the rhythm of the original” and is “the literary equivalent of a pseudo-Gothic cathedral”. Never popular, it was not able to dislodge the AV from its pre-eminence. Something similar could be said for the RSV (1952).

How the AV is perceived today

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries there were scores and scores of translations, some of which have become very popular. Some can be quite passionate about their own preferred version. Meanwhile, the AV continues to be read by large numbers of people, especially in the USA. In his book The King James Only Controversy James White helpfully suggests that we can divide what has been called by some the King James Only movement into some five main types.

KJV First

First, there are those who simply say they prefer the KJV. This group does not necessarily believe that the KJV is the only acceptable version. They simply prefer the KJV over other translations because their church uses it, because they have always used it or because they simply like its style.

Some perhaps would want to go further and say that overall the AV is the best. Joel Beeke is one who advocates its use for practical reasons. He gives 13 practical arguments. Let me pick out some of them.

1. It is the standard text of the English Bible. Choose the known over against the unknown, he says. The AV is uniquely well established in the market-place and the literature of Christian scholarship. It will continue to be produced in many editions for years to come.

3. It uses a more faithful translation method, that is verbal equivalence (‘word for word’) rather than dynamic equivalence (‘meaning for meaning’) as in the NIV.

4. It is a more honest translation. Italics identify every word or phrase not in the original.

5. It uses the more precise Thee and Thou.

6. It is the best liturgical text. It excels as a version to be used in public worship.

7. It is in the best format for preaching – laid out in verses rather than paragraphs

8. It is the most beautiful translation

9. It is an ecumenical text for Reformed Christians. No other version has been used so widely among evangelical Christians

10. It is a practical choice. It is available in many editions; with a full range of helps and reference materials, not to mention computer software.

11. It ‘sounds’ like the Bible. The translators sought a reverend hearing, and to suggest the timeless and eternal character of God’s Word. It is timeless and other worldly.

Textual Argument

Like Beeke many argue from a textual point of view. They argue that the AV's textual base is the most accurate. These conclude that the KJV is based on better manuscripts. Such people would accept a modern version based on the same manuscripts as the KJV. White claims Zane C Hodges is a good example of this group. However, Hodges would consider that the Majority Text "corrects" the Received Text as seen eg, in the Majority Text textual apparatus of the NKJV. The TBS would probably fit here. It says that it “does not believe the Authorised Version to be a perfect translation, only that it is the best available translation in the English language”, and that it “believes this text is superior to the texts used by the United Bible Societies and other Bible publishers, which texts have as their basis a relatively few seriously defective manuscripts from the 4th century and which have been compiled using 20th century rationalistic principles of scholarship.”

Received Text only

This is the view that sees the traditional Hebrew and Greek texts as being supernaturally preserved. Again although the AV is believed to be a translation exemplar, it is believed that other translations based on these texts have the potential to be equally good. Donald Waite would fall into this category.

Inspired

These people believe that the AV itself was divinely inspired. They see the translation to be preserved by God and as accurate as the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts found in its underlying texts. Sometimes this group will even exclude other language versions based on the same manuscripts, claiming the KJV to be the only Bible.

New Revelation

These people would go even further and say that the AV is a “new revelation” or an “advanced revelation” from God. It can and should be the standard from which all other translations originate. Adherents to this belief may also believe that the original-language Hebrew and Greek can be corrected by the KJV. This view is often called “Ruckmanism” after Peter Ruckman, a staunch advocate of this view. These latter two views have also been referred to as “double inspiration”.

These types are not all mutually exclusive, nor is this a comprehensive summary of those who prefer the KJV. Douglas Wilson, for example, argues that the AV is superior because of its manuscript tradition, its translational philosophy (with updates to the language being regularly necessary), and its ecclesiastical authority, having been created by the church and authorised for use in the church. The logistics of the KJV's wide availability and public domain status also come into play, on top of or apart from any theological preference.

In the light of these differences, it is important that those who support the AV distinguish themselves from those apparent friends who are really no friends at all. It is equally important that those who are not AV advocates carefully distinguish among the pro-AV advocates.

Memorable

One matter often debated is whether the AV is easier to memorise than other versions. Many of us have an inkling that it is. There is a good argument to say it is as set out in this paragraph from Gordon Campbell's book (80)

“The balance between the public reading and private study of the Bible has shifted over the centuries with the rise in literacy. In the 17^th Century the Bible was more often heard than read, and it is clear that the translators had the practice of reading aloud (in homes as well as churches) in mind. Part of the evidence for this is punctuation, which tends to be rhetorical rather than grammatical, but the clearest manifestation of the emphasis on the need to provide a text that can be read aloud is the rhythms of the KJV. The text is prose, but it often has the pulse of poetry. Adam, blaming Eve for the fall, says ‘She gave me of the tree, and I did eat’ (Genesis 3:12), a perfect iambic pentameter line (and one that Milton incorporated intact into Paradise Lost); in the next verse God says to Eve ‘what is this that thou hast done?’ (Genesis 3:13), a perfect iambic tetrameter line. The seventeen words I have quoted are all monosyllables cast into prose but the regular rhythm makes them easy to read aloud.” (Campbell 80)

Ten myths about the AV

In conclusion and by way of partial summary I thought we might finish with ten myths with regard to the AV. These may be contentious. We will see.

1. It is the authorised version

Documentation may have been lost, but it would seem that though the original title page usually included the phrase “appointed to be read in churches”, unlike the Great Bible, there was never any edict of convocation, act of parliament or royal decree authorising this Bible. Modern writers usually make this point. It was “never, in fact, authorised” (David Daniell). “It was not an authorised version in any meaningful sense of those words” (Derek Wilson). The first reference to Authorised Version in the OED is as late as 1824.

2. It was a brand new translation

Despite the title page's “newly translated out of the original languages” we know that the translators diligently consulted the previous versions and, as instructed, tried not to depart from the Bishops Bible any more than strictly necessary.

3. It was the Bible of the Puritans

Although there was Puritan support for the KJV, it is the earlier Geneva Bible that has the best claim to be regarded as the Puritan Bible, that is, the one they most often used until it was outlawed.

4. It was the Bible of Shakespeare, Milton and Bunyan

More than one scholar has noted that Shakespeare's writings are saturated with Scriptural thoughts and words. He died in 1616 and so it should be no surprise that the evidence points to his having learned what he knew of the Bible from the Geneva version. Milton and Bunyan were later and do use the AV but follow the Geneva at least as often.

5. It has only begun to sound old fashioned in the last hundred years

There is evidence rather that even when it first appeared the KJV would have sounded old fashioned. They appear to have sought an elevated and slightly archaic style.

6. All the translators were godly Calvinists

The 50 or so translators were all Protestants, chosen for their scholarly ability rather than anything else. There is evidence to say that there were Arminians among them and, in at least one case, a man who had a problem with alcohol (Richard “Dutch” Thomson). This is similar, perhaps, to the way that among those involved with the NIV translation there was one who proved later to be guilty of homosexuality.

7. It has been popular ever since it was first published

Uptake of the KJV when it was first published was pretty slow and it was some years before it even began to be as popular as it has become.

8. People who use the AV are using the 1611 version

There are currently two slightly different versions of the AV commonly in print today (the Cambridge and Oxford versions). These both date back to the final revision of 1769. Between 1611 and 1769 there were as many as 24, 000 changes. Some of these were of some significance.

9. The KJV always uses word for word translation

Although the KJV translators usually aimed at a word for word rendering, they were not afraid to use a dynamic equivalent where they thought it appropriate. So for example they regularly translate Paul's “May it not be” (as in Romans 6:2) as God forbid.

10. There are no arguments for using the KJV today

Many people today have long abandoned the AV and can see no reason for retaining it. Joel Beeke and others, however, give several reasons for doing so. The fact it was good enough for St Paul is not one of them. We may disagree with what such people say but to say that there is no reason to carry on using the AV today is to overstate the case.

Paper given at the Evangelical Library