On Proverbs 28:9 and prayer:
It is popular in Christian circles today to exalt the importance of prayer to the most dizzying heights. Many would say that prayer is the most important element in Christian life. Prayer is held to be the sovereign key to holiness, power, effectiveness, revival, and personal spiritual growth. It is not uncommon for those newly professing faith in Christ to be told that the single most crucial activity that they can pursue is prayer.
I daresay that this verse calls some of these lofty claims and notions into serious question. We must remember at the outset three important Biblical truths about prayer:
- Prayer is you talking to God—it is not God talking to you.
- Prayer is anything you say to God—it has nothing to do with God saying something to you.
- Prayer is not a dialogue.
In Proverbs 28:9, then, God says that if you and I are not listening to His Word, prayer is worse than a waste of time. Solomon says it is so bad, that it is a abomination (tôēbâ) to Yahweh. We must not miss the force of this condemnation. “Prayer” is meant to be a drawing near to God with adoration, confession, supplication. Solomon says that when the person praying is one who turns a deaf ear to God’s law, “even” his prayer—even that act meant to win God’s heart—is unspeakably repulsive to God.
—Dan Phillips, God’s Wisdom in Proverbs (Kress Biblical Resources, 2011), 156–157.
TrackBack URL: http://www.thirstytheologian.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2016
Share this post:
Posted in: Dan Phillips · God’s Wisdom in Proverbs · Proverbs
Link · 0 Comments · 0 TrackBacks
← Previous · Home · Next →
