[English translation of the address to the Shalom Bible College, Nias, Indonesia, at the 12th convocation (commencement) on 19 March, 2022.]
Shalom! Ya’ ahowu!
Whenever there is a convocation, we must realize that a lot of work has been done to prepare for it. Congratulations to all parties involved in organizing this event! We praise God for enabling you, and for providing the needs. Congratulations to the graduates and parents on this occasion! Congratulations to STT Syalom for your achievement!
How appropriate it is to have the theme of this convocation taken from Proverbs 23:17-18, “Living In The Fear the LORD”, with the sub-theme “Honorable Character As the Lifestyle In Service”. (Thank you Pak Baek for expounding the theme for us. Thank you also to Dr. Martinus Harefa for his Academic Oration. If I am not mistaken, he was the person who organised the very first convocation of STT Syalom.) It is clear that the character of a servant of God is of paramount importance. You may have great gifts, and many gifts, but if character is lacking all will amount to nothing. The Lord wants you to be a certain type of person before He looks at what you do for Him. That is why there are qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 for those who hold office in the church. Among the qualifications, those concerning the character are more than those that concern the gifts.
Coming back to the book of Proverbs, we will notice that the pursuit of wisdom is emphasised from the beginning of the book. An example is Proverbs 4:7 which says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” The “wisdom” here refer to the word of God. We must value the word of God, revere the teaching, and submit ourselves to it. It is not possible to fear God without being submitted to His word.
The second emphasis of the book of Proverbs is on the avoidance of immorality and lawless living. An example is found in Proverbs 5:1-4. We are told, “My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding, that you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.” What may be said of the immoral woman applies also to the immoral man. Many capable and useful servants of God have been destroyed because of not heeding this teaching of the Bible.
The third emphasis of the book of Proverbs is hard work. Proverbs 19:15 says, “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” Proverbs 6:9-11, “How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep— so shall your poverty come on you…” We are not only to work hard for ourselves but more so for the Lord.
With these thoughts, we draw to a close. The book of Proverbs point us to three important characteristics of those who serve God well — the importance of knowing God’s word, the importance of righteous living, and the importance of diligence in service. The Lord give all the graduates and students the heart to pursue these things. The Lord draw all of us who profess to be Christians to pursue these things. To God be all the glory! Amen.