Proverbs 19:2 Knowledge as well as enthusiasm

Desire without knowledge is not good - how much more will hasty feet miss the way!

Paul tells us that to desire to be an overseer is a good thing. To wnat to be a preacher is good. It is right that Christan men should want to see people converted and the saints built up. If that desre is to be met, this proverb reminds us, then knowledge is necessary. If a preacher is to be of any use then he needs to know certain things. He needs to know his Bible and a knowledge of systematic theology, church history, pastoral work and other matters will also be a great asset. In the rush to be out there sharing the gospel, it would be foolish to fail to get the requisite training simply becasue a man cannot wait the few years it takes to get such a training.

Proverbs 20:5 Drawing people out

The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.

One thing a good preacher should be able to do is to draw people out. It is important that we remember that those who hear us may well have all sorts of things hidden in their hearts - ambitions and desires and sins and fears - that we will certainly not see in their faces and are not likely to discern simply by talking to them briefly. If we are able to preach as we ought, however, then we will be able to bring these things to the surface and begin to deal with them in ways laid down in Scripture. We need to learn to be searching preachers.

Thomas Prince writing about Gilbert Tennent in The Great Awakening in America in the 18th century characterises it as a searching ministry. He says his ministry was "frequently both terrible and searching." He wrote
"Such were the convictions wrought in many hundreds in this town by Mr. Tennent's searching ministry: and such was the case of those many scores of several other congregations as well as mine, who came to me and others for direction under them. And indeed by all their converse I found, it was not so much the terror as the searching nature of his ministry, that was the principal means of their conviction. It was not merely, nor so much, his laying open the terrors of the law and wrath of God, or damnation of hell; (for this they could pretty well bear, as long as they hoped these belonged not to them, or they could easily avoid them) as his laying open their many vain and secret shifts and refuges, counterfeit resemblances of grace, delusive and damning hopes, their utter impotence, and impending danger of destruction; whereby they found all their hopes and refuges of lies to fail them, and themselves exposed to eternal ruin, unable to help themselves, and in a lost condition. This searching preaching was both the suitable and principal means of their conviction."
Ezekiel Hopkins referring to Psalm 26:2 and noting how "God, indeed, hath many ways of trying us; but especially by the word and ministry" asks his readers
"Do you love the word of God, because it is a searching word because it brings home convictions to you, and shakes your carnal confidences and presumptions Do you love a soul-searching ministry, that speaks as closely and particularly to you, as if it were another conscience without you; a ministry, that ransacks your very souls, and tells you all that ever you did Do you delight in a ministry, that forceth you to turn inward upon yourselves; that makes you tremble and look pale at every word, for fear it should be the sentence of your damnation ? This is a sign, that your condition is good, because you are so willing to be searched. He, that doeth evil, saith our Saviour, John iii. 20. hateth the light; neither cometh he to it, lest his deeds should be reproved. But, if you are pleased only with a formal, general ministry; and such prophets, as sing only pleasant songs to you; such, as never touch the conscience to the quick, that keep aloof off, and, instead of brandishing the word that is sharper than a two-edged sword, rending the heart with it, only make a flourish of it: if you can brook no other, but such a quiet, unconcerning ministry as this is, this is a bad sign, that yet you are unsound.£

Proverbs 20:4 Be warned against laziness

Sluggards do not plough in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

This proverb against laziness and drawing on agricultural metaphors is applicable to many situations. The pastoral ministry is a particularly obvious one, especially given that the work of the minister is chiefly one of ploughing (and sowing) with the prospect of a harvest in due time. One clear disadvantage is if the pastor is lazy and neglects the work. There can be no harvest then.

Martin Luther has written

It is the devil, it is the world, it is our flesh that are raging and raving against us. Therefore, dear sirs and brethren, pastors and preachers, pray, read, study, be diligent. Truly, this evil, shameful time is not the season for being lazy, for sleeping and snoring. Use the gift that has been entrusted to you, and reveal the mystery of Christ.

And

Some pastors and preachers are lazy and no good. They rely on these and other good books to get a sermon out of them. They do not pray; they do not study; they do not read; they do not search the Scripture. It is just as if there were no need to read the Bible for this purpose. They use such books as offer them homiletical helps in order to earn their yearly living; they are nothing but parrots and jackdaws, which learn to repeat without understanding, though our purpose and the purpose of these theologians is to direct preachers to Scripture with such books and exhort them to plan to defend our Christian faith after our death, against the devil, the world, and the flesh.

Proverbs 20:29 Preachers young and old

The glory of young men is their strength, grey hair the splendour of the old.

The point of this proverb is not to suggest that the young are better than the old or the old better than the young. The point is that each has his glory, his particular contribution. If you want help moving house then get a young man in. He will probably be best able to help you. But if you want advice on how you can handle arguments you are having with your wife, you might be better to consult an older man. When it comes to preaching there are differences too and although young and old can have their weaknesses they also both have their strengths.

We are in danger of caricaturing but we can say two things.

Firstly, the young can be nervous, too quiet, poor at dividing the material and not very good at application. They can be insensitive and too cerebral. However, ideally, there is a zeal and a directness, a freshness and excitement that older preachers can often lack. The younger man takes no prisoners and hearers are disarmed by the powerfully exaltation of Christ and the eager call to follow him. His thorough preparation and his careful exegesis give him authority. 

Older preachers, on the other hand, can ramble, have too many illustrations, lack exegetical rigour and make applications that are off the mark. Ideally, however, they speak with a depth of experience, a warmness and love that melts the hearts of their hearers in a way that too often does not happen with younger preachers. They avoid exegetical and homiletic pitfalls that younger preachers do not and avoid wasting the congregation's time on theological points of interest only to seminary students.

It is useful for preachers old and young alike to rightly assess their strengths and weaknesses. Young men will preach young me's sermons and old men old men's sermons but is they can be the best that they can preach that is all to the good.

Proverbs 21:5 The importance of preparation

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. 

More than one proverb recommends the importance of proper planning and preparation. Most preachers know that this is an essential if their preaching is ever to be successful. This proverb puts things both in a positive and a negative manner. Positively, The plans of the diligent lead to profit; negatively, haste leads to poverty.

If we take them in reverse and apply them to preaching, we can summarise like this - hastiness when preparing to preach leads to a poor sermon and careful planning with a diligent use of means will lead to a profitable sermon.

The need for preparation applies both to preparing the sermon and preparing oneself. Tim Keller has written “The temptation will be to let the pulpit drive you to the Word, but instead you must let the Word drive you to the pulpit. Prepare the preacher more than you prepare the sermon.”
E M Bounds says

We have emphasised sermon-preparation until we have lost sight of the important thing to be prepared - the heart. A prepared heart is much better than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon ... It would not do to say that preachers study too much. Some of them do not study at all; others do not study enough. Numbers do not study the right way to show themselves workmen approved of God. But our great lack is not in head culture, but in heart culture; not lack of knowledge but lack of holiness is our sad and telling defect - not that we know too much, but that we do not meditate on God and his word and watch and fast and pray enough. The heart is the great hindrance to our preaching ....

Both long term and short term preparation is needed. A man needs to prepare himself for a life of ministry and with each time of preaching that he has in mind.