PROVERBS - Wisdom @ Work: Fool Proof
"To be wise means to be very smart, and you know everything," says Rachel, age 6. "The wisest person I know is my dad because he knows the weather, and he's only a doctor."
"The wisest person I know is my mom because she has helped me and my big sister with a lot of stuff, and mostly all the things were right," says Sarah, 9.
Lela, 8: "I think my dad is wise because he said you better clean your room before you get in trouble."
The Book of Proverbs contains many sayings about wisdom. Solomon asked for a wise and understanding heart to perform his duties as Israel's king. Because Solomon asked for this instead of wealth, God not only gave him wisdom but riches and honor, too.
"Wisdom according to the Bible is not necessarily smart, but to fear the Lord," says Carey Ann, 12.
She couldn't be more right. In fact, Solomon says the starting place for wisdom is to fear or respect the Lord (Proverbs 1:7).
"I think someone who asks for wisdom is wise," says Mandy, 11. The Apostle James agrees: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God" (James 1:5)
"The wisest person I know is Jesus," says Melissa, 10. "He died on the cross for our sins."
Paul picked up this theme when he wrote that the message of the cross appears as utter foolishness to those who reject it, but it's the means of salvation for those who trust Jesus Christ as their savior.
Kyle, 12, agrees that Jesus is the wisest person he knows because "He does everything for His Father."
So, if we follow Jesus' example and do everything for God, we will be wise.
1. Fear the Lord; Proverbs 1:7-8, 10, 15-17.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching,
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,
Knowledge and wisdom are born out of a growing reverence and fear of the Lord. “The fool says in his heart that there is no God” and therefore despises wisdom that comes from above. It is important to note that the parent has the major responsibility to teach and instruct. We know that temptation and enticement will come. It is possible to not consent. A parent’s words and actions will guide a son and daughter to a different path. There will always be a path that leads to evil. But godly wisdom reveals the snare.
2. Don’t be distracted; Proverbs 1:20-22, 25-26, 28-29, 33.
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
Solomon presents wisdom as a person and this wisdom cries with a loud voice. It is a voice calling for repentance, and yet many are just listening to all the noise, distractions, and false voices that are drowning out the truth. The simple ones identified are those who are untrained in wisdom. They love their own simplicity and hate knowledge. As a result, they will be visited by calamity. When wisdom is rejected, there is no alternative plan for the fool. Ultimately the love of foolishness will bring death and destruction.
3. Seek knowledge with passion; Proverbs 2:1-10, 20.
1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
20 So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.
The word “if” (if you receive) means that the wisdom of the mother or the father or even wisdom crying out in the streets does not guarantee ready reception. I love the phrases that follow. We must be attentive to wisdom and incline our hearts to understanding. Call out for insight and understanding. We seek it like a treasure. Our ability to walk in wisdom comes from the voice of God, and it is stored up for us. These two words integrity and justice go hand in hand. God will enable us to understand righteousness, justice, and equity. As we walk in this Godly wisdom it will be pleasure to our souls because it is the good path.
4. Do not elevate human wisdom; Proverbs 3:5-12.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
What does it mean to engage with “all your heart?” A relevant question to ask is why would we want to “lean on our own understanding?” We tend to acknowledge God in certain things but not in all things. The straight path referred to is a focused path. We receive this instruction from Solomon, “be not wise in your own eyes.” Our devotion will enable us to turn way from evil. Wisdom also brings perspective on the things we value. Honor the Lord with your “stuff” and when discipline comes, we understand that it is loving correction.
5. Treat others well; Proverbs 3:19-24, 27-28.
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21 My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
The glory of God is vast, immense, and multifaceted. Wisdom from God is life changing. It is life that is eternal so wear it proudly. It will allow you to walk confidently and securely. I love this phrase “your sleep will be sweet.” What do you think about when your head hits the pillow at night? Another verse I think about quite often is verse 27, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”
6. Consider your path; Proverbs 4:5-8, 11, 14, 18, 24-27.
5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. 8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
24 Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
The idea is that wisdom will cost something, but it is absolutely worth it. Once it is pursued and, in some sense, attained, it must be kept. Insight is the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or a thing. Sometimes it is a matter of what we will do with what we have received. We are given a clear picture of how bright the path of righteousness will be. Let your life give evidence of the wisdom you have received. There are many advantages of letting your eyes gaze directly forward. Consider your path!
7. Heed wise warnings; Proverbs 5:1-5, 8, 10-15, 18, 21.
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol
8 Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, 12 and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! 13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. 14 I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.” 15 Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.
18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
21 For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.
Hold onto discretion and knowledge because they will be tested. Discretion is important for one who is guarding knowledge. Introducing the issue of an adulterous individual, we find those who are lured by various temptations. However, in the end there is only bitterness, so don’t go near her door! It will not end well, and you will have nothing to gain. Verse 11 gives us a very grim picture, and that person will have no one to blame but themselves. You hated discipline and despised reproof. You did not pay attention! You did not listen! I love verse 15 - “Drink water from your own cistern.”
Let’s conclude with a passage from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Are you boasting in the wisdom of the LORD?
