Category: Wisdom

In Proverbs 9:

Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
2  She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3  She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
4  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
5  “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6  Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”

7  Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8  Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
11  For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12  If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The Way of Folly
13  The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive and knows nothing.
14  She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
15  calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
16  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
17  “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18  But he does not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 9:1–18.

Forces that exist to pull us towards Folly.

In Proverbs 8:

22  “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of old.
23  Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24  When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25  Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
26  before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
27  When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28  when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
29  when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30  then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31  rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.

32  “And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33  Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
34  Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
35  For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the LORD,
36  but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 8:22–36.

Wisdom existed from the beginning.  Those who seek wisdom finds God.  Those who fail to find God, brings injuries to themselves.

Hear the voice of wisdom in Proverbs 8:

Does not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2  On the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3  beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
4  “To you, O men, I call,
and my cry is to the children of man.
5  O simple ones, learn prudence;
O fools, learn sense.
6  Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right,
7  for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8  All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9  They are all straight to him who understands,
and right to those who find knowledge.
10  Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11  for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

12  “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13  The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
14  I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.
15  By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
16  by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly.
17  I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.
18  Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
19  My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
20  I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,
21  granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 8:1–21.

Wisdom cries out to us, yet we turn our backs on her.

I got a little ahead of myself.  Proverbs 2 spoke so personally to me that it started me on my wisdom quest:

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;
11  discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12  delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13  who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14  who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15  men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.

16  So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17  who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18  for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
19  none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.

20  So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21  For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22  but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 2:1–22. 

I feel God’s spirit stir within me as I read the first verse “treasure up my commandments.”

Proverbs 3 speaks to me:

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2  for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.

3  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4  So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.

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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 3:1–12.

True wisdom comes in keeping God’s commandments, trusting Him, and honoring Him.  In these things, you become truly wise.

This is the story in  1 Kings 3:16-28 where two women are claiming to be the mother of a single child.    Solomon orders that the child be cut in two and each mother would receive half of the child, knowing that the child’s real mother would give up her child so as to keep it alive.

And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Ki 3:28.

True wisdom brings about real justice.

Everywhere I look I see that wisdom does not abound in our society.  We see multiple incidents of stupidity daily with dog owners entering our animal shelters.  We’ve clearly shown that our own wisdom is just foolishness.  We look to ourselves for wisdom when only the wisdom of God is sufficient.  I’ve decided to take a path to find wisdom and I am taking you along on that journey.

Solomon asked for discernment in 1st Kings 3:9:

Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil,

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Ki 3:9.

Discernment is the first step towards wisdom, the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Looking around, we see good overcome by evil. We need to become a society that sees evil for what it is.