Wisdom

So this morning, I want to think about wisdom, the supremacy and insufficiency of wisdom. Wisdom is currently in high demand, but unfortunately, it is in short supply. It's always been that way. That's why Proverbs claims that wisdom is more precious than jewels. When Solomon is given the opportunity to ask for anything that he desires, he chooses not riches, not long life, not power, but wisdom. And that befits the supreme value of wisdom, not least because as God tells us in response to Solomon's choice, wisdom is more likely to bring all those other blessings trailing in its wake than any of them are to bring wisdom. And we recognize this. I've been studying biblical wisdom now for 10 years. And during that time, I've started to notice something in public prayers. And I've seen this across countries, generations, and denominations. With the exception of health, wisdom is the most common request that people make for others in prayer. Lord, give her wisdom as she faces this decision. Lord, give our leaders wisdom. And I can't say whether Christians request wisdom for themselves more in their own private prayer, but if they didn't, there's a good case that could be made that they should. Because James says, in James 1.5, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when we ask for wisdom, what exactly are we asking for? Wisdom is immensely valuable, but where does that value come from? And why should we desire wisdom? How do we get it? Can we lose it? So as we consider the book of Proverbs this morning, that book that is most concerned with wisdom in the Bible, these are crucial questions for us to answer. And as we do so, I want to suggest that the supreme value that Proverbs gives to wisdom is paired with a recognition throughout the rest of the Bible that wisdom on its own often, we could even say inevitably, fails. So we'll look first then at the supremacy of wisdom, then at the insufficiency of wisdom, before finally considering the solution that scripture offers to this tension by teaching that true wisdom must be built on the foundation of the fear of the Lord. Now, when trying to understand biblical wisdom, the natural place to start is the beginning of the Book of Proverbs. So we're going to walk through the first three chapters of Proverbs this morning. Commentator Derek Kidner observes, the Book of Proverbs opens by breaking up the plain daylight of wisdom into its rainbow of constituent colors. These all shade into one another. And any one of them can be used to represent the whole, yet there is some value in seeing them momentarily analyzed and grouped. So, Proverbs 1, verses 1 to 6. The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. To know wisdom and instruction. To understand words of insight. To receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity. to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth. Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. So if you have your Bible with you and you wanna be looking at Proverbs 1, 1 to 6, I'm gonna look at these first verses here and break down some of the different words that are being used for wisdom. Looking at wisdom through this prism of the prologue of the book, we can understand its meaning through these five words that are associated with it here. So first, in verse two, wisdom is associated with instruction, which involves discipline or training, which can range from simple warning to chastening and rebuke, which suggests to us that attaining wisdom is not going to be easy. Then second, wisdom also involves understanding and insight, which refers to choosing between options or discernment, distinguishing between wisdom and foolishness, good and evil. Third, in verse three, wisdom includes instruction in wise dealing. And this refers to practical wisdom, know-how, or savoir-faire. It's an ability to get things done. In Genesis 3, actually, this is what Eve mistakenly hopes to gain by disobeying God's command and eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Here in Proverbs 1, wise dealing is coupled with righteousness, justice, and equity, which are important values for the Hebrew prophets, emphasizing not only the practical dimension to the word, but also the moral quality of God's wisdom. Then fourth, in verse four, wisdom also involves prudence, which can actually convey craftiness or shrewdness. It's actually the word that's used in Genesis 3.1 to describe the serpent. This similar word, translated discretion, later in this same verse here in Proverbs, often degenerates into mere scheming. And it can actually be used by itself in a bad sense more than in a good one. But these qualities don't need to be corrupt. They can refer instead to responding appropriately to the nature of the world in order to find success. So, for example, in Proverbs 22, verse 3, the prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. Finally, fifth, wisdom involves knowledge and learning in verse 5. The former implies not so much an informed mind as a knowing of truth and indeed of God himself. And the latter tends to emphasize that doctrine is something that must be taken hold of, grasped. become a conviction if it is to have its proper effect on our lives. So wisdom in these opening verses is presented as a multifaceted jewel. It's profitable for all, to the simple and young as well as to the wise and discerning. Whatever stage of life you are in, you will benefit from more wisdom. How can we attain this wisdom though? Well, this is what chapter 2 tells us. So if you want to flip over there, I want you to notice the verbs that are used in chapter 2, verses 1 to 5. And they suggest strenuous effort. My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding, yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasures, but in contrast that with verse six, Four, the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. So we must earnestly seek wisdom, but wisdom is a gift from God. It's almost paradoxical. And we see that actually back in chapter 1, verses 1 to 6 as well. So verses 1 to 5 claim the Book of Proverbs is designed to offer the reader all those facets of wisdom that we just looked at. But then in verse 6, all those traits of wisdom are said to enable one to understand proverbs and sayings, the words and riddles of the wise, which is precisely what the Book of Proverbs consists of. So understanding the book of Proverbs gives you the wisdom to understand the book of Proverbs, which gives you wisdom. You following that? So how do we comprehend how that all works together? Well, we have to appreciate three things. First, God provides the means of gaining wisdom. So Proverbs 20, verse 12, the hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both. And second, God is the source. It is he who created the world in wisdom. Third, wisdom is more than just an intellectual activity. It's not like a mental skill like chess playing or equation solving. No, wisdom is not the sole possession of the academic elite. And if you spent any time with the academic elite, as I know many of you have in this city, then you know that to be true, right? Biblical wisdom is strongly moral. And I want you to note the nouns back here in chapter 2, 7, and 8. It says, he stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, or of the just, and watching over the ways of his saints, or his holy ones. So wisdom comes to the upright, those with integrity, the just, and the holy. But biblical wisdom is not just moral, it's also spiritual. It comes to those who fear the Lord. More on that in a moment. But what we've seen already is that the mind, the will, the heart, and the soul are all bound up. They're all intertwined in this single rope that is wisdom. All are involved in its attainment. Okay, so we know what wisdom is and how we can attain it, but why should we even want to? And this is what we see in Proverbs 3, if you wanna flip over there. We're gonna start in verse 13. Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who gets understanding. For the gain from her is better than gain from silver. and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life for those who take hold of her. Those who hold her fast are called blessed. So the benefit of wisdom, if we were to put it in a word, is life, well-being in its broadest sense, material riches and social value, peace and honor, blessings that are personal and psychological, moral and spiritual. Often, as we've already seen, one can detect undertones of Genesis 2 and 3 in these first chapters of Proverbs. In a sense, what Proverbs is telling us is that through fellowship with God, what was lost in Eden and waits to be fully regained can be enjoyed in some measure here and now when a person walks with God in wisdom. Wisdom is a description of the way God has ordered the world from the beginning. It's the way we were meant to live as human beings. It's living in the grain of God's creation. But all of this is a little bit abstract, and perhaps somewhat difficult to follow. So, as is often the case, the Bible offers us a narrative to demonstrate these truths. It's similar to the way that preachers will often tell stories to illustrate their points. So Proverbs begins by associating the book with a figure. with Solomon, right? That first verse, the Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. And this should immediately make us think of the account of Solomon's reign in 1 Kings 1 to 11. And that account acts as a kind of narrative definition of the word wisdom. So here's a quick overview of the account there. 1 Kings 3 tells us how Solomon acquired his wisdom. In a dream, God offers Solomon whatever he wants. And because Solomon chose wisdom instead of long life, riches, or power, God declares that he will give Solomon wisdom and all of those other things as well. And then the next two chapters in First Kings tell us about Solomon's great wisdom, including the fact that God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. And people come from all the nations to hear Solomon's wisdom. And it tells us he spoke 3,000 Proverbs, likely including some of those that we encounter here in the Book of Proverbs. And Solomon's wisdom gives him everything that God, that is promised to us in Proverbs 3. So long life, immeasurable riches, international honor, peace for his kingdom. And in fact, Solomon's kingdom is described in 1 Kings 10, 14 to 22, as actually overflowing with gold. That word gold is mentioned ten times in these nine verses. So Solomon's reign can be literally called the golden age of Israel. And it's from those riches that Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem and offered lavish sacrifices to God, demonstrating his fear of the Lord. And if we read the account of Solomon's life in 1 Kings 1 to 11 as a narrative definition of wisdom and its benefits, then we might expect it to end, as dictionary definitions often do, with a list of synonyms and antonyms, right? We can understand what a word means if we know other words that mean something similar, as well as the opposite. And the definition of wisdom in 1 Kings 1 to 11 does not disappoint. Just as in his life Solomon defines what it means to be wise, he also demonstrates exemplary foolishness. Which is all the more striking given the matchless wisdom that was divinely bestowed upon him. The story of his reign ends with his disobedience and idolatry, which is blamed for the division and then later downfall of the nation of Israel. But how can this be? How can this paragon of wisdom act so foolishly? Solomon's life story teaches us some important truths about wisdom. Most crucially, that though wisdom may be supreme, it is not self-sufficient. Wisdom on its own is insufficient to guarantee the blessings that it promises. It's not clear precisely when Solomon's wisdom started to waver, but the biblical narrator is very clear about when it finally completely went off the rails. As he describes the apex of Solomon's gold-plated greatness in chapter 10, the reader who's familiar with God's law in Deuteronomy will start to get a little bit uncomfortable. You see, in Deuteronomy 17, the king is commanded not to accumulate large amounts of silver and gold for himself. In Deuteronomy 17 also says the king should not import horses from Egypt, which is precisely what the historian mentions that Solomon did in First Kings. Then, finally, in 1 Kings 11, 1 to 4, the historian brings the hammer down. You see, Deuteronomy 17 declares that the king must not take many wives or his heart will be led astray. Well, this is what the author of the book of Kings says. had 700 wives who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart, led his heart astray. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God. as was the heart of David, his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not wholly follow the Lord as David, his father, had done. Solomon's foolish failure comes from turning away from the Lord and disobeying his commands. Solomon's incomparable wisdom was not enough in the end to sustain even Solomon's wisdom. Wisdom fails to be wisdom when it is separated from obedience to God. Without a foundation built on that rock, wisdom collapses into foolishness. This is a truth as old as history. Genesis 3, with its connections to Proverbs 1 to 9 that we noted earlier, tells us exactly the same thing. The serpent asks Eve if the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil makes one wise, how can eating from it be a bad thing? And Eve buys that argument, as does Adam. But God's response, his curse, indicates they've all been mistaken. To grasp the gift of wisdom for oneself, rather than waiting for it to be given to you by God. To attempt, as Adam and Eve did, to be self-sufficiently wise, will only make one a fool. And we see this throughout the prophetic books as well, particularly in the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. We encounter this group of people called the wise, but neither prophet has a very high opinion of them. Isaiah says in 521 and 24, woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight, for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and have despised the words of the Holy One of Israel. And then in 29, 13 to 14, Isaiah reports the Lord's judgment on the wise. And the discernment of the discerning men shall be hidden. Jeremiah says something similar in chapter 8. So what wisdom is in them? When we read Proverbs in this broader biblical context, it actually radically changes how we look at it. The book of Proverbs, which is intended to teach wisdom, fails to do so over and over again. Solomon does not learn the lessons of his own book. Throughout the book, these lessons are addressed to the author's son. Yet Solomon's son, Rehoboam, is even more foolish than Solomon is, which leads to the division of the nation. Even within the book itself, we have included what we might think of as Proverbs first book review. I'm afraid it's not a positive one. In Proverbs 30, verses 1 to 3, at the end of the book, we have this man named Augur. And he writes, I am weary, O God. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy One. Now, if that were a blurb on the back cover of Proverbs, it probably would not help the book sell many copies, right? Even Hezekiah, who had his scribes copy Solomon's Proverbs according to Proverbs 25.1, foolishly shows the riches of Jerusalem to the Babylonians when they come to visit him. And that entices the Babylonians to return, conquer Judah, and then carry those riches away. Not very wise. The other figures in the Old Testament whose views are most like that of the Book of Proverbs, those who even quote its words at some times, the so-called wise men and the prophets, Job's friends, the teacher in Ecclesiastes, they're all shown to be deficient in wisdom. And even the people of Israel as a whole who preserved this book of Proverbs. And as Deuteronomy 4, 6 claims, we're supposed to show their wisdom and understanding to the nations by observing carefully God's commandments. Well, they disobey those commandments time and time again. Instead, demonstrating their foolishness and leading to divine punishment, a humiliating defeat by those same nations who carry them off into exile. So, when we consider the Old Testament as a whole, we might legitimately say that in its aim to teach wisdom, Proverbs is a failure. It's just like the Mosaic Law, which instructs in righteousness, but could not create a righteous people. There is, however, more to this story. Wisdom is dangerous, and so is the Book of Proverbs, which offers it. It can lead to overconfidence, to pride, and ultimately to foolishness and destruction. It should come with a warning label. And of course, the book of Proverbs itself is wise enough to be aware of this. It includes its own caution to handle the wisdom it provides with care. Proverbs 26.9, like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 26.12, do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There's more hope for a fool than for him. 1618, pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. As Michael Fox observes in his commentary, you could even memorize the entire book of Proverbs and not be any wiser. One needs wisdom to make a right use of Proverbs. You can, like Augur, come to the end of the book of Proverbs and not be any wiser. Or, what is more dangerous, you might think you are much wiser when true wisdom, in fact, remains beyond your grasp. The ultimate safety warning in Proverbs is one that the book figuratively puts in big, bold letters on its packaging by repeating it both at the beginning and the end of those opening nine chapters that set the stage for the book. Proverbs 1-7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 9, 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Then in case we've missed it, right in the middle of the book, at 1533, we are reminded once again, the fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. And then finally, at the end of the book, in the description of the noble wife, where wisdom is again embodied, demonstrated through a personification, the importance of the fear of the Lord is repeated once more. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Wisdom cannot be separated from the fear of the Lord. Then, just in case we've missed it, the same idea is repeated in three other biblical books. In Job 28, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. And to shun evil is understanding. Psalm 111, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All who follow his precepts have good understanding. And then summarizing the teaching of Ecclesiastes on wisdom, chapter 12 declares, now all has been heard. Here's the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. So just like you shouldn't operate heavy machinery when you're on certain medications, you also shouldn't attempt to be wise apart from the fear of the Lord. The natural questions then are first, what does it mean to fear the Lord? And second, how exactly is the fear of the Lord related to wisdom? And biblical scholars and ordinary readers of the Bible, too, often treat the Book of Proverbs as simply a collection of wise sayings about life, not unlike what you might find in other ancient literature, that is cut off from Israel's law and history. But separating Proverbs off from the foundations of Israel's faith makes it difficult to understand what the fear of the Lord actually means. Without God's self-revelation in the rest of the Bible, how will we know who this Lord is? And without God's revelation of his commandments and his character, how and why should we fear him? Proverbs, like the other so-called wisdom books, declares that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. And compared to other similar ancient Near Eastern texts, their rooting of wisdom in fearing God is actually unparalleled. And yet, cordoning these books off from the rest of the Bible and calling them wisdom literature, evacuates the fear of the Lord of any concrete meaning, and leaves it merely as a kind of abstract respect for a higher power. And this is not the way that the Old Testament as a whole presents the fear of the Lord. It's a fear instilled in the people in their encounter with the God who brought them out of Egypt, delivering them from bondage. When this God appeared in cloud and fire on Mount Sinai, Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you. to keep you from sinning. It's a fear that should inspire obedience, not terror. And at that mountain, this God gave his people his law as a blessing. Moses tells them how they should respond to this Lord. And now Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? But to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good. Or as Proverbs puts it in chapter 3, 5 to 8, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. The fear of the Lord is a fear oriented toward trust, and it leads to true health and nourishment. So for the Israelites, wisdom is not abstract. It's not self-sufficient. It has a very concrete foundation. The fear of the Lord, their God, the God who brought them out of Egypt. Gerhard von Raad, the most influential wisdom scholar of the 20th century, offers some helpful insight here. And as a biblical scholar, I'm contractually obligated to cite at least one German scholar every time I speak, so here we go. Von Raad writes that Proverbs teaches us that the search for knowledge can go wrong because of one single mistake at the beginning. Israel attributes to the fear of God, to belief in God, a highly important function in respect to human knowledge. Von Raad says, Israel was in all seriousness of the opinion that effective knowledge about God is the only thing that puts a man into a right relationship with the objects of his perception. but we can go further than Van Raad. The fear of God does not merely give us the knowledge to properly perceive the world around us, as he says, but the wisdom to guide us through the world towards those blessings that God provides. This involves establishing proper relationships with the objects that fill God's world. Loving what is true, what is good, what is beautiful. Turning away from what is evil. And one crucial relationship undergirds all of those others. And that's the relationship with the creator of all things, who puts them all in perspective and enables us to see them clearly. As C.S. Lewis famously said, I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else. However, Proverbs, 1 Kings 1 to 11, and the rest of the Old Testament impress upon us how, wise in our own eyes, we are blind to the sun. And therefore, we stumble through the world that the sun illuminates. We all fail to live with the proper fear and obedience that a relationship with the Lord requires. And that frustrates our relationships with everything else. We impatiently grasp at the knowledge of good and evil. We glory in the wealth that wisdom brings while forgetting the one who gives it. We foolishly bow to idols, disregarding God's guidance and instead following our own desires. And in our pride, we stride confidently toward our own destruction. As Paul says in Romans 1, claiming to be wise, we become fools, exchanging God's glory for worthless imitations. If even Solomon, divinely endowed with wisdom, wiser than anyone on earth, the author of the book of Proverbs, can become so foolish, what hope do we have? Not much. But fortunately, Solomon is not the only narrative embodiment of wisdom that we encounter in scripture. And the child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was on him. Where did this man get these things? They asked. What's this wisdom that has been given him? Whoever listens to my words and puts them into practice will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. Now, someone greater than Solomon is here. Jesus Christ. is the one person who lived all that wisdom is, a life of discipline, a life of understanding and insight, a prudent life, doing what is just and right and fair, a life lived completely in the fear of the Lord. He didn't heap up gold, build palaces, import horses from Egypt, or have hundreds of wives. He went humbly to a cross. He died. And then he rose again. Jesus doesn't merely demonstrate God's wisdom. He defines it. As Paul says in Colossians 2, it is Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Perceiving the proper relationship between all things means perceiving where they stand in relationship to Christ. As Paul writes in a few verses earlier, all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Jesus defines wisdom in a way that reveals and corrects its insufficiency, since it frustrates any attempt to be wise in one's own eyes. That's what we saw in that passage we read earlier in the service from 1 Corinthians. Listen to it again now. 1 Corinthians 1, 22 to 31. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards. Not many were influential. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are. So that no one may boast before him. It's because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. That is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. So, how do we pursue true wisdom? A wisdom that will not become foolishness? We embrace the foolishness of a crucified Savior. And how do we do that? We repent of the ways we have foolishly failed to fear God and have disobeyed His commandments. We trust in His wisdom rather than our own. I recently had an Uber driver ask me what it meant to be a Christian. And seeing that she had Google Maps running up on her dashboard, I said, well, it's like this. We're all born with self-fulfillment set as the destination in the map of our lives. And becoming a Christian means having a new destination typed into our personal Google Maps app. That new destination is the glory of God. And when we do that, God's all-seeing, all-knowing wisdom, it's better than any satellite-aided GPS, that will direct us to that destination. We won't have to rely merely on what we can see right in front of us through the windshield. And when we divert from the route that God has set, He'll forgive us. He'll recalculate the route and still get us there, right? And as we approach that destination, we'll see that with God's glory, we'll also find true self-fulfillment. So how do we pursue wisdom then? As James said, we ask God for wisdom and prayer, but we also do what the Israelites could and should have done in the Old Testament. We listen to his words and put them into practice and become like a wise man who built his house on a rock. In 2 Timothy 3, 15 to 16, Paul writes to Timothy that the holy scriptures, by which he primarily means the Old Testament, are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Do you hear some of those wisdom words from Proverbs 1 there in Timothy? God's Word in the Old Testament, the book of Proverbs, is given to train you in wisdom. Where do you need to be corrected, even rebuked, to be equipped for the good works that God has for you? James describes true wisdom this way. This is 317. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a person who lives that way? To be a church filled with people who are living that way together in fellowship. What could be more valuable? Jewels certainly do pale in comparison. And as you read God's word, as you participate in the fellowship of his redeemed church, as you follow wisdom's directions for navigating through life, may you heap up all those treasures of true wisdom, both hidden and revealed in Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God. Let's pray. Lord God, I pray with Paul for this church. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know him better. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen.