Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin

“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.” (Proverbs 1:1-6)

Over the last two days, we have seen how God reveals wisdom in the creation and our consciences. A third primary source of God’s general revelation is the Bible. Scripture offers superior wisdom from God in the Old and New Testaments, and all the genres—the historical books, poetry, prophesy, wisdom literature, doctrinal letters, and gospels-all are for our instruction. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

When the writer of 1 Kings describes Solomon’s unique wisdom, he notes that “He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005” (1 Kings 4:32). Proverbs is intentionally direct in its goal of teaching wisdom to God’s people grounded in “the fear of the LORD.” This book paints two portraits. One picture is that of the wise, humble, biblically grounded person’s response to daily choices and temptations, while the other is of the fool who arrogantly rejects wisdom and lives according to the desires of his flesh, ignoring the consequences of this foolish way of life. This theme runs throughout the Bible for our instruction and guidance.

Some passages are especially instructive for learning godly wisdom from God’s Word. Psalm 119 is a manifesto on the benefits of reading, understanding, and embracing Scripture. “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130) A study of Psalm 119, section by section, linked with confession would be an educational and possibly life-transforming endeavor for the student of wisdom.

The importance of Scripture in your life is equal to the authority of God and his truth over your life. The influence of biblical wisdom over you is directly related to the time you spend in the Word. Do the Bible’s insights and instructions permeate your life? If not, what does?

“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.” (Romans 2:14-15)

In “Guilty Conscience,” a rap video that was nominated for a Grammy award, music artists Eminem and Dr. Dre play the bad and good conscience of three people who are about to commit crimes. The “good” conscience wins over the first person, and the “bad” conscience defeats him in the second. However, in the third person, they agree that the evil desire is morally right. If you can handle the violence and rapping, it’s an excellent commentary on our world today. What is biblically sound is seen as restrictive and outmoded, while that which is evil is called good and acceptable. The video highlights the workings of the conscience, that part of our minds that evaluates our desires, choices, opinions, and actions.

Here is another way that God gives us wisdom: he puts it in the conscience. God gave every person a conscience when he created us. Thus, he gave us the ability and the necessity of judging our desires, choices, opinions, and actions as either good or bad. This is the highest wisdom of the world-knowing what is right and what is wrong, what is evil and what is right and God has given this knowledge to everyone. The existence of our conscience is well-documented in Scripture.

However, our conscience is subject to our belief systems, and thus it can be corrupted. My conscience has been sinful from the time I was born and is being continually ruined by the world, the devil, and my polluted flesh. But Paul teaches us that even in its corrupted state, the conscience is an instrument to determine right from wrong, and therefore, an instrument of wisdom or foolishness (Romans 2:14-15). Paul states that his “conscience bears witness” in Romans 2 and Romans 9:1. Believers who submit to Christ, under the Word of God, can conform their conscience to God’s standard of goodness and evil, with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is biblical wisdom.

Martin Luther was unwilling to recant his position on his ninety-five thesis and published doctrines when instructed to do so unless his conscience would allow him. He said, “Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning- unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted-and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.” Paul wrote, “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.” (1 Corinthians 1:12)

Will this be your testimony?

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-2)

We can simply look out a window to obtain wisdom. God’s power, his infinite creativity, generosity, and wisdom are all revealed in his creation. God made one moon for the earth, but so many stars, in so many galaxies, that we can only estimate the number, something over ten billion. In the country, away from city lights, on a cloudless night, the light from the moon and the stars can provide enough light to read! I know because I have done so in Africa when the power was out.

Just as a talented artist paints an artistic portrait or a skilled carpenter builds a sturdy, beautiful desk, God, who is perfectly wise, made everything to reflect his wisdom. This is what is known as the general revelation of God, and it is the way that God makes himself known to everyone everywhere. God glorifies himself through nature, and it is wise to recognize that he has done so. “His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Romans 1:20).

Evidence of God’s wisdom is found in the smallest crevices of creation and in the largest expanses of the heavens. In many parts of Africa where I lived, there are driver or safari ants that move in long lines across roads, over hills, sometimes for miles. Soldier ants accompany the safari ants to protect them. They are mesmerizing to watch and I am reminded of Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” The flowers in my garden aren’t just pretty, they also provide food for the butterflies and hummingbirds. The sun is warm on a winter’s day and gives animals relief from freezing temperatures. In the summer the clouds and trees provide much needed shade in parts of the world where there is no air conditioning. Everything works together wisely by God’s power.

I don’t know about you, but I am quite humbled by the idea that I am a sluggard who should learn something valuable from an ant. Proverbs 6 addresses laziness, which we will explore another time. But aren’t we sluggardly when we go in and out while completely ignoring nature? Perhaps we would benefit from studying the creation as least as much, if not more than we search for new wisdom with our devices. Why not try it today; what might you learn from God’s creation?

 

“Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! … the generation of the upright will be blessed…. his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous…For the righteous will never be moved… his righteousness endures forever.” (Psalm 112)

The writer of the Psalms has taught us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom at the end of Psalm 111, and now gives us a description of personal wisdom in Psalm 112. The one who fears the Lord savors God’s commandments (v. 1). We embrace what we enjoy, so obedience to God’s commands is implied. The psalmist goes on to say that the godly person is gracious, merciful, and righteous. These are all communicable attributes of God, shared by believers in Christ, who has imputed his righteousness to us. Righteousness is mentioned five times in this short psalm. It is linked to blessing (v. 2), eternality (v. 3, 6, 9), light (v. 4), and stability (v. 6). The more we embrace God’s commands and his Word, the more like Christ we become. As we grow to be more God-like, as we are sanctified, our worship for God becomes more holy and reverent leading to more fear of the Lord.

In his commentary on Psalm 111, James Boice wrote, “No people ever rise higher than their idea of God…We deplore the breakdown of moral standards, but what do we expect when we have focused our worship services on ourselves and our own often trivial needs rather than on God? Our view of God affects what we are and do.” * In his book, “Everyone’s a Theologian,” Dr. R. C. Sproul teaches that religion is the worship practices of man whereas theology is the study of God. Wise believers marry the two, our worship is our theology.

Our worship this Lord’s Day will either be high and exalted, focused with reverence on God or self-centered. We will either humbly appreciate and thank Christ for his sacrifice, giving us his righteousness or we will allow ourselves to slip into an unconscious reverie of Super bowl plans. We know what is right to glorify God. Will you pray for his help with your worship today? “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (Corinthians 1:30)

* Boice, James M., Boice Expositional Commentary Series, “Psalm 111,” Baker Books, 1998.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” (Proverbs 1:7)

“Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)“

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10)

Do you  read, watch, or listen to the same news story multiple times in one day? This is one thing that retired people seem to do a lot, but for what purpose? Repetition about current events may make us more informed but doesn’t make us smarter. Financial brokers may profit from watching the stock market, but only politicians benefit from awareness of small changes in the news cycle. There are helpful uses of repetition, when learning math, science, or historical facts, studying a foreign language or learning lines for a drama skit, to name a few. In the Bible, repetition of a truth or precept reminds us of its importance, especially when the same doctrine shows up in various passages or contexts.

In our sampling today, we find “the fear of the Lord” that leads to wisdom mentioned at least four times in the Old Testament. In his commentary on Psalm 111, James Boice wrote, “True wisdom begins with acknowledging or reverently bowing before God as God, and it progresses by getting to know God well, which includes not only our coming to know who he is but also learning that his thoughts and ways are infinitely above and beyond ours.” It is not enough to know who God is, and what he has done, to be wise. We must have respect for the Lord built on personal trust. We must also embrace the truth that God’s ways are not ours; he is perfect and we are pathetic—he is holy and we are unholy. Therefore, in order to be truly wise, we must also regularly confess and repent of our casual approach to knowing God, to acquire wisdom, as if it is a simple thing to do. In the Bible’s wisdom literature, the “simple” person is a fool, which is what we are when we do not guard ourselves against the danger of a casual approach to God. “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 27:12)

In what ways are you casual with the Lord? How will you confess, to avoid being unwise, simple, and foolish?

“And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?’ And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.'” (Mark 6:2-4)

There are some musically gifted children and adults in my church congregation, and in the retirement community where I live. Every once in a while, I have the opportunity to witness their talents on display, seeing them in a very different way. Since my only musical abilities consist of listening and appreciating others, I am awed by the beautiful notes from their voices and instruments. I wholeheartedly celebrate these lovely friends and their glorious gifts.

Apparently, the Jews in the synagogue were unused to the sound of true wisdom when they heard Jesus speaking on the Sabbath, and were astonished since they had never considered him as one who is able to teach so astutely. Christ had humbled himself quite successfully and now his neighbors were seeing him in a new light. They admitted that Jesus had wisdom. This insight, paired with his miraculous works baffled them. “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?” Only the Holy Spirit working in them would give them the answers they sought if they had been receptive. But they instead chose to be offended. They would not listen or give him honor, not to this lowly carpenter. They would not concede that he was superior to them in his understanding and knowledge of God and the Tanakh. Perhaps if he had been trained by one of the leading rabbis of the time, like Gamaliel, who taught Paul, they would have responded differently to his teaching. They were judging God by the world’s standards, which they had adopted for themselves.

Every Christian has the opportunity to sit under Jesus’ teaching in the Old and New Testaments to become wise. As we share this wisdom, those who love the world will have the opportunity to hear something different and glorious. We are not to worry about the results, but to focus on giving evidence of the truth of the gospel. Are you willing to let others see and hear your love for Christ through the wisdom he has given you?

“There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. Wisdom is better than weapons of war…” (Ecclesiastes 9:14-16, 18a)

I enjoy stories of underdogs who turn out to be heroes or under appreciated nobodies who become people of great renown, based on their morals, character traits, and priorities. Even more inspiring are stories of real Christians who have lived quiet lives of faith but were only known by a few people. Their faith has yielded its greatest reward-the crown of life. It is a reassuring to know that “the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16). The story in Ecclesiastes, about the forgotten poor, wise man is a case in point. His wisdom is recorded in Scripture for eternity, as a great example and encouragement for humble wisdom. We are not told his name, and we will not recognize him in heaven unless he introduces himself as the poor, wise man who delivered his little city with a few people.

God’s wisdom does what human strength cannot do. The world despises God’s wisdom and will not hear His words, out of hard-heartedness. “Men may brag and boast and display their might, but it is the quiet word of wisdom which saves.”* Christians who desire wisdom undertake a continual battle against popularity and worldly recognition or at least we should. There is great danger in fame; it is a small but deadly spot of invisible black ice on the path of wisdom. The only way to avoid smugness is to constantly be on the watch for it. To be wise, we must be willing to be Christ-like, according to Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” The more we embrace the idea of being quiet and unknown to the world, the more wisdom we will accumulate, and the more useful we will be to Christ.

Are you willing to become small and quiet? Will you ask God to give you the willingness to be forgotten to the world, but wise for His use?

* Zondervan Bible Commentary, One-Volume Illustrated Software Edition, F. F. Bruce, General Editor

“Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long…Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” (Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9)

My dear friend and sister in Christ has congestive heart failure. She delights in God’s Word, especially the psalms. So, when I first arrive to visit with her, she usually wants me to read one or two psalms, pray, and then read another psalm. Somehow, she adds a prayer for me at the end of my prayers for her and her family, because that’s just the kind of believer she is-always outwardly focused. Her desire to hear the psalms is helping me to appreciate them more. She is so wise!

In Psalm 25, David refers to the path he walks. He wants to know God’s ways and paths (v. 4). He seeks the way that is good, upright, steadfastly loving, and faithful (v. 8, 10). In each case, David also makes reference to his sin nature and need for humility. “Let me not be put to shame” (v. 1, 20). He declares that God is his salvation (v. 5) and that he is in need of God’s mercy (v. 6). “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions” (v. 7). “He instructs sinners in the way” (v. 8) “…pardon my guilt, for it is great” (v. 11). “Guard my soul and deliver me!” (v. 20) This psalm reveals David’s heart for the Lord. “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant” (v. 14).

We who desire to be wise must recognize that our wisdom is directly proportional to our friendship with God. How much greater is our intimacy with God, united to Christ, and having the Holy Spirit living in us, convicting, directing, and teaching us daily? David has demonstrated his wisdom and love for God in this psalm. How will we exhibit ours today?

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

When I toured Ireland in 2013 our tour guide arranged for us to observe three sheepdogs demonstrating their skills with a shepherd-trainer. The dogs were remarkable. As we watched them work, we noticed how the sheep quickly submitted to the dogs’ redirection, sometimes with a one hundred eighty degree turn. Thinking about it now, the picture of the shepherd who signaled the dogs, who then herded the sheep reminds me of how Christ, our Good Shepherd works with his under-shepherds to move his sheep in the right direction.

We are, by nature, lovers of sin and mischief. When Christ captures our hearts, making us his sheep, we submit to his redirection, turning one hundred eighty degrees, by his irresistible grace and the Holy Spirit’s working in us. It is then and only then that we can begin to acquire godly wisdom. This wisdom includes the intellectual knowledge that we belong to Christ, having been adopted into God’s family. Fortunately for us, we do not need to know or believe this in order to be saved, since salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. (See Ephesians 2:1-10.) The indwelling Holy Spirit helps us to understand Scripture and recognize and deal with the conflict between the old “man” (our sin nature) and the new “man” (our identity in Christ). Wisdom increases as our knowledge and understanding begin to work. We make connections as we apply our studies with the prophets in the Old Testament and the apostles in the New Testament, who are God’s under-shepherds. We gain wisdom as we pray, acknowledging God’s character and works, confessing our sins, giving thanks and requesting his help. Wisdom continues to grow whenever we worship God corporately, fellowship with other Christians, participate in communion and learn from our pastors, who are also God’s under-shepherds, having been called by our Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:1-5).

What shall we do with the wisdom we are acquiring? Whatever we do, in all our different circumstances, we should do wisely, for the sake of Christ. We are not to collect biblical knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as a trophy. As I move through my day, I first apply wisdom to myself, and then put it to use in my relationships. “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:22-25).

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.” (Job 28:12-13 )

“I said, ‘I will be wise,’ but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?” Ecclesiastes 7:23-24)

Do you seek wisdom in the same way that you look for the latest app for your smartphone? Do we even realize how much value we assign to news, twitter feeds, Facebook postings, or advertisements? When I receive an evaluation from a company who performed services for me I will usually delete it, because my wellbeing is not hinged on their service. The company will just have to wait to see if I return if they want to know “how they did.” In our trials, we tend to eliminate these distractions. Job, afflicted and feeling estranged from God, was consumed with finding wisdom. He compared his search for wisdom to a quest for precious gems and the pursuit of light (28:1-6). But man cannot excavate biblical wisdom in the way he finds earthly treasures (vs. 7-11). Unwilling to give up, Job persevered in his investigation.

In the following verses, Job stated where wisdom is not found. It cannot be found in the oceans or seas (v. 14).  Job then compared wisdom to precious gems, which can be valued, bought and sold. Wisdom is not comparable to gold, silver, onyx, sapphires, glass, coral, crystal, pearls, or topaz. These natural riches, made by God, can be exchanged in a marketplace, assigned monetary worth by the world (vs. 15-19). Godly wisdom is of infinite value, but cannot be seen with our eyes, like gems or light (vs. 20-21). If the living cannot see wisdom, then surely death has only “heard a rumor of it” (v. 22). Job finally determines that “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place” (v. 23).

Job has been brought down by God with illness and tragedy, and now admits that he knows very little of true wisdom. God often throws us into trials and difficulties to humble us, increase our dependence upon Him, and seek His wisdom more diligently. But we shouldn’t wait for affliction, illness or hardship to draw close to Christ. Are you studying the Bible to draw closer to God, to receive and use more of the wisdom available to you? Are you taking the warnings seriously, in humility, and recognizing the limitations of worldly values and possessions?