God's wisdom enlightens us

Sunday 7^th November 2010 by Alan Walden

Reading: Proverbs 2:1-15

Some people do the most foolish things. People take out huge mortgages, buy at the top of the market and bemoan their bad luck when the market collapses. They think catastrophes can’t happen to them, so they don’t need insurance. They play games of chance which are stacked against them. They order a large burger and chips, with a diet Coke, and wonder why they don’t lose weight. They believe their horoscope. They talk on a mobile phone while driving. Of course none of us do any of these things do we?

In contrast to such human foolishness stands the wisdom of God. There is in the nature of God that complete knowledge which pervades every aspect of life and creation. His wisdom is eternal, righteous and just.

The entire cosmos came into being by his wisdom. Human life is the product of his creative wisdom. God’s intelligence is behind everything which we see. The Biblical view of wisdom is that it is both spiritual and practical - it is what makes life work.

God’s wisdom is behind life itself, so it should be no surprise that God’s wisdom enables us to live better lives - lives that work. I have been reading a book by Bill Hybels called ‘Making Life Work’ - subtitled ‘Putting God’s Wisdom into action’. It’s an excellent book, lively and practical, looking at the pursuit of godly wisdom as laid out in the book of Proverbs. It draws out and applies the wisdom of the book and shows how well it applies to a whole host of practical life situations. Divine insight available to help us to live well.

Proverbs is such an incredible compendium of wisdom, and as Hybels neatly puts it, ‘where else, can we find writing that is poetic, but practical, humorous, yet helpful, direct, yet deep.’

Indeed, God’s wisdom is meant to be understood and applied, and it can make a huge difference to life, making the difference between life that works and one which falls apart. Applying wisdom is not an absolute guarantee that everything will be perfect, but it does make a huge difference between the chance of a life well lived, and one which falls apart.

Yesterday at St Francis we had the Alpha Holy Spirit day, and we talked about all the things which the Holy Spirit does for us. One of these things is that he helps us to understand God’s word (the Bible) and God’s world (in which we live). Paul prays in Ephesians Chapter 1:17-18 that we would have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we might know God better. He prays that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we can understand the wonder and mystery of God, or to know this love which surpasses knowledge (Eph 3:19)

Certainly for me, before I was a Christian, on the rare occasions I went to church, I heard this book (The Bible) read in a marriage service or a funeral service, but I didn’t understand it. It was only when the Spirit God enabled me that I could understand it - not only that but he gave me a passion for the scriptures which I still have today.

One of the great theologians and philosophers of the eleventh century, Anselm of Canterbury, said this: `Credo ut intelligam’—which means `I believe in order that I might understand.’ He said: `I do not seek to understand in order to believe; but I believe in order to understand.’ And it’s the Holy Spirit who brings that understanding and helps us to develop our relationship with God. It has been very exciting to see that understanding developing in people as they do the Alpha course, and are enlightened by the wisdom of God.

Wisdom in the Bible is a combination of what is right and true with good and sensible judgment. Perhaps, put like that, it doesn’t sound terribly glamorous or attractive. Wisdom goes with words like sensible, prudent, discerning. But the central message of proverbs as encapsulated in our reading is: pursue wisdom. Incline your heart to it - treasure it - seek it. And the reason we should pursue wisdom is because it works! It is more valuable than silver or gold, it is even more precious than fame, power and money.

We need only look at the foolish behaviour of some of the rich and famous. Politicians... businessmen... footballers... people at the top of their profession are not immune. If we put our energy into pursuing things other than wisdom then even the greatest people can fall into a great big hole.

And the way to pursue wisdom is to pursue God. Proverbs 1:7 ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ Here and in other places the Bible tells us that a right respect and reverence for God - holy fear - is what leads on to a right understanding of the world, or wisdom.

The promise we have is that if we seek wisdom, then we will find it. We will find it in the book of Proverbs, and we will find it in the teaching of Jesus. As we read, reflect, pray, and seek to apply God’s wisdom in our lives, we will gain understanding, knowledge of God, and a life which works.

Wisdom in proverbs includes wisdom for family life. There seem to have been many news stories recently about the difficulty of offering equal opportunities to all children. Children from better homes persistently achieve more in life than those from poorer ones. Those who start out with a disadvantage never seem to recover, and it is clearly not fair to the child.

But it is an indication perhaps that good, wise parenting has a massive impact on a child. Proverbs 17:16 ‘Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents’. The legacy of good parents is priceless, but many people go through life filled with difficulties, because parents didn’t teach them how to make life work. And it works the other way round, Proverbs 15:20 ‘A wise child makes a glad father, but the foolish despise their mothers’. So wisdom is key to harmonious family relationships.

And wisdom applies in the workplace too. 22:29 ‘Do you see those who are skilful in their work? They will serve kings, they will not serve common people’. The natural order of things is that people who work hard and apply themselves will be well rewarded. This is not a promise or a guarantee, but a straightforward explanation of how life normally works.

I used to work with salespeople, and I was responsible for measuring and rewarding their performance. Each month, some would do well, some badly, but there was a pattern and consistency. People who worked hard and well normally came out near the top, and those who were lazy and incompetent dropped off the bottom. Occasionally, they would resort in desperation and greed to deceit and even fraud.

As we read in 2:11 ‘Wisdom... will save you from the way of evil, ... from those who forsake the paths of uprightness... whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.’

Proverbs also includes wisdom for different kinds of relationships, and includes our attitude to speaking the truth, to taking initiative, and to managing anger.

It often takes things we know from elsewhere in the Bible and brings it out. For example, we know from the 10 commandments that lying is wrong - ‘you shall not bear false witness’. Proverbs puts it more picturesquely: 12:22 ‘Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord’ God detests lies. And it has much more to say about the power of words. 15:4 ‘A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit’ What we say can cause immense damage to others. How important it is, then to reflect carefully and to hold our tongue. 15:28 ‘The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.’

Proverbs presents itself as a quite disordered arrangement of sayings, it is not nicely themed or grouped, which doesn’t make it easy to find what you want. I have found that a good way to read it is to pick a section (from chapter 10 when the introduction finishes) and ponder the meaning of each proverb. I find that some are clear and obvious, some can be opaque, but then I come to one which really speaks to some particular situation I am in. Then I stop, reflect, pray - and take that proverb away with me.

So let us pursue God’s wisdom - in proverbs, and in the teaching of Jesus, seeking it out with the help of God’s Spirit. We can read it, pray over it, reflect on it and then apply it. The wisdom which God offers freely to us is both a spiritual blessing and a practical blessing. The more we pursue it and apply it, the more we will find that God’s wisdom makes life work.

Questions

1) What areas of life are working well, and in what areas do you seem to especially need God’s wisdom?

2) How have you been enlightened recently by your prayer life, reading scripture, worship or talking with other Christians?

3) What practical steps might you take to receive grow in your knowledge and understanding of God and his world?

4) Pick one chapter to read from Proverbs 10-29. What proverbs strike you? What seem to apply to a situation you are in at present?