We Are To Get Wisdom From God Not From Man. Series

"Wisdom is supreme - so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding," says Proverbs 4:7. The Bible talks a lot about gaining wisdom and defines it by giving examples and then showcasing what happens when we don't act wisely. The book of Proverbs contrasts the wise and the foolish and tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). So we get wisdom when we learn to live in the fear of the Lord.

God gives wisdom through His Word and through His discipline. "Do not be wise in your own eyes" is not just a rule of etiquette or a personal improvement tip; it is a principle of godliness designed for our good. To those who are not wise in their own eyes and who choose to fear the Lord, there is a promise: "This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones" (Proverbs 3:8).

The fear of the Lord is a reverence for Him that has a great impact on the way we live. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe. Those who fear the Lord have a conscious awareness that their loving heavenly Father is watching and evaluating everything they think, say, or do. When we live with the sense of God's nearness, we make wiser decisions. An ornery child will be motivated to behave better with the oversight of a parent. Likewise, we may know what God's Word says about a situation, but the knowledge that He is actively observing us motivates us to obey.

We find the wisdom of God in His written Word. Following God's testimonies has a way of "making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7). We become wise when we study the Word and apply it to our lives: "Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts" (Psalm 119:98-100). We grow in wisdom and can safely navigate the pitfalls of this world when we have the Bible as our guide.

We also develop wisdom when we learn from our mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, but the difference between the wise and the foolish is that wise people learn their lessons and don't repeat the sin. Fools rush back in over and over, puzzled as to why they keep getting the same results. Proverbs 26:11 says that as a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. However, to get wisdom, we evaluate our folly from God's perspective and set personal boundaries so that we don't repeat it.

Wisdom involves seeing life from God's perspective and acting accordingly. We must remove the shackles of earth-bound thinking and purpose to see life through a bigger lens. Life is not about us. It is about God. We are only tiny pieces of God's big plan, and a person seeking wisdom will acknowledge that. A wise prayer is, "Lord, help me see this situation from Your perspective and make choices that please You." When our goal is the glory for the Lord, our decisions will have a better chance of being wise (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Those wanting to get wisdom from God are going to have to reject so-called wisdom from other sources. Those with worldly thinking will always advise against true, godly wisdom. Giving sacrificially to God's work all appear as foolishness to the world. Those who wish to get wisdom from God must be prepared to be misunderstood by the rest of the world (John 15:18).

James 1:5 promises that, when we need wisdom, we need only ask of God, and He will give it to us. Many people want God's wisdom, but then they want to weigh it against their own understanding and decide for themselves whether or not they will follow it. But Proverbs 3:5-6 warns us not to learn on our own understanding. Rather, we are to trust in the One who knows all things, including the end from the beginning. He is the One who has our best interests at heart. We are not to be wise in our own (Proverbs 3:7)

In Proverbs 3, Solomon exhorts his son to trust in the Lord wholeheartedly. In verse 5 Solomon gives counsel regarding trusting the Lord has instead of one's own understanding, and in verse 7 he says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." Those who are wise in their own eyes do not fear or trust the Lord. Instead, they think all they need is found within themselves.

To be wise in your own eyes means you think your understanding is best. You have it all figured out. You do not listen to advice, and you tend to live by the saying "it's my way or the highway." To be wise in your own eyes is to be, in your own estimation, self-reliant and self-sufficient, refusing even God's help. It is a sign of pride, which Proverbs 16:18 warns goes before destruction. It is only a matter of time before the prideful person who is wise in his own eyes experiences destruction or falls into God's judgment. The Scripture calls a person who is wise in his own eyes a fool (Proverbs 12:15; Romans 1:22) a big reason to not be wise in your own eyes.