Biblical Wisdom

IN PROVERBS 1:7, KING SOLOMON DECLARED THAT "THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE." HE ALSO DIDN’T FAIL TO MENTION THAT "ONLY FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND DISCIPLINE."

WHEN IT COMES TO OBTAINING WISDOM, IT ALL STARTS WITH GOD. THE WORLD MAY GET THEIR WISDOM BY CLINGING ON TO EVERY WORD SAID BY OPRAH WINFREY. SOME MAY EVEN TURN TO MARTHA STEWART FOR CREATIVE IDEAS AND TO "MISS CLEO" FOR ADVICE ABOUT THE FUTURE.

BUT FOR CHRISTIANS, WISDOM IS FOUND ALL IN ONE PLACE. THAT "PLACE" WE FIND OUR WISDOM IS THE THRONE ROOM OF GRACE WHERE GOD GRANTS WISDOM TO THOSE WHO ASK.

JAMES 1:5, "IF YOU NEED WISDOM - IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO - ASK HIM, AND HE WILL GLADLY TELL YOU. HE WILL NOT RESENT YOUR ASKING."

WISDOM IS A GIFT FROM GOD THAT HE FREELY GIVES TO THOSE WHO WILL ASK. WISDOM IS SO MUCH MORE THAN MERE KNOWLEDGE.

KNOWLEDGE IS, AS DEFINED BY WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY, "SOMETHING LEARNED AND KEPT IN THE MIND." WISDOM IS NOT INTELLECTUAL RETENTION BUT KNOWLEDGE PUT INTO SKILLFUL ACTION.

WISDOM IS SKILLFUL LIVING. WE NEED TO SKILLFULLY LIVE OUT OUR FAITH AS PRESCRIBED IN GOD’S WORD. BY CONFORMING OUR LIVES TO GOD’S WORD WE ARE SKILLFULLY CHOOSING TO TAKE THE "HIGH ROAD" WHEN OTHER’S CHOOSE THE CONTENT LIFESTYLE OF THE "LOW ROAD."

A CHRISTIAN SHOULD NEVER BE CONTENT WITH THE MEDIOCRE, HUMDRUM, RUN-OF-THE-MILL, ORDINARY WAY OF LIVING LIFE. WE’RE NOT HERE TO JUST "GET BY." WE ARE TO BE DILIGENTLY WORKING ON REACHING EVEN GREATER HEIGHTS IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

IT IS A LIFETIME OF LONGING TO KNOW GOD BETTER AND TO KNOW HIM MORE AND MORE. YES, IT WILL TAKE US A WHILE AND IT WON’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

WE DON’T MICROWAVE OUR FAITH AND LEARN IT ALL IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. IT IS MORE LIKE A CROCK-POT WHERE WE SLOWLY, BUT SURELY, SEEK THE THINGS OF GOD THROUGH TRAINING, STUDY, AND DAILY LIVING. THIS IS BIBLICAL WISDOM!

KING SOLOMON WHO WROTE PROVERBS 2, IS SHOWING US HOW THIS IS THE WAY TO GO! HE USES 8 VERBS: "ACCEPT, STORE UP, TURNING, APPLYING, CALL, CRY, LOOK, AND SEARCH."

ALL EIGHT OF THESE VERBS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT WHO SEEKS FOR WISDOM. IT IS ALL BASED ON THE INITIATIVE OF THE STUDENT. THREE TIMES SOLOMON WROTE THE PHRASE "IF YOU!" IN OTHER WORDS, WISDOM TAKES EFFORT TO OBTAIN.

THEN HOW DO WE OBTAIN THIS "BIBLICAL WISDOM" IF IT IS ’UP TO US?" FIRST, BY GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTING THAT GOD’S WORD IS THE TRUTH.

WE NOT ONLY STOCK UP THIS TRUTH IN OUR MINDS, BUT WE TAKE IT INTO CUSTODY AND STORE IT DEEP INTO OUR CONSCIENCE AND HEART. WE DO AS THE PSALMIST IN PSALM 119:11, "I HAVE HIDDEN YOUR WORD IN MY HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST YOU."

SECONDLY, BY OPENING UP OUR EARS AND HEARTS TOWARD WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING. THIS IS ATTENTIVE LISTENING. IT IS COMING TO CHURCH TO LEARN GOD’S WORD NOT JUST TO HEAR GOD’S WORD.

IT IS EASIER TO STORE A LIQUID IN A BOWL RATHER THAN A COLANDER. THE SAME IS TRUE FOR US. IT IS MUCH EASIER FOR US TO LEARN IF WE WORK ON STAYING ATTENTIVE RATHER THAN BEING EASILY DISTRACTED BY COMPLACENCY.

WE STAY ATTENTIVE BY BRINGING OUR BIBLES AND TAKING NOTES, PAYING ATTENTION TO THE WORDS IN EACH VERSE OF THE HYMNS, MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE, AND THEN COMBINING ALL OF THESE THINGS INTO OUR LIVES THROUGH THE PROCESS OF APPLICATION.

WHEN A PENCIL GETS DULL IT BECOMES USELESS IN ITS INTENDED PURPOSE. ONLY WHEN ITS "DULLNESS" IS CUT AWAY WILL IT BECOME SHARP AND USEFUL AGAIN. OUR LIVES WILL BECOME DULL AND USELESS IF WE DO NOT SHARPEN THEM THROUGH THE CONSTANT APPLICATION OF WISDOM.

THIRDLY, IT’S CRYING OUT AND RAISING OUR VOICES FOR WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING. THIS IS THE PERSON WHO ISN’T AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT, SEEK OUT, AND ASK QUESTIONS.

IT’S CHOOSING NOT TO BE INTIMIDATED BY THE UNKNOWN OR BEING AFRAID THAT WE MIGHT REVEAL OUR IGNORANCE IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING.

IT IS EARNESTLY SEEKING AFTER WISDOM INSTEAD OF JUST GRUDGINGLY GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS BECAUSE ONE FEELS THEY "HAVE TO."

ANOTHER WORD FOR "CRYING OUT" AND "RAISING OUR VOICES" WOULD BE "ENTHUSIASM." LET US, WITH UNTIRING ENERGY AND INEXHAUSTIBLE PASSION, TOIL FOR WISDOM.

FOURTHLY, IT IS TO SEEK FOR WISDOM AS ONE WOULD SEARCH FOR SILVER AND GOLD. WISDOM COMES ONLY THROUGH HARD WORK. WISDOM COMES THROUGH AN UNRELENTING PERSEVERANCE. IT IS ARDUOUS LABOR THAT REQUIRES AN UNREMITTING ZEAL AND DILIGENT THIRST.

THE HEBREW WORD USED FOR "SEEKING" IN THIS VERSE CAN MEAN "TO SEARCH" OR "TO DIG OUT." JUST AS PRECIOUS METALS SUCH AS GOLD AND SILVER ARE SEARCHED FOR AND DUG UP OUT OF THE GROUND, WE ARE TO SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES AND DIG OUT ITS TRUTHS FOR OUR LIVES.