"Live By God’s Wisdom” Series

An angel appeared at a faculty meeting and told the dean that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord would reward him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean selected infinite wisdom. “Done!” says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turned toward the dean, who sat surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispered, “Say something.” The dean looked at them and said, “l should have taken the money.”

That story reflects the world’s view of wisdom - that it is something that one can get by without if they have to choose between it and something of material value. But the Bible’s view of wisdom is quite different. Wisdom, we are told, comes from God, and is therefore of infinite value.

“If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.” - James 1:5 (Amplified)

If we are going to live life on purpose, we must not only connect with God, but we must seek His wisdom. God desires to guide us with His wisdom, which He will gladly bestow upon us if we will only seek Him and ask for it. When He bestows wisdom upon us, He does so graciously and generously, without condemning us for not having asked for His wisdom before. He is simply delighted to bestow His wisdom on us so that we might be blessed.

“Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings . . .” - James 3:17a (The Message)

The fact that God deeply desires to guide us with His wisdom is revealed in verse one of our passage. Let’s consider . . .

1. Wisdom’s call - vs. 1-9

A. God’s wisdom is practical - vs. 1-5

1) How it benefits - vs. 2-3

a) It impacts our personal life - “where the paths meet” - v. 2

This is a reference to our every day life and the various intersections and crossroads we encounter.

Johnny Carson on the old Tonight Show used to do a sketch in which is gives directions and as he pointed to a map, he would talk about how you would come to “the fork in the road” and a picture of a fork would pop up.

That was a funny bit. But sometimes, the forks in the road we come to on the journey of life are not so funny; and we need God’s wisdom to help us decide which way to turn. Sooner or later, we all come to that “fork in the road” and have a decision to make. How do we know which way to go? By the wisdom that God provides we can be kept from taking a wrong turn in life and making a big mistake.

Migratory birds in the U.S. were tagged by the Department of the Interior with metal strips reading “Wash. Biol. Surv.” - for Washington Biological Survey. The code was changed, so the story goes, after a farmer from Arkansas wrote to the department: “Dear Sirs, I shot one of your crows. My wife followed the cooking instructions attached - she washed it, boiled it and served it. It was the worst thing we ever ate.”

Often, because of our limited understanding, we make the wrong choice and it winds up leaving a bad taste in our mouth. That’s why we need to choose to live according to the wisdom God provides. God’s wisdom is very practical and will make a positive impact on our personal life.

b) It impacts our public life - “beside the gates”- v. 3

The gates of the city were where all public transactions were conducted. It was where political decisions were made and where judicial decisions were handed down. In other words, God’s wisdom can not only serve us well in our personal life, but in our public life.

God has wisdom to impart to us that can be applied to my job, my business, my social life, my school work, etc. The wisdom God has to impart to us is applicable to any and every area of both my personal and public life.

2) Who it benefits - vs. 4-5

a) It can benefit the ignorant - “simple” - v. 5a

The “simple” here refers to those who are uneducated, to those who just need to learn.

b) It can benefit the stupid - “foolish” - v. 5b

While the “simple” refers to those who need to learn, the “foolish” refers to those who refuse to learn. God’s wisdom will benefit all who would take advantage of it.