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.
“A wise man learns from the experience of others. An ordinary man learns from his own experience.
A fool learns from nobody’s experience.”
The good news is, if we are willing to learn, the God of the universe, the One who knows all things, will make all things known to us.
B. God’s wisdom is reliable - vs. 6-9
According to the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology, the Hebrew word for wisdom was a meaningful word that escapes the English translation. It originally described the work of weavers who weaved the elaborate garments of Aaron, the high priest. They were to follow God’s instructions to the letter (Exodus 28:3). Their ability to follow God’s instructions was labeled as “wisdom.”
A wise man is one who hears God’s instructions for his life, and follows them, because God’s wisdom is reliable. Why?
1) God instructions are always right - v.6
That which God has to say to us is worthy of our attention because He doesn’t make any mistakes! His ways are always right!
2) God’s motives are always pure - v.7
God has no ulterior motives. He has no hidden agendas. He wants only the very best for us.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
3) God’s perspective is always fair - v. 8
God always sees things as they are, not as we hope they would be. He is honest with us and straight-forward.
4) God’s logic is always flawless - v. 9
The Scripture says that those who are discerning and who have knowledge will readily acknowledge that God’s wisdom makes sense.
Elizabeth Elliot, in her book “Let Me Be a Woman,” tells the story of Gladys Aylward, who was unable to accept the looks God had given her. When she was a child she had two great sorrows.
One, that while all her friends had beautiful golden hair, hers was black.
The other, that while her friends were still growing she had stopped at four feet ten inches.
But when at last she reached the country to which God had called her to be a missionary, she stood on the wharf in Shanghai and looked around at the people. Every one of them had black hair and every one was her height. She was able to look to God and exclaim, “Lord God, You know what You’re doing!”
2. Our choice - vs. 10-11
This choice is a choice to walk with Christ. As we read the description of wisdom here in Proverbs 8, it sure sounds familiar. If I were to ask you who this is describing, and read the following list of qualities, who would you think it was: “I am the truth (v. 7). I walk in the way of righteousness (v. 20). I was in existence before the beginning of the world, I follow every command of the Lord. (v. 22). I helped to create the world (v. 30). He who finds me finds life (v. 35).” I know if I was to look at that list I would automatically think that it was Jesus who was being talked about. In fact, these are the exact qualities that wisdom is described as having. You see, Christ is God’s wisdom, personified.
“God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself.” - 1 Corinthians 1:30a (NLT)
Elizabeth Elliot tells of two adventurers who stopped by to see her, all loaded with equipment for the rain forest east of the Andes. They sought no advice, just a few phrases to converse with the Indians. She writes: "Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me - confident and, we think, well-informed and well equipped. But has it occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff, something is missing?”
She suggests that we often ask God for too little. We know what we need - a yes or no answer, please, to a simple question. Or perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way. What we really ought to have is the Guide himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way, and that is Jesus, who is wisdom personified.
Conclusion: So, how do I live by God’s wisdom? By walking daily with Christ. How? By prayerfully allowing the Holy Spirit reveal God’s wisdom through His Word. You cannot daily walk with Christ and ignore His Word.
Bible: “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.”
If you are going to live life on purpose, you must seek God’s wisdom by walking with Christ daily, which means you will be in His Word.
