GODLY WISDOM, and how to get more of it
Today let us look to the Proverbs to gain more Godly Wisdom. King Solomon gives us four examples from nature that reveal God’s love, care and protection for us.
Prayer
Let us start be reading Proverbs 3:13-25 (NIV), and as we do, see if you can pick out some benefits from gaining wisdom.
Proverbs 3: 13-25 "Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,"
So then, why should we seek wisdom; why should we seek to grab hold of her as Solomon dictates? Long life, riches, honor, peace, a tree of life, safety, we will not stumble, or have no fear. Wisdom also gives us discretion and discernment.
Solomon continues this thought in
Proverbs 8:11 "For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her."
Proverbs 16:16 "How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver."
Proverbs 19:8 "He who gets wisdom loves his own soul
What we can gain from all these verses is that God wants each one of us to have wisdom. So then since we have established how important it is for us to have Godly wisdom, let us see how we can gain a little more of it."
Let us read Proverbs 30:24-28
24 There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.
The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer. Or Proverbs 6:6-8 in the Message translation says:
You lazy fool, look at an ant.
Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.
Nobody has to tell it what to do.
All summer it stores up food;
at harvest it stockpiles provisions.
Wise Christians are like the ants. Ants are real workers. Yes, Christians should be laying up stores for their futures, for retirement. But they will also at the same time be laying up for themselves treasures in heaven, and preparing for their future beyond this life. The world rushes around us, grabbing for more, storing up worldly goods here, but never thinking about saving up incorruptible eternal treasures.
“The rock badgers are not mighty people, yet they make their houses in the rocks.” Rock badgers, or conies, are small slow runners with no natural defenses. They are very weak, very feeble things; if you were to throw a stick at one, you could kill it; but they are wise, for they build their houses in the rocks on steep mountain clefts, where they are out of harm’s way. Christians likewise may be weak, but are also wise, building their homes on Jesus, the Rock of Ages.
Conies, however, never travel more than 150 feet from their home. Although we may be called upon to travel around the world, we can still stay close to our rock, who is Jesus.
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Jesus will walk with us while we live here on earth. But more importantly, we Christians anticipate a heavenly home, full of joy peace and safety. It is a forever home, that will never rust or decay. And Jesus will always be our light.
“The locusts have no king, yet all of them go out in ranks.” We have no earthly king. The Lord of Hosts is our king. And he has sent out his people to all parts of the world. We as individuals can usually do some work for the Kingdom. But when we are part of God's team, when we are a functioning part of the body of Christ, then great things will happen.
When we join our efforts with other Christians, then greater things can happen. The conies also stay together in groups. They never isolate themselves. Let us not isolate ourselves from other believers. God wants us to be family, and support each other.
“The spider (lizard is a better interpretation) takes hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” The lizard is a diligent worker who can climb straight up any wall. And they can get into just about any room, even into king’s palaces. We as Christians should be using our hands to take hold of the unseen things of God. People of the world are scurrying around trying to grab as much stuff as they can, things that will give only a moment’s pleasure and will eventually rust, crumble, decay, or be stolen, while Christians are working in God’s fields and storing up for themselves treasures in heaven.
Another attribute of the lizard is his ability to HANG ON. We too must learn to HANG ON. We will all have to face adversity, trials, hardships, losses and troubles of all kinds. The bible tells us to expect them. But during those times, we should remember to rely on Jesus’ strength, and remember that He will see us through each trial.
Psalm 32:7 says “You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”
So in conclusion, whenever we might feel weak or inadequate, we should remember these four weak creatures, and how God takes care of them. Apart from God, we are very weak and vulnerable; we have no power. But as His children, He is always looking after us. He loves us and always wants to have fellowship with us.
To summarize, we can learn Godly wisdom from these four small creatures.
From the Ant, we learn to Plan for the Future
From the Conies, we should learn to build our lives upon the Rock
From the Locust, we learn to take part in a united work for Jesus
And from the Lizard, we learn to Hang On, to never give up.
Phil 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If any of you do not yet know the Lord, if you have not trusted Jesus as your savior, there is no better day to do so than today. He wants you to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. Jesus is asking you to abide under his Almighty shadow.
Based on the sermon Four Small Things by Denn Guptill, May 16, 2004
