[The following sermon was given as a part of a church message series titled "What We Need" for Gracepoint Ministries (gracepointonline.org) in 2021]
INTRODUCTION
We’re now in the 21st century and we’ve increased in knowledge and understanding, from the intricate inner workings of the cell to even “Boldly go where no man has gone before” with the Mars helicopter! But when it comes to WISDOM (which is the ability to make RIGHT CHOICES in life), it seems like each generation needs a fresh dose of it. It’s as if FOLLY is common by default, even among the smartest and brightest.
Take for instance, Albert Einstein, who was an intellectual genius; but as I read his biography, he was rather foolish with poor decisions that estranged his family and relationships. Case in point, in a rash move to divorce his wife, he promised to give her the Nobel Prize money if he were to ever win that award—and sure enough, he won it (and lost it). Even a genius needs wisdom to make the right choices in life.
We all have made poor decisions in life, regrettable choices, those cringe moments of things we did to moments of “Why did I say that?” WE ALL NEED wisdom!
One passage from the Bible that gives us hope is:
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
It’s reassuring to know that God would give wisdom generously to those who ask, but you might be wondering: Exactly HOW does God give this wisdom and WHAT is that wisdom? Man, I want a booster shot of that!
For starters, God gave us Scripture and in particular, Wisdom Literature comprised of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. So let’s receive some of that wisdom! Spoiler Alert: Wisdom isn’t merely to attain a happy life.
BEGINNING OF WISDOM
The beginning of Proverbs starts us off with:
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
And Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
In these two verses, “the beginning of” is as in “the STARTING POINT”, much like the FIRST RUNG on a ladder, “the FIRST STEP” that one takes in obtaining wisdom. So the starting point of wisdom is “the Fear of the Lord.”
Now, "the Fear of the Lord" is NOT necessarily being terrified and afraid of God, but rather, having a REVERENT AWE as you encounter something far LARGER and GREATER. So the first step of gaining wisdom is SEEING GOD for WHO God is—ALMIGHTY CREATOR and SUSTAINER. One outcome of that basic tenet is that it RE-CALIBRATES our PERSPECTIVE, RESIZES the SCALE, and produces a posture of HUMILITY which also fosters wisdom.
It’s kinda like standing in front of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, 3000 ft high granite monolith that reminds us that we are rather small (not just a 5 ft 4 inch person like me but even if you’re 6 ft 4 inch, you’re quite small before El Capitan).
Astronauts experience it at another level when they see planet earth from outer space and researchers call it “The Overview Effect” (the BIG PICTURE effect) producing a cognitive shift in awareness as you realize how small and fragile earth is in the vastness of outerspace.
HUMILITY
The beginning step of wisdom happens when we clearly view God as Creator, that we are dependent on God and we need God for sustenance and guidance, no matter how independent we strive to be. That’s THE BIG paradigm shift required, like the Copernican Revolution where rightly placing the sun at the center makes sense of data and reality. We should be humble because objectively, there is so much to life that we DON’T KNOW.
It’s ironic, but after I got my Ph.D. in chemistry, I came to appreciate HOW LITTLE I KNOW. Yes, I knew enough about Carbon-60 buckyballs to write a dissertation, but it was only about how those little molecules interacted with a particular iridium complex in a specified environment in the crystalline form on a lucky day in the lab! Everything else, I don’t know. And such humbling recognition is not only discovered in a chemistry lab, it’s found in much of life—there’s A LOT that we don’t know.
Sadly, this is MOST ACUTELY realized when bad things happen to you, when setbacks, illness, unemployment, or loss hit you without much reason or explanation. And it’s such seasons of distress, when we’re in a crucible, that’s where we need wisdom the most. It’s not wisdom in how to get out of that mess, but how to make the right decisions while we endure.
WISDOM FROM JOB
Consider the book of Job which is an integral part of Wisdom Literature. At the heart of the book, in chapter 28, we read:
Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?”
Job 28:28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”
So it’s the same refrain of “the fear of the Lord” as the starting point and basis of wisdom.
But wisdom from Job isn’t in the form of short pithy memorable sayings, but it’s the hard-earned weighty wisdom from the choices Job makes, what he does and says, ESPECIALLY in the midst of tough trials of life. Remember, Job lost all his possessions, children died in a sudden accident, health deteriorated with sores all over his body, and to top it off, he’s tormented even while trying to sleep! And as far as he can understand, he hasn’t done anything to deserve all that suffering; and that’s NOT his inflated estimation of himself, it’s the very first sentence of fact in chapter 1 verse 1:
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
Can you imagine his bewilderment and anguish as to WHY all of this is happening to him? If you were Job, what would you do? What would you say to God?
Even his wife tells him…
Job 2:9-10 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Now THAT is a sampling of wisdom. How so? Wisdom is the ability to make right choices in life, and one would naturally apply it to CHOICES like what career path to choose, whom to marry, etc., choices toward a happier life. But if there’s one decision, one choice, one commitment that’s MOST IMPORTANT in life, it is how you respond to WHO GOD IS through all the seasons of life, the ups and downs.
The deep wisdom of Job is on display as he chooses to continue to trust God even in the midst of TRIALS, troubles, and the pains of life…and yes, even as he walks through the valley of shadow of death, Job “did not sin with his lips” meaning he does not curse God as he was tempted to do. To be sure, throughout chapter 2 through 37, there are moments of real struggle filled with the lingering questions of WHY this is happening and the questions of HOW or WHEN he will be vindicated…lot of questions for God to answer. And as Job’s story concludes, instead of answers and explanations of why bad things might happen to good people, Job is simply reminded to CONSIDER WHO GOD IS.
After Job’s questions to God, Chapters 38-41 is a series of questions God asks Job:
Job 38:4 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
Job 38:16-18 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.
Job 39:1 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does?
God is reorienting Job to the starting point again, the beginning of wisdom which is the fear of the Lord.
And Job gets it—God is Creator with His divine purposes, and God knows what He’s doing. And so Job shuts his mouth and HUMBLY DEFERS TO GOD rather than presumptuously objecting and rejecting God. Job steadfastly trusts in God and the book ends with God vindicating and restoring Job.
Now some of you might be feeling, “Well, that’s good for Job but that’s the faraway world of the Bible…how does that help with wisdom we need here and now?”
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Let me tell you about it. Several years ago, I taught a course on Wisdom Literature but I didn’t realize how Job’s example help me personally as well. And then came January 2017, when two big storms hit our family simultaneously. My wife got diagnosed with her second cancer, this time far more harmful. On top of that, her younger sister while traveling in London suffered a massive stroke that left her paralyzed and unable to walk, speak, read, or write even to this day. Honestly, there were moments when we couldn’t understand WHY all of this was happening. And the troubles loomed larger and larger. But that’s when we went back to that first step, WHO God is, that He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Redeemer, our Deliverer…and we TRUSTED that God knows what He’s doing—after all, that’s what I learned in Job! With the question of WHO securely answered, the questions of WHY or HOW somehow seem to shrink down to size. And with that proper perspective, we were able to continue to CHOOSE to worship and trust in God, to love and serve God and others as He gave us strength for each day. Our troubles didn’t consume our lives and what helped most is going back to the starting point of WHO God is as reminded through Scripture and the people of God.
And God was able to REDEEM even our trials for His purposes. A couple of years later, three sisters in our churches who were younger than Susanna were diagnosed with cancer and we were able to help guide them through those trials. It wasn’t just wisdom in medical treatment options, but I think the greater wisdom shared with them is to steadfastly cling onto God.
I realize most of you listening may not go through such extreme storms in your life. But there will be trials of various kinds where you will need wisdom to navigate through those tough times with godly choices, and I pray that the wisdom of Job can help you as it helped me. Some might be wondering, this message is supposed to be on wisdom but it somehow feels like a message on enduring through trials of faith. It’s actually YES TO BOTH because the most important wisdom is choosing to remain faithful and steadfast in your relationship with God.
We started with James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously” and I want to circle back to pick up the context that James was addressing; in fact, the context was TRIALS.
James 1:2-5 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
The context for James’ letter and the need for wisdom was when they were met with trials of various kinds. Perhaps it was religious persecution the scattered Christians were facing, maybe it was the difficulty in embracing the way of the cross of Christ, maybe it was doubts about God’s goodness in the midst of their lack and need... The early believers had to face tests of faith where wisdom, the ability to make right choices, is applied to the MOST IMPORTANT CHOICE: To steadfastly CLING ONTO GOD. That’s the first and most important step; and if you get that right, then other choices will naturally fall into place. Some form of that test will come one day for everyone for each generation, and God knows what we need and has provided generously the wisdom from His Word, examples like Job, and most of all, in the example of the Righteous One, Jesus Christ.
Consider the snapshot of Jesus as recounted by Peter in
1 Peter 2:22-23 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
Jesus’ life and death on the cross is the fullest display of the Wisdom of God and it was in the midst of excruciating suffering, physically and emotionally, far beyond what Job experienced or any of us will.
Apostle Paul writes of this wisdom of God that seems like folly to the world in:
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
This Wisdom of God says, Don’t grasp for yourself but rather empty yourself, take the form of a servant, become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, and even while you are suffering on that cross, continue to entrust yourself to the Heavenly Father who judges justly. Those choices may seem foolish but on that first Easter Sunday, the resurrected Christ was fully vindicated and the wisdom of God was revealed!
To sum up, how can we gain such wisdom? It requires a robust fear of the Lord, a proper view of who God is, so that you can properly size-down your trials and gain the correct perspective. It’s like what Oswald Chambers once said: “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
Towards that end, I want to leave you with 3 applications:
First, turn to Scripture to get that regular reminder of who God is as the starting point. That was crucial for me.
Second, consider the people of enduring faith, especially those in Scripture; from Habakkuk to Hebrews, there are many examples of those who trusted in God even through trials, and foremost, consider Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Third, I’ll cite Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” God has generously given many people in our lives who likewise have the fear of the Lord. Walk with them, run with them, talk with them! As we do, may we grow in the wisdom of God together!
