To Know the Lord is to Possess Wisdom
Proverbs 9:1-10 August 18, 2002
PROVERBS 9:1-10
1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
2She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
3She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.
4"Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.
5"Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.
6Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
7"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
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Dearest Fellow-Redeemed and Saints in the Lord:
Why do we come to church? Why do we take time to read our Bibles or attend Bible study? Sometimes we may ask ourselves those questions. Our sinful nature may wonder if we get anything out of it at all. Perhaps if we don?t ask ourselves those questions, maybe someone in the world has asked us those questions. Why go to church at all? What is all this fuss about? Why is it so important to learn, hear and study God?s Word? Very simply, Paul answers that question in Timothy: "And how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus"(2 TIMOTHY 3:15). We gather together on Sunday and special services to become wise for salvation. Whether in private devotions at home or in public worship here, God has given us that wisdom which leads to eternal life.
In our life we learn many things, but there is nothing as important as this wisdom that God gives us to make us wise for salvation. That?s what we?re reminded of in our text this morning. Very simply, at the end we?re told ?and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.? Proverbs 9:10 states with other words that our theme says this morning:
To Know the Lord is to Possess Wisdom
I. God?s Wisdom Satisfies
II. God?s Wisdom Instructs
I. God?s Wisdom Satisfies
Hopefully you did not miss the comparison of Wisdom preparing a feast, a meal for those who would partake of it?not just a meal, but a feast?a banquet! It is so important that it mentions the house, the building that was going to be used. 1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. It?s not just a shack by the side of the road, but it?s going to be a mansion. Even today when we see a house with one or two pillars, we realize that that?s a pretty large house. Here, our text describes Wisdom, as a house of seven pillars, it is almost beyond imagination. In that house is going to be enough room for everyone who wants to come. There is going to be a banquet. Our text says: 2She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She?s gotten everything ready. The original says ?they?ve slaughtered the beasts?. And they?ve mixed the wine with spices so that it?s as tasty as it could be. The table is set. Everything is now ready. What?s left? Of course, it?s the invitation.
3She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city. They?re going to announce that the banquet is ready to begin, they are going to go to the highest point where everyone will see them and everyone will hear them. No one is to be excluded for here is the invitation: 4"Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment. The invitation is to everyone. Everyone who wants to come can feast at the banquet that Wisdom has prepared. She says it?s an invitation to those who lack judgement?going back to the original it says--those who have a need of their heart. A need that is in their heart?something that is missing in their life. Whether they realize it or not, what is missing is wisdom, the wisdom of God which is able to make them wise for salvation. The invitation says: 6Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding. Wisdom was going to feed them with a banquet that would cause them to live, not live day by day, but live beyond the days of this life into eternity. It would happen by them leaving their sinful ways of the world and looking to the spiritual ways that God would provide. What a beautiful description for you, me, every believer and even everyone in the world.
Time and again, the Lord talks to us about His word being the words of life. Just as we eat day by day, so he says God?s word is something to be fed on daily and richly. Jeremiah said when the words of the Lord came, he ate them. They were his joy and delight. Isaiah describes the invitation to come and enjoy the food and the drink without money and without cost. Later on, Isaiah says: "On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine-- the best of meats and the finest of wines"(ISAIAH 25:6). The Lord?s banquet of wisdom is not something just to tide us over until the next meal or until the next day, but we?re told it?s the best of meats and the finest of wines. The best?that?s what the Lord wants to give to each and every one of us?not just enough to get by, but the very, very, very best.
It sounds simple doesn?t it? The Lord says, ?Here it is! Here is my Word that you get to hear, here is my Word that you get to read, and here is my Word that you get to learn and study, that it might satisfy your soul.? Yet, what happens? When He invites us to come and partake of that banquet, sometimes we forget to listen. Sometimes we simply do not come. Jesus told a parable in the New Testament where the wedding banquet had been prepared for the guests, much the same way that God prepares His banquet. He said everything was ready and he sent out the invitations. But what happened? "He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come"(MATTHEW 22:3). They had lots of excuses?one said he?d just gotten married, another had bought land and he had to take care of it. Here was a banquet that no one came to, so he sent the invitation to everyone else?to those who were in the streets and along the road. To anyone who would listen, they were invited to come. Those who had first been invited refused that invitation.
We realize in our life that sometimes the things of this world cause us to neglect what God has prepared for us?a banquet that satisfies. Wisdom, wisdom when in this world there is a shortage of wisdom. It?s more than knowledge, it?s more than book learning, it?s more than knowing that two plus two equals four, more than knowing the capitols of states, it?s the knowledge that can only come from the Book of Life. It?s the knowledge that Christ is our Savior. It?s knowledge and wisdom; wisdom that comes from growing in God?s word and it is wisdom, which satisfies.
In the book of James we are reminded if we don?t have the wisdom we want, we should ask the Lord because he?s anxious to give it to us. Then he goes on to say you can tell people by their actions if they are wise or not (not by what they say or do.) Following that, James tells us what this wisdom provides, how it satisfies the soul. ?But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere"(JAMES 3:17) Wouldn?t we be satisfied if we were filled with all of those things? Peace loving, sincerity, mercy, grace?wouldn?t the world be satisfied if it enjoyed all of those gifts that Wisdom gives? What a world we would live in if every one of us and all of those around us had all of those gifts. We would be satisfied. We would be content.
To know the Lord is to possess wisdom, which is able to satisfy us to the very depths of our souls the need of our heart as our text, says. It goes on to say:
II. God?s Wisdom Instructs
To know the difference between right and wrong is not a bad thing is it? If we didn?t know the difference between right and wrong we would live in a world that was filled with chaos. Life would not be pleasant at all. Our writer talks about instruction from God?s wisdom and His word. Yet there are those who are not anxious to hear instruction. He says 7. Whoever corrects a mocker brings on insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. The mockers care little to hear about God?s instruction. They do not want to learn about God?s wisdom. They abuse and reject those who bring that message. We think of the kings of the Old Testament. God had raised them up in a position of leadership and authority. God had raised up prophets also to instruct them. Yet from time to time, when these wicked kings didn?t want to listen to God?s prophets, they listened to the prophets of Baal. They listened to prophets who told them what they wanted to hear. They rejected God?s wisdom. God then rejected Israel. One more phrase: 8Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you. So it says it goes even beyond rejecting the advice. It goes to rejecting the messenger himself. For those that mock God?s word and make fun of it, they don?t want to hear God?s wisdom. They care little about salvation.
On the other hand, he goes on to say, ?what about those who are wise? What about those who see God?? He says: rebuke a wise man and he will love you. And so it is, that those who are believers are considered wise. They get to hear God?s law, which condemns their sinfulness, and yet they realize by hearing God?s law, by seeing their mistakes, they need improvement in their life. They become wiser still. He goes on: 9Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. Those who are already grounded in God?s wisdom, learn to love God even more by listening to His word. The wise add to their wisdom, the righteous adds to their learning. In other words, they grow in their faith and knowledge. He tells us why in the last verses--10"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. To know the Lord is understanding. To understand His righteous wrath, to understand His love, is only the beginning of wisdom.
You and I have only begun our journey down the path of wisdom. You and I have only begun to learn what God has in store for each one of us on this side of heaven. Every day has a new beginning for us to grow in our faith and in our wisdom of God?s salvation. It seems strange to us that there are those who reject God?s wisdom, those who do not want to listen to His message, yet that?s the way it is. Remember Pharaoh in the Old Testament. Moses said, ?Let my people go.? Pharaoh said, ?Sure, I will.? Then he changed his mind. Moses came back, ?Let my people go.? Pharaoh said, ?I will.? Then he changes his mind again and again until finally his heart is hardened against anything God would say or do. So it is in the world today. Because of the hardness of man?s heart, sometimes they just don?t want to hear. We?re told why in Corinthians-- it talks about the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. It says God?s foolishness is wiser than man?s wisdom; God?s weakness is stronger than man?s strength. It sums up this section of Proverbs by saying: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God"(1 CORINTHIANS 1:18). We have just what proverbs say?you rebuke a mocker, he hates that message. It?s foolishness to him that Christ died on the cross. It?s foolishness to the world that our Savior is the One who was put to death as a criminal. BUT to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
Again we have those who would say the commandments are so outdated. We know we can?t keep them, so why try at all? The commandments are so overbearing and oppressive. We may as well give up before we even begin. Yet, as we know in our life, the commandments are God?s laws that were given to mankind because his conscience had become dull. They were written down on tablets of stone so that you and I would not forget--nor would the generations in this world to come forget. Again, many try to dismiss it, yet our whole legal system began with some basis on the Ten Commandments. God?s law is not meant only to beat us down, but in our New Testament times, is used as a guideline to encourage and strengthen. From the Psalms we read: "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes"(PSALM 19:7,8). All of these words are synonyms. Commands, precepts and statutes are all the same word for law. They revive our soul, give light to our eyes, and make wise the simple. This is God?s word that helps us to see God and understand Him. To know God is to possess wisdom.
Wisdom has made a great and better difference in our lives. Where would you and I be if we did not have salvation? There would be no reason to look at God?s word and study it. There would be no reason to open our Bibles and read what God has to say to us. There would be no reason to gather here and hear the gems of the gospel, or sing praises or pray to God, but God has given us salvation, given us eternity. To us who are sinners and stand condemned every day because of our wicked thoughts and evil ways and vicious words are now given the way of eternal life. Our lives are changed. Because of that, the Lord demands some responsibility on our behalf. He says to us in Ephesians: ?Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil"(EPHESIANS 5:15,16). This was written almost two thousand years ago. The prophets and apostles realized the days were very evil then. It hasn?t gotten any less evil today. He says you and I who know better, you and I who have been given the light of the knowledge of salvation and God?s wisdom, are to live as children who are wise?not to give in to the ways of the world and live like everyone else, not to treat everyone else with disrespect as the world does so today, but to shine as lights of God?s loving grace and mercy.
To know the Lord is to possess wisdom. In the original it says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. This is quoted in the psalms, Job and all throughout the scriptures. Today is just another beginning of learning to know God, to grow in our wisdom. We think of the apostle Paul. In his wretched life he had put Christians to death and God called him to be an apostle. That bothered him for the rest of his life that he had wasted his life by turning against God instead of being with God. He says, ?What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ?(PHILIPPIANS 3:8). Paul says now that I know the wisdom of God, my whole life I put behind me and that is lost. My whole life I look ahead, I want to gain Christ, and I want to grow in God?s wisdom. That is to be our attitude also. It is a great gift of God to know Him. To this gift of knowing Him, God adds the gift of wisdom?to know what is right, to know what is wrong, to have our souls instructed and our souls satisfied.
From Ecclesiastes we read: "Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor" (ECCLESIASTES 7:11,12). He?s saying what Proverbs says here. He says to know the Lord is to possess wisdom; to possess wisdom is to know God, to know God is to have eternal life. Now we only begin to see how wisdom satisfies the soul, how wisdom instructs our soul so that we have a reason to come to church, to read the Bible, to worship and praise God. God gives us wisdom, the knowledge of salvation. Amen.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
