Proverbs 4:5-19
Introduction: We have more access to information and knowledge than ever before, but we are still so confused, conflicted, and divided. What must we do? The book of Proverbs teaches us that wisdom is the missing piece of the puzzle, the lost treasure of our time. We must rediscover it, ourselves and as a church, if we are to stand firm in a world drowning in information but lacking in wisdom. This Fall, let’s come together to “get wisdom” and allow it to reorient our lives, our families, and our communities.
What is Wisdom? | Wisdom is more than just knowledge. We can all think of people who are knowledgeable but not wise. Wisdom is related to it but clearly something more. We can define wisdom as the masterful skill of applying knowledge and understanding to everyday life in all of its fluctuating circumstances. It cannot be acquired hastily as if cramming for a test, or in a vacuum as if studying it in a laboratory. It is not indifferent to the particular details in our lives as if it were a uniform standard that everyone can apply in the same way. The bible tells us it takes time, skill, character, prayer and community to develop.
The challenges of our time require wisdom. As we deal with the pandemic and all the associated questions it has raised; our deep political divides; cultural conflicts over race, justice, gender, and sexuality and how all these things have created divisions in the church… what can we get that will help?! Proverbs tells us there’s an answer - wisdom.
1. Why we need to get Wisdom
We could quickly address this “why” question by pointing to the text. God tells us to “get wisdom,” (five times!) so that’s the end of it. Not so fast. If we zoom out, we see that Proverbs is trying to tell us not only that we should prioritize wisdom because God tells us to, but because wisdom has priority by its very nature. How can this be? One reason is embedded in Proverbs 4:7 - “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” In English, it sounds redundant, but in Hebrew, the meaning is made more explicit by considering the force of the second couplet. The starting point of getting wisdom is realizing that getting wisdom is the starting point.
Another reason wisdom has priority is that wisdom describes the way God works in reality. In this way, it is the very fabric of creation. Consider the use of “beginning” in Proverbs 8:22-23: “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.” Wisdom holds a place of priority because it was with God at the beginning before the earth. This priority has a profound impact upon us because if wisdom is related to God from the beginning, and we are trying to get wisdom, then getting after wisdom is really about getting after God. To live wisely is to live “with the grain of life” as designed by God in a way that gives Him priority and primacy in everything.
2. What happens if we don’t get Wisdom
It is important to understand why we need to get wisdom, but we ought not to think this is a “when I get around to it” sort of thing. Why? Because we don’t have time to think in this way. Our passage in Prov 4:10-19 is also meant to show us the urgency of getting wisdom. In these verses, a father speaks to his son about life in the form of a journey of two paths. One is the path of wisdom, and the other is the path of the wicked. The father commends the path of wisdom as one full of life and righteousness “like the dawn of day” (4:18). The path of the wicked is the opposite, like “deep darkness, they don’t even know over what they stumble” (4:19). Do you see where this is going?
According to Proverbs, you are on one of these paths right now. If that isn’t challenging enough, consider that the longer we walk on either one of them, the harder it is to move back to the other. It is not always easy to walk in wisdom, but it
gets better with time and experience. Life becomes more clear to us, and it becomes more difficult to leave the path. But the same is true if we walk on the opposite path. Going too far in the dark is a recipe for disaster. If we don’t get wisdom our path leads to darkness and death. Proverbs is saying, how long will we hit the snooze button before you realize it’s too late? The time to make a decisive choice is now. Ray Ortlund captures the application of Proverbs 4 well: “Whichever you choose, it will cost you all you have. To get wisdom you have to give up everything. To not choose wisdom will take everything from you in the end.”
3. How we get Wisdom
Ok, good. You’re awake now and you want to know how we do actually get wisdom. Proverbs establishes our starting point:“the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10). Certainly, this does not mean that we live hiding under our blankets, but that we live in reverential awe of our great, holy, and righteous God. He does not exist to conform to us, but us to Him. We must bring this kind of respect for God into every part of our thinking, being and doing. Indeed, this kind of fear gives us the best first step on the path of wisdom, but many miss how Proverbs shows us that it is love that prompts us to choose wisdom and continue forward. Proverbs 4:6-9 motivates us with the language of love - “Do not forsake her, love her and she will guard you” (4:6). We can only get wisdom and keep hold of wisdom by seeing “her” beauty and becoming besotted by her and the life of beauty and grace that is given to the one who embraces her.
So, fear and love together guide us on the path of wisdom… and that path leads us straight to Jesus. Paul reminds us that “In him [Jesus] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3). In Jesus, we see how the God we must respect and revere is also the God who loves us despite our tendency to wander into the way of wickedness. He will give us wisdom because he wants to restore us to the beautiful lives he created us to live. Jesus gave everything to give us back this life. He tells us to give up anything that keeps us from getting it. In his wisdom God made a way for us. In Christ, he has straightened our path, and by His Spirit, he invites us to learn to walk in wisdom. This is good news!
REFLECT OR DISCUSS
What about this sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?
How would you define wisdom to others? What patterns do you notice between your response and other responses? What is unique about biblical descriptions of wisdom? In what ways is it different from knowledge?
What stands out to you about how wisdom is described in Proverbs 8:22ff? Are you encouraged, concerned, or confused in any way about its relation to God?
Consider Ray Ortlund’s quote about wisdom: “Whichever you choose it will cost you all you have. To get wisdom you have to give up everything. To not choose wisdom will take everything from you in the end.” What does this have to say about the urgency of wisdom? Does it resonate with you? for our times?
James 3:13-18 shows us the two paths in practice (the path of wisdom and the path of the wicked). James says a life off of the path of God’s wisdom is characterized by “envy and selfish ambition”. In other words, when you are off the path of God’s wisdom you are not content with the life you have (envy) and you spend most of your energy on trying to get the life you want for yourself (selfish ambition). In contrast, getting wisdom is characterized by contentment, peace, authenticity and gentleness.
Where do you most need to get this “wisdom” from above in your life?
What are some ways you hit the “snooze” button on things that are good for you? What are the “splinters” you have right now for living against the grain of God’s good design for life? What would it look like for you to stop hitting snooze?
What do you think the “fear of the Lord” looks like? How do you know when you have it? when you don’t? How is it recovered when we lose it? How is it the most rational and logical reason to get wisdom?
If the life of wisdom has been most completely lived out in the life of Jesus, how does that motivate you not just to know wisdom is good for you but to be drawn in by the irresistible beauty of wisdom?
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