Wisdom (2/20/12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Prov 24:3-4.

All of us have built up what's known as "collective wisdom" throughout our lifetimes. This is based on the things passed along to us by significant people we've known. We've picked up this wisdom from our parents, friends, teachers, leaders, barbers, hairdressers, mechanics, and lots of other people. Some of their wisdom is very helpful, but some of it is also just plain wrong. There are lots of things passed around among mankind which really aren't true, and really aren't going to benefit us.

For instance, many of us were taught the slogan, "Look out for number one." This is a totally unbiblical position to hold. We're not to defend and build ourselves up as the most important entity in the world. Yahweh says we're to do that for others. Looking out for number one has me caring about my needs first, and then if I feel like it or think it will improve my position, I'll do something nice for you. We're selfish enough without reinforcing that nonsense through this kind of self-glorification.

What kind of wisdom is inhabiting your brain? What are the slogans and mottos your parents, coaches, teachers, and others have used to shape and mold you into the person you are today? Some are probably pretty good, actually benefiting your growth into being an effective member of society. Others are probably dead wrong, putting you squarely in the world system instead of Yahweh's Kingdom. Part of being an adult is sorting through all these things and only keeping what is truly godly. Don't be like the men Paul warned Timothy about in 2 Tim 3:7. "Always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth."

The dictionary says wisdom is the ability to discern what is true and right. So our English word for wisdom and its definition considers that there are such things as truth and morals. Discerning truth can be difficult in our culture because of the fuzzy logic used to decide what truth really is. I would say there's not much true wisdom in our current society because there's an unwillingness to accept a general standard for truth. The same goes when considering morality. If truth is fuzzy, then standards of right and wrong are very hard to establish. If that's the case, where do we go to find true wisdom?

The Hebrew word for wisdom has a depth our English words lacks. It also means skillful. The best example of that is how Bezalel was described when Yahweh chose him as the lead craftsman for the building of the Tabernacle. In Ex 31:2-3 Yahweh says, "I have chosen Bezalel, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts." His ability to follow Yahweh's design plans in doing all these different types of skills was called wisdom. He had the Holy Spirit helping him understand what was to be built and then the skill to do the work in several different mediums. The wise person today will be wise and skillful by following Yahweh's counsel just like Bezalel did.

We need to distinguish between wisdom and knowledge. A person can have a mind filled with facts, yet they can lack authentic wisdom. Bezalel was skilled in woodworking, metal working, embroidery, and weaving. We can be skilled in finances, computers, management, and many other areas. Probably what we need most in our culture is some solid leadership, people willing to make the hard decisions to fight our slide toward utter chaos. Knowing information isn't the same as having the wisdom to make good decisions. Having the facts doesn't help if we don't have wisdom to interpret the facts or to make adjustments to move into a better future.

The place to start if we want wisdom is Prov 1:7. "The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." This knowledge is of our Almighty God and his truth. That's the only kind of knowledge that makes us truly wise. The fool doesn't try to discern what's truly wise, he just wants to be left alone to do his own thing. For true believers, being in fear and awe of our Creator is the starting point for gaining wisdom. Growing in wisdom is more about having a good understanding of our lowly position instead of the amount of knowledge we happen to have amassed.

To fear Yahweh means to view him with a very healthy respect. We know he's the Sovereign Lord and that he can do whatever he wants. One of the things he wants is for us to hate evil and love good. True wisdom causes us to work at pleasing our Father instead of ourselves. True wisdom sorts out good and evil with Yahweh's holy standard, trusting that he knows best. Having a healthy respect for the fact that all life is in Yahweh's hands helps us be quicker to lift up praise and worship instead of complaints. Having a healthy respect for Yahweh means we'll obey what we know is right even if we're uncertain of why we should do it.

James 1:5 is an important verse for us to remember. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." We need to admit that we lack true wisdom, that our knowledge is always lacking. We need to seek wisdom at its source, our Creator. All too often we humans lack wisdom because we're not able to humble ourselves enough to ask our Creator for his help. All too often we fail to seek his advice because we have an over-inflated belief in our capacity to find solutions.

We can observe the consequences of laziness and the blessing of diligence by looking at people's yards. Laziness brings disorder, a mess that will be harder and harder to clean up. Diligence brings order, making it easier to keep things in order. If we're lazy, things pile up and the mess becomes ever bigger and more discouraging to think about cleaning up. If we're diligent, the piles stay manageable and we're encouraged to keep being diligent.

The path of righteousness is a common theme in Proverbs. It pictures life as a journey with different roads we can travel. The path of righteousness isn't righteous because of the character of the people traveling on it. It's righteous because it's consistent with Yahweh's righteous standards for life. We don't make the path righteous because of our obedient actions, walking on the path means we're actively seeking to do what's right. Our character is changed as we walk on this path of blessing.

In contrast, the path of the wicked is a place of spiritual darkness. Again, it's not wicked because sinners walk on it, but because its character is in opposition to Yahweh's holiness. On this path things never seem to work right, at least not for the long term. On this path we wheel and deal to make things better for ourselves. We manipulate people and situations to try to get ahead. But relationships keep falling apart, circumstances never seem to go our way, bad things continue to happen. When we choose this path we're being foolish, choosing a path of destruction instead of the path of life. Denying the blessing of Yahweh, rejecting his guidance, will always get us caught up in darkness and eventually despair.

True wisdom comes from our Creator. Anything else called wisdom is man made and can't bring eternal blessings. 1 Cor 1:25 says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." Even if Yahweh had any real weaknesses, they're better than the very best that man can come up with on his own. Thinking we have a better way to operate how this world works is a rejection of basic truth. Claiming to know better than our Designer is absolute foolishness. How can we come up with a better way of living than one set forth by our Designer?

To live wisely is to do all our planning in conjunction with the Holy Spirit's direct guidance. Prov 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is Yahweh's purpose that prevails." Plans means designs and imaginations, things we hope to accomplish. Purpose comes from wise counsel, advice on how to do something right. We have great imaginations, coming up with all sorts of ideas and plans. But they must be submitted to our Lord's purpose. We need to let Yahweh guide us so that our plans don't bring us grief and ruin because they aren't in line with his purposes.

Yahweh has a very important purpose that we must align with, to bring as many people into his Kingdom as possible. We need to align ourselves with him instead of chasing after goals and aspirations which remove us from his service. The implication of this proverb is that our plans will eventually fade away, while Yahweh's purpose will be fully established. Remember that he's the eternal one, the only one capable of ensuring his purpose is the last one standing.

A wise person aligns their life with Yahweh's purpose. Doing anything else is foolish. We need to discover how Yahweh has uniquely wired us to participate in the fulfillment of his purpose. Don't let Reader's Digest or some talk show or any other humanistic-based advisor teach you what's right and wrong. Use godly wisdom and learn from the source, Yahweh our eternal lord God Almighty.

Blessings & Peace, Mike