Wisdom

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:1-7 ESV).

In the movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda says to Luke, “That is why you fail.” Yoda, the master of the Force, is merely being brutally honest with Luke, who breathlessly says, “I don’t believe it,” after his Master raises an X-wing from the Dagobah swamp. It’s a definitive statement that comes from Yoda’s years and years of experience as a Jedi and a teacher, and it cuts through both to Luke and the audience. As I have begun to read the Proverbs again, I was reminded of this scene from our reading today. Solomon, the wisest man to live, begins to write the collection of his years of practicing the wisdom of God and simply states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” All of them are predicated on faith. Knowledge is just a beginning. In the next few days we’ll look at some of these practices. Proverbs was intended to help the reader learn how to live a meaningful, godly life. A few years ago there was a best-seller called “Life’s Little Instruction Book.” A few thousand years before that, Solomon had already compiled “Life’s Big Instruction Book” in the proverbs. The proverbial key to a good life is wisdom. Remember, wisdom is not the same thing as intelligence. Wisdom is practical, not theoretical. Wisdom is shown by a godly life. Such wisdom, Paul reminds us, may look foolish in the world’s eyes. But remember, “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom.” So, let’s get started. The entire theme of Proverbs is stated explicitly early in this very verse about the “beginning of knowledge.” He introduces the fear of the Lord as a reference to our viewing God with the respect He deserves. It means living our lives in light of what we know of Him, holding Him in the highest estimation, and depending on Him with humble trust. Only then, Solomon teaches, will we discover knowledge and wisdom. It simply harkens back to the beginning of faith. Through faith we are able to reckon that God is separate and beyond anything we can even imagine. Yet, he has made himself accessible to each of his children through the sacrificial work of Christ. It is belief in that work of grace that opens the door to wisdom. And it is through wisdom that we are able to live the kind of life Jesus would consider “abundant.” It is an audacious undertaking, but completely within our grasp. Begin today by believing.