Gaining Wisdom Isn’t Cheap

Ever since coming to Christ in 1969 I have been hunting for “WISDOM” because I realized how deficient I was without it. I discovered early in life that in order to survive in this world you need wisdom. Unfortunately I learned how to be street smart but not God smart. In other words, I could get away with dishonesty and lack integrity and yet fool people into believing me and trusting me so I could get what I wanted. In the end my success was always bittersweet and not what I knew I was made for. I gained “Fools Gold,” not real success.

I have been writing about the book of Proverbs again because this book always seems to give me more than I expect, no matter how many times I read it.  I will be writing posts periodically on this subject of the wisdom of the upright, and the foolishness of the corrupt, because as I watch the news and read articles of what is happening in our country I have to conclude the culture, and even Christian culture, can’t seem to differentiate wisdom from foolishness.  I think in our day the subject of wisdom is so distorted that few understand it and fewer yet apply its principles.

I recently spoke in a Facebook article about the first chapter of Proverbs and how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. From my perspective, few understand the fear of the Lord because it is rarely taught or preached about, except in the context of motivating people not to sin. I believe the fear of the Lord is so much more than that, but few discover its wisdom for life and happiness in the Lord. We read the word “Fear” and we tend to resist the idea thinking it is contrary to God’s heart for us, but that’s not true. There is healthy fear and unhealthy fear, but most people bundle both up as a bad idea. How ignorant is the body of Christ from my perspective because we ignore the lessons of the Old Testament and only read and apply the new Testament; as if God no longer regards Old Testament truth as legitimate.

In the second chapter of the same book, Solomon explains why few understand the concept of the fear of the Lord, and fewer still discover its rich meaning. Solomon provided “Stepping Stones” for discovering how to arrive at understanding that fear of the Lord is actually good for us. Many miss this important concept, and that is why people in each generation since have failed to understand the fear of the Lord, nor to apply it successfully. Let me identify these steps Solomon provided that are still relevant today:

First, we have to “Receive & Treasure” God’s Word. Here is a key reason many fail at discovery. Solomon goes back and forth with speaking for himself and also for the Lord and it is easy to think these are just the words of a man when in fact Solomon is speaking for both himself and the Lord personally. Solomon uses two words that define why many don’t embrace the fear of the Lord because they don’t “Receive or Treasure” what God says. They pick and choose what they like and reject the rest as obsolete and irrelevant.

Proverbs 2:1-5

1] My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you,

Second, Solomon talks about having an “Attentive Ear” to identify wisdom when it appears. How many of us overlook wisdom because we are “Daydreaming” while in class. I can remember so many times being in school but not paying attention, so I missed valuable information. I thought I was smart when I was killing my own soul. Sound familiar to times in your life? We have to make our ear attentive because it is so easy to let valuable information go in one ear and out the other. In this same verse Solomon says we need to “Incline” our hearts, meaning we need to lean into truth with our hearts, not just our heads. It is so easy to be head-smart and heart-stupid.

2] Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;

Solomon says it’s our responsibility to be attentive. Again, going back to my school days, I would go from one thing to the next and so my ability to train myself to be attentive often was very challenging, even when the subject was important. Being able to focus on something to gain wisdom is more about discipline, which we should develop, than about some intellectual skill. Disciplining our focus and thinking is hard work, but it pays off in the long run.

Next, Solomon challenges us to “CRY OUT” for discernment. When I mentor leaders and pastors I regularly speak about the lost art and skill of discernment. I fear so many are just guessing rather than using discernment because discernment takes great effort and skill. Some leaders are born with discernment, but I think those are few and far between. Solomon said that we need to cry for it because discernment for most doesn’t come naturally. We need to be passionate about its pursuit to really learn the skill of discrnment.

3] For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;

The passion by which we pursue wisdom is directly connected to how much we pursue it. If we are casual about wisdom we will pick up very little, but if we are truly hungry for it and pursue wisdom, like hunting wild game, we will catch what others only dream about having.

4) If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

Finally, Solomon identifies the quality of our pursuit of wisdom as silver and great treasure. Why, after hammering home the subject so much, would he end here? Because we often think we are passionately pursuing wisdom when, in truth, we are doing so in a half-hearted way. No one wins a race only trying a little.

When Solomon had a divine encounter with God when he was becoming king God asked him what favor he wanted. Solomon didn’t ask for money, or power, or any other thing of material value. He asked for wisdom, and it so pleased the Lord that he gave him wisdom and much more. Keep in mind that Solomon already had the basic elements of wisdom, but God granted him the ability to discern wisdom like no one else.

Do you and I seek wisdom daily, or just once in a while, like at church or during bible study? If so we will gain very little. I takes passionate pursuit every day to gain the wisdom to live a full and rich life in the Lord. Sadly few discover it.

Questions:

1) Do you find yourself lacking in wisdom? The next question is: have you been seeking it with a passionate heart or with a weak heart?

2)  Finding the wisdom of God will come when we seek him with all our heart. It will be an illusive dream to those who expect God to do all the heavy lifting. (Deu 4:29)

May God increase our ability to see and find his wisdom every day,

Pastor Dale