Be
Truly Wise!
Proverbs
1:1 – 7
Introduction:
What
makes a person wise? We all have our ideas of the things that makes
a person wise. To begin, I would like for you to take a short quiz
that I got from the internet to gauge how wise you really are.
Simply answer “yes” or “no” for each question.
- Do you have one or more undergraduate degrees (Bachelor's Degree)?
- Do you have one or more postgraduate degrees (Masters, Doctorate)?
- Have you ever, or do you currently, attend a “prestigious” school?
- Do you run a large company?
- Do you have gray hair?
- Do you have a large vocabulary base?
- Do you have lots of life experiences?
- Are you full of opinions which you voice?
- Have you read lots of books?
- Have you ever written a book or a blog?
If you answered “yes” to
any of these questions, the world considers you to be wise. However,
there is a vast difference between a person who is considered wise by
the world, and a person who is wise according to the standards of the
Bible and in the eyes of God.
This morning, we begin our
study on the Book of Proverbs. It is a beautiful book full of wise sayings. The book has mainly
been attributed to Solomon, as mentioned in Proverbs 1:1. However,
other parts were written by people such as King Lemuel and Agur. It
is also possible that Solomon may have penned some of the proverbs
and collected and compiled the many sayings he has heard from wise,
godly people and these are preserved by faithful men in the form we
have today. There is evidence also that during the reign of King
Hezekiah, the proverbs of Solomon were recorded and compiled by
scribes (Proverbs 25:1).
According
to the Bible, Solomon was the wisest man to have ever lived. If you
have read the book of 1 Kings, you will surely remember that King
David had chosen Solomon to be his successor. In chapter 3 of 1
Kings, Solomon had a dream where he heard God asking him to ask for
whatever he wanted. Solomon could have asked for great power or for
vast amount of wealth; however, he asked God to give him the ability
to discern between good and evil and an understanding mind to govern
the people. Because of Solomon's request, God granted him a wise and
discerning mind. This may explain why he was fascinated with wise
sayings such that he wrote and compiled the Book of Proverbs.
Although we may never have the
mind of Solomon nor score very high on an IQ test; we can have a wise
and discerning mind. This morning's passage tells us the reason why
we should study the Book of Proverbs, who should strive for wisdom,
and the key or the verse that will guide us in understanding the
Proverbs.
Before we go right to our
study this morning, let us define first what a proverb is. According
to the dictionary, a proverb is a short saying that states a general
truth or piece of advice. This truth is based on common sense or the
practical experience of humanity. Now, while each saying in the Book
of Proverbs may be making an important point, we need to realize that
the individual sayings don't summarize or capture all truth. When we
read the book of Proverbs, we must not read each proverb in isolation
but we must remember that these statements must be used to interpret
each other.
Why
Study the Book of Proverbs?
Why study the Book of
Proverbs? To answer this question, we need to look at the reason why
Solomon wrote and compiled different sayings into a book. The
reasons are given to us in verses 2 & 3. According to verses 2 &
3, the Proverbs were written for helping people to attain wisdom and
discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a
disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.
In the interest of time, we will not go deep into the meaning of each
phrase, but I will try to explain as simply as possible what they
mean. Let's understand first what the word “wisdom” mean here.
“Wisdom” in the Book of Proverbs is not about understanding
philosophy. It is not limited to simply knowing facts about the
world. It is not just about generalizations that come out of one's
experience. Instead, someone rightfully suggests that wisdom is to
see who God is, see how He rules the world, and respond accordingly. In other words, if you
want to have wisdom, you have to know God personally, study carefully
what he is doing, and follow after his pattern.
Discipline, according to a
Bible scholar, means correction which results in education.
Sometimes you and I need to undergo discipline in order for us to
learn important lessons in life. We need to be rebuked or corrected
in order for us to learn something. The next point is to
understand words of insight, which means to be able to discern
what is being taught or said to the point that one can tell what is
of prime importance and what is secondary.
The disciplined and prudent life means having the ability to
govern oneself by the use of reason instead of simply relying on
one's emotions or impulses.
Doing what is right, just and fair simply means that we express
God's standards of holiness in how we live and in how we treat others.
Solomon has given us so many
reasons for studying the Book of Proverbs. It is obvious that the
book is intended not just to store up intellectual knowledge, but for
practical and for godly living. Solomon intended for the book to
help us know God and his ways. I think the same is true when we talk
about the Bible as a whole. The Bible is the Word of God and it has
never been intended just for scholars to study, dissect and write
papers about; the Bible was intended for ordinary people like you and
I to gain insight into who God is, how we can have a relationship
with Him, and how we can follow him faithfully. What is unfortunate
is that we approach the Book of Proverbs and the entire Bible as if
it holds no practical relevance to us.
So, why should we study the
Book of Proverbs? It is because the book will help us become wiser
by God's standards, when complimented with a growing relationship
with the Lord. Studying and applying the lessons of Proverbs will
help us in how we relate with God and with other people. The lessons
of Proverbs will help us in our decision-making, helping us to do
things God's way rather than our way.
Last Sunday, I had the
privilege of talking with Rev. James Taylor IV. When I shared that
the church was doing the series on Proverbs, he told me that Billy
Graham made it a point to read 5 Psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs
every day. It is no wonder that Billy Graham has a wonderful
demeanor and he relates very well with people. It is because he
studied the Book of Proverbs and he applied the lessons to his life.
We can become just as wise in God's eyes as Billy Graham is. Study
the Book of Proverbs, study God's Word, and put it into practice
everyday.
Who
Should Strive for Wisdom?
The second question answered
by Solomon in today's passage is this: Who should strive for wisdom?
Who must aspire to become wise in God's eyes? For Solomon, the
answer is simple: Everybody must strive to become wise. No one
should ever think that he has it all and he has no need to progress
further. Let's look at verses 4 to 6 to see who are the people
mentioned who need wisdom.
In verse 4, the simple and the
young are mentioned. Who are the simple?
When someone is called simple, it doesn't mean that they are stupid
or that they are idiots. Rather, the word simple means someone who
is naïve or someone who is easily swayed by what people say and by
what are popular trends. In one translation of the Bible, they are
called uneducated. We could say that the simple person is like a
blank slate; if they are taught properly, they can become wise.
However, if he falls under the sway of an evil or foolish person, he
will become a fool.
The young
are mentioned together with the simple because young
people are also like blank slates that need to be filled with the
right things. They need direction in life, they need challenges to
become better people, they need instruction and discipline. The
young includes children, teenagers, and young professionals. Because
the young are impressionable, they need to taught wisdom from God's
Word and how they should apply it in their lives.
Both the simple and the young,
they need to attain wisdom. If they want to be able to govern their
lives rationally and biblically rather than be swayed to and fro by
the winds of changing opinion and philosophy, then they have to
become wise in the eyes of God. Thus, the young and the simple will
learn much from studying Proverbs and the Bible as a whole.
In verse 5, the wise and the
discerning are then mentioned.
These are the people who have become men and women filled with
wisdom because they have diligently applied what they studied into
their lives. However, the process of becoming wise never ends.
Even those who have walked long and faithfully with the Lord needs
guidance everyday. You see, God's wisdom is without limit. We can
still learn more everyday. The wise and discerning are encouraged to
strive for wisdom so that they can understand things that are more
difficult as listed in verse 6.
The path to becoming like
Jesus Christ has no end. Everyone needs to keep on growing; everyone
needs to become wiser than he is right now. Once a person thinks
that he has already matured spiritually, when he deems that he is
already wise, then that is the beginning of his downturn. The person
who keeps striving to grow in godly wisdom will become wiser; the
person who ceases to grow in godly wisdom will stagnate.
The
Key to True Wisdom
Finally, let us look at the
key to true wisdom. The key is found in verse 7
and this
helps us to understand the book of Proverbs. Verse 7 reads: “The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise
wisdom and discipline.”
What
exactly is meant by the phrase, “the
fear of the Lord”?
The fear of the Lord is a relationship with God based on reverence;
it is to humbly submit ourselves to him, acknowledging our
inadequacies and our finiteness while magnifying God as being
all-powerful and all-knowing, and that his ways are the best.
When we know how to humbly submit to God and respect Him for who He
is, that is the fear of the Lord. When we have the fear of the Lord
in us, then that is how knowledge or wisdom will come about. It
serves as the beginning of becoming truly wise.
The contrast is in the second
part of verse 7 where we read that fools despise wisdom and
discipline. Foolish people have a bad evaluation about themselves.
They think they're so intelligent or street smart, but foolish people
don't want anything to do with God's ways and God's laws. They want
to go their own way. They think they can be wise without God, but as
the verse clearly states, wisdom and knowledge begins with the fear
of the Lord.
This may lead to a question in
our minds: What about those people who may not know the Lord but
they follow what the Book of Proverbs teaches?
While such people may be morally upright, they have missed the point
of what the book is all about. You see, the goal of studying and
practicing the teachings of the Book of Proverbs is not about making
us good people in the eyes of our neighbors or to make us outstanding
citizens of the country, although it will result to these things.
The goal of the Book of Proverbs is to make us holy to the Lord, to
make us Christ-like. If we approach Proverbs with the mindset of
simply getting information or practical insight without reverence for
God and the goal of becoming like Christ, then we've missed the point
of the book.
The key to true wisdom is the
fear of the Lord. We must personally know the Lord by entering into
a relationship with Him. We must acknowledge him as being all-
knowing and all-powerful. We must humbly submit to Him. That is the
fear of the Lord. Without the fear of the Lord, the Book of Proverbs
become nothing more than a collection of nice, moral sayings. The
same is true when we approach the entire Bible. Without the fear of
the Lord, the Bible becomes nothing more than just a book that
contains history, law and moral teachings. Approach the Book of
Proverbs and the Bible as a whole with the fear of the Lord.
Conclusion:
This morning, we've learned
that the Book of Proverbs was written to help the naïve, the young,
the wise and the discerning to know and put the wisdom that comes
from God and put it into practice. We've also learned that the key
to understanding the book of Proverbs lies in the Proverbs 1:7 –
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. True wisdom
comes about when we acknowledge God for who He is, when we come
before Him in humility, confessing that he knows everything and we
need to learn from Him. Without the fear of the Lord, the Book of
Proverbs and the entire Bible would become nothing more than just a
plain book. Without the fear of the Lord, we will miss the whole
point of the Book of Proverbs.
I hope that we will take the
challenge of reading the Book of Proverbs, one chapter a day, for
this whole month of March, together with our reading from the Psalms. If you haven't started
reading the book of Proverbs yet, you can still catch up. My prayer
for you all is that, as you read this wonderful book with the fear of
the Lord in mind, you will grow in wisdom that translates to
practical holiness.
