Wisdom of the World

For Monday,September 3, 2006
Proverbs 3:19-20

Yahweh by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.

Solomon has been telling us that wisdom is a precious jewel, and that in all our getting we should get wisdom.

Now he tells us that the wisdom we must seek to possess is of a piece with the quality that God possessed when he created the earth and heaven. This hardly seems possible: God is the great creator whose ways are far beyond ours.

But when we follow in the way of wisdom, we follow, as creatures, the paths tread for us by the creator. If we receive His wisdom, we receive His wisdom, in its depth and sufficiency. We are his image bearers, and we have been created to captain the creation that God established. Thus we pray with Moses (Psalm 90):

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
...
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor[d] of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

The Tree of Life

For Friday, September 1, 2006
Proverbs 3:16-18

Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.

Wisdom proves her value. She provides long life. She keeps the possessor out of danger and provides discernment for knowing how to live a healthy life. She provides riches and honor. Through her the possessor makes wise decisions on the use of his money and teaches him not to waste his money on things that do not satisfy. By wisdom he receives recognition and respect from his neighbors.

Wisdom leads the possessor along the ways of pleasantness. He values and experiences those things that are good for the soul, uplifting for the spirit, and helpful to the body and mind. He walks along wisdom's path of peace. Guided by her he finds inner peace and learns to live peacefully with his neighbors. She provides an abundant, blessed life full of rich memories.

But understand the true value of wisdom. She leads the possessor to God who provides eternal life. Through wisdom the possessor has the eyes to see who Jesus Christ truly is and to embrace him. Through wisdom he finds pleasantness and peace in Christ who has reconciled him to God.

Wisdom is the tree of life, because wisdom is the Holy Spirit granting eternal life in Christ. The Spirit reveals to us the mysteries of God that he chooses to reveal in Christ and in his written Word. It is the Spirit who makes us wise to comprehend the Gospel and the Scriptures. It is the Spirit who convicts us of sin and gives us faith. It is the Spirit who applies the blessing of God.

Value of Wisdom

For Thursday, August 31, 2006
Proverbs 3:13-15

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Essential for a meaningful life is knowing what to value. The cause of much unhappiness is prizing things that are either of little value or even harmful. To set great value on objects will lead to distress. You can experience the pain of losing an object, or the anxiety of holding on to it, or the restlessness of finding that it does not satisfy your pleasure. To value specific achievements causes trouble. You sacrifice and work hard to achieve your goal; then you get injured or sick and your long anticipated achievement is lost. You work hard only to find a competitor who still beats you because you are not quite good enough. Or you fail because you were cheated or fate just didn't go your way. Or you reach your goal only to find new pressure to stay at the top, to keep your fortune.

The value of wisdom is that, first, she is of true value. Her value has nothing to do with how much others desire her; she is not subjected to fashion and ratings. She does not have to be kept locked up. Insurance is not needed to protect her as an investment. She resides easily in the possession of the poor as well as the wealthy. There is no competition to fight against to obtain her. She resides easily in the possession of the under-educated as well as the highly-educated.

The very possession of her increases peace and security rather than heightens worry about losing her. And the more that wisdom is spent, all the more then that wisdom increases.

How odd then that wisdom is so little valued. And when she is valued, it is only as a means to something trivial or of greater risk. To gain wisdom, first understand her value. Treat her with respect and know the blessing that she brings.

God's Discipline

For Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.

Are you experiencing trials at this time? Do you feel like you are going through a specially difficult time? Then consider the "devotional" written by the writer of Hebrews on this proverb.

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (12:7-11).

We are disciplined for a reason. God is correcting us. We are not merely to get through our trial; we are to come out of it having learned a lesson and stronger for it. Do not make the mistake of thinking that the lesson is seeing more clearly the sins of others. Discipline is for the purpose of correcting our own sins. What is it that God would have you see about yourself? Do the difficult work of examing yourself. It is that difficult work which yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Firstfruits

For Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.

This proverb is referring to tithing - the firstfruits of all your produce. We talk about giving all of ourselves to the Lord and yet somehow find it difficult to part with ten percent of our income. Surely it matters how we spend all of our money, and we give to the Lord by being financially responsible, taking care of our families, and so on. But it requires faith and discipline to let go of a portion of our money as we earn it. We must trust the Lord to provide. We must give attention to how we spend the remainder. We must acknowledge that we owe to the Lord everything, that he has a right to us and what we have.

Will we then be blessed with plenty? It is more likely to happen than if we hoard what we have. Time and again the proverbs link earthly reward with righteousness and the fear of God. The blessing of the Lord is not measured by earthly prosperity; nevertheless, prosperity often comes as a byproduct. As we focus on honoring the Lord, he blesses his people. It may not always be through physical prosperity, but do not be surprised if it does come; all the more then do not let that prosperity lead you astray, but honor the Lord giving him the firstfruits of your produce.

Healing and Refreshment

For Monday, August 28, 2006
Proverbs 3:7-8

Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.

Verse 7 presents a good definition of humility. First, be not wise in your own eyes. This is not false humility, but a recognition of your limits. The essence of wisdom is recognizing how little you know. There are many scholars and persons of high intellect who nevertheless are fools because they overestimate their knowledge and their ability to use that knowledge wisely.

Second, fear the Lord. Acknowledge the one who is all-wise, who knows all things, and who does accomplish his will. Acknowledge him and obey him. Third, turn away from evil. The humble person knows that if he does not turn away from evil, it will draw him in and lead to his undoing. He does not trust his ability to withstand temptation.

This humble attitude leads to well-being by keeping you out of trouble, by leading you along a peaceful path often outwardly and especially inwardly. The way of the Lord is the way of abundant life.