Wisdom is Interactive Proverb 4:20-27
Last week we looked at an account from the Old Testament and tried to see how it related or referenced events that transpire in the New Testament. Before we get back to looking at Jesus life I wanted to look again this week at something in the Old Testament.
When we look at the Old Testament we usually look at those stories that we learned as children, Noah, Sampson, Joseph; but we know the entire Bible is God inspired. Today I want to look at a book that we don’t look at that often; Proverbs. Proverbs is important to us and to all Christians because it shows us the path to God’s wisdom.
Proverbs was compiled by Solomon; a collection of his writings and the writings of some others. Solomon you remember is famous in part for what he asks God for. In 1 Kings 3:5 God tells Solomon, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon didn’t ask for wealth or power. Instead in 1 Kings 3:9 he says, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” Solomon asks for wisdom. In our reading Solomon writes from his own experience how God’s wisdom comes into our lives.
“My son…” It is believed Solomon is writing to his son Rehoboam but many believe he is writing to those he rules over as he feels responsible for their welfare. And as we know we are the children of God the Father we can read this passage as God speaking directly to each of us.
“…be attentive to my words…” To understand the wisdom God gives us we must pay attention to what he tells us. God is perfect; everything he says is wrapped in a cloak of wisdom. Nothing God says is just small talk; all of it has meaning for our lives.
“…incline your ear to my sayings.” To hear his word we must be involved in his word. To hear his word we need to read the Bible, not just like a book, but read it and try to see what’s buried in its passages.
We should also see how God talks to us in other ways. One way is through nature. No matter who is in office, no matter who likes us and who doesn’t, God still causes the rain to fall and the flowers to bloom. Through nature God tells us he is still in total control.
God talks to us through our conscience. Those times when you instinctively know something is right or wrong, good or bad; that is God speaking through the Spirit within you.
“Let them not escape from your site;” Looking at the Bible once a year, coming to church on Sunday, praying to God only when you need something or have a problem; this is not enough. God must be a part of every aspect of your life.
But another part of keeping God in your sight is being aware of what you are seeing. I remember taking a child development course. We read about an experiment where you give a child the choice of two glasses of juice. One glass is short and wide, the other is tall and thin. Both glasses have the exact same amount of juice in them but the children will pick the tall glass because it looks like there’s more in it. By not letting God escape our sight we will see things as they really are; not all things that look like they are good for us really are.
“…keep them within your heart.” Don’t just read scripture, don’t just listen to my message or any minister’s message; we must work at internalizing what God tells us. We must remember it. God tells us to love our neighbors yet look at all the hateful comments all over social media over differences in political opinions. We can disagree with each other but whether we’re liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, it should not cause us to hate. It should not cause us to say hurtful, derogatory, or hateful comments. Whether someone is from Saugerties, Peoria, China or Mexico; we are all brothers and sisters. To hate or distrust someone based on this Is un-Christian.
“For they are life to those who find them and healing to their flesh.” By living in God’s word, listening to him, by seeing the reality of what is put in front of us, by internalizing and living out God’s teachings; that is how we find wisdom in our lives. That is how our lives and spirits will be nourished, uplifted and made joyful; that is how we will be a healing force for those around us and for the world.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance…” Solomon knows, God knows, doing these things may not always come naturally to us. It can be easy to get caught up in a conversation or a post on the internet. It’s easy to just let anger or fear or complacency be the filter by which we respond to others instead of letting God be the filter.
Solomon says to keep your heart with vigilance; always be self aware, evaluate your reactions before you lash out. Solomon says that when we do we will be the peace makers and our lives will be better for it.
“Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you.” Here Solomon is saying what I was saying a little while ago; don’t degrade others over differences of opinions or faith or practice. Do not spit out hateful and hurtful comments about each other or people from other countries or our leaders. Simply put, don’t put others down.
I remember in one of my classes I read about a man who was in an elevator who kept getting poked in the back by the person behind him. After awhile he was completely aggravated and turned in anger to lash out. The man behind him was blind and it was one of the packages he had that was poking the man, and when he saw this his anger dissipated instantly.
Again, we need to be aware and open eyed about what’s presented to us. We need to see people may be the way they are because of the circumstances they live in that we don’t. We should not judge someone based on what the circumstances of our lives are.
When I first started working in labs I was surprised by how much swearing went on, literally almost every other word. Nothing was meant by it, it was simply the culture; however, it took away from our professionalism. Be conscious of what you say and how you say it. Keep our language clean, when we do God speaks through us. It’s hard to convince someone you’re a believing Christian when you talk like someone who doesn’t know God.
By doing all these things Solomon says; knowing God’s word, keeping God in our sight, keeping our hearts vigilant, being self aware, and keeping our language and life in line with God; we will gain God’s wisdom. And when all these things come together we will be able to do what Solomon says in verse 26, “Ponder the path of your feet.”
Ponder, not a common word; it means to carefully think about something, especially before making a decision or a conclusion.
When we have God’s wisdom we will ponder our steps. We will not be swayed by the newest idea. We will not be persuaded to act hatefully to those who think differently. We will not participate in activities that go against God.
We are human, we can and will slip. But when we have God’s wisdom we will make it a habit to think about what we say before we say it; we will make it a habit to think about what we do before we do it.
This is a habit we should commit to, practice till it’s ingrained in our lives. When we do our reading says, “…then all your ways will be sure.” We won’t have to look over our shoulder to see if anyone saw us do what we know we shouldn’t have done.
“Do not swerve to the right or to the left…” Here is Solomon’s warning to us. As we saw we need to ponder, to think about our verbal and physical reactions. It is a habit that needs nurturing. As we develop this behavior to be natural we need to be especially careful we don’t swerve. We must take extra care that we don’t swerve back to hurtful responses. We must be extra diligent that we don’t swerve into some new age belief that contradicts God’s word. We must be attentive so we are not lured by Satan’s whisperings to a non-saving belief and faith.
God gave Solomon great wisdom because he asked for it. God gives each of us this same wisdom. But for those who think God just tells us what’s right and wrong or that he will lead us away from the bad to the good; I say that’s not quite how it works. Yes the Bible is God telling us what he considers right and wrong, good and bad but he gives us the ability to choose what we say and do. God may point out to us what is right or wrong but we have free choice, it is God’s wisdom that makes us choose correctly.
God’s wisdom is interactive; it’s offered but we need to be active participants in it. We need to be attentive to his word. We need to keep focused on God and approach our lives with open eyes to see the truth about ours and others circumstances. We need to internalize God, do the work of nurturing the habit of contemplation before action. When we do we will be filled with life and joy and we will give life and joy to others.
Amen.