Proverbs 1:7. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (the principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom.’
So, once again it’s Wednesday friends, our second wind day, and we on the late, late bus, because I had some stuff to take care of here at home. I couldn’t put them off any longer. I tried, but the Duchess would not allow it. And yuh know who’s the boss. (smile) Anyway, it’s a fairly warm, cloudy day with the promise of rain in the forecast, but that won’t bother me because I’ve already done my outside running around.
And today we’ll touch on the subject of wisdom, that’s godly wisdom, not the nonsense the world showcases as such, for if that was so right, our world would not be in the awful mess that its currently in. And who better to learn wisdom from, than the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol. And he touches, no, he examines it very deeply in the Book of Proverbs. He doesn’t beat about the bush either, but gets right to the point, opening with the purpose of the Book.
It’s been written for mankind ‘To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive (discern) the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgement, and equity; To give subtilty (prudence) to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; a man of understanding shall attain unto (acquire) wise counsels:’ (Prov. 1:2-5) And having stated his avowed purpose, he then sets down the basis of his theory with these wise words. ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (the principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom.’ (Prov. 1:7)
And both of those statements are indisputable true! The beginning of wisdom starts with acknowledging Almighty God, His sovereignty and omnipotence! And it’s obvious that fools despise wisdom, as so many of today’s population refuse to acknowledge Almighty God and serve Him. Then he pleads with his son, or those who follow after him: ‘My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.’ (Prov. 1:8-9) Yes friends, that’s how important wisdom is to us.
And what you ask, is this great thing called Wisdom? It’s the key word in the Book, and basically, as the scholars tell us, it means “skill in living.” So it can mean either having a physical skill like metalwork, engraving, carving or such, but metaphorically, as used in Proverbs, it refers to the skill to live life successfully. Meanwhile, Instruction (vs.2) refers to moral discipline of one’s life, not to classroom instruction. Understanding (vs.2) means the capability to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, what matters most and what does not matter at all.
The simple in verse 4 are naïve young people open to any influence, and they are among the ones to whom Cousin Sol chiefly addresses the book. Knowledge (vs.4) means the apprehension of reality, including experiential knowledge of God. Discretion (vs.4) refers to the power of formulating and carrying out right measures. And the wise (vs.5) as well as the untaught can learn from this book. The fear of the Lord (vs.7) means submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view hear. It is a healthy fear, like the fear of electricity or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner.
The beginning (vs.7) does not mean that “the fear of the Lord “is left behind in the course of acquiring wisdom, but that it is the controlling principle of wisdom. Then My son (vs.8) begins the first of ten similar discourses in which the father appeals to his son to listen to his counsel and choose wisdom over folly. The mention of the mother shows that the original setting of the book was home, not the court or school. End of explanations.
And is that ever where wisdom and understanding ought to be begin…in the home, by the parents, unlike what’s happening today. We’re so busy and otherwise occupied that we claim not to have time to teach our children the right way, and leave that for places like school and the church to do. But neither do those who work in those places always have time to teach the children the right stuff, or most probably what they’re teaching them is not in accord with the Word of God and our Christian lifestyle. So they can be teaching them any of the many fanciful theories and falsehoods that exist today, and that’s basically why so many young people are currently on the wrong track of life.
They should have had the proper groundwork taught to them at home. Remember what Cousin Sol says later on in Proverbs? ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6) And that’s the gospel truth my friends! And I can vouch for that from personal experience, for my mother trained me properly, and though for a while I deviated from it, I never lost sight of what she taught me. And that’s the best gift we can ever give to our children; teach them the right way early on, for then they at least have the basic knowledge of life, and as we all know, if you don’t know have a solid foundation to build on, you’re liable to fall for anything.
And I’m chuckling here friends, because I never intended to get into all those explanations, but I’m glad we did, because it now gives us a good foundation to understand some of Cousin Sol’s very profound statements on wisdom, which we’ll get into tomorrow, if God spares life. Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we’ve learned true wisdom, then we’ll continue right to the very end with Jesus, because that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! So, hoping and praying to meet you there! Much LOVE!
…oh…for our world to know, understand and practice…the wisdom of God…and not that of man…as we’re currently doing…
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