by Dave Miller
Wisdom is in the DNA of creation. The writer of Proverbs describes her in chapter 8 as how the Father created the world.
22 “The Lord acquired me
at the beginning of his creation,
before his works of long ago.
23 I was formed before ancient times,
from the beginning, before the earth began.
24 I was born
when there were no watery depths
and no springs filled with water.
25 Before the mountains were established,
prior to the hills, I was given birth —
26 before he made the land, the fields,
or the first soil on earth.
27 I was there when he established the heavens,
when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,
28 when he placed the skies above,
when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
29 when he set a limit for the sea
so that the waters would not violate his command,
when he laid out the foundations of the earth.
30 I was a skilled craftsman beside him.
I was his delight every day,
always rejoicing before him.
31 I was rejoicing in his inhabited world,
delighting in the children of Adam.
-- Proverbs 8:22-31 (CSB)
Wisdom is the Father’s will in action. Wisdom is the reason his word never returns void. Wisdom is the path to the promised outcome of the scripture. Wisdom is woven into the very fabric of the creation order. The question: Do you live in that wisdom or foolishly fight or even mock?
Think of the way life works in this way. Creation and history are like a river flowing in a single direction. Everyone is swimming in the river, and it will take you downstream no matter which way you tread water. The choice is whether to swim with the current or against.
In family and in all our pursuits, there is a way that is wise. A way to have biblical situational understanding. For the wisdom of the scriptures to make sense, we cannot treat them as a tool to be applied to a single moment for a desired outcome; rather, they are a way of living in and for the long-term promises of the Bible. The life of wisdom must be rooted in faith, or else the story of Job, and the teaching of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, make no sense.
Psalms 1 & 2 are perfect companions for the necessary buffers of the wise life. God is Good and God is Sovereign.
Psalm 1 - Two Ways to Live
1 How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season
and its leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
-- Psalms 1:1-6 (CSB)
Psalm 2 - The King in Charge
1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand,
and the rulers conspire together
against the Lord and his Anointed One:
3 “Let’s tear off their chains
and throw their ropes off of us.”
4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord ridicules them.
5 Then he speaks to them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath:
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree.
He said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter;
you will shatter them like pottery.”
10 So now, kings, be wise;
receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Pay homage to the Son or he will be angry
and you will perish in your rebellion,
for his anger may ignite at any moment.
All who take refuge in him are happy.
-- Psalms 2:1-12 (CSB)
If God is good, which he is, then his ways are always best regardless of my circumstance or perception. This requires faith. If God is sovereign, and he is, then he can accomplish all that he promises. This also requires faith.
If God is just good, but not sovereign, then he is a well-meaning grandfather who consoles and encourages but actually has no ability to make good on his promises. In the end, a god like this is not much help.
If God is sovereign, but not good, then he is terrifying and cannot be trusted in any way, let alone loved, because my good is not a consideration for that kind of god.
But if God is both good and sovereign, then he can be loved, trusted, and relied upon. It also means his ways and words are life, and we can count on them to lead all of us to the abundant life.
When the world does not respond with life, because it rarely does, this neither nullifies nor disproves the value of wise living. Fools and mockers think such things, believing there is another way. Yet, time and again, when time is paired with truth, we jump into the flow of the creation order and find, in the end, that wisdom prevails. Not in the moment, but in due time.
Wisdom is the slow and steady joy of walking with the Lord. One may wonder where a model of such a life could be found, where we get to see the beginning to the end. Where is the one who proves by diligence, faithfulness, and example, for the long haul, that wisdom does lead to the abundant life of God’s promise? Paul tells us…
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?
For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.
Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
-- 1 Corinthians 1:20-25 (CSB)
Look no further than the life of Jesus.
Is his trust in the Father absolute?
Did Jesus walk in the ways of the Father?
Did Jesus obey the Word of the Father?
Did every moment of Jesus’ life seem to work perfectly?
Was the will of the Father accomplished in the obedience of Jesus?
Doubt raises its ugly head in the now, only when the promises of God are questioned and the goodness of God is judged by circumstance. Wisdom is the ability to walk in each moment testifying to the goodness and sovereignty of God regardless of temporary outcome. If we will bring biblical situational understanding to the moment, then life, as Jesus promised to those who hear and obey his words, will not collapse.
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.
-- Matthew 7:24-25 (CSB)
Jesus as mentor beckons us to heed the proverbs as He. Imitate Christ because he knew the secret to abundant life.
20 Wisdom calls out in the street;
she makes her voice heard in the public squares.
21 She cries out above the commotion;
she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:
22 “How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge?
23 If you respond to my warning,
then I will pour out my spirit on you
and teach you my words.
24 Since I called out and you refused,
extended my hand and no one paid attention,
25 since you neglected all my counsel
and did not accept my correction,
26 I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when trouble and stress overcome you.
28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;
they will search for me, but won’t find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge,
didn’t choose to fear the Lord,
30 were not interested in my counsel,
and rejected all my correction,
31 they will eat the fruit of their way
and be glutted with their own schemes.
32 For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever listens to me will live securely
and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.”
-- Proverbs 1:20-33 (CSB)
Wisdom is faith in action latching onto the pattern deeply embedded in the creation order exemplified by Jesus Christ. By aligning with God's wisdom, we navigate life with a perspective that transcends the immediate, grasps the eternal, and brings the abundant life of the kingdom to every moment of work in our family and pursuits.
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