These past few weeks I have added reading the book of Proverbs to my morning Bible reading. In reading Proverbs, one might think that King Solomon was living with us here in America as he analyzed human speech and behavior. Surely the king has been viewing You-tube videos, reading online articles and watching the evening news. His observations may not be politically correct, but they are powerful and insightful.
THE PEOPLE OF PROVERBS. As Solomon dissected the human race; he noted that there are basically four kinds of people. There are the WISE. These are in this category because they see God correctly and they take the principles and laws found in His word seriously and live by them. A second group are the NAÏVE, who basically believe most anything and go in whatever direction the cultural wind is blowing. Because they go along with most any distorted philosophy or idea, their lives do not go well. The third kind of individual is the FOOL who sees himself as brilliant but does not think clearly nor live correctly because he has willfully turned away from God and His truth. His life is always burdened with unpleasant and painful circumstances. The fourth category that Solomon discovered is the SCOFFER. This is the fool on steroids. They not only refuse to abide by the life principles that come from God, but they mock and deride Him and His commands. Life always ends badly for these folks. (Read Proverbs 1:20-33 where all four of these appear).
A BELIEVER IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY WISE. Unfortunately, many Christians assume that because they are Christians, they automatically fall into the category of the WISE. They do not. The fear of the Lord is the starting point for wisdom (Prov. 1:7; 9:10). When a person places their faith in Christ for salvation, they to some degree do “fear the Lord” and, therefore, have come to the starting point for wisdom. However, Solomon is pretty clear on how a person enters the community of the WISE. In Proverbs 2, the King makes two basic points First, is the fact that the source of all true wisdom is the Lord Himself (Prov. 2:6). All of us would understand that point. The second point is that gaining wisdom takes time and a disciplined life. Solomon says that getting wisdom from God is like getting gold or silver (Prov. 2:4-5). It takes miners a lot of time and a great deal of hard work to get those valuable minerals out of the ground. Gold and silver do not sit in piles by the side of the road just waiting to be scooped up. For the believer, of necessity, time must be invested in studying the Scriptures. (And remember we have all been anointed by the Holy Spirit which gives us the capacity to understand the Scriptures, 1 John 2:20, 27). This is a basic truth we all know, but the issue is whether we actually do that. There is no spiritual wand that can be waved over us that instantly makes us wise. Personal discipline is required. So, the question for me is: “how wise am I”? For each one reading: “how wise are you”?
THE RESULTS OF BEING WISE.
When we take some time and read Proverbs 2-9, we immediately see the two major benefits of being WISE. First, there is great blessing that comes to us, and second, so much that is painful and negative is avoided. Take a half hour or so and read those chapters in Proverbs (You would be wise to do so!). To the wise, Solomon states that the Lord God blesses: He will shield the wise from many unpleasant things; peaceful, harmonious living will be his; favor and success before both God and man will come; discernment will be given to avoid making hurtful decisions; greater life-span because damaging behaviors are avoided; an intimacy with the Lord Himself will be gained; a full, meaningful life will be the experience of the wise; “sweet sleep” and the absence of stress and fear will be true of the life of the wise; and many more realities will characterize the daily life of the one who is wise.
A second benefit is the avoidance of so much that is negative and painful. Bad decisions plague those, such as the naïve, who operate outside of God’s righteous standards. For example, a person who is wise will avoid immoral relationships. These “attractive” relationships bring deep regret which often last a lifetime. For example, a wise individual will be kept from making bad choices but instead will be able to identify evil people and unrighteous schemes; such as, those business deals or relationships which would bring terrible burdens and stress into life. The wise will stay far away from those “get rich” schemes and shady deals. God’s wisdom is a barrier against all these things and brings a quality of life to the one who is wise.
THE RESULTS THAT COME TO FOOLS, NAÏVE ONES AND SCOFFERS. Wise King Solomon had much to say about those folks who are not among the wise. In fact, he had so much to say that this short “musing” can only highlight a few of them.
- Proverbs 6:24-35; 7:6-23; 9:13-18 present the terrible, long-term damage that comes to a person who is involved in sexual sin. He “destroys himself”; “it costs him his life”; “wounds and disgrace” will be his; and the immoral ones “are in the depths of sheol”. These are among the warnings that Solomon gives.
- Proverbs 6:12-15 speaks of the wicked whose life is spent devising evil and then doing it. Their “calamity will come suddenly” and they “will be broken.”
- Proverbs 10:11, 14; 11:19; 12:13, 19; 14:5-9; 16:27-28; 17:4, 9; 18:6-7, 21; 19:5; 26:28 are but a few of Solomon’s observations that the speech of the non-wise brings nothing but harm to others. Their speech is deceitful and damaging and results in broken promises and fractured relationships. They are indifferent to the chaos they cause and are unfazed by the hurt they bring. These verses do give some perspective on what characterizes numerous people in Washington DC.
- Proverbs 10:27; 11:5, 19; 12:28; 14:11, 32 reveals that their lifespan is shortened. One of the unadvertised consequences of sin and unrighteousness is that life is often briefer than it should be. Dangerous relationships, revenge, disease and numerous other realities constantly are terminating lives prematurely.
- Proverbs 10:28; 11:3; 12:7; 15:29 are but a few verses that point out that the life of the fool, naïve and scoffer are futile and empty. So much of what the wicked pursue are mirages. They seem to have substance, but time shows there is nothing there.
- Proverbs 12:8; 13:5; 16:5; 17:12, 18-21; 24:19-20; 28:13 show that eventually the evil of these will come out and be seen. It might seem that these are “getting away with murder” but God will not be mocked by evil people. Their wickedness and corruption will come out of the shadows and into God’s righteous light.
FINAL THOUGHTS. Even this brief stroll through Proverbs shows that being WISE is the only way to live life. God has put in place His standards, laws and principles for the betterment of His creation. He is true to His word. The richness of life that comes to the WISE, and the painful consequences that comes to the FOOL and the others are graphically revealed. Proverbs provides such a stark contrast for us. What sensible person would not want to be among the WISE. That brings us back to the question of where we are in our pursuit of God’s wisdom, which comes to us by our disciplined study of the Word of God.