Wisdom or Folly?

Proverbs 9:13-18 (NIV)

¹³The woman Folly is loud;

she is undisciplined and without knowledge.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house,

on a seat at the highest point of the city,

¹⁵calling out to those who pass by,

who go straight on their way.

¹⁶“Let all who are simple come in here!”

she says to those who lack judgment.

¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet;

food eaten in secret is delicious!”

¹⁸But little do they know that the dead are there,

that her guests are in the depths of the grave.

The Hebrew word for "folly" is "stupidity".  Have you ever found yourself doing something stupid, or calling yourself "stupid" for doing something that you know was against God's will?
How do we end up in those situations?

Notice how Proverbs 9 describes "Folly"...
First, she is LOUD.  Have you noticed when we are being tempted to sin, or do something stupid, it is really "loud"?  Loud in the sense that it shouts at you in your mind, calling you, enticing you to do something wrong.  It is so loud that it sometimes becomes hard to resist.

Then, she is UNDISCIPLINED.  What folly tempts us to do has nothing to do with discipline.  Undisciplined is the opposite of self control, resistance.  Folly makes sin look so easy to do, at a certain moment, that we don't think of resisting or controlling ourself.

Then, she is WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE.  Folly tempts us to do something stupid without making us think, without making us look ahead at the consequences of what we're going to do.

And then look at verse 17 - "stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious".  Folly usually moves us to do things that are SECRET, that we hide from others.  It's that secret text to someone of the opposite sex, or using our company's money without permission (with the intent of giving it back, of course...which is exactly what we're talking about), or looking at a website in secret.

In chapter 9 the opposite of folly is WISDOM, God's wisdom.  Wisdom invites us to visit her house, to eat the food she has prepared, and to be ready for instruction, correction and rebuke when needed.
Wisdom calls, no need to be loud.  Wisdom calls us to discipline - to listen, accept correction and rebuke.  Wisdom grants knowledge to us.
9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

We face either wisdom or folly in our life everyday.  I pray we choose wisdom.

Though it Cost All You Have

Proverbs 4:5-7  Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.  (6)  Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.  (7)  Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Solomon was dead serious when he wrote to his son about God's wisdom.  And why not - God's wisdom protects us, watches over us.

And yet, how many of us heed the advice of this verse in our own life?

We have been raised to believe in ourselves.  Our wisdom today is founded on our education, our experience in life, learning from our mistakes and striving on to be the person we are today.  This is why God's wisdom doesn't seem to be a priority for us.  It is almost always a last resort.  We cry to God only when all our wisdom has been drained and nothing happens.

But this is not who God must be, or how unimportant His wisdom is in our lives.

For Solomon to say "though it cost you all you have" means that it is something that is so important, so essential, that without it we would not have anything or accomplish anything.  This is how we need to look at God and His wisdom.

A disciple of Christ who has been truly been born again has a change of mind concerning who God is.  All of a sudden God becomes the very source of our life, of wisdom, and we cannot live without Him and His words.  And this is where this desire to know God and His wisdom comes from.  Here is where the willingness to count the cost to know Him and His word comes from.

Though it cost all you have...  Are we willing to spend that extra money for a new bible?  Are we willing to spend extra for fare or gasoline just to attend the bible study, the fellowship or the Sunday worship, knowing that this will add to our wisdom and understanding concerning God and His word?

Are we willing to spend more time in prayer, reading God's word every day?  Are we willing to make that extra effort to be in fellowship with other believers and attend bible studies?

Is this how essential God and His wisdom is in our hearts?

Oh, how all of us would echo the words of the disciples of Christ:

John 6:68  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  

Though it cost all you have...

The Greatness of God's Wisdom

Proverbs 3:13-20  Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,  (14)  for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.  (15)  She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.  (16)  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.  (17)  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.  (18)  She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.  (19)  By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;  (20)  by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.

This passage has reminded me, time and again, what it means to pray for God's wisdom.  We come to the Lord asking Him to give us wisdom for decisions we need to make, for certain situations where we need it, etc.  But I don't think we actually grasp what it means to seek wisdom, and that's why God through His word needs to remind us of what it is we are actually asking for.

Solomon says in Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

When we pray for wisdom we are praying that we walk with a fear of God in our hearts, that we do what is pleasing and honoring to Him, not to ourselves.  Praying for wisdom is praying that our hearts remain in that state.

Let's look at how chapter 3 describes this wisdom:

(14)  for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.  (15)  She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

I wonder if we understand what this means.  God's wisdom does not necessarily lead us to profit and better yields or returns in life, financially or materially.  In fact, this verse reminds us that when we walk in the wisdom of God it is more precious than any gain or profit in this world.

God's wisdom is not a means to gain more, or to be more successful.  It is simply to walk in the ways that are pleasing to Him.

(16)  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

In an age where health and success are the new "gods", both of people in the world and, sadly, even in the church, this stands out as a great reminder of who really gives us long life and riches - it's not alternative medicine or supplements, or hard work and perseverance - it is God Himself.  Of course we can always say that it is God who created supplements and natural medicines, and it is even in Scripture that we are to work hard and be diligent.  But there is a thin line between trusting in God and trusting in these things to have long life, riches and honor.

Walking in God's wisdom assures us that God holds our life.

(17)  Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.  (18)  She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

If we claim to be walking in wisdom, these should characterize our actions - are they pleasant?  Are our words and actions pleasant, or are they abrasive and rude?

Are we promoting peace?  Or are we breeding conflict and tension?

Does it bring a fullness of the life that God describes in His Word?  Or is it promoting a worldly and fleshly life?

(19)  By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;  (20)  by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.

Do we actually realize what we are praying for when we ask our God for wisdom?  It's so easy for us to just ask for it, without realizing the greatness of what we are asking for.

It was by His wisdom that the earth's foundations were laid.  It was by His understanding that He set the heavens, the universe, in place, that the deeps were divided, and that we receive rain.

We are asking our great and mighty God to grant us His wisdom for such simple things as decisions we need to make, or guidance with regards to life.  But what is really mind blowing is that our God is gracious enough to actually give us even an iota of His wisdom and knowledge to guide us in our life.

This should remind us to approach God with great humility and gratitude that He will actually grant it to us.

And, this should remind us that as God reveals to us His wisdom, through His Word, that we are to honor it, and obey it - not looking for the outcome, but knowing that we are using a wisdom that created the world and the universe, and that He is gracious enough to reveal it to us so that we can apply it in our lives.