Proverbs 8:11 Monday - Wisdom

"For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." Proverbs 8:11

Last night in our home Bible study we sang a song I dearly love called More Precious than Silver. It’s one of those songs that brings tears to my eyes almost every time I sing it. It goes like this; I’m sure you’ve heard it.

Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares with You.

And then the chorus --

Worthy, Oh worthy are you Lord.
You are worthy to be thanked and praised
And worshipped and adored.

And then the verse is repeated.

In looking for these words in scripture, which I usually do, not because I think we can only sing a song that’s taken directly from scripture, but because I think the meaning of the song is enhanced if a scripture goes along with it, I found Proverbs 3:13-15.

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
The man who gains understanding,
For she is more profitable than silver
And yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
Nothing you desire can compare with her.

I think you will probably agree with me, if it’s not the scripture the songwriter was thinking about when he wrote the song, it’s close.

Solomon, in the very beginning of Proverbs, tells us why we should know proverbs. And I love how this passage reads in the Complete Jewish Bible.

The proverbs of Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra’el,
Are for learning about wisdom and discipline;
For understanding words expressing deep insight;
For gaining an intelligently disciplined life,
Doing what is right, just and fair;
For endowing with caution those who don’t think
And the young person with knowledge and discretion.
Someone who is already wise
Will hear and learn still more;
Someone who already understands
Will gain the ability to counsel well;
He will understand proverbs, obscure expressions,
The sayings of the riddles of the wise.
And if you go on to chapter two, verse six,
Solomon tells us where we get wisdom.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
And from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

And then, if you read further, right after the passage ending with the words “nothing you desire can compare with her” you will find the most amazing words I’ve heard only one preacher mention: “By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations…” And then at length in chapter eight Solomon explains:

The Lord brought me [wisdom] forth as the first of his works,
Before his deeds of old;
I [wisdom] was appointed from eternity,
From the beginning, before the world began.
When there were no oceans, I [wisdom] was given birth,
When there were no springs abounding with water;
Before the mountains were settled in place,
Before the hills, I [wisdom]was given birth,Before he made the earth or its fields
Or any of the dust of the world.
I [wisdom] was there when he set the heavens in place,
When he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
When he established the clouds above
And fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
When he gave the sea its boundary
So the waters would not overstep his command,
And when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
Then I [wisdom] was the craftsman at his side.
I [wisdom] was filled with delight day after day,
Rejoicing always in his presence,
Rejoicing in his whole world
And delighting in mankind.

Did you get that? Before God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, He created wisdom. Wisdom was the first thing God ever created. “For whoever finds me [wisdom] finds life and receives favor from the Lord, verse thirty-five tells us. “Whoever finds me……….finds life.” Does God need wisdom to bring forth life, so he creates it? Isn’t that what Solomon may be implying?

My sisters, if God needs wisdom, don’t I? And if God gives wisdom, shouldn’t I go to him to get it? Solomon says, “…if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1-5

turn your ear to it……call out.….….cry aloud……....look for it……..….search for it......

Do you see the progression here?

I repeat, if God gives wisdom, shouldn’t I go to him to get it?

My sisters, I hope you know that I know this is a rather lengthy introduction to a post that, as of now, I’ve not even talked about the topic. But I want you to know first of all, why I believe what I believe and why I can believe it with conviction. Please hear my heart. I am so saddened when Christians go to secular books to get their “wisdom” and don’t believe the Bible is “relevant” enough to give answers to questions they’re asking today. Is this where I need to be worshipping? Is the building a hindrance to evangelism? What is the role of the Holy Spirit? Does God cause suffering? Are my kids rebelling or is this typical behavior? Is it okay for a Christian to suffer from depression? Are home Bible studies scriptural? Can we have a praise team? And on and on we search for answers and on and on the questions are asked. You know them. You probably have asked some yourself.

When The Shack, written by Wm. Paul Young came out, everyone asked me to read it and I tried. I read approximately half of it, which is where everyone tells me it just gets started. But this is why I had trouble reading The Shack or have trouble reading any SECULAR piece of literature that’s written by a man/woman. The power I need to make wise decisions can only come from the power of the Holy Spirit who inspired Moses and the prophets and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the other authors to write the Bible. I have a plethora of books on a room full of book shelves, but none of them gives me the power I receive from the Holy Spirit that comes directly from God. All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and nothing else. Yes, when I write I’m inspired, but not like the writers of the Bible. I hope you agree with me on that.

The same Spirit that reveals scripture to the authors also interprets them to me. Spiritual truths are spiritually discerned and unless I have the Spirit to interpret them for me, I cannot fully understand scripture. Will I ever “fully” understand scripture? No. But the Holy Spirit will guide me into all truth (John 16:12).

I need the power in my life that only the Spirit can give. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in me and I need that resurrection power to give “life” to me. When my son David was nine and wanted to be baptized, I asked him this question, wondering what he knew about the Holy Spirit: “David, do you know what the Holy Spirit does?” And he answered: “He helps me make better decisions.” So with all my doubt pushed aside David was baptized that Sunday morning. Do I think it’s necessary for everyone wanting to become a Christian to know what the Holy Spirit does? No, I don’t. I believe they need to know that Jesus is the son of God. But, David’s answer definitely convinced me that he knew what he was doing.

When I read a secular book, I am reading a book written by another human being. When I read the Bible, I am reading the inspired word of God. The Holy Spirit interprets what I’m reading and when I listen and do what He says, I am being led by the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that what a person, who turns his ear to, calls out, cries out, cries aloud, looks for it and searches for wisdom wants? How CAN that come from secular literature?

From my own personal experiences, to be Spirit-led is the number one desire of the Christian who’s searching for God, seeking his answers. I’ve seen countless Christians take their questions to God, yet believe He’s going to answer in a secular book. And they come away even more confused than when they first sought the answers. Does this sound like I’m being a hypocrite because I started the Let’s Read book club? Yes, in one way, but not if I trust you spend an equal amount of time searching, studying, and reading your Bible.

My sisters, the following is my very first entry in the Titus 2 Group, that I wrote on February 4, 2009. I'm posting it again, in conclusion, because it so aptly goes with this lesson.

"When Amy Hughes asked if I would consider writing weekly devotionals I was both thrilled and humbled at the same time—thrilled in that someone wanted to read what I wrote—humbled because somebody would. Actually, Amy gave me one of the highest compliments I have ever been paid when she said to me, “you can impart your words of wisdom, especially to those of us who’ve moved away.” I was moved and thus sent out a letter inquiring if anyone else would read them. And this is how the journey begins.

"God is all knowledge. Paul wanted the Colossians to “know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And Peter wanted God’s elect, strangers in the world, to know that “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Pet. 1:3

"In Christ alone is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge—not me. Devotionals tell us about God. They do not come from God. When I hear about how God touched someone else’s life, my telling their story is not as effective as their telling their story because they’ve lived it. I must tell my own. “That which was from the beginning,” John says, “which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” 1 John 1:1 We are touched most when we hear, see and touch God ourselves. Peter tells us, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” 2 Pet. 1:16, 18 God wants us to be eyewitnesses of his majesty. He wants us to experience Him ourselves. When John tells us that the apostles heard, saw, looked at and touched Jesus, he mentions they heard once--they touched once. But when he says they saw, he not only says they saw, he adds “they looked at Jesus.” They were interested enough to see him twice—once in passing and once on purpose. The scripture implies they took him in.

"Sunday morning I heard my granddaughter Bella, calling for me through the singing. I knew she was calling for me because I recognized her voice. I had heard it many times before. When I turned to see her, to confirm what I already knew, she was raising her arms as if to say, “I want to come to you.” It broke my heart that she could not. But what would have broken my heart even more would have been for her to see me reaching out to her and she not want me. God has written the greatest love letter ever written and wants us to read it. How He must feel when we don’t! One of my favorite quotes is from the book Victory Over the Darkness by Neil Anderson, “Satan knows that he may not be able to stop you from serving God by making you immoral, but he can probably slow you down by making you busy!” And that’s what busy-ness does. It keeps us from taking the time to get to know God through scripture, prayer, meditation and service, just to mention a few. If your time is precious and you have to choose between reading the Bible or reading a devotional, let me make that decision for you. Choose God’s voice over mine. Sit at His feet and listen. If you can, do both. But if you can’t, choose what Mary chose, and that will be better."