Putting the I into WISDOM
The Christians who have most influenced me for good have had a fully functional familiarity with the book of Proverbs. They were (and are) able to take their considerable knowledge and apply it to their lives, providing both godly examples and godly advice. Join with me as each one of us endeavors to put the I into WISDOM. Let us seek to exemplify God’s wisdom in our daily lives. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Proverbs 1:20-23 introduces a section of Scripture in which wisdom is personified; in fact, wisdom is presented as a preacher. Three things stand out to me. First, if we are to be wise people, we need to have genuine faith; we need to be certain. The verbs “crieth” and “uttereth” (lifts or raised loudly) indicate strong conviction. As we compete in what philosophers call the marketplace of ideas, we cannot permit ourselves to be silent or to be silenced. Second, we must be specific. Verse 22 singles out the “simple ones” (those who are inexperienced in life), “scorners” (scoffers, mockers), and “fools” (morally and spiritually insensitive people). These are sturdy words directed to specific needs. The effective evangelist Charles Finney once preached a message entitled “How to Preach So As to Convict No One.” The poet William Blake stated the same thought even more bluntly: “To generalize is to be an idiot.” (I have always wondered if that is a general statement, but I will let my objection pass.) Both men understood that we believe very specific things and must be able to communicate these truths to others if we are to speak wisely. Third, we have solutions to offer to anyone who will listen. “Turn” (verse 23) means repent and calls for a response. All of us must turn from our own way to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Then, we need to continue to turn daily from the snares which easily entangle us. “Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord my God” (Jeremiah 31:18b).