Seeking After Wisdom

Back in 2009, Darla and I attended a leadership workshop in Cincinnati. It's the workshop that's held at the home office over the Labor Day weekend. And over the course of the number of days that we were there, there were general lectures that were given on a variety of topics. A number of subjects were covered, and one of the topics that was discussed was the topic of wisdom. And as I think back on the lectures that we received, I think the one on wisdom has probably stuck out in my mind more than most. And over the course of years since that time, it's sort of ignited in me a desire to study into the topic further and to learn what I can. And honestly, the study into wisdom continues. What I'd like to do today is share with you some of the principles that we find in the scripture pertaining to wisdom. And some of this will actually be blended into some of my own thoughts will be somewhat of an outline that I brought back from that workshop. This week I pulled my notes out from that, and I was kind of looking through those and pondering, and I thought, you know, this is a good structure and a good outline around which I'd like to build a sermon for this week. So I just want you to be aware this is sort of a hybrid sermon of material that was presented as well as some of my own thoughts to fill in in between as well.

A title for today is seeking after wisdom. Seeking after wisdom. And I guess I would begin with the question of what is wisdom? If we're going to talk about it, if we're going to think about it, we need to have a good idea what it is. And we're told we should have it, that we should seek after it, and it is described extensively in Scripture, but what is wisdom? I'll start with you two definitions. First definition was the one that we were given during that lecture on wisdom. I think it's a good definition. It says, wisdom is the ability to make right decisions in harmony with right laws at the right time to produce righteous living. And if you notice, there's a lot of right repeated throughout that. I'll read it again. Wisdom is the ability to make right decisions in harmony with right laws at the right time to produce righteous living. Another definition I'll share with you is more of my personal definition along that line, and that is that wisdom is more than just knowledge.

You know, you could go to school, you could get a degree, you could be a biochemist. I'll just pull that one out of the hat. And you could take that degree and that knowledge that you have, and you could do something that would be produced to the benefit of mankind in a very positive and productive way. Or you could take that knowledge that you learn and turn it into something that would be a destructive behavior. So the point is, knowledge of and by itself is not wisdom.

It is certainly a place, a foundational place for where we start to grow into wisdom. But wisdom is actually taking knowledge, having a right understanding of it, and then coming to a proper conclusion and application. Again, I would define wisdom as taking knowledge, having a right understanding of it, coming to a proper conclusion and application. Good judgments, making right decisions, making solid decisions, those are all very important elements in a part of exercising wisdom. I won't turn there, but Proverbs chapter 12 verse 8 says, a man is commended according to his wisdom.

He's praised, in other words, according to his wisdom. People look around, they see somebody, the words that they've spoken, the actions that they followed through with, and they say, wow, that is a wise person. That is a person of understanding. There's recognition in that. A man is commended according to his wisdom. This world is desperate for people of wisdom. You know, we don't have to look very far.

We just turn on the morning news, look at the headlines. The world is crying out for wisdom. The trials, the struggles, the trauma that exists in this world, they're seeking after people who can implement the process to bring a solution in a very right and positive way. The world is seeking after wisdom, but I would ask the question, brethren, where are the whys? Where are those with the understanding of how all these things are to be resolved? Where are those with the answers and the ability to implement them?

Certainly the world is crying out for people of wisdom. Wisdom that we discover in Scripture and what we'll look at today is not readily available in the world around us in terms of being exercised because, frankly, the wisdom which comes from God is dependent on God. It's dependent on His Word. You know, we can have a degree of understanding in wisdom, but true wisdom, and the wisdom that brings true and lasting solutions without creating more problems as a side effect, is not something that we would generally find in this world.

Wisdom which is from above, which is what this world needs, ultimately will be established at the return of Jesus Christ, at the establishment of the kingdom of God. Christ and the saints will rule over the earth, and wisdom and judgment and justice will prevail. And people will look around and they will see the wisdom, and they will see the understanding and the application of those things on a global scale that truly will bring a solution to the problems of the world. That's a future time. It's a future day.

So what about today? Well, for us today, brethren, you and I need to avail ourselves to seeking after wisdom, to growing in it, to making it a part of our character, and to applying it in our everyday life. There's an example that's been set for us, and of course the greatest example in terms of someone who lived this in the human flesh that we could follow is that of Jesus Christ. I want to begin in Luke chapter 2 and verse 40 as we consider wisdom.

Luke chapter 2 and verse 40 look at an example of our elder brother Jesus Christ, and here we find him young in this account, in his physical life. Luke chapter 2 verse 40, and it says, "...and the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." So as Jesus Christ grew, there is the wisdom, there's the understanding that is recognized here, and of course that is related to the fact that he is living according to God's Spirit, as God's Spirit in his life, working with him, dwelling in him. I'm not gonna walk through, verse by verse, the passage that follows, but essentially, you remember, his parents came up to Jerusalem to worship before God, and as they take off to leave, they assume Jesus Christ is in the caravan of people somewhere, perhaps with some relatives, and they get a day out and realize he's not there.

So they go back to Jerusalem to find Jesus Christ, and in verse 46 it says, "...so now it was that after three days they found him in the midst of the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding answers. And so when they saw him, they were amazed, and his mother said to him, Son, look what you've done to us.

You know, your father and I have sought you anxiously." I mean, I can imagine after three days, as a parent, you would be quite anxious. Verse 49, "...and he said to them, Why did you seek me? Did you not know that it would be about my father's business?" So even at a young age, at the age of 12, Jesus Christ was engaging his life in the process of coming to fulfill the responsibility that his father had given him.

And he says, I'm here about my father's business. You should not have doubted what that would be. Verse 50, "...but they did not understand the statement which he spoke to them. And then he went down with them, came to Nazareth, was subject to them, but his mother kept all these things in her heart." And verse 52 says, "...and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men." And so it says Jesus Christ increased in wisdom.

He grew in wisdom. Wisdom was developed in his life and it matured. It wasn't just sort of a static thing. It wasn't something that was just kind of dumped on him without any, you know, exercising of his own will and his own desire to pursue after wisdom. Jesus Christ lived his life close to his father. They were bound together through the Spirit. Alright? He had the Spirit of God. He had understanding in the mind of God dwelling in him. And he was Emmanuel. He was God in the flesh, walking among mankind. And this was the course of his life, growing in wisdom and in stature in this way.

So I would just say, brethren, that just as Jesus Christ increased in wisdom and set that example for us, we must learn to do so as well. God has called you and I to increase in wisdom, to seek after it, and in fact the future fulfillment of bringing the answers and the solutions to this world very much is dependent upon the wisdom, at least if we want to be there participating, in the wisdom that we develop along the way today. So where can true wisdom be found? I think people recognize, even in this world, that we need wisdom and they search for understanding and search after knowledge and search for wisdom.

But again, there's limits to that, to how wise you can be apart from God. I would say it's only at best a drop in the bucket. But again, where does true wisdom come from? Where can it be found? The book of Job gives us some insight into the wisdom and the source from which it comes. Let's go to Job chapter 28.

Job 28, and we'll begin in verse 1. It says, surely there is a mine for silver, a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth and copper is smelted from ore. And so, as the passage goes on, it describes the various mining techniques, the fact that you dig into the earth to find these things. Gold, silver, precious stones, whatever it might be, there is a labor that goes into mining these things out and discovering them. Verse 12 asks the question, it says, but where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says it is not in me, and the sea says it is not with me. It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price. And it goes on that just says, by comparison, nothing else compares and value to wisdom. You're not going to tunnel down in the earth. You're not going to dig a mine shaft and find wisdom.

You might find gold along the way, silver, precious commodities, but again by comparison, that is nothing compared to the wisdom that God would have us to discover. Verse 17, it says, neither gold or crystal can equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral records. For the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. Again, by comparison, these things are just basically nothing along the way. Lay wisdom alongside, and the value does not even compare. Verse 20, from where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? That's the question that basically all of us and all of mankind should be asking. Where does it come from? Where is this place of understanding? Where is it that you're going to find it if indeed you are seeking it? Verse 21, it is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Destruction and death say we have heard a report about it with our ears. Verse 23, God understands its way, and he knows its place. And so, brethren, it is God alone who can point us to the direction of true wisdom, because God himself is the source. This world chases after knowledge, after understanding, after wisdom, but apart from God, they have the true lasting value of wisdom. You will not find it apart from him. He is the source. If you're gonna go look for wisdom, and you're not gonna include God in the process, it's sort of gonna be like that miner who's tunneling into the earth and digging and digging and looking and looking for something that is not there.

Something that will not be found. Apart from God, there is no wisdom and no richness of understanding in that way. God is the true source of wisdom. Now, Proverbs chapter 2 contains advice from a father to a son pertaining to wisdom.

It's valuable instruction for us. If your Bible is new, get ready to wear out the book of Proverbs today. At least your pages shouldn't be sticking together. By time we're done, we're going to spend quite a bit of time turning back and forth today in the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs chapter 2, again, it's advice from a father to a son pertaining to the source of wisdom. Proverbs 2 verse 1, It says, My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding. Yes, if you cry out for discernment and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. And so again, the point is wisdom and not the wisdom of this world, not the wisdom of this age, but true wisdom comes from God alone. He is the source and is from God that we must obtain Him. Wisdom must be pursued. It must be something that it is on our heart and our desire to seek from God and to go after. Again, I don't believe Jesus Christ was just sort of born and sat around and wait for wisdom to sort of hit him one day so he could go out to work. His father was working with him, but this whole process is an active and interactive process by which we discover and we grow in wisdom. And that relationship is a relationship that we keep between ourselves and our father. Once again, he is the source of wisdom.

So you have to seek after it with all your heart, but the key is you also have to look in the right place. Verse 6 again said, the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. So there's basically two principles here that I see that should help us to understand where it is that we need to look for wisdom. The first is, it says we have to seek it from the mouth of God.

From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. You have to seek wisdom from the mouth of God, from the words of God, from his instruction. Well, where do we find that? Now, wake up in the morning and pray to God, but it's not like he responds to me vocally. It's not like we hear the voice of God in terms of audibly, tell me the words of wisdom here. Where is it that we have the words of God's mouth recorded? It's right here, isn't it? It's in the Scripture. It's in the words of God. As Paul told Timothy, it says the words of God are theonustos in the Greek. They are God-breathed. They're God-inspired. They're here. This is the mind of God. We pray to him, seeking his will and expressing ourselves to him. God communicates back to us in many ways through his word, and he guides us and leads us to see and understand the answers to so many things that we are seeking in life. So again, seek it from the mouth of God. That was first and foremost. And secondly, we need to ask God for it. Because we can read the pages of Scripture, we can read the principles that are here, see the words, but you know, we can miss the wisdom altogether. We need to seek the wisdom which comes from God. Because if our minds are not open, how many Bibles have been printed and scattered across the face of the earth? How many people have read these words and yet completely missed out upon the wisdom? It is the calling of God, and it is God working with our mind that helps us to understand these things and the value of what it is that we have before us. So we need to ask God for that understanding, for that wisdom, and the ability to apply it in a proper way.

James chapter 1 verse 5 contains instruction for us in seeking just this from God.

James chapter 1 and verse 5.

Here it says, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. So it is the God that we need to directly go to seek wisdom. Ask him for it. Make it a common practice in your prayer and in your life to ask God for wisdom. And again, this is an interactive thing. This isn't just, God, would you just lay the wisdom on me? This is investing ourselves in his word and saying, God, I am studying these words which you have given me for life. Help me to understand. Help me to glean the wisdom that comes from these things and to walk in a right and proper way. Again, we're to study the words of his mouth, but we're to ask him for that ability to understand and to use these things well. If you do so, and with a sincere heart, as James says, God will give it to you without reproach. Which means God's not going to rebuke you for asking. He's not going to say, well, you know, you certainly asked a lot of me today. God desires that we would ask him for wisdom. Notice Matthew 7, verse 7. These are words of Jesus Christ, but they reflect God's desire to pour out good things upon his children. Matthew 7, verse 7, Jesus says, Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock, and it will be open to you. Now, something we tend to miss about this passage in our translation is that in the Greek, it's actually present progressive in the way that has been written. As in, we could read it to say, ask and keep on asking.

Seek and seek, keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking. Make this a regular part of your prayers, a regular part of this pursuit. Not just, well, I told God once he knows and he doesn't forget.

God wants to see our heart and our desire in this way as well. Verse 8, For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. But what man is there among you, who, if a son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Of course, we would not do that for our own children. Verse 10, or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If then, you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father, who is in heaven, give good things to those who ask him?

And so the indication and the clear instruction for us is that God wants to give the right and the good things and the proper things to his children who ask him. But the instruction, again, is to seek after it, to pursue it, and to do your part as well along the way. Again, Proverbs is a wonderful source for discovering principles of wisdom. We're going to spend most of the rest of the message today in the book of Proverbs. We're going to break these pages in well.

So let's go back to the book of Proverbs, chapter 9. I want to sort of just lay the foundation for the remainder of the message today. Proverbs, chapter 9. The context of Proverbs 9 is a contrast.

It's a contrast between two houses, wisdom and foolishness. Proverbs, chapter 9, beginning in verse 1, it says, wisdom has built her house. She has hewn out her seven pillars. Now here wisdom is personified as a woman who's built a house, and the pillars in the houses of the ancient world were the support structure. You had these pillars, usually hewn out of stone, that were set, and they ran all the way up to the roof, and they were the support structure for the roof, and they tied the rest of the house together. And so what is personified here in this woman as wisdom is that now she has built this house, and there are pillars to wisdom that are being established.

She has hewn out her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also furnished her table. And so essentially saying she's made the house of wisdom ready for those who would desire to enter in. Verse 3, she has set out her maidens, and she cries from the highest places of the city.

Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, come in need of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Fursake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding. And so it's like wisdom here is crying out to be recognized. It's saying, I'm here, I'm available, but you have to turn in. You have to do it your part. But God makes wisdom available to us as his people if we do indeed desire it and seek after it each and every day. Now the contrast to this is, if we jump down to verse 13, it says, a foolish woman is clamorous.

She is simple and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house. So the comparison is, again, the house of wisdom and the house of foolishness and the foolish woman. On the seat by the high places of the city, to call to those who pass by, who go straight on their way. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.

As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there and her guests are in the depths of hell. They're in depths of the grave. It is the place that leads to death walking into the house of foolishness. So we have this contrast laid out for us. But I'd like to go back again to verse 1 here, chapter 9. I want to focus on the concept here of the seven pillars of wisdom. It says, wisdom has built her house.

She has hewn out her seven pillars. Over the years I've seen number of lists that have been made up of possible seven pillars of wisdom. And throughout those lists there is a large degree of overlap. But some say this is this is the seven list of seven pillars of wisdom. No, these are the seven pillars of wisdom. You know the Bible doesn't necessarily walk through and say one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. But the Proverbs are full of wisdom, full of many principles of wisdom.

And it may possibly be that the number seven signifies completeness in this case. The fact that wisdom has built her house and it's a structure based on wisdom and complete wisdom. But again, whatever the case, it is it is important to understand and recognize that there are foundational pillars of wisdom that support that structure. And so what I'd like to do for the rest of the message today is to share with you seven possible pillars of wisdom. Again, there's various lists. The one I'll share with you today is the one that I received at the workshop that we attended. Again, I just call them seven possible pillars of wisdom. And hopefully as we jump through these, I'll try to keep each one brief, but hopefully it'll jumpstart our our thought process and our study into wisdom. As we walk through these seven principles, ask yourself, how many of these do I possess? How many more do I need to seek after? And surely I think we'll understand the principle is, even if we possess some of these in part, it's a constant growth process all throughout our life. Seeking wisdom, developing it, maturing in it. Just as Jesus Christ has said, increased in wisdom, which means he had wisdom, but also he increased. He grew and he applied himself. So pillar number one, possible pillar number one to wisdom's house, is the fear of the Lord.

Fear of the Lord. Proverbs chapter 9, we're in this chapter still, verse 10. It says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. So the fear of the Lord is a supporting pillar to wisdom. Apart from the fear of God, you can't have wisdom, not the wisdom which is from above. And so it takes a right and a healthy relationship with God, and a proper fear of God. And I'm not talking about the fear that leaves you, you know, cowering in the corner, paralyzed to act. That's not the fear that God essentially wants us to have for him. The fear we're to have for God is a healthy respect and a reverence for the being who reigns supreme over all things. It's that acknowledgment, it's that worship. But also, as a part of that, there is what we would generally refer to as fear. When we understand God's words and what it is that God expects of us, and we respond, we ought to be a bit afraid to cross God. I think that's real. I think that is healthy. In Matthew 10, 28, Jesus Christ said, fear him who is able to destroy both the soul and body and get in a fire.

There's a thought of facing hellfire and judgment. Should that be a fearful thing? I think it's a powerful motivator. Again, this isn't cowering in the corner, paralyzed to act, but this is reminding us that God is offering us an incredible opportunity. When we have knowledge of these things, we do indeed need to commit ourselves the following through. But again, wisdom begins in a relationship with God, and it is based on a proper fear. Proper fear of God.

Proverbs 8 verse 13. Proverbs 8, 13. It says, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride in arrogance, and the evil way. In the perverse mouth, I hate. So here it says, the fear of the Lord involves a few things. Fear of the Lord involves loving good, hating evil. That's not just having knowledge of it. It's not just knowing about it. It is desiring good, grabbing hold of good, and not letting go.

It's shunning evil, keeping it at an arm's length distance, not playing with it, not being entertained by it. Love the good, hate the evil. That is the fear of the Lord. It also continues that it's controlling of our tongues. Again, it's the perverse mouth I hate. That's an element of the fear of the Lord. We're going to be careful about what we say, because we fear God. What do we say about His Word? What do we say to each other? What do we say about one another? You know, we think it. Why don't we say it? Well, maybe we shouldn't be thinking it, but we certainly, I think, should not be saying it out of the fear of the Lord as well.

So, brethren, let us consider these things. Another element to fear and God listed here, and it's an important one, I would simply boil down to as humility.

Humility. Wisdom cannot flourish in an environment of pride. Pride itself. Pride destroys wisdom because pride is ultimately standing up in opposition to God. Fear of the Lord is not based in pride. It is based in wisdom and humility.

And wisdom will not come in the presence of pride. Not the wisdom that comes from God, not if we raise ourselves up in opposition to Him in that way. Wisdom requires humility to grow, and humility, again, is an element to the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 11 verse 2. Proverbs chapter 11 verse 2, it says, When pride comes, then comes shame, but with the humble is wisdom.

With the humble is wisdom. It's those who are submissive unto God, for not wise in their own heart. Those who seek after what God has to offer, not, God, let me show you what it is that I have to offer. I can do a lot for you today, God, is not an attitude of humility and is not an attitude in which wisdom will grow.

So again, wisdom comes through humbly submitting ourselves to God, having a proper fear of Him. So that's the first pillar. Pillar number two to wisdom's house, knowledge and understanding. Knowledge and understanding. Again, these are part of the pillars that hold the structure erect and in place. Knowledge and understanding. Having a right knowledge and a proper understanding of that knowledge is a support factor to the house of wisdom. Proverbs chapter 18 in verse 15 speaks to this point. Proverbs 18 verse 15, it says, seeks knowledge. And so those who have wisdom make actually make a practice of seeking after knowledge.

They're looking for knowledge. They're seeking to acquire knowledge, not just for knowledge sake, not just let me line all these books on my bookshelf so you can see how smart I am. Maybe I read them all. That's not what we're talking about for the purpose of knowledge, but the fact that they seek to acquire knowledge in order to gain understanding and to use these things properly towards wisdom isn't just finding knowledge again for the sake of accumulating it, but the purpose is wisdom. True wisdom in this pillar of wisdom begins with the knowledge and the understanding that comes from the Word of God.

And again, we've covered that already to a degree. Let's look at Proverbs chapter 2 verse 6. Proverbs 2 verse 6, similar to what we read earlier, it says, For the Lord gives wisdom, he is a source, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. And so again, God is that source of wisdom and the source of the principles that we need to grow in towards wisdom. He's the source of the knowledge that we study. He's the source of the understanding that we then acquire.

But again, knowledge and understanding, you can't have wisdom without those two. They're part of the support structure. Again, Proverbs 2 verse 6 says that it is God who gives the wisdom and the understanding. The contrast to that principle is in Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 2. Proverbs 18 and verse 2. And it says, A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart. And so just as you can walk through Scripture and you can see the pillars, the support structures to the house of wisdom, you can also see the pillars to the house of foolishness and the elements that lead unto destruction.

And this is one of them. It says, A person who delights in expressing their own heart, as opposed to actually seeking out what it is that God is offering. Again, that goes back to pride. It's about me, what I know, what it is that I can offer, as opposed to in humility seeking from God the wisdom that he has to offer. Let that not be us. Rather than you and I are called to be people who seek after wisdom and understanding.

So that second pillar was knowledge and understanding. Pillar number three, the house of wisdom, is seeking good counsel or advice. Seeking good counsel or advice. It is a pillar unto wisdom. Proverbs 11 verse 14. Proverbs chapter 11 verse 14. It says, Where there is no counsel, the people fall. But in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. It's the brotherhood of wisdom coming together and advising one another in a safe way, in a way that leads to right decisions.

Similar scripture, Proverbs 15 verse 22. Proverbs 15, 22. It says, Without counsel, plans go awry. But in the multitude of counselors, they are established. So I'd say an often overlooked principle of wisdom is seeking competent advice. We need to seek advice from those who are knowledgeable, those who are successful in the area that we're seeking advice for. Ultimately, we need to seek it from people who are wise themselves.

Learn from them. Follow their example if indeed it is right and biblical. If you wanted to get input on marriage, who would you go to? Would you go to somebody? Personally, I would go to somebody who has a successful marriage, whose marriage is a model, at least from what I could determine, of what God would desire, and they've been faithful to one another for decades.

That is who I would go to for advice and wisdom on marriage. What about finances? Who would you seek financial advice from? Somebody who has been successful or somebody who's declared bankruptcy three times? Maybe there's some wisdom from doing it the wrong way as well, but I would say there's certainly wisdom from doing it the right way.

What about child-rearing? Again, so many of these things we could walk through. Seeking counsel is essential to seeking after wisdom.

Humility, again, plays a part of it because we shouldn't be threatened by seeking the advice of others. It doesn't in some way diminish us, as in, where you're certainly not somebody of knowledge or understanding. There's actually a strength, as the Bible says, to seek counsel, to seek advice. It is a pillar to growing in wisdom. Seeking counsel and seeking counsel from individuals that would bring bad counsel on the other side of the coin could be our downfall as well. We won't turn there, but in 1 Kings 12, I'll just let you jot that down. You can read the account later. It's the account of King Rehoboam. Rehoboam, son of Solomon, comes on the throne now, and the people of Israel come before Rehoboam, and they say, your father laid a heavy burden on us. They said, but if you lighten our burden, you know, if you give us a break, please. Taxation, you know, the heavy weight of serving this kingdom to the degree that it was laid upon us, if you lighten that load, we will serve you and will serve your faithfully. And I believe, as I recall, that it was we'll be a servant unto you. And the fact was, this was people who were pleading with their new king. So he said, all right, I'll come come back. Come back later, and I'll give you an answer. So they depart, and he has two sets of advisors. He talks to the advisors that it stood before his father Solomon, the aged men, the experienced men. He says, how should I answer them? And it was essentially, if you answer them in this way, that yes, I will lighten your loads, and I will treat you in this honorable and respectable way. He says, then they will be your servant, essentially, if you are a servant to them, and it will go well with you. Then it says, he went and took the accounts from the young men, the people whom he had grown up with, and they said, you tell them, if you thought Solomon made it hard for you, my little finger will be thicker than his waist.

You just watch. So people returned. He listened to the advice of the younger men. He delivered his answer, and the result was the kingdom was split. Israel to the north, Jerusalem to the south, and without going into the history of all that, it just was not a proper situation. But the point was, it was the advice and the counsel that he listened to was that of the young and experienced people, as opposed to the aged and the wise. And it's not that young people can't have wise counsel, and older people cannot have foolish counsel. That's not the point. But the point is, we have a whole pool of resource by which we can go get advice and counsel. Seek after those who are wise, and have lived it in a right and upright manner. Again, pillar number three was seeking good advice or counsel. Pillar four to Wisdom's house is foresight. Foresight. Foresight is the ability to see beyond the present circumstance to the end result.

Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 3 speaks to foresight. Proverbs 22 verse 3, it says, A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. There's many times in life when it behooves us to understand our current circumstances and where we're heading and what is the environment we're in, what is the end result of that. And it says, A wise man, a prudent man, foresees the evil and hides himself. And those who are simple, maybe who have, just kind of wandering long, whistling a tune, but not paying attention to what's going on around them, it says they pass on along and are punished.

Maybe, I'll just use a physical example, maybe it's like the stock market. If you're heavily invested in the stock market and you understand the market and you understand the ups and the flows and the ups and the downs of the market and where to put your money and how much and for how long and when to take it out, you're gonna see the indicators there and you're going to invest. And perhaps it'll go up, up, up and you make a lot of money. But if you're watching the indicators and you know, then you're going to determine, well, this may be the time to pull it out.

A simple person might say, well, the stock market, it was, you know, 12,000, two years ago, it's 24,000 now, I've got to go up forever, you know, enjoy the ride, I threw my money in, I'm making money, but without an understanding or knowledge, what's it gonna do someday? So the point is, the wise man who is well-versed, who understands knowledge, has understanding into the application of it, unto wisdom, is going to foresee the trouble and he's going to respond. Foresight, a pillar of wisdom.

Jesus Christ criticized the religious leaders of his day because he was on the scene, he was preaching the gospel, he was fulfilling prophecies written throughout scripture, and they couldn't even see it. He says, you can look at the sky and you can determine what the weather is going to be, but you cannot even determine the sign of the times.

In fact, that the Son of God is here among you preaching this word, and it was a rebuke.

Ultimately, foresight, brethren, is a spiritual condition, and it's one that you and I need to seek after as a part of wisdom. Proverbs 14, verse 15.

Proverbs 14, verse 15. It says, the simple believes every word, but the prudent considers his steps well. A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.

So it says, you know, the simple simply charge ahead without due consideration, without even analyzing and understanding what the results of those things will be, or what the results of their action will be. But it says, the prudent, on the other hand, considers.

He places one foot in front of the other carefully. He's thought it through. He's thought through the consequences of how would these actions affect me, affect those around me.

Again, it is the difference between one that would not have foresight and one who looks down the line seeking wisdom, seeing the end result, and then acting accordingly. Pillar four, foresight.

Possible pillar number five to wisdom's house is a willingness to accept legitimate correction.

It's a willingness to accept legitimate correction. Proverbs chapter 12, in verse 1, says, whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

That's a pretty strong term. He who hates correction is stupid. What's the point of correction?

And I'll speak on legitimate correction for the point here. The purpose of correction is to encourage an individual to set their path straight, right? To correct it from wrong to right, make proper adjustments in their life. A person who hates legitimate correction is actually a person who opposes himself because they're unwilling to acknowledge and recognize the changes that need to be made to make themselves a better person overall. They oppose themselves and they are their own worst enemy. He who hates correction is stupid. Ultimately, life-changing correction, brethren, that you and I need to receive comes from God himself. But the point is, what leads to repentance? It's an acknowledgement of what it is in our life that we need to correct. By definition, repentance is a change in direction going from wrong to right. It's a change in direction going wrong to right. It is an action as well as a heart matter. But again, those who refuse correction refuse change. I would go so far as to say, if that is an attitude that we live in, we will not be in the kingdom of God because God is bringing us from the carnal man to the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ. And believe me, that takes correction. It takes a lot of correction. But with God as the source, we know it's done right. Proverbs chapter 3 verse 11. Proverbs 3, 11. My son do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest his correction, for whom the Lord loves he corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights. So if God is going to be the one to correct us, obviously it is for a good reason. Sometimes God does that as well through human instruments. But the fact is, when God corrects us, even if it's through a trial, we need to know it is done in love and it is for our good. And it is done in the most perfect way, according to the mind of God. Verse 12, it says, for whom the Lord loves he corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights. Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. So, again, if you're going to find it, if you're going to gain it, it's going to be through being willing to accept correction and make change in your life, being open and understanding to those things. Sometimes finding wisdom and correction comes through the rod of correction. Right? Sometimes maybe you have to take a beating before you'll turn around. That's not the recommended way. That's not the desired way. But sometimes it may be necessary. But again, brethren, we must have the spirit and the desire to receive correction and to apply it in a way that is for our betterment and to the life that God has called us to live. Proverbs 15 verse 31, and it speaks to the value of correction.

Proverbs 15 verse 31, it says, The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. So the fact is, you can sit there and you can chafe against those things, resist those things, legitimate correction, and not make the necessary changes in your life. Or you can submit to taking your licks, even if you have to, to make the change that will lead us to the life that God desires in us. Proverbs 15, 31, in the NIV version, says, Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. And that's the point.

Life-giving correction leads to life. Ultimately, the life in the kingdom which God has called us to is turning us from the negative and the wrong to the right. The willingness to accept legitimate correction is a pillar of the house of wisdom. Brethren, let us consider that. Pillar number six in wisdom's house is self-discipline and I've added to that self-motivation.

Self-discipline and self-motivation. Because you see, as I've already alluded to, effort is needed on our part in the pursuit of wisdom. We don't just sit back and wait for wisdom to follow on us, and one day we're a wise man or a wise woman. It takes effort. We have to seek after it. We have to pursue it. We have to desire it with all our heart. Proverbs chapter 3 verse 13.

Proverbs 3 verse 13 says, Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding you know you find something you gain it not just by waiting for it to happen to you it's by going out and seeking after it and pursuing it and grabbing hold of it to the best of your ability verse 14 it says for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver and her gain then fine gold she is more precious than rubies and all the things you desire cannot compare with her length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches in honor her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace verse 18 she is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain her we are to desire wisdom or to value it or to treasure it above all these other possessions we're to pursue wisdom take hold of her retain her never let go that's what the scripture says and again it takes active effort self-discipline and application on our part this is describing an active process final pillar i want to share with you today possible pillar number seven to wisdom's house it's good people skills good people skills you might think well that seems a little odd how does people skills relate to supporting the structure of wisdom well part of gaining wisdom is found in the ability to relate well with others god has called us into a body we relate with those who advise us we relate with those who correct us those whom we seek wisdom after we're not called to be an island unto ourselves and so the ability to connect and interact with others will do much to strengthen our wisdom if in fact we will submit to it we need to seek after the wisdom that others have to share that comes as a matter of give and take sharing a proper relationship with one another and it comes in our ability to have bright and proper people skills it's iron sharpening iron it's it's lifting one another up but this is this is a community effort because it is according to the word of god but also it is working in the body of jesus christ proverbs chapter 11 verse 30 proverbs 11 verse 30 it says the fruit of righteousness is a tree of life and he who wins souls is wise you know that's a bit of an unusual wording you know we wouldn't generally say i'm going out to win some souls today what does it mean he who wins souls is wise the best i can determine is that it means to bring others along with you through the use of your wisdom that as you are given the ability to use wisdom and understanding in your life others are going to see your conduct they're going to interact with you and they're going to desire to pursue the same as well it's not necessarily i'm on a mission today to go out into the world and win a soul but it is the way that we live our life on a day in and day out basis what do people see what do they experience when they interact with us if we don't have good people skills if we're just kind of harsh and rude and impatient with people that's not going to do a whole lot to shine the light on the wisdom that we're supposed to be exemplifying that wisdom which comes from god so again these things are important jesus christ who knew how to relate to those that he came in contact with in order to preach the gospel to them he understood who they were where they were coming from you know do you think he ate with publicans and sinners with no idea of what he was doing or how to connect that was a very important part of his nature and the relatability that he had to those that he was working with the same with the apostle paul first christians 9 22 paul says i have become all things to all men that i might by some means save some paul knew how to reach across to where they were whatever whatever city it was whatever cultural experience whatever religion paul says i've i've come into your city i believe it was athens and i see i see the the idols and i see the inscription to the unknown god let me tell you about this unknown god you know meet them where they are bring them to the gospel message to the calling the calling and understanding of god in that way so again how we interact with others is important god and it's important to the wisdom that we're seeking to develop in our lives today final scripture for today james chapter 3 verse 13 it's interesting i hadn't thought about it to this point but half the scriptures that i've gone to outside of proverbs is james james is often referred to as the proverbs of the new testament because there's a book of wisdom of application not just a b and c but it is how you live this life how do you apply the principles of god's word james chapter 3 verse 13 says who is wise and of understanding among you let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom says but if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts do not boast and lie against the truth for this wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly sensual demonic for where every for where envy and self-seeking exists he says confusion and every evil thing are there but the wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable it's gentle it's willing to yield again this comes back to our interactions with one another to a degree willing to yield full of mercy and of good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace brethren wisdom which is from above includes the capacity to connect with others an outgoing concern in humility to relate to them in a way that can help to bring them from where they are into an understanding of the truth of god again not apart from the calling that god would offer but to the degree that god gives us opportunity to play a part in that process we need to be wise bible shows that jesus christ grew in wisdom he increased in wisdom so who needs wisdom who needs it the answer is we all do myself included i have probably prayed for wisdom more in the last six months than i ever have in my life and i think we all should constantly increase and hopefully this gets our mind considering the desire we should have towards wisdom seeking after it asking god for it studying his word seeking after understanding in jesus grew in wisdom we must as well let us seek after it let us pursue it let us practice it let us live it together as god's people brethren if we do we will be building up a spiritual house in which the wisdom of god dwells