wisdom

Thoughts on Foundations

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When I was a boy, I was fortunate to be surrounded by builders. My stepfather amazed me in the ways he intuitively understood how anything was put together. He seemed to just “get it” when it came to construction, electrical work, masonry, etc. His father was the same way. He understood engines, masonry, roofing, wiring, et al. I was amazed. I have an affection for all of the above but I don’t have the aptitude. That’s simply not where my strengths lie.

This morning I was completing my reading through 2 Chronicles and then later found myself in Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” And there was the same principle: the beginning. The foundation.

“The end depends upon the beginning,” is a common aphorism from the classics. It’s sage counsel. There are exceptions, of course. We all know of people who had rocky starts but then surprised us all by the way they turned out. I remember when I was still teaching full-time and had some students that I had serious doubts about, but somehow they pulled through, and I’m thrilled they did.

But in theological terms, Solomon’s aphorism is spot-on: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Pr 1:7). If the foundation is unsound or faulty or cracked or weak, all that’s built upon it is compromised. This is why first things matter so much–our presuppositions.

Sometimes when I look at the culture, I sense that it is unraveling. Things seem to be upside-down. Somehow things that seemed to have been obvious are suddenly not obvious. And it results in things like moral crassness and loss of civility. Whatever happened to “Please” and “Thank you”? People might scoff at such things now. How antiquated, they might say. Well, yes! But what’s wrong with antiquated? Civility is better than what we have now.

But that’s exactly what Solomon was laboring to get us to understand. It’s the moral fool who scoffs at righteousness. The fool is a scoffer; he’s a mocker. He’s the smart aleck, if you will. He mocks the holy. But he’s living a life built upon a faulty foundation. How and where one begins is of crucial significance. I’m with Solomon.

When I reflect on the many times I had to dig footers and mix the concrete, I didn’t realize at the time that the same logic applied in the moral and theological world. But I look back now and am grateful.

Thoughts Upon “When to Respond”

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Text:

4 Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4-5)

Questions:

  • Have you ever asked yourself if it was wise to respond to someone?
  • Have you ever responded and then later regretted doing so?
  • Have you ever not responded and later wished you had?

If you’re like I am, you probably answered yes to each of the above queries.

That’s the heart of what Solomon speaks to in the above proverb. There are times when it’s wise to just let some folks go; it’s what the Bible pictures as casting pearls before swine. Some folks are just a lost cause. You can try to teach them but you’re wasting your time. They remain bent on being obtuse, and God says to shake the dust from your sandals and drive on. Otherwise, it’s a waste of your time and theirs.

Then there are other times when not speaking to an issue is deleterious. Failing to speak up, failing to address error, etc. can sometimes be a way of the coward. I know there are many times when I sit in meetings and hear a bunch of psychobabble about how to address spiritual issues, and think to myself, I’m surrounded by moral idiots. These pop psychology bromides have about as much depth as a kiddie pool. When I’m hurting, or when another soldier is hurting, or life and death are at stake, I don’t want happy-clappy cliches; I want truth and depth.

Encouragement: When does the wise person respond, and when should he remain silent? That’s the issue in these two verses from Proverbs. The wisdom comes in learning to distinguish between audiences. Some folks are just a waste of your time and theirs; they’re not teachable. So, in sum, move on. At other times, however, the loving and right thing to do is to act with grace and courage by telling the truth–and sometimes that truth may be perceived as hard. But it’s truth that saves.

Prayer that God Honors

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Context, Context, Context: Circa 1010-930 B.C. King Solomon was established as the king in Israel (2 Chr 1:1). He was the nation’s new leader, successor to his son King David. And he did what we almost never hear of nowadays: he prayed for wisdom. He turned to the fountain of all wisdom. He petitioned the Lord for wisdom.

Text: “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” (2 Chr 1:10).

Teaching: Verse 11 begins by recording God’s response:

11 God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” 13 So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel. (2 Chr 1:11-13)

God graced Solomon with more than he’d asked for. Sounds a lot like the gospel, doesn’t it?

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)

Encouragement: Regardless of how many times I read through Scripture, a motif recurs: God destroys pride in those he calls to lead and creates in them a humble heart. Solomon was on the mountaintop here, so to speak. He was doing well. But he’d squander much of his life later because he grew proud and self-absorbed. But for now, he got it right. Humility comes before honor. And those who purport to shepherd/lead/rule well must keep short accounts with God, because there is a reckoning (Rom 14:12).

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #377: On Wisdom (again)

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Types: One can divide the world into at least two categories of people: 1) those characterized by wisdom and 2) those characterized by folly.

When I was a boy, I was very close to my grandparents. I have always gravitated to people of depth. And they were certainly that–people of depth. They may not have had lots of letters after their names but, believe me, they were wise. The aphorisms that issued from their lips were among the most shaping influences upon my life. Now that I’m a grandpa, I aim to pass that wisdom on to my own grandchildren. Our kids are grown now, so they are making their own ways in life, but my bride and I hope and trust that the Lord will grip them in His sovereignty and that they, too, will lead lives of inculcated wisdom.

Connection: In the wisdom literature of Scripture, Solomon penned these four masterpiece lines:

A faithful witness does not lie,
    but a false witness breathes out lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
    but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
Leave the presence of a fool,
    for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
    but the folly of fools is deceiving. (Pr 14:5-8)

Teaching: I know that some folks struggle with poetry. So here is the prosaic expression of Solomon’s wisdom:

  • Faithfulness is wed inextricably to honesty
  • Mockers do not want wisdom; they ‘scoff’ at it
  • The wise person will flee that folly
  • Discernment is a characteristic of the wise man/woman

Encouragement: If I could have any people who have died returned to my life for their wisdom and love, it would be my grandparents and my father-in-law. Why? Because they were wise, discerning people. They did not suffer fools. May we be blessed by surrounding ourselves with wise, discerning, godly influences.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #345: Wisdom from Ecclesiastes, the Gospel, and a Beatles Song

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Introduction: I was camped out in Ecclesiastes 9. Solomon writes the following:

I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.

The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good (Eccl 9:13-17).

Observations: We observe several fundamental images in Solomon’s words:

  • a vulnerable city
  • a powerful and devouring king
  • a wise man whose wisdom is used for deliverance
  • the abandonment of wisdom
  • the persistence of fools depsite the offer of wisdom

It reminded me of “The Fool On the Hill,” one of my favorites ditties from the Beatles.

Day after day, alone on a hill
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him, they can see that he’s just a fool
And he never gives an answer


But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning around


Well on the way, head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice


But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning ’round
And nobody seems to like him, they can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings


But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning ’round (oh oh oh)
‘Round and ’round and ’round and ’round and ’round


And he never listens to them, he knows that they’re the fools
They don’t like him
The fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning ’round

I went back and watched the video of the Fab Four and Paul singing this beautiful piano-laden melody with Paul grinning his impish little grin into the camera’s eye. So clever, wise even–how much wisdom is sown in a ditty for all who will hear.

Scripture’s Connective Tissue: I went back and again read Solomon’s words in the verses above from Ecclesiastes 9. The lessons were as clear as those from McCartney in “The Fool On the Hill,” namely, that wisdom is good but it is often suppressed, even when God has sent his truth-tellers into our midst.

The text says in verse 16 that “the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.” He’s treated like the subject in “The Fool on the Hill.”

In Matthew 12:42, Jesus said, “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

The wisdom, he said, was God’s wisdom. Jesus was delivering God’s wisdom. It was superior to Solomon’s wisdom or any man’s wisdom. Why? Because it was God’s wisdom, God’s revelation.

And if that’s not clear enough, it’s emphasized again in the letters. Paul writes, “And because of him[Christ] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Cor 1:30).

Takeaway: The fool on the hill in the Beatles tune saw the lay of the land, but few people listened. Solomon taught the same thing in Ecclesiastes, namely, that the wise man is occasionally consulted but, more often than not, discarded, so that the real agenda can continue, an agenda shot through with folly. And Christ and Paul taught the same thing, too, that Christ is the wisdom of God, and that if we are wise, we are wise only insofar as we follow him.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #320: Hearing Wisdom?

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Bottom Line Up Front: Hearing Wisdom

Introduction: Remember how King David longed to build a house for God (2 Samuel 7)? God allowed David to do many mighty feats but building the temple would be a feat reserved for David’s son through Bathsheba, Solomon. God granted Solomon more than he could have imagined: “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt” (1 Kings 4:29-30). And in 1 Kings 5-6, Solomon would indeed contract the best builders of his time to erect a temple for God. It wasn’t that God could be ‘contained’ inside anything constructed; rather it was to symbolize God’s presence among His people. Just as the tabernacle was central in Moses’ day, the Solomon’s temple was in his generations, as a way to symbolize God dwelling amidst His people.

But what so fascinates me in 1 Kings 4, however, is not the groundwork for the building of Solomon’s temple, but how the writer emphasizes the posture of the people to wisdom. In just the last six verses of 1 Kings 4, the writer emphasizes Solomon’s wisdom, understanding being “beyond measure” (v. 29), that his mind was like the “sand on the seashore” (v. 29), that his wisdom “surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt” (v. 30), that he “spoke 3,000 proverbs” (v. 32), that he even had wisdom regarding agriculture, horticulture, ornithology, sea creatures, and dendrology (vv. 32-34).

Again and again, the writer emphasizes Solomon’s staggering wisdom. But here’s the kicker: the people recognized that and sought him out. They weren’t misled by the pablum of mere babblers. They had enough discernment to distinguish talking heads from the fountain of wisdom.

Don’t Miss the Teaching: “And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom” (1 Kings 4:34).

Encouragement/takeaway: There’s no lack of entertainers out there—in Solomon’s day or in our day. But there’s a world of difference between distraction and wisdom. May God’s people be those of discernment and wisdom. Blateration is one thing; wisdom is something altogether different.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #319: Solomon’s Prayer for Godly Discernment

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Bottom line up front: Solomon’s Prayer for Godly Discernment

Context: It was the 900s B.C. King David had died. His son Solomon was now king in the land. But he was young still and unprepared to lead in the way God would have him lead. There was already strife in the kingdom. Adonijah, e.g., tried to marry Abishag in order to usurp the throne. But Solomon had the wherewithal to at least prevent that (cf. 1 Kings 2). But the issue facing young Solomon at this point was his need of Godly wisdom. Could he just gin it up like one might whip up a quick meal? Was there a theological microwave he could employ in order to be ready to rule in 90 seconds. No, of course not. He needed Godly wisdom; he needed discernment. Where does that come from?

Solomon’s Disposition and Solomon’s Prayer:

And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people? (1 Kings 3:7-9, ESV)

God’s Response: “It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this” (1 Kings 3:10, ESV).

Encouragement/takeaway: For a long time now, I have been fascinated by the life of Solomon. Many times, he went from hero to zero, and back again. But on this occasion, he hit bull’s-eye, center mass, perfectly. He knew he needed Godly wisdom. And he had the self-awareness and humility to seek it out from its source: God’s word. And God granted Solomon discernment and wisdom in order that he might “discern between good and evil.” May we, at least in this regard, emulate Solomon’s prayer for wisdom, for discernment.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #309: (3) Profound Verses about Discernment

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Introduction: There are three verses in Proverbs 9 that are utterly profound. Here they are:

7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
    and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction  to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. (Pr 9:7-9, ESV)

How are they profound?

In at least (3) ways:

  • It is unwise to try and lead scoffers. They’ll just resent you for it. That’s what vv. 7-8a teach.
  • It is wise to try and lead the teachable, the wise, and the humble. That’s what v. 8 teaches.
  • It is wise to invest in those who are genuine; it is unwise to exhaust yourself upon the posers/impostors/foolish. That’s a summary of all three verses.

What’s Proverbs about as a whole? Wisdom.

Encouragement: There’s a stunning passage in John 6 where many folks walked away from the Lord Jesus, truth incarnate. Verse 66 of John 6 reads, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (Jn 6:66, ESV). That should break your heart, folks. They abandoned the Holy One, the truth-teller. They simply left. And yet that is what God used as part of His plan to redeem His people. We cannot miss that or we misread Scripture.

67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

So how is this encouragement, you ask? I think it’s this: We are told and shown up front in Scripture that truth divides. Most don’t want it; they in fact hate it. That’s why Jesus was treated the ways He was. When truth appears in history, we sinners have a tendency to crucify it. But truth won’t be silenced. It rises from the grave, you see. Why? Because God will not be mocked. Truth eventually is revealed. Let us teach those who desire it, and know up front what Solomon taught in Proverbs and what Christ Himself taught in the Gospels. Just be faithful, entrusting the results to God.

Chaplain Daily Touchpoint #289: Solomonic Wisdom

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Introduction: If you have been a committed reader for many years, you discover the books have accumulated, and you end up having to either downsize the library (heresy!) or build new bookshelves (yes!), or perhaps continue to give books away to those you hope will read them. I’ve done each of these things over the course of years, but there’s one book within the Book of books, of which I never tire: Ecclesiastes.

Why Ecclesiastes? Well, in just twelve chapters, I discover again and again a mysterious comfort when my soul is troubled. Today, for example, I was ruminating over the last words of Ecclesiastes 9. The issue addressed here is wisdom amidst an environment of folly.

Here’s the passage:

I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good (Eccl 9:13-18, ESV),

Admittedly there is a shade of resignation involved in the tone of the above passage. But the more I study this book, I think that’s central to a correct understanding of the book’s theme. Please don’t misunderstand. All the ‘vanity of vanities’ sections are to warn of the endless follies of secularism, hedonism, and idolatry. Those refrains are emphasized throughout the book, so that is central to a correct understanding of the book’s theme. By the way, Solomon states his theme overtly in the closing verses of the book: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl 12:13-14, ESV).

What I am driving at here, however, is that Ecclesiastes reminds me that the spiritual battle is vastly too much for me. That is, the forces of good and evil are indeed cosmic in scale. That’s what Paul labored so much in Ephesians. In the words I quoted above from Ecclesiastes 9:13-18, I appreciate so much what the Scottish writer Robert Buchanan observed:

“War wounds, but wisdom heals. War and all its weapons belong to the bloody brood of him who was a murderer from the beginning; wisdom is the attribute and gift of him who came to bring peace on earth, good will to all, and glory to God in the highest.”

Takeaway: In other words, wisdom. That’s what Solomon, a man who went from hero to zero many times, teaches: wisdom. But the tinge of sadness, the limning resignation that surrounds Ecclesiastes like a border, remains. Wisdom entails a certain element of, as Vonnegut phrased it in one of his books, “and so it goes” concession. It’s a way of accepting that in this life, we must, if we are wise, accept our limitations. It is hubristic for us sinners to think we can make others wise; it’s hard enough to gain wisdom in our own lives. In sum, humility is called for. Even though wisdom is better than might, Solomon reminded us, the poor man’s wisdom is “despised and his words are not heard” (Eccl 9:16, ESV). Learning to live beautifully in a broken world marks a wise life.