Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity (2025)

Proverbs 25:6-14

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what a great treasure we have in the book of proverbs, but it is challenging to read through and digest and glean information from, we’ve been studying it for quite awhile in our Thursday morning Bible Study working through it steadily adn slowly because Wisdom is a great treasure that is worth gaining, and so we should seek the Lord who is the source of all wisdom.

What is Wisdom?

We live in the age of information.

It is incredible how much information is at our fingertips in today’s world. The ability that we have to not only share this information, but synthesize it into useful bits of technology and convenience, is just downright incredible. The phones that are in our pockets are more powerful than the computers that helped send the astronauts to the moon, and 10 years ago they already had the power to pilot 1000 rockets to the moon. While we have this great amount of knowledge,

The world lacks wisdom.

Wisdom is not the same things as knowledge. It is important to differentiate between these two matters. For knowledge and the ability to remember, and recall, and have this information at our fingertips is not the same as wisdom, and that is why the book of Proverbs to this very day is a great treasure because by studying and observing it we gain not knowledge, but wisdom.

Wisdom knows how to apply knowledge.

It takes the information that we have and is able to use it in the right way. Knowledge is understanding levers and pulleys, and how they multiple force, wisdom is using them to move an ATV or truck out of a ditch. Knowledge is knowing all the facts about growing plants, but wisdom is the ability to know when the plants need these things and when to cut your losses. One can have great knowledge, and lack all wisdom.

Lacking Wisdom

Without wisdom, you are a fool.

The world will look at you and wonder why did you think that would work? You might have had the knowledge, the intelligence, but wisdom tells you don’t do this. Intelligence tells you that if you apply water to a car it will help put out a fire, wisdom knows thats an electric car. So when we see folks who are very smart, but do dumb things, they are lacking wisdom. The dangerous thing about fools is

They despise instruction.

They don’t want to know that what they are doing is wrong or harmful, they know best and they will get it solved without your help. They don’t want to be corrected, and they want to walk their own path and be constantly affirmed that they are right, they are smart, and that they don’t have to be corrected. If you consider what that really means, that they are always right, smart, and infallible, they want to be gods. As though that weren’t bad enough,

They are wise in their eyes.

You can show them their error, but they will persist in it. It takes a great deal of patience to bring a person out of error and foolishness. It is challenging work, but it is worth it when they understand the truth. Think of how many times our parents repeated the same phrases until we took them to heart. Repetition is the mother of learning, and so if we want to gain wisdom, we must firmly but patiently bring them back to the truth again and again.

Where Does Wisdom Begin?

Wisdom starts with fear of the Lord.

That sounds strange that wisdom would begin there, but fear, doesn’t just mean terror, but also awe. When we consider who God is and what He has done, and can do, then we are right to be in awe of Him, and it teaches us to heed his word. For the Wisdom of God is what laid the foundations of the earth, ordered the sun, moon, and stars, numbered our days, and fulfilled the promises that he made about our savior. When we glimpse the wonder of God made manifest, is it any surprise that the scriptures tell us the

The wisdom of men is nothing.

No matter how smart, or wise a person might be to his neighbor’s the wisdom of God is greater. For what is man but a piece of clay, whose life and breath come from our creator and can be taken away from him in a heartbeat. For all of our wisdom, we have been unable to conquer the ills of this world, and our great inventions become sources that lead to our own destruction. The wisdom

The wisdom of God is found in Jesus.

For there is the wisdom of God made manifest before our eyes that demonstrates his great power, his great might, and his great wisdom. That He would save the world in a way that mankind wouldn’t try, by becoming a slave, a servant to mankind in order to bear our burdens for our salvation. That is why the Scriptures tell us

The Wisdom of God

It is foolishness to men.

It doesn’t make sense. That isn’t how you or I would work if we had all power, and authority, with legions of angels at our command who would jump to the ready and smite anyone who disagree with us. The wisdom of God is found in the Son of God going to Calvary to bear our sins, and be our savior. The wisdom of men is designed to be self-serving, not focused on bringing blessings to others. But that’s what wisdom does,

It shows Love for others.

That’s what the Wisdom of Christ showed to you, Love! Love that was made manifest there on the Cross for you my dear saints. For the Wisdom of God was used not to condemn the world, but rather to bring about our reconciliation and restore us to God in heaven above! What a great blessing, and if we considered the Law of God that’s what it is focused on doing.

It seeks to serve, not be served.

Look at each one of these passages and consider the commandments that it is urging us to live out in wisdom. Indeed our selfishness, or our man made wisdom brings about hardship, but the wisdom of God brings blessing to others. As it has brought blessings already to you by the blood of Christ, for you have now been adopted as the children of God. Since we have been adopted as Children of God, and have been given His divine and holy name, then we who are the children of God, and beloved of our wise father, and desiring to bring blessings to our neighbors ought to

Grow in Wisdom

Wisdom can be sought by all.

This is important. I once had a young man I was teaching Greek, and he wanted to know how he could increase his IQ, and accumulate more intelligence, and I hated to burst his bubble, but I told him that research shows that IQ is generally set, and while you can figure out how to take the test better, you tend to be locked in. I told him to not be discouraged, because what all people can grow in is wisdom, which is of greater value. We’ve all known bright people that for some reason appear to be dumb, it’s that they lack wisdom, they don’t know how to assemble the pieces that God has given them.

What can you learn from this?

See Christ first and foremost who is the wisdom of God made manifest who gave Himself for your salvation and accomplished that salvation for all people. Quite often the world seeks its own benefit and its own good, but the wisdom of God teaches us that we are called to serve others, not ourselves, for that is what Jesus did for you. Allow that wisdom to guide you, now it will not be the same, for you and I cannot save anyone, there is only one Savior, and Jesus has already given His life for mankind, but we can learn from him to serve each other with love, patience, and kindness and point them to Christ. The challenging question is

How can it be used for others?

We are in service to our neighbor, the wisdom we gain can be a blessing not just for ourselves, but for others and help others as they live in the world. Our world right now is filled with knowledge and intelligence, but we wish to know how to use it properly and that only happens with wisdom. Which everyone can gain, and then we will also have something to search to equip and help others.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, The book of Proverbs is a challenging that is pretty much all law, and while it is good, its a tough and challenging read, but it is worth it for the wisdom that it contains and how it will prepare you for life. It will reveal your foolishness though, and more than once you will shake your head and confess, how could I have been such a fool, but that is when we look to the Cross of Christ and see Christ who is the wisdom of God and has given His life for us. For there we see the fulfillment of wisdom, by what Christ has done for you. So do not lose heart, and do not remain in your foolishness, for Christ has forgiven your sinfulness, and foolishness, that you might remain in the house of God. Don’t then continue to be a fool, and forget or neglect this great treasure.