Strength Through the Wisdom Books

Proverbs 3:5–6

we are going through the series I have entitled “Strength for the Journey” and we are looking at the different categories of the Bible books.

We are seeing how they apply to our lives and why we should read them.

We started with the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Then last week we looked at the Historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

Today we look at the books of the Bible that are often called the Wisdom books.

Wisdom is very important, and if you’ve lived any length of time, you’ve learned that information and wisdom are not the same thing.

Information is knowing your phone has ‘Find My’ Phone; wisdom is turning it on before you lose the phone.

Information is knowing what calories are; wisdom is not eating the whole bag and calling it ‘just a snack.’

Information is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

You can be smart enough to build it, and still not wise enough to ask, ‘Should I?’

Information tells you what you can do; wisdom tells you what you should do.

Some people have degrees, credentials, and confidence—and still can’t find their keys because they’ve never learned ‘put it in the same place.’

You can know a lot and still make a mess.

You can be smart and still be stubborn.

And you can be busy and still be blind.

That is why God gave us wisdom literature.

God does not just tell us what happened in history.

God teaches us how to live right now.

And in the Wisdom Books, God reveals His wisdom through these creative forms so we can make decisions that please Him.

Some of us came in today tired because we’ve been learning the hard way because we are leaning on our own understanding.

Some of us came in today confused because we’ve been making choices without acknowledging the Lord.

Some of us came in today hurting because suffering has raised questions we don’t know how to answer.

And God, in His kindness, meets us in a text like Proverbs 3:5–6.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

This is not just a cute saying for a wall, although it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put this on a wall of your house!

These verses are a life raft for people who don’t want to drown in their own decisions.

And it is a doorway into the Wisdom Books.

I. Remember What the Wisdom Books Are For

A. Recognize the Wisdom Books

The five Wisdom books are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

They are often called poetic literature.

They come to us as prayers, songs, poetry, and wise sayings.

They are God’s gift of spiritual and practical insight.

They do not replace the Law.

They do not replace the Gospel.

They show you what it looks like to live with God in the real world.

B. Each Wisdom Book Has a Special Angle

Job teaches wisdom through suffering.

Psalms teaches wisdom through worship and prayer.

Proverbs teaches wisdom through everyday decisions.

Ecclesiastes teaches wisdom through the emptiness of life without God at the center.

Song of Solomon teaches wisdom through love and the boundaries God gives for it.

So when you open this section of Scripture, you are not just reading poetry.

You are receiving training for living.

Thirdly, And very importantly…

C. Receive The Big Idea

God reveals His wisdom to humanity through a variety of creative forms, so that we can make decisions in a way that pleases Him.

So if you need guidance, or help with decision-making, or you’re walking through suffering, the Wisdom Books are a toolbox that God gave you, so use them!

That leads us right into Proverbs 3, because this is the “front door” attitude of wise living.

And in that we want to learn to…

II. Rely on the Lord Instead of Yourself

It seems crazy to say that, but if we look carefully at our lives, we see we really need to heart that!

A. Trust the Right Person

Proverbs 3 does not say “trust your gut.”

It does not say “trust your heart.”

It says, “Trust in the LORD.”

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.

Jeremiah 17:9 says,

Jeremiah 17:9 KJV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

If you make your feelings the final authority, you will eventually justify what God forbids.

So wisdom begins when the Lord is the One you lean on.

B. Trust With the Whole Heart

That means there is no safe little corner where I get to keep control.

That means God is not a co-pilot.

That means God is Lord, He is in control.

That means God is loved in your life above everything and everyone else.

Matthew 22:37 says,

Matthew 22:37 KJV

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

If you want God’s direction, God gets all of you, not a weekend version of you.

This is where many of us struggle.

We trust God for heaven, but we don’t trust Him for Monday.

We trust God with our soul, but not with our schedule.

We trust God with forgiveness, but not with guidance.

C. Refuse the Crutch of Self-Understanding

The Bible says, “lean not unto thine own understanding.”

That does not mean you turn your brain off.

That means you stop treating your brain, and your feelings, like it is the highest court.

Isaiah 55:8–9 says,

Isaiah 55:8–9 KJV

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.

When God’s Word disagrees with your instincts, trust God’s Word, because your instincts have been wrong before.

Let me give you a picture. USE A CANE

If you’ve ever used a cane or watched someone use one, you know what leaning means.

Leaning means you put weight on something because your own strength isn’t enough.

Many Christians put some weight on God, but most of the weight on themselves.

And then they wonder why they feel unstable.

This verse is calling for a transfer of weight.

This is where Job becomes so helpful.

Job suffered deeply and very suddenly.

He lost what he could never replace.

His friends tried to explain it all with tidy answers.

Job could not see the full picture.

But he learned to trust God when he could not trace God.

Job 13:15 says,

Job 13:15 KJV

15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: But I will maintain mine own ways before him.

When you cannot explain what God is doing, you can still cling to who God is.

Here is a simple decision point already.

Are you leaning on your understanding right now in some area of life?

Are you saying, “I know what God says, but I think.”

or maybe, “That might be true for others, but not for me.”

Wisdom starts when we stop arguing and start trusting.

III. Recognize God in All Your Ways

A. Make God Part of Everything

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

That means God is not only for emergencies.

That means God belongs in your finances, your parenting, your marriage, your attitude, your calendar, your entertainment, your friendships, and your private thoughts.

Colossians 3:17 KJV

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

If you can’t do it in Jesus’ name, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

Acknowledging Him is more than saying, “God is real.”

Acknowledging Him is living like He is present.

Acknowledging Him is asking, “Lord, what would please You here.”

Acknowledging Him is submitting before you decide, not only after you regret.

B. Turn Communication Into Dependence

Some people say they want God’s direction, but they rarely speak to God about anything.

James 4:2 says,

James 4:2 KJV

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

If you want direction, start by bringing your decisions to Him in prayer instead of making those decisions all alone.

When you acknowledge the Lord, you are not just checking a box.

You are practicing dependence.

You are training your heart to pause.

You are asking for wisdom before the words come out.

You are asking for help before the temptation wins.

You are asking for clarity before the conflict grows.

C. Expect God to Direct Your Paths

The promise is plain.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

God promises to direct us - and this isn’t the only place we have a promise like this.

Psalm 32:8 KJV

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

God’s direction is not reserved for super-Christians, but for humble believers who seek Him.

Now let’s be honest about what we wish this verse said.

We wish it said God will show you the whole map.

We wish it said God will give you a five-year plan.

Most of the time, God directs one step at a time.

Psalm 119:105 says,

Psalm 119:105 KJV

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.

A lamp shows the next step, not the whole road, …even the light for the path can’t show the whole path.

So walk close enough to God to see the light He gives.

Have you ever seen the Despicable Me movie?

It’s a kids movie - it’s the one that those little yellow minions come from.

In that Despicable Me scene, the girls are terrified, and what they are told to do does not feel safe.

They are asked to jump from a dangerous airplane to the one that Gru is on…

Gru says, “Girls, you are going to have to jump, don’t worry I will catch you.”

They had trouble trusting him because He had sent them back to the orphanage, so they had a hard time trusting his word.

He said it was the worst mistake he ever made.

The music is tense, the scene is a climax of the movie.

So they decided to jump…and everything worked out in the end…spoiler alert…I guess.

The difference between the movie and our situation is that God has never made a mistake.

But…He didn’t answer my prayer

He didn’t give me what I needed

My spouse or child still died

I still lost the job

It doesn’t mean that God can’t use it in the end.

Job lost all of his children

He lost every bit of his income and his health.

His answer was Yet will I trust Him.

That is what faith often looks like.

It is not that everything makes sense.

It is that God is trustworthy.

If God’s Word is calling you to a hard obedience, wisdom is trusting the Lord enough to take the step.

Fourthly read with wisdom…in other words…

IV. Read the Wisdom Books for the Moment You’re In

What are you going through?

Read something that will help!

A. When You Are Suffering, Run to Job

Job gives you permission to be honest without being bitter.

Job teaches you to worship when answers are not available.

Romans 8:28 says,

Romans 8:28 KJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

That doesn’t mean that bad things will never happen…it just means that God is powerful enough to take those things and cause good to come.

Suffering does not cancel God’s goodness, so bring your pain to Him instead of walking away.

Job gives us wise counsel for living in suffering.

Tell God the truth.

Refuse to curse God.

Reject shallow counsel.

Wait for God.

And remember that God is still God when life hurts.

B. When You Are Anxious or Heavy, Pray the Psalms

The Psalms give you words when you don’t have words.

They teach you to turn panic into prayer.

Psalm 56:3 says,

Psalm 56:3 KJV

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

When fear rises, turn it into a sentence to God instead of a spiral in your mind.

They also teach you worship.

They remind you that God is near.

Psalm 46:1 says,

Psalm 46:1 KJV

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

If you feel surrounded, run to God as your refuge, because He is never far away.

C. When You Are Making Daily Choices, Live in Proverbs

Proverbs teaches wisdom in speech, work, money, friendships, and purity.

For years I would read one chapter of Proverbs every day.

If it were the 1st day of the month I would read chapter 1, if it were the 18th, I would read chapter 18, etc.

Proverbs 9:10 says,

Proverbs 9:10 KJV

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

If you want wisdom, start with reverence, because proud hearts do not learn well.

Proverbs helps you ask better questions.

Not only “Can I.”

But “Should I.”

Not only “Is it allowed.”

But “Is it wise.”

Not only “Will this work.”

But “Will this honor God.”

D. When Life Feels Empty, Listen to Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is God’s honest exposure of the emptiness of life under the sun.

It teaches you that you can have pleasure and still be hollow.

You can have money and still be restless.

You can have success and still be dissatisfied.

Solomon comes down to the bottom line in Ecclesiastes 12:13 where he says,

Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

If life feels meaningless, it may be because something other than God has become central.

E. When Love Is Confusing, Learn from Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon teaches that love is a gift to be honored, not a fire to be played with.

Far too many people play a game with love.

Song of Solomon speaks to purity, and commitment, and delight that comes inside God’s boundaries.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says,

1 Thessalonians 4:3 KJV

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

If you want God’s blessing on love, you have to follow God’s wisdom about love.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong, but knowing the difference between right and almost right.”

A lot of spiritual damage happens when we choose “almost right” over God’s wisdom.

A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

If your view of God is small, your trust will be small, so feed your mind the truth until faith strengthens.

Conclusion

God did not give you the Wisdom Books just to impress you with His vast wisdom.

God gave you the Wisdom Books to guide you.

Some of you need wisdom for a decision you’re facing right now.

Some of you need wisdom for a relationship that’s strained right now.

Some of you need wisdom for suffering you didn’t choose right now.

And God’s invitation is not complicated.

Trust Him.

Stop leaning on yourself.

Acknowledge Him.

And step where He directs.

Now let’s make this personal.

What area of your life are you leaning on your own understanding.

Where have you been making choices without acknowledging the Lord.

Where has God been speaking through His Word, but you’ve been delaying obedience.

Here is the call today.

If you are saved, choose to transfer the weight.

Tell the Lord, “I’ve been leaning on me, and it’s not working.”

Humble yourself and trust Him with all your heart.

If you are not saved, your first step of wisdom is to come to Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:24 says Christ is “the wisdom of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:24 KJV

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

You will never be truly wise until you come to the Savior who is wisdom.

So the decision is simple.

Will you keep leaning on yourself.

Or will you trust the Lord.

And will you open His Wisdom Books this week and let God train you for the journey.