What is Wisdom?

The beginning of wisdom is not a principle to learn but a Person to know.

Thinking about what is most appropriate for a Father’s Day sermon, I thought what could be better than telling Dads to gain some wisdom!

Okay, not really. Wisdom is for all of us. And today we kick off 11-weeks of encountering biblical wisdom. Not Bible facts, but what God’s word says of wisdom and how to obtain it.

Most of us carry around tools that give us access to more information than we can process or handle. In the age of AI, it is as if we don’t need to; it will process all of it for you.

So, do we give up on learning? Growing and gaining wisdom?

“In the age of AI, people will likely shift from seeking factual knowledge to seeking deeper wisdom. While AI excels at processing data and answering questions, true wisdom — defined as good judgment, ethical discernment, and emotional maturity – remains a uniquely human pursuit that technology can facilitate but never replace.”

As Joey recently reflected on hiring in this age, the message to applicants is, ‘we don’t hire you for your ability to use AI, we hire you for your ability to be human.”

So we rightfully want to be increasingly human, increasingly wise.

We have the upper hand because we know the author of wisdom, and we have his word to begin forming us in his likeness.

Over the coming weeks, we will traverse passages of wisdom literature in Scripture to see where wisdom comes from and tackle the terrain of wisdom in relation to our words, money, work, friendship, suffering, sexuality, and time. As well as contrasting worldly wisdom and cross-shaped wisdom, and the anchoring effect it has on our lives.

We begin here, grappling with the question, What is Wisdom and Where Does it Begin?

The beginning of wisdom is not a principle to learn but a Person to know.

I want to set the tone early that this series will be different from self-help. I am not teaching you to be smarter; I am inviting you into formation in Christ.

What is Wisdom?

“Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and deep understanding to make sound decisions and navigate life effectively. While knowledge/intellect may be merely gathering information, wisdom is knowing how to use that information with good judgment, empathy, and foresight.”

Intellect is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad!

There seems to be a broad consensus that wisdom is distinct from intelligence. At least in our modern understanding.

But what does God say about wisdom?

If he has created us, determined what is best for us, how does his word present wisdom?

Pursuing this question will require humility.

“In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that—and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison—you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” C.S. Lewis

For this purpose, we’ve been given Proverbs.

This book is not all that different from other ancient collections of sayings and teaching, but it has someone that others do not.

“What we have now as ‘the book of Proverbs’ is a collection of collections, probably having passed through the hands of several editors and several editions, from several different sources and times, brought together as another resource, alongside the law, the prophecies and the histories in the Old Testament, by which the people of God could be helped to learn something of the ways and wisdom of God.” David Atkinson

This gets to our lives as the proverbs are concerned with the practicalities of living in God’s world, with ‘life skills’; but they assume that all this is rooted in religious life and worship.

It begins with the sayings of Solomon. David’s son, a magnificent king of Israel.

1 Kings 4:29–34 “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, [30] so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. [31] For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. [32] He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. [33] He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. [34] 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.” (ESV)

Solomon, the most interesting man in the ancient world!

So his proverbs begin with their purpose.

Proverbs 1:2–6 “To know wisdom and instruction,

to understand words of insight,

[3] to receive instruction in wise dealing,

in righteousness, justice, and equity;

[4] to give prudence to the simple,

knowledge and discretion to the youth—

[5] Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

[6] to understand a proverb and a saying,

the words of the wise and their riddles.” (ESV)

Where we may view knowledge and wisdom as distinct, biblically, they are synonymous.

“These verses summarize the contents of the book as a whole, amassing twenty-one synonyms for wisdom with a long string of infinitive verbs (“to know … to understand … to receive …”). The point is that this book provides insight for living well in any and every area of human life.” Ryan Patrick O’Dowd

God has two goals for us in the book of Proverbs. Verse 2 states them. One is deep character, and the other is straight thinking (clear-headedness). “To know wisdom and instruction”—that’s deep character. “To understand words of insight”—that’s being clear-headed.

Wisdom, then, is character and clear-headedness.

As such, wisdom is the prerequisite for life, without which we cannot make our way in God’s world.

“Wisdom is competence with regard to reality. Wisdom does the thing in the situation that fits with reality as God has made it…” Timothy J. Keller

Living in light of God’s truth and making the best next move.

Ewen and Iona were playing chess this week. | A grandmaster doesn't just react to the last move; they see the board whole, anticipate consequences, and make the move that serves the larger game. Wisdom isn't impulsive reaction; it's seeing life from God's vantage point and moving accordingly. The fool plays one move at a time. The wise person plays with the end in mind.

Or think of it this way. I had a walk with John E. on the beach this week, and with king tides had me thinking about navigation. Old sailors used “dead reckoning”; no GPS, just knowledge of currents, stars, and speed to calculate their position and plot the next course correction. Wisdom is navigating life the same way: grounded in what God has revealed, reading the situation honestly, and making the best next move with the light you have.

And it is not exclusively for the elite. Comes as prudence to the simple, and the wise can increase in learning. Those humble and willing to learn and submit to character formation and teaching.

To know righteousness, justice, and equity and live a life that reflects these virtues.

To see more, to live fully.

2: “to understand words of insight.” What does God have for us here? Think of the difference between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. You know how a client would walk into Holmes’s apartment at 221B Baker Street and Sherlock Holmes could take one look and know nineteen things about him, and it was always “Elementary, my dear Watson.” Dr. Watson saw the same person, but not with the same insight. This word “insight” means that the non-obvious can become obvious to you. The immature might not see what you see. They might even misunderstand you.

Throughout our study, we should see experience, wonder, morality, love, and many other themes woven into wisdom. All of it results in a tapestry in which all of these aspects of living for God in God’s world belong together. There is no split between what is “sacred” and what is “secular”. Life is to be lived to the full before God, and his word invites us to it wisely.

Character and clear-headedness.

For those eager to learn, obtain, and understand them.

Where Does Wisdom Begin?

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (ESV)

This is the motto of Proverbs, which should probably be the motto of the Christian life.

The “fear” of the Lord. Maybe English doesn’t do much to help us understand.

yir-a(h), “a feeling of profound respect for someone or something: reverence, devotion, awe, worship.”

But it is not casual; it has weight and significance.

How you approach God matters. This distinguishes the posture you need to begin wisdom.

The dissmisser says, “God is not relevant to my decisions.

The negotiator says, “God is useful when I need him.”

The fearer says, “God is the reference point for everything; I arrange my life around his reality.

The fear of the Lord is this joyful fear with such awe and wonder and such love you don’t want to grieve him, and you would do anything to avoid dishonoring him.

It is a reorientation.

Artemis II: Astronauts who've seen Earth from orbit consistently describe a profound reorientation; what they call "the overview effect." Petty concerns shrink. What seemed urgent feels trivial. They return different, quieter, more grateful, with reshuffled priorities. The fear of the Lord is that kind of reorientation. You see God for who he is, and suddenly the thing you were white-knuckling doesn't seem worth it anymore. You don't just know your place — you feel it, and it's actually freeing.

In the OT way of thinking, love, fear, and obedience are three strings of a common cord.

“The fear of the Lord is openness to him, eagerness to please him, humility to be instructed by him (Proverbs 15:33).8 The fear of the Lord is a willingness to turn from evil and change (Job 28:28). The fear of the Lord is surrender to his will (Genesis 22:12). The fear of the Lord is one way we love him (Deuteronomy 6:2, 5). The fear of Christ is meekly fitting in with one another (Ephesians 5:21, literally translated). The fear of the Lord is when we realize, “I am not the measure of all things. I am being measured.” That reverence toward God, perhaps surprisingly, builds our confidence and flows out as a “fountain of life” into everyone and everything we care about (Proverbs 14:26, 27). It takes us to that place of maturity where no one has to follow us around with a tedious list of do’s and don’t’s, constantly telling us what to do. We are motivated from deep within. We know what is right, and it is what we love, because it is of God.” Ortlund

We begin our journey into wisdom by revering the Lord with holy awe, and we never grow beyond it, because all true wisdom is his alone. We do not master it by our giftedness; he gives it by his grace.

The fear of the Lord makes us repentant (3:7), decisive against sin (8:13), stable (14:26), refreshed (14:27), humble (15:33), and satisfied (19:23).

It is Christlike.

Recall that Jesus also came in, and delighted in “the fear of the LORD” (Isa. 11:2–3). This description of the loving and respectful relationship that the eternal Son had for his Father reminds us that holy “fear” is not terror or dread of harm, but proper and worshipful regard for all that God is in his wisdom, power, holiness, mercy, and love.

Jesus, tied to Proverbs as the son of David as Messiah, but he is also the totality of the wisdom of God, where we begin. We get to “fear of the Lord” through knowledge of Christ.

Solomon’s purpose was to equip the young for a life of wisdom; much in the same way, Paul in the NT lives to bring all of us to wisdom himself.

Colossians 1:25–28 “of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, [26] the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. [27] To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (ESV)

Maturity is the character and clear-headedness that is wisdom.

What’s more, wisdom is ultimately found in knowing Christ and his indwelling presence.

Wisdom that transforms us.

Colossians 2:1–3 “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, [2] that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (ESV)

God’s mystery, revealed truth, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

“In Christ, as in a great storehouse, lie all the riches of spiritual wisdom, the massive bars of solid gold which, when coined into creeds and doctrines, are the wealth of the Church. All which we can know concerning God and man, concerning sin and righteousness and duty, concerning another life, is in Him Who is the home and deep mine where truth is stored. . . . The central fact of the universe and the perfect encyclopedia of all moral and spiritual truth is Christ, the Incarnate Word, the Lamb slain, the ascended King.” Alexander Maclaren

To have wisdom is to know Jesus, to have a deep relationship with him.

“What you think of Christ, your conception of him, is everything. If you believe in Jesus Christ, that he is eternal, without beginning and without end, that he always was continuing; if you believe that he is Creator of everything, every cosmic speck across trillions of light-years of trackless space, the Creator of the textures and shapes and colors that daily dazzle your eyes; if you believe that he is the sustainer of all creation, the force that is presently holding the atoms of your body, your town, this universe together, and that without him all would dissolve; if you believe that he is the mystery, the incarnate reconciler who will one day reconcile the universe and redeem humanity to himself; if you believe that he is the lover of your soul, who loves you with a love bounded only by his infinitude; then, despite the fact that life will be full of trouble, nothing much will go wrong. Your vision of Christ will awaken and shape your life. What you believe about Christ makes all the difference in the world now and in eternity.” Hughes

Wisdom begins, then, with the transforming work of Christ.

Paul “does this so that the Christians in the Colossian church would be encouraged and edified with the knowledge of all the blessings included in being united to Christ (2:1–3). Paul experienced the new life that occurs when Christ transforms the believer from the inside out (1 Tim. 1:12–16). As he presents the treasury of wisdom and knowledge that is Christ, he focuses on maturity in faith and not just profession of faith. He knows that many Christians face the temptation to give up their faith in Christ alone—especially through false teaching (Col. 2:4).” Colossians GTB

Wisdom is not mere cleverness, experience, or moral improvement. It is skill in living before God, rooted in the fear of the Lord and hidden fully in Christ. All wisdom is located in a Person.

“If you would like to experience God with that humility, here is how you can. You look at the cross. You see a wise man hanging there, dying in the place of fools like you, because he loves you. You may despise him, but he does not despise you. You may be above him, but he humbled himself for you. Look there at him. Look away from yourself. Look at him, and keep looking until your pride melts. You will not only worship, you will begin to grow wise.” Ortlund

So we look together, encouraged and knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and knowing Jesus.

The beginning of wisdom is not a principle to learn but a Person to know.

You have a choice.

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (ESV)

We've all seen it, the kid (or me in my thirties) who won't take instruction because he's already sure he has it figured out. He's not teachable. He's not correctable. And so he keeps making the same mistakes because his pride is a ceiling on his growth. The fool in Proverbs isn't necessarily the person with low intelligence; he's the person who has decided he is the reference point. The fear of the Lord is the cure: it dethrones self and enthrones God as the reference point for everything.

Don’t be counted a fool – know Christ and the character and clear-headedness he gives to you.

Fear the Lord – Surrender to his way, in humility for his glory and your good.

Augustine's famous line: "Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee" — captures the flip side of the fear of the Lord. All our misdirected loves (self, pleasure, approval, achievement) are really a disordered version of what we were made for. The fear of the Lord is what reorders those loves. It doesn't kill desire — it redirects it toward the only One worthy of ultimate valuing.

He gives us this awe, this fear of the Lord. Ask him for it.

See Jesus – Live from your union with Christ. Lean into his way as his Spirit uncovers and develops in you the character and clear-headedness of wisdom.

We know where to begin, continue, and finish in our desire for wisdom. It is found in Jesus, the God for you.

May we ever endeavor to live fully in his grace and guidance for all of life, finding character and clear heads as we follow Jesus.