The Works of the Wise
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Introduction
Introduction
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.
The wisdom that belongs to God is a precious gift given to those who seek it by faith
A thing most to be desired.
This instruction will expose for us what effect wisdom ought to have in our lives, and why.
Whenever we go to the Scriptures to receive the law, we must make sure that we do not make the error of thinking that it is a mere matter of obedience to the letter.
Rather, we should take care to understand how we ought to obey in our hearts first before we give attention to.
A Secure Life
A Secure Life
21 My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
Again, we come to another round of fatherly instruction [my son]
We shouldn’t overlook these simple introduction because in them we see God’s fatherly compassion towards us.
He wants good things for us.
When we think of God in His glory, it can be difficult to think that He would our should want to take any interest in us at all.
When we think of Him as a Father, we sadly tend to think of Him as a far off, expectant father, receiving obedient sons and judging disappointedly those who fall short.
This passage reminds us that such a thought could not be farther from the truth.
His compassion towards us encourages us to remember the truth about wisdom.
Wisdom, understanding, knowledge—the things by which God created the universe.
These qualities ought to remain on our minds all the time.
“sight” has to do with our devotion and priorities—what occupies our attention.
If the pursuit of wisdom as a treasure is to be a priority, the next priority to be to keep hold of it.
We ought to exercise sound judgment in our lives: [wisdom and discernment]
Sound judgment is no matter of academic understanding: it has great practical utility.
Seeing right and wrong [moral]
Dividing the truth from the lie.
Perceiving dangers and avoiding them.
The capacity for internal thinking and planning.
Worldly wisdom is not sound; it is devoid of energy [working power]
When we chase worldly wisdom, we end up burning ourselves out. No way to refuel. Entropy takes over. We are spread thinner and thinner. We break.
18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
But
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
This is the power of the living Word. It gives life to our thinking and consequently to our actions.
Wisdom and its result, discretion lead to a blessing on our lives.
They produce a better quality of life for us.
Life: Spiritual life out of the fellowship with our Creator
They make our lives in Christ attractive to others.
Adornment: Prosperity and success in our physical lives.
In short, through wisdom and discernment, we will live lives marked by grace: We will be wholly blessed.
Walking in the paths of wisdom yields a good result:
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
22 For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him,
23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.
24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon, and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea.
25 No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.
26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:
27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today,
28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.
29 And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
30 Are they not beyond the Jordan, west of the road, toward the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oak of Moreh?
Safety and security: The promise of wisdom is a secure life.
Chapter 1 showed us the terrors that await the foolish.
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;
But God keeps us safe from such things.
Worldly wisdom has us walking on a slippery path, prone to stumbling and falling [into sin].
Our feet will not stumble or slip.
In the ancient world, a safe road was one that was smooth, free of stones, thorns, and other obstacles.
The wise person needn’t fear falling into moral failure.
God will keep us walking in righteousness.
More than safety, we have security that grants us rest.
Fear of the dark is near universal in children [and adults].
What lurks in the dark unknown terrifies us.
But we need not fear the dark because the God of light is greater than the dark.
We can rest because God is watching over us.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’
The picture is of a child sleeping soundly in a parent’s arms.
There is a wonderful illustration in the story of Peter’s imprisonment in Acts 12:6-7
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
Though he was to be executed, he slept so soundly that it took an angel’s intercession to wake him. [Peace that surpasses all understanding]
The pattern of speaking in terms of walking and lying down illustrates a comprehensive, all-of-life seccurity.
God is always watching over us.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Fearful days may come for us all; sudden and terrible.
For the fool, it is a calamity, when all things fall apart.
We need not be afraid of that day.
It is desolation for the wicked, but not for us.
The hymn Before the Throne of God Above beautifully puts it: “My life is hid with Christ on high.”
Security found in our relationship with God.
We will be preserved from it.
As Noah was, and Lot was, and the Church was–God will do to us.
In our fearing and trusting in Him.
Wisdom is the cure for anxiety in an anxious world.
We can live confidently and without fear because God will never let us down.
A Consistent Life
A Consistent Life
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.
God’s great compassion and care for us should result in our showing compassion to others.
Our security in the Lord obligates us to extend security to others in many ways.
This is a clear expectation of God’s people as we see in the Mosaic Law:
13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
12 And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge.
13 You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.
14 “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.
15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
Our conduct should reflect the life of God that we possess.
The golden rule demands that we consider what would be good for others and do good to them according to what good we would desire be done to us.
The third commandment is that we not take the Lord’s name in vain; this is more than just not using God’s name inappropriately, it has everything to do with how we treat others.
As Christians, we bear the name of Christ, and so we ought to represent Him well.
Wisdom admonishes us to live up to the expectations that others have of Christians.
Neighbor is often a point of contention: Who is my neighbor?
The parable of the good samaritan [Luke 10:29-37]reminds us that our neighbor is the person in front of us, who is in reach that we might do good.
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
The expectation is that if we may do good to them, we ought to do good to them.
No partiality.
Every opportunity to do good is an obligation to do so.
Kindness is as important as mercy.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
So, we must be ready to do good.
7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Caring for the needs of others and withholding no good that we are able to render.
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
We must be kind in the kindest way, which is right now.
Not putting off the doing of good until it is convenient, but being quick to act upon the needs of others.
In the same way that delayed obedience is disobedience, delayed kindness is unkindness. Decisiveness with wisdom is a virtue.
We disprove the claim that we are Christians when we act dishonestly and ungenerously.
With the gospel, today is always the last day; we may never have another opportunity.
The more we abandon selfishness, the more we are shaped in the image of Christ [He never failed to do good to anyone who crossed his path]
To be charitable toward everyone [peaceable]
Paul says again in Romans 12:18
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Don’t repay trust with treachery.
Even heathens think this is wicked.
With the Christian, everything ought to be transparent.
Scandals have rocked the church again and again of late; often, these scandals aren’t a matter of doctrine or practice, but what goes on behind closed doors. [Sexual immorality of all kinds, Financial impropriety, Abuse, and the attendant cover-ups compounding.
If anyone should be able to live up to the basic confidence of a neighbor, it ought to be the Christian.
We have an obligation as ministers of reconciliation to pursue peace with others, avoiding conflict and strife and pursuing unity and edification.
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
To demonstrate our godly integrity to everyone.
Our natural attitudes towards those we consider enemies is to desire what they possess.
Never envy the power that others have, especially when they have it over you.
That we have control: that will bring us security.
But if God is our security, what need do we have to control or possess what others have?
Wisdom protects our witness to a untrusting world.
Right relationship with God moves us to have right relations with the others.
Don’t keep your religion to yourself, but make your whole life a testimony that matches your message.
Wisdom is meant to bless us in our spiritual and our social lives.
A Proper Perspective
A Proper Perspective
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
35 The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.
There is an antidote to envy; wisdom.
Wisdom reminds us that the upright person has something far greater and better than power over others.
We have an abiding relationship with our Creator.
The passage says, he takes us into His confidence.
When we take someone into our confidence, we become transparent in a way that we are not with others.
God takes the believer into His confidence, telling us the truth about the world and what He is doing in it. Amos 3:7
7 “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
He reveals the judgment to come, as He did with Abraham in Gen. 18:17
17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
And not only judgment, but grace.
11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
The revelation of the glorious gospel.
2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Wisdom pulls back the curtain so that we can see clearly that the arc of human history is under the sovereign power of God.
Wisdom gives us assurance of a good future, secured for us because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The proper perspective on the world [wisdom] is how we are able to find rest in God’s help and protection, and how we are able to show compassion to others.
Because we recognize God is the righteous judge of all the world, and He will have the final word.
What threat do the wicked pose?
What can the scorners do?
What is their ultimate end?
Rather, by wisdom we are able to leave such things to His righteous judgment and pursue the wise works that he has prepared for us.
If we fear, let us fear the Lord who sits upon the throne.
If we have trust, let us put it in Him who is able to deliver us through every trial.
If we would live well, let it be according to what He has commanded for our good.
If the whole world would fall down, yet will we live through faith in Christ Jesus our Savior.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The believer has every reason to act wisely in the world.
God has taken us into his confidence and blessed us with a close relationship with him.
Peace
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Joy
Assurance
Instruction in the truth
His Confidence
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
A greater apprehension of God’s providence [His sovereign working]
The covenant blessings
14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
If God is for you for your good, what hinders you from showing compassion to others?
The world is growing increasingly cold; we should not grow cold with it.
Let seize on the opportunities God has afforded us to share the gospel with others by doing good, and pursuing peace, and by living out our faith in public.
Entrust yourself to the goodness of the Lord and walk in wisdom. God will not let you down.
