Wisdom pt.3       How to get Wisdom 		11-12-2002

Last week: How do I know what the next step I should take is?  How do I know God’s will for the future?  

It may come as a shock to find out that the godly people – the real spiritual people don’t know God’s will for the future.  Some think we should be walking around saying, “God told me to move to this city, or carry on this business…”  But the Bible says what you should say is “If the Lord wills…”

Throughout history man has pursued divination – the attempt to get inside info from the gods in order to bypass the difficulty of making wise decisions.

But God doesn’t want us to make decisions based on a knowledge of His specific will for the future.  He wants us to make decisions based on wisdom, and then just trust Him to take care of the future.

God does guide us through life, but He does it through wisdom.  Pr.6:20ff., talking about the commands and teachings of wisdom: Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.  When you walk, they will guide you;’ when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.  

“wisdom” = skill in decision making.  God wants you to become as skilled as possible at this, because a life that is governed by wisdom is reflects God’s character.  It glorifies Him in the same way a beautiful sunrise does.
3:55
  How do you gain Wisdom?
1.	Pray for it.  (You may be catching on by now – whenever I have a “how to” outline, “pray” is always point #1.  We are to pray for the things we desire, and what do we desire more than godliness)

Jas.1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. 

God could just give everyone wisdom, but instead He choses to give it to those who ask.  To get wisdom, you must pursue it.  Pro ball players do everything they can to get better.  Top salespeople stay up nights trying to figure out a way to get an edge.  A major part of your life should be a struggle to gain more wisdom.

This is so important that God devoted the first 9 chapters of Pr. to make a case for how important it is for us to diligently seek after wisdom.

Those ch. are summed up in Pr 4:7
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 

Make this one of your life goals.  If you just kind of want it a little bit, you can forget about it.

Pr 2:1-5  says that if you want to 5 understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God, that will only happen if you store up [His] commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure. 
Wisdom is a precious commodity.  It is of supreme value, and it is available to everyone.  But it doesn’t come easy.
7:15 
2.  Listen to advice     
19:20  Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
13:10 wisdom is found in those who take advice.
About 10% of the verses in Pr. are about advice/correction.

“We are all like men walking along a path backwards.  No one can see the way till he has passed it, but those who are further on can see the stones and ditches that we are coming to, and if we listen to their directions we shall avoid many hard falls and ugly slips.”

15:22  Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
You can make a good decision, and have a good plan, but if you fail to seek out advice, even that good plan will often fail.

No matter how intelligent you are, there is no way you can look at something from every angle, and no one knows everything.  
9:23
Seek advice

Again, this requires effort.  It has to do with the direction of your life.  15:14  The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
What do you feed on?

Not only should you seek advice, it’s also important to Heed it.

Heeding advice means taking it into consideration, and assigning proper weight to it.  There are two errors to misuse advice.
Heeding does not always mean following.
•	abdicating the responsibility to make the decision – You ask for advice, but advice isn’t really what you want.  What you want is for the person to make the decision for you.

Proverbs uses a lot of words to describe taking advice.  (Heed, listen, take, etc.) but never “follow”

Decision-making is hard work, and sometimes we are tempted to pass that work off on someone else.  You say, “What should I do?”  The person tells you, and instead of giving it any further thought, you just do whatever they say.
That’s foolish, because Pr.18:17 The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. 
Advice must be evaluated.

If you are prone to doing this, you really have to watch yourself, because there are some people out there who are more than happy to make all your decisions for you, and they can steer your life right into the ground.
12:50
Assign the proper weight to each piece of advice.  Tracy used to be reluctant to give advice if she wasn’t absolutely sure, because she thought I might follow rather than heed it.  (And don’t be offended when people don’t follow your advice)

•	seeking only “advice” that confirms your ideas
TT 1Ki 22:1-28
4 So [The king of Israel] asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?" 
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "..my horses as your horses." 5 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the LORD." 
6 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets-about four hundred men-and asked them, "Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" 
"Go," they answered, "for the Lord will give it into the king's hand." (The knew he had decided to go to war, and they had learned that when the king has already decided to go to war, you advise him to go to war.)
7But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?" 
8The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." 
Jehoshaphat insisted, so
9So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once." 
Meanwhile, 12All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. "Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious," they said, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand." 
13The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably." 
14But Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me." 
15When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" 
"Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand." 
16The king said “no really, tell me …the truth…" 
17Then Micaiah answered, "Israel will end up scattered across the hillside like sheep without a shepherd." 
18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?" 
19Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20And the LORD said, `Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' 
"One suggested this, and another that. 21Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, `I will entice him.' 
22" `By what means?' the LORD asked. 
" `I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. 
" `You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. `Go and do it.' 
19:15
Don’t worry.  God does not sit around in heaven taking advice from evil spirits on how to get people to sin.  This is a parable made up by Micaiah to dramatically illustrate the problem in Ahab’s heart.  He’s saying, “You are so bent on seeking out lies to believe, that if someone wanted to lead you down the wrong path, all they would have to do is get some lying false prophets to tell you lies, and it would be a done deal.”

A lot of people have this problem.  They are not interested in the truth.  They just keep asking different people for advice until they finally find someone who tells them the lie they want to hear.

•	Learn to love rebuke and correction

There is a kind of advice that comes unsolicited – rebuke and correction.  That path of your life be dramatically different depending on how you respond.
You want to be successful in life?  You want your kids’ lives to go well?  Teach them to love rebuke and correction.

Rebuke is valuable, and the wise person knows that.  
15:31,32  He who listens to life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.
He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
If you reject something that is life-giving, you are your own worst enemy.

Pay attention to negative feedback.  Have people told you over and over about a flaw?
29:1  A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.

You can tell in a hurry if a person is wise or a fool by how he responds to rebuke.
12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
But 9:9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

15:5 A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
Pr.23:9 Don’t even bother talking to a fool, because anything you say that is wise he will scorn.
17:10 A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.
15:12  A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.
10 stern discipline awaits (him) he who hates correction will die.
19:25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.
Again, pick your method.
23:57
Another point: give rebuke.
28:23 He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.
It’s tempting to flatter people to gain their favor.  But in the end, it won’t work.

Rebuke = love.
TT 27:5  Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
The idea is “Better is open love than hidden love.”  That’s obvious – unexpressed kindness is not kindness.  But in place of “love” in the first line, the writer places a synonym for love – “rebuke”

Rebuke is an act of love.  And that is far better than hidden “love” (what good does unexpressed kindness do anyone).

The next v. says Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
If a friend comes and hurts you, you know he’s not doing it to harm you.  He is your friend, so it is hard for him.  It’s uncomfortable, and he doesn’t want to do it.  Therefore, you know you can trust that it must be a good thing he is giving you.
25:59
But a person who never says anything but praise is a true enemy.

That’s why it’s important to consider who is rebuking you.  Just like advice, rebuke must be evaluated.
25:12  Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.
Correction from a wise individual is like pure gold.

On the other hand 12:5 the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
When you get advice, it’s crucial that you give the proper weight to it.
26:54
Bible
2.	Study Wisdom lit 

Ecclesiastes has one basic message: any time or effort you spend trying to find meaning in life in this world, is totally wasted time.  

SOS
Romantic love is extremely powerful.  Be very careful with it, and, whatever you do, don’t awaken it too soon in life.

Job  There are exceptions to the RP.

In the future we will look at those books in a little more detail, but for now, let’s focus on Proverbs.
First let’s talk about how to interpret a proverb.
29:18
People often misinterpret proverbs, because they are used to reading absolute truths in the Bible.

They read Jesus’ words, “I am the way the truth…”  that’s true for everyone in every circumstance at all times.

Then they get to “Train up a child…” or the RP, and scratch their heads.   

Or they read, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  That’s an absolute command with no exceptions for anyone ever no matter what.

Then they see Pr 26:4-5  (TT)
Command:
4Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself. 
Command:
5Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes. 

This is often suggested as a contradiction.  If those were commands, it would be.  But they are not commands; they are proverbs.

A proverb is simply a general observation about the way life tends to go in most cases.

Think of some modern-day proverbs.
	
- no news = good news
- crime doesn't pay
- early bird gets the worm
- a stitch in time saves nine
- it takes $ to make $
- picture is worth 1000 words
- home is where the heart is

- better safe than sorry
- penney saved = a penny earned
-	fight fire with fire
-	good things come to those who wait
-	a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
-	Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater (!)
- Too many cooks spoil the pot

You should interpret biblical proverbs just like you interpret those.
raise up a child in the way he should go...
33:53
In fact, sometimes the purpose of a proverb is to state the exact opposite of the truth to illustrate the foolishness of something.
- all is fair in love and war
- grass is greener on the other side

I’m using examples from our culture, because the most basic principle of Bible interpretation is the normal use of language principle.  When God uses a word or phrase, you interpret it the same way you would interpret that word or phrase in a newspaper.  (If different, how could we possibly know?)

So you interpret a pr. in the Bible just like any other pr. – not as a command or anything else. 
36:18
The purpose of a proverb is to point out an observation about what generally happens.  You gain wisdom when you take one of those observations, and use it to make wise decisions in life.

25:16  If you find honey, eat just enough-too much of it, and you will vomit.
What would be a wise use of that observation (This Pr. has nothing to do with honey – anymore than “The early bird gets the worm is about worms)

(honey = sweets).  Point, generally, in life, when you over-indulge in a good thing, it has negative consequences.  So as you move through life, if you adopt a practice of being moderate in your indulgence in good things – if you realize that when you find something you really like, you will naturally tend to do it too much (to your detriment), life will go more smoothly for you.

The point isn’t for you to run to your kitchen and throw away all the honey, or even the ice cream.  It’s a principle that will help you navigate through life in a wise way.
39:32
TT  27:21 You do also need to understand Hebrew poetry.  We rhyme sounds, they rhymed ideas.
That means the first statement and the second statement are being compared in some way – either a restatement or a contrast.
the crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.
You can put silver or gold into the fire, melt it down, and all the impurities will burn away.  Whatever is left is the real thing.  In the same way, if you want to know a man’s character, give him praise and see how he reacts.  
41:40
God has given us a treasure chest of wisdom.  Proverbs are so valuable.  Think of how much wisdom we have in this book – ever tried to write a proverb?  It took me a long time just to think of that list of about a dozen.  Solomon wrote 3000 (we have about a quarter of those in Sc.)
A. Easy to rememeber - "catchy" 
- look before you leap, or Pr.27:5 - Better is open rebuke than hidden love.   That is a lot easier to say than   "Love that is hidden is really not love at all - it does more harm than good.  The love that is really valuable is the kind that will correct you when you go wrong."
We will study the major themes: $, the tongue, relationships, diligence, self-control, justice, etc.
Homework: Think about Pr.27:7  He who is full hates honey,  but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
Tonight we will talk about how that proverb could help you make wise decisions in life.