“The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth. Let the wise hear and increase in learning and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:1-7
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” – James 1:5-8
Our God is telling us this story…this one story…our story to let us know who we are and where we came from and why we are here. He wants us to know that He made us, that He loves us, and He wants us to know Him. However, He does not tell us the story just to give us information about our life, He is telling the story so that we can learn “how” to live our lives. Our Storyteller is a Teacher! His desire is to help us to learn, grow, and mature in our relationship with Him and others. So, today, in order to become all that we were created to be, we must sit at our Father’s feet and listen to the story.
It just makes sense that when God most clearly revealed Himself in Jesus, that He was commonly called “Rabbi”…Teacher. Jesus was a Master Storyteller using parables and illustrations that brought the majestic Truth about God down to our level. Even His enemies said of Him, “no one has ever taught like this”. Yes, Jesus came to be our Savior and Redeemer…Hallelujah! But, because He is also our Teacher, He continues to help us know “how” to live that salvation out.
The Bible calls this wisdom. It is filled with it. Today in our journey, we come to some Books that are categorized as “wisdom” literature, most well-known being Proverbs. This Book is a reminder that God is the Teacher and we are the students. So, to begin in receiving wisdom…instruction…insight…one has to realize that you need it. That is one of the reasons that you frequently read in Proverbs that the “fear of the LORD is the beginning” of learning.
When we read about the “fear of the Lord” in Scripture, it is describing a humble state of mind rather than an emotional response. It is acknowledging that we have a lot to learn, not a lot to be afraid of. It is coming before our Creator to worship Him and to learn from Him. Many in the Bible come before the Lord saying, “Here am I, O God, have your way with me.”
In other words, wisdom…genuine wisdom…can only be received if we acknowledge we need it. We must be teachable. We must realize that we do not know it all and, even the stuff we do know, we don’t know “how” to apply. The fear of the Lord…humility…is the beginning.
Likewise, the opposite of wisdom, foolishness, begins with pride. “I will do it MY way!” “I know what I am doing!” “I don’t need a god to tell me how to live.” “I will eat of the fruit of the tree if I want to…you’re not the boss of me!”…and, here we are back at the beginning. Back to the original problem the Bible calls sin. Choosing not to believe in Him…not to trust His word…not having faith in our Father.
Take time today to sit at the feet of the Master Storyteller. Ask Him to give you some wisdom today…to teach you something. But, as James says above, come in faith because you know that He loves you.
Learn from your story.