This week I read about a man who was caught flying a jetpack 3000 feet above Los Angeles International Airport. [1] The audacity of the stunt made me laugh out loud. Lately, it seems like a news cycle seldom passes when there isn’t a national story broadcasting the absurd. Maybe it’s because we have access to so much information, and we hear more stories than we used to. But there’s no question that examples of foolish living can be found on every corner while wisdom remains in short supply. To be sure, some of the stories are funny. Who isn’t mesmerized by a seemingly innocent guy who decides to fly a jetpack over an international airport? But a lot of what we see on the news these days isn’t funny at all.
We’ve all heard the stories that end with tragic outcomes—stories of crime and violence, addiction, shattered families, squandered money, imprisonment, and every other imaginable human malady. Have you ever listened to one of those stories and wondered, “What was that guy thinking?” But if we’re honest, we all have blind spots and areas of vulnerability where things could quickly crumble. Our stories might not unravel and make the evening news, but deep down, we know we lack wisdom. It might be our marriage, finances, parenting, or a problematic relationship—we’ve all got a place where we feel like we’re fumbling and clueless. In a way, we’re all the guy in the jetpack hovering 3000 feet above an international airport.
The good news is, things don’t have to stay that way. The Bible teaches that wisdom is the opposite of foolishness, and we can choose which of the two paths we pursue. Over the next several weeks, I’ll be blogging through Proverbs 1-31 with the intention of unpacking some of what it means to pursue wisdom and avoid foolish choices that have the potential to destroy us.
The book of Proverbs belongs to a category of Scripture known as “wisdom literature.” The book aims to equip readers in acquiring God’s wisdom and applying it to daily living. In Proverbs, the words wise and wisdom appear at least 125 times.[2] The truths found in the book of Proverbs pertain to numerous areas of life, including healthy relationships, money management, dealing with temptation, avoiding unnecessary trouble, exercising self-control over our speech, maintaining a happy living environment, and building godly character.
The author of Proverbs cuts to the chase in the book’s opening lines and reveals the purpose of the book is for the reader to gain wisdom and instruction (v.1). But how? How do we become wise people? Right away the author tells us the first step:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7).
The phrase “fear of the LORD” is found fourteen times in Proverbs. In this context, the “fear of the LORD” doesn’t mean being afraid of God. It means to esteem God above everything else. According to the Bible, revering God is the first step in acquiring wisdom. When we revere God, there isn’t any division between sacred and secular parts of life, but rather, God governs every aspect of our life. We acknowledge that He is God and His Word is the final authority and impacts every decision. Practically speaking, when we revere God, we have a desire to do things His way and we rely on God rather than ourselves (Prov. 3:5-6). I’ll leave you with a couple of things to think about.
Thoughts to ponder:
- In this season of life, how would you describe your relationship with God? Is there evidence in your life that you revere God above everything else?
- What role do the Scriptures play in your day-to-day decision making? Is there areas in your life where God’s Word is not the final authority? If so, what are they? How will you respond?
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54004695
[2] Warren B. Wiersbe, Be Skillful: God’s Guidebook to Wise Living (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook, 1995, 7-8).
