Wisdom of Our Fathers
The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity – 9/1/2024
Proverbs 4:10-23
Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion of God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Old Testament lesson from the book of Proverbs in the fourth chapter with special emphasis on verses ten through fourteen which read as follows:
“Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.”[1]
Thus far the Scriptures.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wisdom is paternal. It comes, at its root, from God our Father. It is echoed in every piece of dad advice you have ever overheard or been given yourself. This does not mean that women are not able to be wise, it is simply to acknowledge the source of all wisdom in God Himself. In other words, as Proverbs chapter nine reminds us, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.[2] Now wisdom is an interesting thing. It is not unrelated to intellect or our ability to think reasonably. But it is not the same as those things. Smart people, you know, those who excel at reading, math, and other intellectual things, may lack in wisdom. Conversely, a person who is not that great at school stuff may have wisdom.
Now the reason for this is simple: wisdom, real, true wisdom, comes from God and therefore is something that is held by those who have Christian faith and who have been formed by it in the study of God’s Word. There is a second, related sort of wisdom, that is, the sort of common-sense wisdom that one tends to see in those who are older and who have a good deal of life experience to inform their lives. But this differs from the sort of wisdom described in Proverbs because it does not necessarily depend on knowing God or His truth. In other words, this wisdom may lead to some good and practical advice for others, but it starts in knowing God as He wants us to know Him in truth, is informed by God’s own descriptions of the world; ourselves; and our state before Him, and then approaches the things of every day life. Practical wisdom is focused on things like reading the signs for a good weather prediction, -“red sky at night, sailor’s delight”- crop production and gardening, – “knee high by the fourth of July!” – and other everyday sorts of things. Wisdom in the biblical sense does concern itself with these, but on an even more fundamental level, it concerns itself with God, His works, His ways, Truth with at capital “T,” spiritual matters, true religion, faith, true good works, and things like this. The reason is that these things get at the eternal reality of God and His interaction with us; everyday wisdom cares more about the present and near future. Again, this is not bad, but it is lacking in ultimate scope. Without faith in God, seeing things relating to eternal reality is very difficult, indeed, rather close to impossible.
The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom, a collection of wise things to ponder and learn from given by wise men, fathers in our faith such as Solomon[3] and Lemuel.[4] And to reinforce the point that wisdom is not only for the menfolk, Lemuel records that his wisdom was taught to him by his mother. In other words, being wise is not a matter of one’s intellectual gifts or abilities. It is not a matter of biology, sex, ethnicity, or language. Everyone is capable of growing in wisdom. Everyone is able to learn from the wise and to become wiser. And, conveniently enough, the wise like to share their wisdom.
Here is a word of caution for us all: the truly wise share wisdom like a good father does. He does not share his wisdom with his children in order to puff himself up due to his greater intellect or understanding. Instead, wisdom is shared by dads in order to help their children grow and mature. The same can be said of all wise people. Wisdom is not something that seeks recognition or glory, but seeks to bring the lost, confused, and distressed into a better place by increasing their understanding of things in this world. This paternal instinct in wisdom is, again, a reflection of the Father’s own wisdom. He is our loving Father and He seeks good for us, so wisdom, which comes from Him, does as well.
Wisdom is not an optional thing in the life of the Christian. To be a Christian is to seek to be wise, first and foremost knowing the Savior Jesus Christ and His work for our salvation. But godly, biblical wisdom does not end there. It seeks to know the Father and the Holy Spirit. It looks to understand, to the degree it is able, the ways that God works and operates in this world. It tries to see all things as God would have us see them. It ponders morality and beauty. It ruminates on the nature of goodness and justice. It is not content to be simple or ignorant.
This is in stark contrast to much of what passes for the Christian faith these days. Historically, Christians tend to be educated, learned, and well-read. Today, it is a badge of honor to be ignorant, uneducated, and illiterate. We scoff at and mock those who seek wisdom. Yes, I know, there are a lot of things that pass for schools and universities that do a terrible job of educating these days. But this does not mean that ignorance and stupidity should be celebrated and embraced. God gave us minds that we are to steward and strengthen just as we should do with our bodies and souls. Wisdom is the fruit of learning of God. This is one of the reasons we need to study the Scriptures. This is why we should spend time each day praying and reading the very Word of the Lord. It is for this reason that we do not fear our history or the writings of the past. We take what is wise from them and add to that the wisdom of our own study. And God willing, future generations will read and benefit from what ours leaves behind. Wisdom is paternal, it seeks good for the young, the upcoming, the children. The foolishness of those who pretend to be wise is not an excuse for Christians to remain ignorant of the wisdom of God’s Word.
This wisdom is knowing the truth of God. How He sent His Son to save us. How He gives His law to order society, stop sin, reveal sin, and instruct in His will for our lives. Wisdom is knowing how to act toward our neighbors in godly ways that seek their good, even at cost to ourselves. And this wisdom comes from God by His Word. If you seek to be wise, then you must seek God. Read the Scriptures and drink from the well of wisdom. Their depth is inexhaustible. You will never reach the end of them. Wisdom is a lifelong pursuit. But it is worth it. To be wise is to know God, to find comfort in God. And as such informed, wise people, we will have the strength to resist evil and wickedness of every sort, both our own sins and the evils around us. Wisdom is good and good for you, because it gives you Christ who is your Savior.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] Proverbs 4:10-13 English Standard Version
[2] Proverbs 9:10
[3] Proverbs 1:1
[4] Proverbs 31:1
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