Travel With Wisdom

Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Job and Proverbs are in a subset of the Bible called Wisdom Literature.  They are God's wisdom, sometimes learned through the experiences of people, that is passed on to God's faithful.  They include direct statements of wisdom, wisdom argued through dialogue and wisdom that sets a standard for us as we live life.  These books are worth reading and re-reading.

The beginning of Proverbs states their purpose ... "Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.  Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them to do what is right, just and fair (Proverbs 1:2-3)."  In a world where every person seems to want to state their own version of wisdom, right, justice and fairness, Proverbs calls us to the discipline of God's leading.

I have been watching what is happening in our world regarding these ideas that seem to pop up in daily life.  Every person seems to have an idea of these terms ... wisdom, right, fairness, justice.  And societally, we have somehow gotten into the mode that we, as nice/good people, must love others by affirming each person's idea of rightness, wisdom, justice and fairness.  That has become a way we are expected to "love" all people.  But you may have missed a word that was repeated in those 2nd two verses of Proverbs ... discipline.  Proverbs, and all of Scripture, isn't built on the foundation of our personal definitions of the virtues of wisdom, fairness, justice and rightness.  It is built on God's definition of these things.  So when we think we are affirming others by agreeing with their humanistic views of Godly virtues, we fall short and we mislead.  We fall away as a society.  And, we find ourselves wandering in the darkness of human wisdom.

So, God calls us back.  He sent Wisdom Literature in Scripture.  He sent prophets.  And, He sent Jesus.  And, if you read the Gospel, the Prophetic writings and the Wisdom Literature, it will fly in the face of your wisdom and my wisdom.  God says that we don't produce successful lives from affirming bad behavior and calling that affirmation "love."  God says, like Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, "Go and sin no more."  Paul writes, "Everything is permissible, but not everything is profitable (1 Corinthians 10:23)."  When we accept the rule and discipline of God's Word, and we lead our fellow brothers and sisters to that discipline, we are correcting them in love.  When we fail here, another Proverb applies ... "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful (Proverbs 27:6)."  Love your friends through the lens of God's truth, God's ways and God's discipline.  Travel with wisdom!  Randy