Information is Not Wisdom
We live in the information age. Because of the internet and all the devices that connect it to us and us to it, we have more information at our fingertips than we could ever process in a hundred lifetimes.
The internet is the information highway. Through it information speeds into our lives at incredibly fast speeds and from every angle. If you want to know anything, all you have to do is type a few words into a search engine or just hold down a button on your phone and ask your question and within seconds you’ll have more information than you know what to do with.
Information is ubiquitous, it’s everywhere. We know more than people have ever known before. But are we any wiser for it? Has wisdom increased at the same rate as information?
It could be argued that as information has increased, wisdom has decreased. Because we’re drowning in information, it’s difficult to hold our heads above water long enough to realize our need for the fresh air of wisdom.
Wisdom doesn’t exclude information but having information is not the same as having wisdom. You can know a lot and still be a fool. Information is easy to find, especially in this generation. But wisdom is much harder to find and is often not even looked for.
A Book Full of Wisdom
Today and for the next few weeks, we’re going to be studying Proverbs, or one of the books of wisdom literature in the Bible. Proverbs is full of wisdom, so if we want to be wise we need to be in Proverbs. Proverbs has 31 chapters, so I strongly recommend reading or listening to a chapter every day of the month.
Wisdom may be elusive nowadays, but it can be found. What is wisdom anyways? How should we view it? And where do we get it? That’s what we’ll consider today as we study Proverbs 2. The main point of this text is that true wisdom begins with knowing the Lord. Let me read the first six verses, which will be the focal point of our study.
What is Wisdom?
First, what is wisdom? It’s easy to think that the essence of wisdom is making good decisions. That’s part of it, but the Bible doesn’t ground wisdom in what we do. Lots of people make good decisions, but true wisdom is deeper than that. True wisdom starts with the Lord and is grounded in knowing him.
This is what Solomon says in verse 5. He says that if we find wisdom, we’ll “understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Solomons argument in these opening verses goes like this: if we look for wisdom, we’ll find the Lord because the Lord is the beginning of wisdom so every truly wise person is wise because they know him. In other words, finding true wisdom means truly understanding the Lord.
This isn’t the way the world thinks. The world thinks that if we get the best education, have the best training ,and get older, then we’ll be wise. The world often equates knowledge, skill, and age with wisdom.
But the Bible says that wise people are those who “understand the fear of the Lord.” There’s a process to obtaining wisdom, but the process starts with knowing the Lord, not being gifted or educated or talented or wealthy or hard-working or from a good family or getting close to retirement. True wisdom starts with truly knowing the Lord.
God Made the World and the Rules
Why is this so? Because God made the world and everything in it. He designed it to work and function according to a set of laws and principles that he made along with the raw materials of the world. For example, God made rock and water and dirt and he made the laws of gravity. He made marriage and he made the principles that make marriages thrive, things like servant leadership and humble submission.
If God created all things, then the world is infused with his wisdom. Every aspect of creation bears his fingerprints. Light travels at a certain speed and words bring life or death because God made the world to work that way. Matter can be neither created nor destroyed and hard work often leads to prosperity. Not seeing the world through a fundamentally God-centered lens is to not see it truly at all. God made the world and God made the rules.
If we want to be truly wise, we have to truly know the Maker of all things. If we don’t know him, we won’t live according to his ways. Do you see how wisdom has to start with God?
The Fear of the Lord
The main point of Proverbs is that wisdom begins with knowing the Lord. Knowing the Lord in Proverbs is described as “the fear of the Lord”: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7), “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (9:10), “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life” (14:27), “The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom” (15:33).
What is the “fear of the Lord”? When we use the word fear, we’re talking about something we’re afraid of. But in the Bible this phrase is used to refer to things like blessing, “Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always” (Pro. 28:14), and forgiveness, “With you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Ps. 130:4).
We’d think that forgiveness would lead to less fear, not more, but that’s not what it says. It says fear of the Lord increases with forgiveness. How can this be so?
Because “fear” doesn’t mean “scared.” As some writers have described it, it means “worshipping submission,”[1] or to be “overwhelmed with wonder before the greatness of God and his love,”[2] or “signifying awe and esteem for God’s majesty on the one hand and humble trust…on the other.”[3]
Fearing the Lord is grasping God’s greatness and goodness and responding appropriately. Let me try to illustrate this. Imagine finally meeting that famous person you’ve always wanted to meet. As they approach your heart starts racing and you can’t believe this is happening. It feels like a dream, it’s all so surreal. You reach out to shake their hand and you can’t believe what’s happening. Then you realize you’re trembling and sweating. You try to speak but you have shaky voice and you don’t know what to say.
What’s going on here? You’re not afraid of that person hurting you or punishing you. No, you’re nervous because they feel so big and you feel so small and you’re afraid you might say something stupid. You’re in awe of the person and you don’t quite know what to do with yourself. This is what the fear of the Lord is like.
Or it’s like someone handing you a priceless antique vase from the Ming dynasty. You wouldn’t be afraid of it hurting you but of you hurting it. Of course, as Christians we know that we can’t literally hurt God, but we’re careful before him because he’s the most valuable Person in the universe and because of what he’s done for us.
Michael Reeves describes the fear of the Lord like this:
“The fear which pleases him is not a groveling, shrinking fear. He is no tyrant. It is an ecstasy of love and joy that senses how overwhelmingly kind and magnificent, good and true God is, and that therefore leans on him in staggered praise and faith.”[4]
Do you fear the Lord like that? John Bunyan said that the devil tries to make us afraid of God so that we run away from him, but that the Holy Spirit does the exact opposite, seeking to win our hearts and draw us to him.[5]
Are you drawn into God’s holiness or afraid of it? Do you want to be near him or prefer to keep your distance? Those who truly know him, or fear him, will be drawn into the ecstasy of his love and glory because they understand what Jesus has done for them.
True wisdom doesn’t start with making good decisions. It’s starts with knowing God. Only when you truly know God will you live a God-centered life. Until then, your life will be focused on yourself. True wisdom begins with truly knowing the Lord and, as a result, walking in his ways.
How Should We View Wisdom?
Second, now that we know what wisdom is, how should we view it? What should our attitude be toward it?
Back in Proverbs 2, verse 4 says we should seek wisdom as if it were “silver” or a “hidden treasure.” Christians view wisdom as more precious than the most precious things. We have an earnest longing for it because we understand how beautiful it is.
What if someone came to you today and said they could pay off all your bills and pay off your mortgage and then fill up your retirement account and give you all the spending money you want each day and build you a 20,000 square foot house and give you whatever car you want, or they could make you wise. Which one would you take? Those who know the Lord would take wisdom because they know how precious it is.
Why is Wisdom Precious?
Why is wisdom so precious? First because it’s the result of knowing the Lord. The “knowledge of God” in verse 5 isn’t talking about theology. This kind of “knowing” in the Hebrew world is about intimacy, not information. True wisdom is precious because it brings us close to the Precious One. The “fear of the Lord” and the “knowledge of God” (v. 5) are about awe and intimacy with the Lord. When you have that you realize that nothing else compares to it.
Wisdom is also precious because it keeps us from foolishness. Throughout Proverbs 2, there’s this “if, then” formula. “If you do this, then this will happen.” Verses 5-11 show us everything we get if we find wisdom. We get understanding and knowledge of God (vv. 5-6), God’s protection (vv. 7-8), and a “good path” (v. 9).
Verses 12-22 say that wisdom will keep us from wicked men (v. 12), dark ways (v. 13), crooked paths (v. 15), and adulterous people with their seductive speech (vv. 16-19). Wisdom keeps us on good and righteous paths (v. 20), helps us live in security (v. 21), and allows us to avoid God’s judgment (v. 22).
We view wisdom as precious because it comes from the Lord and because it keeps us in line with the way he’s designed his world to work. Do you long for wisdom like you long for a good job, a spouse, a house, a comfortable retirement?
Where Do We Get Wisdom?
Third, where do we get wisdom? Verse 6 says that wisdom comes from the Lord, “For the Lord gives wisdom.” But how exactly does he give his wisdom to us? Verses 1-3 help us see how.
Wisdom from the Word
First, we get the Lord’s wisdom from the Lord’s word. As verse 1 says, we “receive his words” and “treasure his commands.” In Scripture, we find the very words of God, not men. As we read, listen to, study, and digest the Scriptures we, first of all, as Paul says to Timothy, become “wise for salvation” (2 Tim. 3:15). The Scriptures tell us how we can know God through Christ.
But the Scriptures also prepare us to live in God’s world, not by telling us everything we should or shouldn’t do, but by forming us into a certain kinds of people. As you get to know someone you start to know how they think through things. Through the Bible, God renews our minds and teaches our hearts to love what he loves and hate what he hates. Regularly reading God’s word trains us in God’s wisdom by forming habits of mind and heart that please him. You won’t grow in wisdom if you’re not in God’s word.
Wisdom from Counselors
Second, we get the Lord’s wisdom from the Lord’s people. Verse 2 says that we should “make our ear attentive to wisdom.” It amazes me how often I see people making massive, life-changing decisions without hardly consulting anyone. This is not the way of wisdom. The path of wisdom is the path of community and counsel.
Most of the big decisions in our lives aren’t spelled out for us in the Bible. But the Bible is clear that we need each other as we make decisions. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Pro. 12:15). “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed” (15:22). “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future” (19:20).
As this last proverb says, it’s one thing to seek counsel, but another to listen to it and accept it. Teachability is a virtue for the followers of Jesus. There’s only one master teacher, Jesus. The rest of us are constantly needing to learn and grow.
James says that wisdom from God is “open to reason” (3:17). Are you open to reason? Are you teachable? Do you seek the counsel of others when making big decisions? Do you only seek counsel from people who you know will agree with you? Are you willing to change your mind when someone has a better idea than yours? If you never change your mind about anything, you’re assuming that you see and know everything perfectly.
I love how Kevin DeYoung puts this in his little book Just Do Something. He says, “I can say without a doubt that I make better decisions when I consult with my wife. I make better decisions with the elders than without them. I am wiser when I listen to my friends first.” He says that there are of course times when we need to make decisions that won’t be popular, but for a lot of our decisions, we’d do well to simply ask someone, “What do you think?” He says, “We spend all this time asking God, ‘What’s Your will?’ when He’s probably thinking, ‘Make a friend, would you? Go talk to someone. There’s a reason I’ve redeemed a lot of you – because you do fewer dumb things when you talk to each other. Get some advice. You might just hear my voice.”[6]
Wisdom from Prayer
Third, we get the Lord’s wisdom through prayer. Verse 3 says to “call out for insight” and “raise your voice for understanding.” If it’s good to ask others for wisdom, then surely it’s good to ask God too. James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (1:5).
Asking God for wisdom should be an everyday prayer request. God wants us to know him and to make good decisions, not bad decisions. Praying for wisdom doesn’t mean God will give you direct answers to your situation. Ordinarily it means that, through prayer, he’s forming you into the kind of person who’ll know how to approach any situation. As we sit with him, we become like him.
Praying for clarity is especially important because we’re often faced with decisions where there’s no wrong choice but we don’t know which option is best. The answer to the prayer for clarity often comes through the counsel of godly brothers or sisters.
Where do we get God’s wisdom? From God’s word and God’s people and from prayer.
Wisdom is a Person
As we do these things, we can certainly grow in wisdom. But we have a major problem that no amount of spiritual discipline can solve. Once we get wisdom, we often don’t follow it. We know what we should do but we’d prefer not to do it. We say things we know we shouldn’t say and do things that are foolish. One writer asks, “How can we become wise when we are so broken we can’t even do what we know is right?”[7] It’s like we just can’t help ourselves.
God created the world to work according to his wisdom but our hearts are bent on folly (more on that next week). So we need more than the ability to make good decisions. We need new hearts.
How do you get a new heart, a wise heart? How do you learn to “fear the Lord” in the ways I talked about earlier? Only by meeting the Lord Jesus. When we understand who he is and what he did for us, our stubborn hearts start to melt. Meeting the Lord Jesus through faith is how we get new hearts.
Only with a new heart can we find true wisdom because wisdom is ultimately a Person, Jesus Christ. Do you know him? Do you rejoice and tremble in his presence? A truly wise life begins by understanding that wisdom is a Person.
[1]Derek Kidner, Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1964), 59.
[2]Timothy Keller, with Kathy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (New York: Penguin Books, 2011), 68.
[3]J. I. Packer, Growing in Christ (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994), 194.
[4]Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good News of the Fear of the Lord (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 67.
[5]Ibid., 43.
[6]Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will (Chicago: Moody, 2009), 93-4.
[7]Daniel L. Akin and Jonathan Akin, Exalting Jesus in Proverbs, Christ-Centered Exposition (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2017), 14.
