Tag: wisdom

Psalm 111

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            The combination of a microwave society and the constant need to be entertained has resulted in a profound lack of wisdom in our culture.  Whether it is politics or theology, at work or at home, everywhere we gravitate toward finding quick solutions given to us in engaging ways.  But biblical wisdom operates a different way.  It is must grow slowly and mature over an extended period of time.  It all begins with a basic reverence of God.  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise.”
 
            Taking the time and the focus to marinade our lives in the praise and adoration of God, even when we do not feel like it, is necessary to living wisely.  Foolishness is in direct proportion to a lack of reverence and awe of God.  Conversely, the attention and recognition of God in glorifying him begins a slow process of lifetime learning that inevitably leads to the humility of wisdom.  Wisdom in the Bible is the ability to live well and flourish as a person by applying God’s revelation to the real concrete situations of life.  That cannot be done apart from praise to the LORD.
 
            In what ways can you praise God today?  What situations are you facing that need biblical wisdom?  Are you following the revealed commands of God in Scripture?  Will you be patient to allow God to help you with your troubles?  Where is Jesus influencing your daily decisions? 
            All wise God, I praise your holy name.  Teach me your ways so that I will know how to live wisely in all kinds of situations to the glory of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Exodus 2:11-25

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Faith is not some static phenomena that one possesses or not.  It is more like a muscle that must be exercised and developed in order to be strengthened.  Moses needed to learn and grow in faith just as much or more than the rest of us.  The fact that he was eighty years old before he became the human agent of God’s deliverance, after a forty year stint in the backside of the desert, tells us that it took him awhile to mature.  Even though Moses may have had a sense that the Israelites needed freedom from slavery, and acted on that sense by killing a ruthless Egyptian, his sense of timing was not good.
 
            There is a time for everything, said the writer of Ecclesiastes.  Wisdom, the ability to apply faith in concrete situations, is often in the timing of things.  To know when to speak and when to listen, when to act and when to wait, is an important facet of faith.  The ancient Israelites were slaves in Egypt for a long time.  Moses knew they were suffering and he acted.  But it was not yet time.  Eventually, the Jewish cry came up to God, and God heard them.  He remembered his covenant with them.  Why God did not act sooner, or use Moses earlier, is information that is only privy within God himself.
 
            What this means for us is that if we are to develop in faith and gain a wise sense of timing, we will need to rely on God.  Trusting in ourselves, our own efforts, and our own perceived timing of how things ought to proceed will usually not end well.  We may find ourselves taking a “time out” from God in obscurity until we learn to wait on him.
 
            In the fullness of time, Paul said to the Galatians, Jesus came, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law.  God knows what he is doing, even though it might seem like he is sometimes slow to act.  God sees.  God delivers.  But he does it in his timing – not ours.
            Redeeming God, you control all things, including the clock.  Give me wisdom so that my sense of timing might reflect your will and your way.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Proverbs 22:1-9

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            The Bible is not a flat one-dimensional piece of literature.  Throughout its contents, from Genesis to Revelation, it is chocked full of various literary genres.  From poetry and narrative stories to apocalyptic accounts and exhortative epistles, Holy Scripture provides a many-sided look at the unfolding drama of God’s redemption toward humanity.  Included in this is the book of Proverbs, a collection of wise sayings to help people navigate God’s big world.
 
            The chief reason we must know that the Bible contains different types of literature is so that we can read it and interpret it well.  A proverb is a short pithy statement of experiential truth.  It is not the same as the commands of the law.  In other words, a proverb is designed to point out, all things being equal, that this is how the world works.  So enter one of the most misused verses in the Bible:  “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Many a parent has been made to feel unrelenting guilt over a wayward son or daughter, believing that somehow they have failed.  The reason they have such feelings is that they treat the book of Proverbs as clear promises to claim.  Biblical proverbs simply were not meant to be stretched in this manner.
 
            Rather, the proverb is meant to communicate to us that if we as parents are diligent and faithful in raising our kids that in all likelihood this training will never leave them; it will always stick with them in some way, shape, or form.  It is also true that many a parent has rejoiced over an adult child coming back to his/her faith after a sojourn in the muck of the world.  Important to that return is the foundation laid years ago.
 
            So, this proverb is meant to encourage us, not with an ironclad promise, but with the hope that all the blood, sweat, and tears that parents put into their children will someday likely bear much fruit of a responsible life that contributes to both church and world.  Therefore, do not give up; keep persevering knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
            Wise God, for Whom all things are known, encourage me today and always in the knowledge of your ways so that I not lose heart in training my kids and others in the way of Jesus, my Lord.  Amen.

Proverbs 1:1-7

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            One of the best aspirations for the New Year is the pursuit and accumulation of wisdom.  This is what the book of Proverbs is all about.  Specifically, to have wise dealings is to grow in three related yet distinct areas:  righteousness; justice; and, equity.
             Righteousness or righteous living is a relational term in Scripture.  It means to have right relationships with both God and other people.  In other words, righteousness is to experience peaceful and fruitful relations.  Concerning God, it is to know the wonderful freedom and joy of an unhindered relationship through Jesus Christ in dependence upon the Holy Spirit.  When it comes to fellow human relations, a person characterized by righteousness does not, for example, let the sun go down on his/her anger.  It is to know peace and to be a peacemaker so that relationships do not remain strained but enjoy harmony.
             Justice is a related term to righteousness.  We might tend toward primarily understanding justice as a punitive act.  It certainly is part of the term; God responds and acts in justice toward those who withhold righteousness and love through uncaring or evil events.  But justice is mostly concerned with providing a person with basic needs of life.  So, for example, if someone is hungry and needs food, or does not have clean water to drink, it is a just act for us to provide those necessities of life.  God is deeply concerned for justice, and he expects his people to act in this same manner.
             Equity binds righteousness and peace together by not being prejudice toward relationships and needs.  It means to not show favoritism.  Therefore, if we are righteous and just only toward people we like but ignore others in need, there is no equity.  To give our love and service to all without strings attached or without being concerned to get paid back is the practice of equality.
             To live in these ways of righteousness, justice, and equity is to be wise in our dealings.  A good place to start in pursuing these biblical virtues is to ask God to open our eyes to those within our sphere of influence in which we can demonstrate such wise living; and, then, follow through with loving those persons in which God brings into our lives.
             Righteous God, help me to grow in wisdom.  Teach me your ways.  Since you are a just God who shows no favoritism, lead me into being just like you in my dealings with others with Jesus as my example in the strength of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.