Learning From The Way Of The Fool, Part 8
8/11/2024
Turn with me to Proverbs 17:23-24. These are our verses to study and memorize this week.
Proverbs 17:23-24 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To pervert the ways of justice. 24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
Introduction
In Proverbs 17:7-26 we are looking at lessons from the ways of fools. The first section, Proverbs 17:7-15, dealt with the fool’s unjust behavior. Then Proverbs 17:16-20 looked at the crooked mind of the fool. Now in verses 21-26 we are seeing the effects of the fool on family and society. In all of these sections we are looking at dangerous behaviors for us to avoid. They show us how not to live.
The main part of this current section is book-ended by mentions of the sorrow a fool brings to his parents in verses 21 and 25. Last time we saw verse 22 reiterate this by pointing out the healthful benefit joy brings in contrast to the ruin a broken spirit causes to one’s physical well-being. The anguish fools bring can destroy the literal health of families within a society.
Verses 23 moves to the crippling effects bribes have on a society with justice being perverted. Verse 24 then zooms out to the damaging perspective and pursuits of fools. With all of their effort focused on finding wisdom anywhere but from God their vitality, productivity, and focus is wasted. After verse 25 returns to the grief a foolish son brings, verse 26 provides a final bookend to the larger unit of Proverbs 17:7-26. This unit began in verse 7 examining inappropriate behavior for princes. Now it concludes with the inappropriate treatment of nobles. Foolish behavior coming from leaders and people leads to the foolish treatment of leaders and the righteous. This breakdown of the family, of justice, and of purpose caused by the behavior of fools brings a society to its knees— at best—and at worst destroys it.
This then, is why it is so important to learn from these verses which are before us. The consequences are sky-high if a society or family follows the ways of fools. Verses 23 and 24 give us two more specific ways of fools for us to learn from.
Have you ever been unjustly treated? Have you seen people use their power, authority, or money to unjustly manipulate others against you or someone else? Have you experienced others getting away with things because of money, who they know, or their fame? Have you ever received a favor or reward to make things turn out in a certain way for something under your power? To help us deal with these kinds of issues, in verse 23 we will see the consequences of foolishness in the taking of bribes.
Have you ever had a problem face you, where you knew the right way to go, but it was hard, expensive, or would take a lot of time? Maybe because of that you looked everywhere else, scouring the internet to find a solution, and ended up trying all kinds of other things only to realize that you should have just done what you knew the first time. All that time, energy, money, and effort was wasted on trying to find some other solution. On the other side of things, have you ever given someone unwanted advice, and then watched them do everything but what you told them? In the process maybe they ruined their lives or really had to learn things the hard way. To help us deal with these kinds of issues, in verse 24 we will see the foolishness of looking elsewhere than God for true wisdom and purpose.
Let’s take a look more closely now at these two proverbs to see what God would have us learn.
23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To pervert the ways of justice.
The one who allows justice to be hindered is wicked. In this verse we see the foolishness of bribes within a society. They cause the perversion of justice.
Back in Proverbs 17:8, at the beginning of this whole unit on the ways of fools, we took some time to look at bribes. There we saw the very transactional way of thinking the world often foolishly follows.
Proverbs 17:8 A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.
Our current proverb, as we come to the close of this unit, returns to that issue and adds to it. The problems of that way of thinking are emphasized with its evil impact on society. The earlier verse gave us the picture of the way that the fool thinks about bribes from his naïve and self-focused perspective. Now we are given a clearer picture of the way that God thinks about bribes and their consequences from His accurate and over-arching perspective. Four main realities stand out.
First we see that the fool here is called “a wicked man.” The fool ends up turning into ways of wickedness by this behavior. Foolishness, living life without regard to God and His standards of righteousness, leads to sin and evil. Bribes are not innocent or harmless. They are wicked.
Second, whether one is the giver or taker of a bribe it is wickedness. The word translated “receives” in the NASB is the general word “to take.” As such, this could be translated as either the one who takes a bribe from someone, or the one who takes it to someone. Both parts of bribes are wicked.
Third, the expression “from the bosom” points out that this is a secret thing. The Holladay lexicon helpfully explains that the bosom here is the “fold of garment above the belt where one hides hands or objects.”1 These actions are not above board and righteous. These are secret transactions which are not occurring in the public eye. Something is being done that should not be done. This is an attempt to pay someone so that the wicked can get away with some kind of evil or to cause some kind of evil to occur.
Fourth, this is the perversion of the ways of justice. The purpose of all this is to do wrong. In God’s eyes it is not right. It is not fair or just. It is not the way things should be done. With bribes what is right is being ignored and overturned by people. Getting away with evil is being attempted.
That is God’s view of bribes and the dishonest, selfish transactional way of living. It is not just “the way things are done.” It is not just cutting unnecessary corners to get things done faster. It is not just what needs to be done to look out for oneself. When people use their money, power, and influence to let the wicked go free or to oppress the innocent it is sinful and evil. It does not matter whether one is the giver or the taker. God’s perspective is that it is wicked. From His perspective none of it is hidden no matter whether anyone else ever sees it or knows. God’s standards of right and wrong do not change and He will not approve of the perversion of justice. He will judge it, and consequences will come.
One of the sad realities of bribes is that while an individual might get what is wanted in the short term, the long term results are very harmful. The consequences of this foolishness do not stop with an individual or the family. They spread into rampant injustices within society and the expanding spread of general wickedness. Right and wrong fade away in light of the power and influence of money. Trust is lost. Everyone looks out for themselves. Those in power fight for their power and persecute their enemies. When the next group or individual get the upper hand they in turn do the same things. A sure way to destroy a society is for the practice of bribes and corruption to become commonplace. Even apart from God’s direct intervention and judgment this foolish way of living tears a society down.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this with the prophet Samuel and his sons. Samuel did very well in not perverting justice because he would not take any bribes.
He proclaimed the Word of God, lived by it, and judged the people by it. As he got old, though, his sons did not follow in his footsteps. 1 Samuel 8:1-5 tells us that story:
1 Samuel 8:1-5 And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. 3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”
Israel had it right that this perversion of justice and taking bribes was bad for society. They saw the problems it was causing. They did not want any part of that foolish, destructive way of doing things. So it was good that they brought this to Samuel to be dealt with. Their solution, though, was not the right one. What they needed was for righteous priests and leaders to rightly judge the people. They needed to go to God to find out from Him what they should do, or who should lead them next as a godly judge.
Because of these leaders somewhat prompt intervention we do not see all the consequences of what would have happened had Samuel’s sons continued their corruption. However, we do see much more of that in the northern tribes of Israel after they split off from following the Davidic kings.
A glaring example of this is seen with Ahab and his desire for Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab’s wife Jezebel wrote and used Ahab’s authority to have two worthless men give false testimony against Naboth so that he was stoned. Justice was thus perverted and Ahab took over Naboth’s land. In response to that wicked behavior God promised judgment upon Ahab and his house.
In the meantime, Ahab’s example to his people on how to get one’s way and how to deal with enemies really took root. The dog eat dog cycles of violence, corruption, and misuse of authority led to regular civil wars and dynasty overthrows in the succeeding generations. Things got worse and worse until finally they were conquered by external nations and deported into forced resettlement.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see Micah 3 and 7 describing this kind of situation with its corrupting influence on society. They also give God’s perspective on this foolish way of life with His promise of judgment
Micah 3:9-12 Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who abhor justice And twist everything that is straight, 10 Who build Zion with bloodshed And Jerusalem with violent injustice. 11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, Her priests instruct for a price And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD saying, “Is not the LORD in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.” 12 Therefore, on account of you Zion will be plowed as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.
Micah 7:2-4 The godly person has perished from the land, And there is no upright person among men. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; Each of them hunts the other with a net. 3 Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, And a great man speaks the desire of his soul; So they weave it together. 4 The best of them is like a briar, The most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, Your punishment will come. Then their confusion will occur.
God sees unjust treatment. God sees the perversion of justice by illegitimate uses of power, by bribes, and by collusion. Yes, people may seem to accomplish their wicked objectives and get away with it. They may twist justice and oppress the righteous. They may themselves escape the justice of human courts for their evil. Yet, in living this way they undermine truth and set themselves and their nation up to be oppressed and mistreated by the next group that rises up. Trust and truth is destroyed between people. Bribes corrupt people and a nation. Corruption brings chaos, infighting, and everybody living for themselves. No longer do people do what is right and what is best for the nation and others. Instead they exalt selfishness and what seems to benefit themselves regardless of the cost. Ultimately it leads to ruin.
Truth in Connection: Do not be deceived by the enticements of this foolish way of life. Bribes, favors, and the transactional way of life to manipulate, coerce, and get one’s way will lead one down a path of life that is wicked. Justice will be perverted. Righteousness, love, truth, trust and self-less service will be overthrown. Marriages and families will be ruined. Businesses, organizations, churches, governments, and societies will tear apart their very own foundations and ultimately crumble.
So hold on to truth, justice, righteousness, honesty, and integrity. Do not take bribes or favors. Do not cut corners on what is right for other people, or for yourself. Do not run your marriage and relationships on a give-to-get quid pro quo basis. Likewise, do not give bribes or favors. Do not teach your children this way of life. Do not manipulate them or your spouse or your friends by money, treats, or favors. Do not tie your love and affection to their obedience or behavior. Love them because Christ loved you. Do what is best for them regardless of what they do or do not do. If we cannot do that with our own family, how do we think we are going to love our enemies like Jesus commanded us to do?
Luke 6:35-36 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
If God’s love for us was based on our behavior or obedience we would all go to hell. All of us are sinners and under God’s judgment. Apart from God’s love in Jesus Christ no one would go to heaven. No one would be forgiven. “While we were yet sinners,” “while we were” yet God’s “enemies,” “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8-10). He went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin to give us His righteousness and redeem us from that sin. Unless we see our sin, turn from this corrupt way of life of “tit for tat” behavior and manipulation, and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior we will remain in our sins and under God’s judgment. But, once we surrender it all to Him and trust Him we recieve His love. We gain His ability to love our families in this real way—as we continue walking with Him in daily taking up our cross and following Him. Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Have you been living in the world’s way of sin with its bribing and manipulating and selfishness? Turn from it. Give everything to God. Trust His way for everything. Trust Him to save your soul, forgive you, transform you, and make you His child.
If you find, that even as a follower of Jesus you have returned to the world’s way of living in this area, then turn from it again. Follow Jesus. Remember His love for you. Love without manipulation. Do what is truly best for others. Do not cut corners and take bribes or favors. Do not try to get your way by giving bribes or favors. Trust God that His way is right and best in everything and follow Jesus. Truly love your spouse. Truly love your children and grandchildren. Truly love your friends. Truly love your coworkers. Even truly love your enemies. Why? Because Christ loves you. That is His wisdom.
Proverbs 17:24 now turns to another foolish way of living which greatly affects a society.
24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
The discerning person keeps wisdom in their presence, while the fool is distracted by and focuses on every new thing. In this verse we see the foolishness of the pursuit of man’s way instead of the God-given wisdom that is right in front of us.
In this unit of proverbs, focusing on lessons from the ways of fools (Proverbs 17:7-26), this is the third and final time that we have one of these contrasting, antithetic proverb.
As we have mentioned in the past, chapters 16-222 moved from the earlier proverbs (ch. 10-15) which primarily compared good with bad and foolishness with wisdom to proverbs which repeat their truth in different words (synonymous), or to ones which add on additional truth in to what has been stated at first (synthetic). By returning to his previous kind of proverb Solomon slows us down to make us think.
In all three cases where he does it in this unit (Proverbs 17:9, 22, and 24) the verse ends on the negative, foolish behavior. So he is not changing his focus from the foolish way of living that we need to learn to avoid, but rather he is breaking his pattern in a way that catches our attention. Even as he highlights foolish ways of living to avoid he does not want us to miss God’s right way of doing things. In a chapter so heavily focused on the negative of what not to do this is very helpful.
Verse 9 emphasized that in contrast to the gossiper who ruins relationships true love knows when to be quiet and overlook offenses or to deal with them privately. Love, do not gossip. Verse 22 emphasized that in contrast to the ruin to health that a broken spirit and the grief of foolish children can bring; a joyful heart does the opposite. It brings healing. Pursue joy, bring joy. Finally, here in verse 24 we see the contrast between the fool’s constant seeking of his own wisdom, novelty, and purpose with the ever present wisdom of God which is with the understanding person. Seek God’s wisdom.
Proverbs 14:6 and 15:14 warned us about this kind of person who looks everywhere but where he should for wisdom.
Proverbs 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.
Proverbs 15:14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
God has made His wisdom available to us. He has given us His Word which He preserved and made available. Jesus came, revealed the Father to us, and brought about the way of salvation. When Jesus returned to heaven He sent His Holy Spirit. Before all that God sent His prophets to proclaim His Word to people. He also gave us all the witness of creation and our consciences. God has indeed given us wisdom. Discerning people run to Him for it. They keep God’s wisdom in their presence to direct them in everything. They live in light of God as His light guides their life.
On the other hand, the fool turns from God. As Psalm 14 famously says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” He defies God. He ignores Him. He tries to pretend He does not exist. As He does that he then turns everywhere else to find wisdom, purpose, knowledge, understanding, and purpose. He is constantly looking everywhere else to find something on which to base his life and have certainty.
His eyes move to and fro throughout the earth looking for what satisfies and gives direction, meaning, and answers for life. For some that means the answer is in so-called “science.” Man’s knowledge and investigation of reality becomes the apex of truth. The pursuit of knowledge about God’s world is good. Yet if it is done apart from God, or if its hypotheses or tentative conclusions are made out to be inalienable truths when they are not, then this can very easily just become an idolatrous substitution for trust in God’s wisdom.
Likewise, following one’s heart with the pursuit of pleasure, entertainment, hobbies, work, power, and many other such things very easily become the focus of the fool. They pursue everything but God and His wisdom. The diversions that we have created to fill our time are endless. Computers, cell phones, TV, the internet, social media, and AI have given us the ability to learn about almost anything and to know about things going on around the world as they happen. Our eyes can effectively see to the ends of the earth and focus on just about anything. All of that makes it very easy to not live by God’s wisdom.
If we are people of understanding we will see through all this so-called knowledge and all these vain pursuits and keep our focus on the truth. We will set our phones down and keep looking to God for wisdom. We will go to God’s Word as our guide in everything. We will learn from it how to wisely use and pursue the different elements of this world that are available to us without letting them become our idol, our purpose, our God, our reason for living, or a misdirected answer to our questions and problems.
Scriptural Example: While we have an amazing amount of knowledge at our fingertips, there is also still nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). People have always had to choose between God’s wisdom and foolishly looking away from Him to find truth, meaning, purpose, and satisfaction. In Scripture we see an example of this with the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22-24, 31:8, 16). He had God’s wisdom given right to him. Yet he wanted more. He wanted something different. Then he pursued it until it destroyed him. He did not have enough understanding of God’s wisdom right there in front of him to see its goodness and sufficiency. He did not need king Balak’s approval and money. He needed God’s wisdom. He needed to care about what God thought and said. Instead he followed the way of the fool. He let the enticements of this world pull Him away until he ended up encouraging Moab to seduce Israel into idolatry and immorality. He thought that money and the favor of powerful people would satisfy and give what he needed. Instead he died in a battle that resulted from that fiasco.
Among believers in the New Testament we also see the danger of this kind of thing. John Mark had the privilege of going on a missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25-13:13, 15:36-39). Yes, it must have been a lot of hard work. Yes, it probably was different than the pictures he had in his head of people turning to God en masse. Yes, it did have persecutions and insults. Yes, it was far away from home and his normal experiences. Yet, he had the amazing privilege of learning from Paul and Barnabas and assisting them in serving God! Think about all the wisdom that was right there. He was being taught and experiencing ministry first hand with them. But somehow his eyes turned elsewhere. He left them. He deserted them in the middle of their missionary journeys. He did not discern the wisdom in his very presence. His eyes drifted foolishly to the ends of the earth and away from what was right and best. He pursued what was easier and went home to Jerusalem.
Thankfully that was not the end of the story. He realized his mistakes, and Barnabas gave him a second chance. Eventually Paul did too. But, just think of what he missed out on! He missed out on being a part of God’s work to establish churches with Paul and Barnabas in all those cities in Asia Minor. He missed out on learning from them through their wisdom and experiences.
There are many other such examples. The rich young ruler chose his riches and possessions over following Jesus. Judas chose 30 pieces of silver over continuing to follow and learn from Jesus. Wisdom incarnate was right there in front of them, and they looked elsewhere.
Mary and Martha also give a contrasting picture of this reality and choice (Luke 10:38-41). Martha saw everything that needed to be done and looked to find her purpose and fulfillment in accomplishing that. She resented that her sister Mary saw things differently and was not helping. Mary knew the wisdom that was in her presence. So she stayed there to learn from Jesus all that she could. She chose what was most important. Even things that seem to be good and necessary can pull us away from abiding in the presence of wisdom if we are not careful.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see many different aspects to this. In Job 28 Job compares the many pursuits of mankind for knowledge with where true wisdom is actually found.
Job 28:1-28 “Surely there is a mine for silver And a place where they refine gold. 2 “Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock. 3 “Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow. 4 “He sinks a shaft far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men. 5 “The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire. 6 “Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold. 7 “The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it. 8 “The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9 “He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base. 10 “He hews out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious. 11 “He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light. 12 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 “Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14 “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 15 “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price. 16 “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire. 17 “Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. 18 “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. 19 “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. 20 “Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? 21 “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky. 22 “Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ 23 “God understands its way, And He knows its place. 24 “For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. 25 “When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure, 26 When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt, 27 Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. 28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
This chapter expands on our proverb effectively. The eyes of the fool rove to and fro throughout the earth seeking wisdom, but no matter how much learning and exploration we do we will not find it if we do not look to God. He alone has wisdom. Our evil keeps us from wisdom. It is only in God and through His way of redemption that we will find wisdom. It is only by trusting in Him and living in light of Him through the fear of the Lord that it comes. Yet, if we do live that way then we will truly have wisdom ever before us. It is found nowhere else. We are foolish if we make the vain pursuits of this world our focus.
The psalmist understood this. So he cried out to the Lord to protect him from the vain way and establish him in God’s Word.
Psalm 119:37-38 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways. 38 Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You.
That should be our prayer as well. It is only through the fear of the Lord that we will have wisdom. We can only have that as we know and trust God’s Word. It will show us God. It will show us our sin, God’s righteousness, His redemption, and the only true way of life. The world will try to imitate it and make substitutes for it, but all of those ways are the ways of the fool. 1 John 2:15-17 warns us of this.
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
If we let the love of the world become our focus, our idol, our meaning and purpose it will destroy us. It is only in the wisdom of God through His Word that there is life. Paul reminded Timothy of this in 2 Timothy 3. He exhorted him about where his focus and attention needed to be. He reminded him of the wisdom that he needed to always keep in his presence.
2 Timothy 3:10-17 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
If we would be wise and not walk in the way of foolishness we will keep our eyes and attention from being enticed into following the deceptions of the world. We will tear our eyes away from our phones, TV’s and computer screens. We will not buy the lies of the world that we need their so-called wisdom. We will not buy their lie that we need the latest toy or gadget. We will not buy their lie that we need their counterfeit illicit immoral pleasures, videos, games, and entertainments. We will not buy their lie that what we need each day is to know what is going on in every corner of the world rather than in every corner of God’s Word. We will not buy their lie that we will find meaning and satisfaction in things, or experiences. We will instead keep the wisdom of God’s Word in our presence and live by it.
Truth in Connection: As we apply this to our lives we need to remember that true wisdom is not found in the world’s knowledge or pursuits. It is found in God alone and His purposes for our lives. We can do almost nothing about what happens at the ends of the earth. Nor will we find wisdom by searching out every new thing. We need to keep wisdom in our presence. If we have discernment then that is what we will do. We will not let ourselves be pulled away to follow every other source of so-called wisdom.
This is an extremely pertinent proverb for our day and age where we have entertainment and the worldwide internet at our fingertips 24/7/365. What are you pursuing? What do you focus your time and mind on? Is God’s wisdom always in your presence? Or are you looking to the world’s wisdom for guidance, meaning, satisfaction, and purpose? Everything is vying for our eyes. We are being pulled to look everywhere and at anything other than God’s Word. Meanwhile, it sits right here in front of us. Determine that as for you and your house you are going to ever have God’s wisdom before you. Have it be what you focus on when you wake up, and as you go to sleep. Have it be what you go to throughout the day. Do not be a slave to your phone and its enticements of so called knowledge.
How many times do we face a situation and bypass God’s Word for our own wisdom, or check to see what others do or think? How many times do we distract ourselves with our phones, our TV’s, or our computers to entertain ourselves and wile away a moment rather than looking to God to help us redeem the time and make it truly matter? We need to remember the commands of Ephesians 5:15-17.
Ephesians 5:15-17 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
We need to set our minds on things above. We need to wisely and carefully use the TV’s, phones, computers, and other tools that we have available to us.
Truly, “wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” May we not be among the fools, but be one of the wise.
If you are looking to the ways of the world for wisdom, then God’s Word is direct and blunt. Loving the world is not loving God. The world will pass away under God’s judgment. When God is done redeeming people out of this world system He is going to judge it with fire and recreate things with a perfect restoration. We too will be judged at that time—if we have not recognized our sin against our perfect, holy, good, creator God, and turned to salvation in Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to take our punishment and place. He did what we could not do. We cannot reconcile ourselves to God. We cannot appease God’s just wrath. We cannot remove our sin. Only He can do that. We must turn from our evil ways and trust Him as our Savior and Lord. Have you done this? Are you trusting and following Him? Or trusting the world’s ways and running after them? Trust in Jesus.
If as a Christian you find, as you look at your life, that some of the world’s pursuits and ways of living to find meaning, purpose, satisfaction, and wisdom have become your pursuits then cry out to God like the psalmist. Ask Him to turn your eyes from vanity to His Word. Ask Him to help you reverence, respect, fear, love, and obey Him as you ought. Remember what He has done in saving you from your sin and making you into His child. Ask Him to revive your heart.
May we examine our lives and continue to examine them so that we are daily taking up our cross and following Him. May we live for Him in every area of our lives, knowing that His wisdom is always best.
Conclusion
If you have any questions on any of this or want help in coming to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come talk with us. We are available. Let’s pray.
© 2024, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
English (US) · 