WHERE IS WISDOM?
Opening Prayer
Lord, never permit me to acquire the ways of the fool.
Read PROVERBS 17:1–28
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.
2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.
4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.
11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.
12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.
13 Evil will never leave the house
of one who pays back evil for good.
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the Lord detests them both.
16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.
19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
21 To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked accept bribes in secret
to pervert the course of justice.
24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.
26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
surely to flog honest officials is not right.
27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasingand perfect will” (Rom. 12:2).
“Folly is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison, 7). Our biblical writer, who would rather meet an angry bear than a fool (12), might agree. The “godless fool” in the Old Testament is cited (7,21; cf. Psa. 14:1). Atheism as a philosophy was not an option in the ancient world, but in practice some people lived as though God does not exist. Atheism is in vogue today and has intelligent and articulate proponents, some of whom are relentless in their attacks on Christianity. We can find this unsettling but can also find security in the realization that true wisdom is found in God.
Little, it would seem, can be done for the fool. Reason, as Bonhoeffer goes on to point out, does not work. Proverbs makes the same point; a rebuke works only with the wise (10). Wisdom cannot be bought (16); attaining it requiresdiscipline and focus (24). Above all, it requires recognition of God’s role and authority.
Folly, leaving God out of the equation, affects society. It damages family relationships, bringing pain to parents (21,25). Christian parents whose children are not following Jesus know something of this, but they can draw comfort from the fact that in Jesus this folly can be reversed. Folly leaves its mark on economic systems (16,18). It is inadvisable to compare the simple economics of the ancient world to the complex systems of today, but too often a failure to recognize ultimate values has led to scandals and corruption. Folly affects the judicial system (15,26): bribery is still a significant problem in some parts of the world; even in the more civilized countries partiality can lead to miscarriages of justice. God’s wisdom matters in every area of life.
Apply
Pray for the society in which you live, for government and for leaders in commerce and industry, education and social care, that they might act wisely.
Closing prayer
God, give me the insight to recognize how valuable Your wisdom really is.
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