(Warning: I didn't mention I am a Certified Lay Speaker and fill the pulpit in churches when called upon. The following is a sermon I prepared for the Early Presbyterian Church using my own research as well as much inspiration from my pastor, Rev. Dr. DeeAnn Klapp, who had just completed a series on Solomon.)
Plato, the philosopher, said, “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
I hope today as we talk about wisdom, I fall into the former category, not the latter, and in the process of preparing my thoughts for this sermon, have grown in wisdom myself.
One definition of wisdom I found says it is the next step beyond intelligence. A smart person will know a jalapeno pepper is hot and a green pepper is mild. The wise person will know how the difference will impact flavor and your palate, understanding they aren’t interchangeable.
In our reading from Proverbs today (Proverbs 1:20-33), wisdom is referred to as a lady. I like Solomon’s reference! The image painted for us shows how resistant we are to acquiring wisdom which brings responsibility with it.
Without wisdom, we are told the roof will cave in and we will suffer. But more than that, we are told wisdom is ours just for the asking!
Stephen Covey, author of the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” said, “Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.”
I believe he’s right and I also believe too many people choose not to have God at the center of their lives so their security, guidance, wisdom, and power come from a dubious source. As a result, they will suffer the catastrophes described by Solomon in Proverbs.
And Solomon is a good example of wisdom for all of us. When he was a young man, God told him he could have anything he wanted. And he asked for wisdom. Why on earth did he ask for wisdom? Let’s talk about Solomon…
Solomon became King and ruled Judah and Israel for 40 years. He was the second son of King David and Bathsheba. Remember, David married Bathsheba after he committed adultery with her her and had her husband Uriah killed. The prophet Nathan revealed to David his sin and its consequence. The child conceived would die. Despite his fasting and prayer, David and Bathsheba's first born did die shortly after birth. King David washed, shaved, ate a meal and went to console Bathsheba. Nine months later, Solomon was born.
In the Mid East, the eldest son inherited the father's throne. And although King David had an older son, Adonijah, he promised Bathsheba he would honor God’s will so Solomon would succeed him as King. Solomon was the third King of Judah and the first to son of a king to be king.
Solomon's name means “peaceful.” And indeed, King David's hard fought victories had paved the way for a peaceful united kingdom. However, Solomon's crown was not undisputed. Adonijah, Commander in Chief of King David's Army, attempted to take the crown for his own. The weak and dying King David had Solomon annointed as his successor. King Solomon immediately dealt with conspirators against his throne, having two executed, one imprisoned for life, and another exiled.
Solomon was very young when he became King. When King David died, the task of ruling his people in the tread of his father's footsteps was overwhelming. Solomon's first act as King was to make sacrifices to the Lord. He sounds wise to me even then! Solomon then celebrates.
In 2 Chronicles 1, we learn what happened after the party. Solomon and the all heads of the tribes, the commanders, and judges, all the leaders assembled before the Lord at the bronze altar and prayed. That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
After giving God praise, humbly acknowledging that he is where he is only by the grace and power of God, , then and only then does Solomon make his request and the reason for his request when he says, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
Solomon asks God for the tools he needs for the task at hand. To be a leader of God's people requires wisdom. Wisdom, knowing God's intentions, leading towards God's will and by His Spirit requires ongoing conversation and communion with Him.
You don't have to be the pastor of a church to be a leader of God's people. Members of boards and committees, ushers, candle lighters, serving when called, worship itself, preparing to go out to a Christians life requires wisdom. We do not live after the world's standards, but by God's. Every Christian is called to be a leader: to love, inspire, and lead non-believers to Christ. The wisdom we need, daily, hourly, requires us to be in deepening relationship, fellowship, friendship, communion with God through Jesus Christ.
In our New Testament lesson from James, leaders are cautioned. We are reminded our tongues can be dangerous. The purpose of this passage is not to cause us to shrink from leadership, but to be careful in our actions and speech. By asking for wisdom, we guard against foolishness which dishonors God.
Our Christian journeys have a beginning but no end. As we progress through life, gaining both knowledge and wisdom, we come closer and closer to our goal. Yet we never reach it because our God is infinite, without boundaries, without end.
Gandhi said, “It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”
We will make mistakes, no matter how diligently we try to attain perfection. We please God as we study his Word and worship him. Perfection was achieved by Christ alone who possessed wisdom beyond our comprehension.
In our Gospel lesson today, we find Peter speaking with Christ and showing us how wise he is. When Jesus asks Peter who the others think he is, Peter truthfully replies – John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets. But when Jesus asks Peter who he thinks he is, Peter says, “Christ.”
He is wise – knowing this man is more than John the Baptist, not Elijah, not simply a prophet. He is the Messiah. And Christ exhibits his wisdom by telling Peter not to reveal his identity. Jesus knows not only God’s plan, he knows the implications. In his wisdom, Jesus knows revealing his identity is too much for the disciples at this point.
And Peter… Poor Peter. He falls off the wisdom wagon and begins thinking in human terms alone, not ready to lose Jesus, his friend and the man he knows is God. So Jesus rebukes him then gives us the direction we so desperately need…
Here are his words as found in The Message version of the Bible, Mark 8: 34-38:
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
“If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."
Wisdom, a gift from God, ours for the asking, equips us to withstand the challenges Jesus warns against. Fickle and unfocused friends can distract us from our Christian journey and lead us to destinations we don’t want to explore.
As our passage from Proverbs concludes: First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy—you're in good hands.
It is that easy, that scary, and that rewarding. When we let go and let God be the center of our lives, asking Him to provide the wisdom we need to navigate our journeys successfully, we will have life filled with joy and rewards. There will be suffering, but because we are focused on God, we will emerge from the trials stronger and better, moving on to the goal we all desire – eternal life.
Let us pray:
O Wisdom on High, by you the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly. Grant us, in all doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that we may be saved from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
© Ann Trimble-Ray 2010
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