The Bible tells us the nation of Israel had all they needed to become God’s people, to shape their hearts and minds after God. They had the law, or Torah, with its stories that declared God’s character. They also had something else known as the wisdom literature, which consists of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes.
I’ve heard the wisdom books described as ‘godliness in working clothes.’ These books showed the people of God how to put into practice what the Torah was teaching, namely, how to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength.
Unfortunately, much of the power of the wisdom literature is lost on us today. We use parts of it as comfort food at funerals and weddings, as pithy quotes for calendars and trinkets, and in words to pop songs, but as far as shaping our lives—no way! But if the Jewish nation had all they needed within the Torah and the wisdom books to become all God called them to be, perhaps we should re-examine them.
Proverbs 9:10 tells us where to begin:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (NIV)
Much of Proverbs teaches how we are to “fear the Lord” in our everyday life. Fearing the Lord involves humility (Prov. 3:7), hating evil (Prov. 8:13), acknowledging God’s authority (Prov. 24:21), and guarding against idols usurping God’s place in our hearts (Prov. 30:8-9).
Another key teaching in Proverbs is that we must have the right attitude to receive wisdom. This includes a teachable spirit (Prov. 19:20), accepting correction (Prov. 10:17), and respecting earthly authority as training for respect of God’s authority (Prov. 13:11-12).
Proverbs is the manual for living the godly way and making wise decisions.
If you want to increase your wisdom muscles in 2023,
click here to download a list of Proverbs to memorize. Choose one a day or one each week. Print it on cards and put it on your desk or bulletin board. Make it a company game to recite the verse of the week when someone asks, “Got Wisdom?”
Imagine a world where the foundation for decision-making was humility, the rejection of evil, and the refusal to worship idols or money and where leaders had teachable spirits, graciously accepted correction, and respected authority.
Let’s not just imagine, let’s do it!
