He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Wisdom and Foolishness – A Contrast: Our Aspirations:
Proverbs 18:1-2
1) Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom.
2) A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may
discover itself.
In
this chapter of Proverbs, we will be contrasting the effects of wisdom or
foolishness on various areas of our day to day life…
EXPOSITION:
Our
life aspirations are greatly effected with the application of wisdom or
foolishness…
1) Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom.
The
inner longings of a man who has chosen to live a holy life, will compel him to strive
for and stubbornly seek additional wisdom.
It is this wisdom that is necessary for a holy lifestyle that glorifies
his Lord.
The
application of wisdom to our life aspirations results in a holy life that
pursues the increase of wisdom and its application to our life.
“See then that ye walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time,
because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord [is].” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
2) A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may
discover itself.
A
fool does not have pleasure in possessing understanding except to use it to
exalt himself in the eyes of others. The
fool believes he is a great person and desires to show others his greatness
through outward displays of understanding.
Little does he realize that the
true purpose of understanding is not to exalt ourselves but to possess a God glorifying
lifestyle and to a blessing to others.
Godly
understanding is a gracious gift given to us for the purpose of honoring God
and helping others. This is done through
holy living that springs from the application of understanding to our lives.
“These are wells without water, clouds that
are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great
swelling [words] of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, [through
much] wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them
liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is
overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” (2 Peter 2:17-19)
SUMMARY:
To
aspire to acquire greater wisdom and understanding can be motivated out of love
for God and those around us, or selfishness and pride.
For
those who are wise, their desire for increased wisdom and understanding is
motivated by a desire for God’s glory and other’s benefit. For the foolish, they may desire to acquire
understanding and wisdom for their own personal gain.
By
God’s grace let us all desire to attain the wisdom and understanding of the
Lord so that we might be better servants for Him.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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