Proverbs 9:8-12

In the name of him whose Word makes us wise for salvation, dear friends in Christ Jesus,

If you’re a fan of game shows, no doubt you’ve heard of Ken Jennings. Over a six-month period back in 2004, Jennings appeared on the game show Jeopardy and ran off a streak of 74 victories. It tied the longest winning streak in game show history. During the streak, Mr. Jennings ran up against and defeated 149 opponents. Finally, on the 75th show, in the Final Jeopardy round, the clue was: “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only 4 months a year.” Jennings wrote down “What is FedEx?” Wrong answer! His opponent had the correct one: “What is H&R Block?” The champion was dethroned! But don’t feel too sorry for Ken. His vast display of knowledge in any number of categories proved to be quite lucrative. In one game alone he won $75,000. In the end his winnings totaled over $2.5 million!

It seems as if we often have a fascination with those who possess knowledge that is far beyond the average person. Sometimes we might even become a bit jealous, wishing that we were that smart. Well, wish no longer! The wisdom that you possess right now as a child of God makes you some of the smartest people in the world! The wisdom that you possess right now opens the door to an eternity in heaven!

Let’s talk about this wisdom, where it comes from, and how it continues to grow in each of us. This morning our Lord tells us that when it comes to life, it’s important to:

“Get Smart with a Good Start!”

I. Learn the lesson
II. Receive the reward

If you want to change-up your Bible reading for awhile, read the Book of Proverbs. Written by Solomon, it offers a collection of short, compact statements meant to teach spiritual truths about human behavior. In the first eight chapters, Solomon highlights the blessings of godly wisdom when compared to the consequences of foolishness and immorality. Now in chapter 9 he reaches the high point of his message, summarized in verse 10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Let’s start there, at the “beginning.” The Hebrew word used here implies that this is the first of a series of things that are to happen. In other words, “the fear of the LORD” is the first thing we have to have if we’re going to grow in wisdom. It also means that we’re not going to stop with just this knowledge, but we’ll “learn the lesson” that Christianity involves constant growth in biblical knowledge and insight. We start out with the fear of the Lord, but we build from there.

Perhaps we should take some time to mention what kind of “fear” we’re talking about. Usually our first thought is to think about being afraid of God, of “fearing” what he can do to us. There’s a little bit of truth behind this definition when applying it to “the fear of the LORD.” However, as it’s used here the phrase is best understood as meaning “the recognition of the greatness of God.” Again, that could mean that we understand his power to judge us in our sinfulness. But for the Christian it’s more of a comfort, knowing that he has power to defeat the devil, take away our sins, and take us home to heaven.

Having that kind of wisdom makes you a smart person. It separates you and me from the rest of the unbelieving world. Go back to the first verse before us this morning where this difference is pointed out (v 8), “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” Jesus tells us that it is our duty to confront and correct our neighbors when they sin. He says in Matthew 18 (v 15), “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” But here Solomon warns us that a “mocker” isn’t inclined to listen to such admonishment. A “mocker” is one who arrogantly refuses to listen to anyone else because he assumes he has all the answers. Offer a mocker some advice, and “he will hate you.” Throw into this category all those who scoff at Christianity and its teachings, calling them “unscientific,” “repressive,” “old-fashioned,” and “irrational.” Certainly this would include the arrogant atheist who denies the existence of a god. The Bible minces no words when it comments on such a person (Ps 14:1), “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.” But there are other “fools” out there as well. Many educators today will promote the “wisdom” of evolution and arrogantly scoff at the mere thought of supreme being having a hand in creating this world. Is it any wonder, then, why there are so many who can’t accept needing that same God for their salvation? Paul tells us that the message of Christ-crucified is “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Co 1:23).

How different it is for you and me! We’ve learned the lesson that the very same message of Christ-crucified is anything but foolishness, but instead it’s “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Co 1:24). We’ve learned the lesson! We’re different than the “mockers” out there (v 8), “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” Be thankful someone taught you that you were a sinner. They made you smart by pointing out your inability to work out your own salvation and instead directed you to a Savior who took your place and won your salvation for you. That’s why we don’t feel threatened when our sins are pointed out, when we’re reminded of our failures. We know where we stand with God. We know we’re forgiven! We’ve learned the lesson of God’s justice, but we’ve also learned the message of God’s love in Christ!

And we’re meant to get even smarter! “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning” (v 9). We admit that we’re not “know-it- alls.” Not only are we willing to be confronted with our sins, but we’re eager to learn more, to become students and listen to our Lord. We’re far from being filled with knowledge when it comes to knowing about God and his Word, so we’re open to instruction, to being “given” (as the Hebrew puts it), to receiving more wisdom. We’ll never arrive at the end of our journey when it comes to growing in our faith, because that journey is never-ending. There are always more lessons to learn – all for our benefit because then we “will be wiser still.” You might say that the rich get richer! Jesus puts it this way (Mt 25:29), “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.” The more one knows God’s Word, the more one trusts God’s promises, follows God’s way, accepts the crosses God sends, and is generally better prepared for this life and the next.

By now you can probably make your own applications. If you want to “get smarter” when it comes to understanding your Lord and his plan for you, you have to “get into” the Word! So that’s why on a rather constant basis you’ll find me reminding you and myself about the importance of making it your Sunday morning routine to be here in God’s house. I’ll continue to encourage you to open your Bibles at home, to read your Meditations, and to lead your families in devotions. I want you and your loved ones to get smart with a good start, and to continue to get smarter each and every day – to grow more and more in “the fear of the LORD.”

When you learn the lesson being taught in a classroom at school, you receive the reward of getting a good grade on the test. When you learn the lesson God teaches in his Word, you also receive a reward: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (v 10). As we know more about God, as we learn more about his nature, then we know more about ourselves as well. He’s “the Holy One,” emphasizing his majesty and his perfection, the God who demands the same of us. But he’s also “the LORD,” the title used to describe him as the God of free and faithful grace, the God of our salvation. So we’re reminded of both our sinfulness and our forgiveness as we grow in our understanding of who we are by God’s grace.

True wisdom, based upon the fear of the Lord and knowledge of the Holy One, blesses God’s people. We have some of those blessings outlined for us (v 11), “For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.” Growing in spiritual wisdom means we’ll learn to leave things in God’s hands. We’ll learn to “cast all [our] anxiety on him because he cares for [us]” (1 Pe 5:7). And that will often lead to a longer, more stress-free life. But spiritual wisdom not only leads to many days and added years on this earth. It above all makes us “wise for salvation” (2 Ti 3:15), infinitely extending our days and years into life eternal.

Verse 12 serves as a nice summary, “If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.” Notice the personal emphasis here. Wisdom blesses “you” — each of us as individuals! Likewise, each “mocker” is left by himself to suffer. The Hebrew for “suffer” actually means to carry, giving us the picture of an unbeliever “carrying around” the effects and burdens of his foolishness. They have no answers. They have no comfort. They’re left only with suffering – suffering that will only get worse once they leave this world.

Compare the reward we receive with wisdom with the lonely effects of unbelief. Paul Getty, who died in 1976, was considered at the time to be the richest man in the world. He lived alone in Surrey, England. He owned oil wells, refineries, pipelines, hotels, insurance companies, and aircraft companies. But all his wealth could not give him happiness and security. He lived in constant fear. He had surrounded his 700-acre estate with guards, vicious dogs, steel fences, searchlights, sirens, and bells. He was also dreadfully afraid of germs, diseases, sickness, and death. He suffered alone, and he died alone – all because he lacked the fear of the Lord!

Get smart with a good start! Learn the lesson of godly wisdom, and then step back and receive its reward! Ken Jennings displayed a great deal of earthly knowledge during his run on the Jeopardy game show, and yet unfortunately his knowledge is still lacking. You see, Ken is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – he’s a Mormon, meaning that he doesn’t believe in Jesus as his Lord and Savior but only as someone who shows him how to earn his own way into God’s favor. In the end, all his earthly knowledge is useless for eternity.

Contrast this with the wisdom of a young girl named Kennedy. One night while her mother Maggie was getting supper on the table, Kennedy blurted out, “Mommy, Jesus died for you.” A few seconds later she turned to her father, Jeff, and said, “Daddy, Jesus died for you too.” Kennedy is one of the children from our child care center, and she’s all of two years old! But she’s one of the smartest little girls you’ll ever meet, because she knows about Jesus! Kennedy’s receiving a good start! She’s getting smart! She’s living proof that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”!

God grant that we all continue to grow in that very same “fear of the LORD” that makes each of us, like little Kennedy, “wise for salvation”!

Amen

–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff