Wisdom vs. Folly

Happy return from the long weekend.

As I noted last week, I am beginning a journey through Proverbs. Very prominent to the first part of Proverbs is the wise teacher's instruction to his son about spending time with the right woman. On the surface, the words function as a very straightforward admonition to be faithful to one's spouse and to flee from the temptation of adultery. This advice alone would be incredibly worthwhile, especially for our own day and age. The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. The temptation is alluring, but it leads to death, as the picture above has attempted to capture.

The teacher, I believe, is going a step deeper, though. These two women - the faithful wife and the adulterous temptress - become pictures for the greater realities of wisdom and folly. Wisdom (which begins with the fear of the Lord, as we discussed last week) is faithful. The world might paint it as being "boring" or "unadventurous," but it will lead you exactly where God wants you to be. Wisdom remains true, and the one who walks in wisdom doesn't have to worry about when the rug will be pulled out from underneath them. Wisdom actually delivers what it promises, in contrast to folly, which specializes in big promises and little returns.

As a redeemed child of God washed in the waters of baptism, we are called to embrace and hold fast to wisdom. In fact, the Church historically has seen Wisdom personified in Proverbs as a picture of Christ. As a child of God making your next decision today, take some time to ask, "What is the wise thing for me to do in this circumstance?" Don't take a stroll past Dame Folly's house - stick close to Wisdom, and she will be a faithful companion always.

Where do we begin?

Happy Monday to you!

After taking on Ecclesiastes over the last couple weeks, I decided to go backwards in my Bible to consult more wisdom from King Solomon in Proverbs. I am convinced that, of all the gifts I could receive from God at this stage in my life as a husband, son, soon-to-be father, friend, pastor, and child of God, wisdom is one gift of which I could use a whole lot more.

If you, like me, feel like you are a beginner on the journey of growth in godly wisdom, the well-known but seldom-reflected words of Proverbs 1:7 strike you: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Where do wisdom and knowledge begin? With the fear of the Lord. In other words, if I at least fear God, I have a fighting shot at growing in wisdom. If I lack fear of God, no amount of information gathering and observation will ultimately help me.

Sometimes Proverbs is painted as a book of helpful, worldly wisdom that is short on spiritual value. While it does indeed impart wisdom for living in the world, it is a book written by the people of God for the people of God. We can call Proverbs "worldly wisdom" precisely because it is God's world that we are talking about. Those who rightly fear the Lord understand that He is the Creator of all things, and that creation testifies to the justice of His ways. When the Lord's ways are transgressed, consequences follow. One doesn't need to look far to see this reality at work around us.

God's will is that we would be wise. He sent Jesus, wisdom in the flesh, to live the life of obedience that we foolish rebels could not live. He won forgiveness through the "foolishness of the cross" and brings us to faith by "the foolishness of what is preached" (the death of Christ as the power of God). He imparts His Spirit, who works through the Word spoken and delivered in the Sacraments to remind us of God's promises and make us more and more like Jesus. His redeemed people are meant to grow in grace and wisdom.

Want to be wise? Fear (have holy respect for and trust in) the Creator, in whose world you live. It's the best and only place to start.

How do I conduct myself in a life that is "meaningless"?

Hello again!

Last week, I began my journey through the book of Ecclesiastes. This morning, I concluded that journey. If you're looking for an upbeat, positive look at this life, you won't find it from the "Teacher." Solomon has taken a look at life lived under the sun from just about every angle, and his conclusions are anything but triumphalistic.

• Living wisely has value, but even the wise fall victim to unexpected and unexplainable disaster.
• Building a future for our children can be an exercise in futility if our children lack a good head on their shoulders.
• By seemingly dumb luck, foolish people find themselves in positions of power and influence.
• Wise or fool, the same fate - death - overtakes us all.

On more than one occasion, the Teacher answers for himself and us the question that naturally follows: "If everything is meaningless in the end, how do I live my life - how do I keep from despair?"

His answer? "Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart" (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20).

In other words, don't worry about the stuff outside of your control. Leave it to God. I've found in this age of increasing and constant news via cable and the internet that we, perhaps now more than ever, have the ability to know about (and as a result, worry about) more of the world's events than previous generations ever could. Will increasing knowledge of the chaotic and broken world around us bring us to despair, or will we respond faithfully by doing what God has given us to do in our vocations and commending the rest to His care, releasing it to Him in prayer?

We might be tempted to become cynical of the Christian life in this world. "I live as a child of God, and it gets me nowhere." But God watches our conduct, and His justice will prevail in the end. "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14). If you plan on living carelessly, take heed. But for the child of God, baptized into Christ, given His righteousness, and living as a temple of the Holy Spirit, we have the promise that the good God does in and through us will not be meaningless in the end. The promise of resurrection life - guaranteed by Jesus' death and resurrection - gives the stuff of this life eternal value. You are forgiven and free! Don't despair - be faithful.

Resurrection - An answer to "meaningless"?

Hi friends,

I apologize that it has been so long since I last posted. Life has been busy - but it has been busy for you too, so no excuses. Anyway, back on the horse.

This week, I've decided to take on the book of Ecclesiastes during my devotional time. As you read Ecclesiastes, you are immediately confronted with an exasperated sigh. "Meaningless!" Some translations have "Vanity!" The Hebrew behind this word indicates something that has no substance to it - a vapor, for example. As soon as it comes, it goes. The Teacher of Ecclesiastes laments that everything under the sun is meaningless - it has absolutely no staying power. Creation does what it does, and we have little power over it, as recent natural disasters have shown us. Though wisdom seems a better path than folly, both the wise and the fool end up experiencing the same fate - death. And for the wise person who has saved and stored up good things, there is no guarantee that an heir won't be foolish and squander in months what has been toiled for over the course of a lifetime. The stuff of this life, concludes the Teacher, is like a vapor - and who chases after a vapor?

While many conclude that the Teacher's point in Ecclesiastes is that God gives our life under the sun meaning (a valid point), I believe the Teacher is looking for something even more concrete. I believe that the writer of Ecclesiastes is a God-fearing person, and yet even for the child of God the stuff of this life, the toil we are given to do, can appear to be nothing more than an exercise in chasing after wind. What if God offered us something more substantial - something heavier?

Interestingly, the Hebrew word which we translate as "glory" also means "heavy." It is the opposite of vanity and meaninglessness. It lasts. Jesus has experienced it, and he offers it to us. "Did not the Christ have to suffer these things (His passion) and then enter his glory?" (Luke 24:26). I believe that Easter and Resurrection provide the answer to meaninglessness. Under the curse of sin, we and the creation are subject to a toilsome and frustrating existence, ending in death. But Jesus' resurrection gives us a picture of something greater, something more substantial. For the child of God, baptized into Christ, death no longer can short-circuit our labor in Him under the sun. We proclaim a creation that will be redeemed and bodies that will be raised to eternal life because our Savior came to die and rise again. His glory will be revealed in us, as Romans 8:18 says.

Does life feel meaningless? Look to the promises of Easter.