MADAM WISDOM
Life is often confusing and overwhelming. There are decisions to be made, but we are often unsure what the right course of action is. Life can come at us quickly, making it feel like we are flying an airplane while trying to build it mid-flight. There are moments when we are not sure if we are going to stay in the air or crash to the ground. During the moments when our lives seem to be spiraling out of control, we need direction and stability. Managing life’s responsibilities can leave us exhausted and bewildered. That is why one person quipped, “I have been putting a lot of thought into it, and I just don’t think being an adult is going to work for me.”
Life can be certainly perplexing, but there is a way to keep our bearings and successfully manage whatever may come our way. Because life can regularly be baffling and distressing, leaving us unsure of what decision to make next, we all need wisdom. The foundational question is, where will we seek the necessary wisdom to make good choices and keep our lives on track? From the world or from God?
While there are big decisions in life to make, such as who to marry, where to live, and where to work, there are also hundreds of commonplace decisions we make every day. What do we say to a grieving friend? How do we handle a difficult work situation? Should we confront a friend’s behavior? What is the best way to handle a disciplinary issue with one of our children?
In the book of Proverbs, God offers practical ways to apply his wisdom to the situations we face. In several places in the book, wisdom is personified as a woman who I like to call Madam Wisdom. From Proverbs 1:20-21 we learn that God’s wisdom is not hidden somewhere to be discovered only by a select few. Wisdom is readily available to all people, meaning those who seek wisdom can easily find it. Solomon writes, “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks” (Proverbs 1:20-21). Wisdom in these two verses is pictured as a woman roaming the streets looking for someone to instruct in the ways of godliness.
Notice, wisdom is shouting her message in the public arena. Rather than secluding herself in a private place, she is out in the street, making herself known. She is raising her voice in the markets. She is in the busiest places in society where people gather and commerce takes place. Wisdom is located at the head of the noisy and crowded street crying out, begging people to listen to her life-saving instruction and be rescued from their folly. She is positioned at the city gates, the most prominent place in the city where people come and go, loudly proclaiming God’s wisdom to the pedestrians. God’s way, the way of right and wrong, is open and readily available to all people. God’s wisdom is not reserved for a select few; it is easily accessible for all who seek it.
Throughout Proverbs, we learn that there is no middle-ground between wisdom and folly (i.e., foolishness). Wisdom is desperately seeking the attention of those individuals who are willing to listen and are open to instruction. Since so many people are too preoccupied with their daily routines to listen to what God has to say, Madam Wisdom must shout in the streets, in the marketplace, and in the city gates, hoping to gain people’s attention.
Imagine Madam Wisdom walking methodically down a bustling city street shouting her message through a supercharged loud speaker, begging for people to turn their attention toward her life-saving instruction. Meanwhile, pedestrians are distractedly hustling about, too consumed with their shopping lists, business affairs, personal lives, and worries to pay her any attention.
In today’s fast paced culture, we all have plenty of noise and distractions in our daily lives, making it difficult to hear God’s wisdom. We live surrounded by screens, which bombard us with the foolish images and misguided messages of our culture. We also live in an age where foolish and destructive words are thrown at us at an alarming rate. Words possess great power. They demand our attention, shaping how we think, act, and feel.
Remember, Satan did not slither into the garden and show Eve a movie, a picture, or an Instagram video. The devil used his sly words to influence Eve and to tempt her to disobey God. Like no other time in history, we are saturated with unrighteous opinions and messages that constantly vie for our attention. Whether it is the images, words, or a combination of the two, the world’s messages are trying to shape the culture one heart at a time. This explains why we must be wise and carefully consider the voices that are gaining access to our minds and influencing our thoughts, priorities, and responses to God’s truth.
The messages we delight in today will profoundly shape who we become tomorrow. Rather than ignoring Madam Wisdom’s call, we must give her unlimited access to our hearts. As the voices of this evil age compete for our hearts, we must keep two verses of Scripture in mind.
1. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD (Proverbs 16:20).
2. Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation (Psalm 119:97-99).
In Proverbs 1:22, Madam Wisdom cries out, “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?” Notice Madam Wisdom’s lament: “How long?” The nature of this lament suggests that this destructive situation has been going on for far too long. Tired of being ignored and rejected, Madam Wisdom pleads with those who are snubbing her invitation to follow God’s word. The “How long” lament is directed at three specific groups.
1. Simple ones: these are those who are inexperienced, untaught, or naïve; they are easily deceived and love being simple. Of the three groups, the simple are typically the most teachable. While they are inexperienced and naïve, they are not fully established in their foolishness. Wisdom asks the simple, how long “will you love being simple?” The word love ('ahab) describes a strong desire that causes someone to cleave to something. In this case, the simple love their state of immaturity.
2. Scoffers: these are those who are scornful and speak arrogantly. They mock God’s wisdom and truth. Of the three groups, the scoffers are the most hardened. They hear the sound advice and godly wisdom, then promptly ridicule, mock, and criticize the one giving the instruction. Scoffers reject truth because they arrogantly believe they already possess all the answers to life’s questions. Wisdom asks the scoffers, how long will you “delight in your scoffing?” The word delight (chamad) means to hold dear (i.e., to covet, to take pleasure in), to have a strong desire for their condition. In this case, the scoffers are perfectly content in their state of scornful arrogance.
3. Fools: these are those who are complacently heading for destruction. They are blissfully drifting along in their stubbornness. They are more rebellious than the simple, but not as hardened as the scoffers. Fools consider wisdom to be their enemy. They are too busy having a good time to heed Madam Wisdom’s urgent call. Wisdom asks the fools, how long will you “hate knowledge?” The word knowledge (da`ath) means understanding or discernment. In this case, the fools despise wisdom and have no desire to listen to what God has to say.
All three groups relish in their present state of ignorance. They not only tolerate their ignorance, they wholeheartedly embrace it; they are living immoral lives and have no regard for God’s wisdom–and they like it that way.
While this may sound like a hopeless situation for the simple, the scoffer, and the fool, there is opportunity to change direction and follow after God’s word. In Proverbs 1:23, Madam Wisdom promises, “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” Despite their persistent rejection, God offers the simple, the scoffer, and the fool the opportunity to listen to His word and to obey His commandments.
If a simple one, a scoffer, or a fool repents in response to Madam Wisdom’s reproof, her spirit will be poured out and her words will be made known to them. Those who are rejecting God’s word and living in their sinful folly can change direction and follow God’s wisdom.
The offering of Madam Wisdom’s spirit is interesting in light of the other connections of God’s spirit and wisdom. Consider Isaiah 11:1-4:
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
It has been said that if you continue to do what you are currently doing you will continue to be what you currently are. If you are following the path of the simple, the scoffer, or the fool, please repent and choose to follow God’s wisdom. If you are following the path of the wise, however, press on in your obedience to God and enjoy the blessings of living in God’s wisdom.
Choosing to follow God’s path of wisdom begins when we decide to obey His commandments and follow the biblical principles and boundaries provided in Scripture. We must choose to follow wisdom. The decision to follow God’s wisdom or not determines whether we sow in the flesh or in the Spirit. Life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about following God’s wisdom and living in obedience to Him for his glory.
Staying on the path of wisdom requires four consistent practices:
1. Seek wise counsel from Scripture and from spiritually mature people who love you enough to tell you the truth.
2. Maintain a teachable spirit.
3. Obey God’s commandments.
4. Die to yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
Only faithfully following God’s path of wisdom can produce a life of joy, contentment, and lasting satisfaction. What is foolish and what is wise is determined by God, not the world. Be wise. Follow God’s wisdom and He will pour out His spirit upon your life and make His glorious words known to you.