Wisdom

 Wisdom - Readings from the Morning Prayer

The readings in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer for this week in Morning Prayer are about wisdom from Proverbs .  I had occasion this week on Sunday Morning to do a service from the 28 Book .  As I reflected on the words,  I found them to be meaningful and deeper than some of the newer Prayer Books.  It is rather sad actually to see the drift away from good solid Biblical teaching .  This is the society we live in that wants the fluff without the depth. No wonder our culture is mostly adrift in its own unhappiness.  

What does wisdom mean?  The Hebrew word for wisdom has its origin Word Origin: [a primitive root, to be wise (in mind, word or act) Biblehub.com Proverbs 8:12-20 Around  wisdom are prudence, discretion, knowledge from Proverbs 8:12.  

Our own age has abandoned most of these concepts.  We live in an age of short advertisments and commercials without depth. Watching television for a few minutes we surely see this!  We have knowledge we boast in the colleges and schools of our country. Another word for knowledge is truth.

Here we read before today's lesson Proverbs 8:5, " O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

6Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

7For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

9They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge."

If knowledge is truth and it is, then our society is far from it.  This is true even in our churches that do not read their Biblical confessions of faith.  The 39 articles are such of great truth as well as the Westminster Confession of faith.  Our churches don't read them. Even the officers elected who profess allegiance to them do not really believe these scriptural helps to their faith.  Clergy and ordained elders used to have to profess that they not only read these things but believed them.  It is only a show now with little belief.  We should be quite sad about this, for the churches are weak in their witness because of the lack of true belief in the knowledge of the faith.

If we start we knowledge then we are in the right place.

Number 2.  We read about wisdom in Proverbs 8. Prudence occurs here as well.  What is that ? Would this be the application of wisdom in our daily lives?  It seems so. Similar words are common sense, judgment, caution and carefulness.  

Prudence and common sense is not common today.  We drive this way as well.  I know there is a main road that goes through our town.  The speed limit is 30 mph.  They say on the sign it is strictly enforced.  But I hardly see that.  The other day a white pick up truck passed on the double line to get around a car that was going about 30.  Our society seems to have no standards or beliefs that hold us to accountability.  

We see this all around us.  Even our own lives are lived in rather careless way.  We get easily upset and angry without thought in our actions.  Churches used to be places where we could come and hear Biblical messages that led us to truth .  Now there is much that is ignored.  The unborn are murdered.  People act in a rude manner without much thought to their actions.  The standards are ignored by and by.   Even the confession of sin has been watered down in the newer liturgies.  I had occasion to watch a service of Epiphany from the 28 Prayer Book.     The sermon was clear about the actions of the wise men.  Herod however professed to want to worship the newborn King .  He was not telling the truth.  

There are only two ways to behave.  One is the way of death and the other is the way of life.  We act out our faith in Church .  Then we get home and go back to our ways of unbiblical behaviour. 

Lastly, the third word is discretion.  It has similar meaning to wisdom and prudence. This word has two actions.  There are wicked plans and there are good plans we make for action.  

Conclusion-  We need these good actions and good words in our lives.  To pursue wisdom and discretion with understanding we need godly fear and application of it in our words as well as our actions. Proverbs exorts us to wisdom.  It is so badly needed today in our country and churches. Proverbs 8:14 talks about God's counsel and wisdom.  With these actions and beliefs we have understanding and strength.