Wisdom and Discernment

Proverbs chapter 9.

Proverbs 9 · chapter mention

Proverbs chapter 9.

Proverbs 9 · chapter mention

Leave your simple ways and live and walk in the way of insight.

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you.

Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser.

Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

For by me your days will be multiplied,

and years will be added to your life.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself.

If you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The woman of folly is loud.

She is seductive and knows nothing.

She sits at the door of her house.

She takes a seat on the highest places of the town,

calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way.

Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.

And to him who lacks sense, she says,

stolen water is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

But he does not know that the dead are there,

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Well, in Proverbs chapter 9.

Proverbs 9 · chapter mention

So I think we don't have to argue the case

that everybody would recognize

there are competing worldviews,

competing ideas of what defines the good life,

and competing ideas of what it is to live the good life.

In terms of Proverbs,

they're competing ideas of wisdom and foolishness.

Now, they cannot all be right

because they say such different things.

You might say, well, none of them could be right,

and that's true, that's a possibility.

Some could be right and others wrong,

and that's a possibility,

but they can't all be right.

And the big question about that then is,

how do I know that my worldview

or my view of life and the good life is correct?

How do I know the worldview

that's shaping my life is wise?

And how do I know that it's actually delivering

the good life I crave?

Is it possible to think that my worldview

is delivering the good life

and actually be deceived?

Well, Scripture tells us, yes.

It's possible to think you're in wisdom,

and yet you're in foolishness.

Australians, and I may not sound like one,

but I count myself as one,

I haven't lived much more of my life here

than in Ireland.

But Australians think of themselves

as very open-minded.

So if you're talking to Australians,

they'll say, look,

I'm easily persuaded by evidence and truth.

And if you talk about history,

they'll say, yes,

and I'm persuaded by evidence and truth

in contrast to past generations

where it was so obvious

they were so full of prejudice,

racial prejudice, religious prejudice,

social prejudice, and so on and so forth.

But in reality,

every person has prejudice.

That is, prejudice is buried background beliefs

about wisdom and the good life.

And these things are often things

we're blind to.

Sometimes we'll hear it expressed as,

well, that's just the way things are in life.

Probably that's a background belief,

a buried background belief

that just accepts without questioning.

And what that means is, I think,

oftentimes people just copy

the lifestyle that's familiar,

copy the lifestyle that's been handed down to them.

Copy the lifestyle that we see

others around them living.

And from that, they say,

well, if that's what the majority are doing,

then that must be the good life.

That must be wisdom.

And then from there,

most people would agree

that the closed,

the person who is closed-minded,

who backs their own form of wisdom

without ever examining it,

is actually foolish.

Or stupid.

And what we've done, you see,

as Australians,

is we've got ourselves into a real dilemma.

Because our society is committed

to the absolute freedom of the individual.

That means an individual is free

to believe what they want,

how they want,

and should be free

from even being examined

or corrected on that view.

But this is an expression of closed-mindedness.

And it's in conflict with discovering

the life of wisdom we crave.

Because if we're going to have a worldview,

it means,

and we've got to be able to examine it.

And in fact,

I would argue we need an external authority.

Because we can't actually trust

our own examination ultimately.

We need an external authority

which is both true

and actually works

when it comes to delivering the good life.

Now,

that takes us into Proverbs

because Proverbs presents

God's pathway of wisdom.

And it presents it as the only one

that delivers the good life we crave.

In fact,

the Bible at other points

and quite repeatedly

through the scriptures,

the Bible says

what Peter says

in chapter 1,

verse 18.

He says that everything else

is an empty way of life

handed down to you

from your forefathers.

It's that idea of just

taking what you've received,

what's popular,

what's familiar,

and trying to make the best of it.

Even though most of us would say,

hey,

it doesn't actually work.

Wisdom is about choices,

choices,

choices.

That's the reality

that these,

that first section of Proverbs,

Proverbs 1 · chapter mention

chapters 1 to 9

has been building towards.

Wisdom and foolishness

are competing alternatives.

And making right choices

requires discernment.

And heaps of it.

Wisdom is wholesome.

It's desirable.

It's valuable.

It's satisfying.

And generally,

wisdom is a course of action

which is reasonably obvious.

But we see it all around us

all the time

that wisdom doesn't happen automatically.

It's not something

we're naturally inclined to.

It's always as a choice,

and I think a tough choice,

to follow wisdom

and turn away

from foolishness.

Chapter 7, 8, and 9

emphasize this

with challenging pictures

or metaphors.

Chapter 7

was a sexual metaphor.

and the thing

that plays out there

is the choice

between true intimacy

and false intimacy

in the context

of a picture of seduction.

Chapter 8

was a treasure hunting metaphor

that Dave took us through

last week.

The choice is between

real treasure

and counterfeit treasure

that looks shiny,

that dazzles

and turns your head

but just doesn't deliver.

The choice is always

between finding life

in relationship with God,

expressing God's character

and every action of life

and chasing

an alternative life,

a life of autonomy,

a life of rejection

of God's pathway.

And as Dave said last week,

foolishness always presents

as an equal alternative.

That's the sneakiness,

the deceitfulness of it.

It always presents

as an equal alternative

to God's wisdom

but it actually seduces

and dazzles

and appears popular

while actually destroying people.

So once again I say

to make right choices,

every person needs

discernment

in spade loads.

And chapter 9

I'm suggesting this morning

is a case study

in wisdom and discernment.

So critical,

as I'm saying,

is in this process

of finding

and nurturing wisdom

is discernment.

Now,

what is discernment?

Discernment's

the ability

to sort through

apparently equal options

and dig into it

in a way

that you can

identify

and avoid lies

or false reality

and embrace truth

or true reality.

Bit of a tautology there

but for emphasis.

Now,

I would actually venture to say

and it's a bit sad to say

that I think discernment

appears practically

to be in really short supply

in our world.

And I think it's actually

even the case

among Christians

that discernment

is in short supply.

One of the past greats,

the theological greats

said that

they figured that discernment

was probably the last characteristic

that Christians would develop.

Well,

come with me then

into chapter 9.

And what we have here

is another metaphor.

It's a metaphor,

a party metaphor

where the choice here

in chapter 9

is between

a life-giving

and a life-destroying

party.

Now,

it could be a feast,

it could be a party,

it could be an event.

I'm just using those terms

interchangeably.

But party's probably

something we resonate

with more.

So,

there's two competing

identical party invitations.

One from this woman

called Dem Folly,

we'll call her Dem Folly.

If you look at verse 16,

look at the words.

Whoever is simple,

let him turn in here.

There's the invitation.

And verse 4,

identical invitation.

Whoever is simple,

let him turn in here.

Now,

these two invitations

turn up in your mailbox.

And at that point,

they look identical.

Which party will you go to?

Each is issued

to the simple.

Now,

hear this next sentence

very, very carefully.

The simple

is a description

not of mental capacity,

but of mental attitude

to life.

It's about an approach

to life

of the average person.

The simple person

is the average person.

That's the point

in this metaphor.

It's the average person

who,

in a sense,

is a bit aimless

and drifting in life,

yet always looking

for the next exciting thing.

unthinking,

at points,

easily believing

what others say

and do,

yet quite defensive

and headstrong

when challenged.

It's a strange mix,

but I think that

does describe

the average person

we rub shoulders with.

The invitations

are identical,

but the shape

of the two parties

is radically different.

They're different

in basic appeal.

If you look at

verses 13 and 14,

I'm dealing with

Dame Folly first

and then come back

to Lady Wisdom.

So Dame Folly,

her appeal

is loud

and seductive

and shameless.

That's the word

in English there,

knows nothing,

is probably better

translated shameless.

She's right out there.

She's in your face.

She sits at the door

of her house.

She takes a seat

in the highest places

of the town,

calling to those

who pass by her,

going straight on their way.

She's loud.

It sounds a bit familiar.

Loud, proud,

and shameless.

And she knows

jolly well

that the majority

of people

will just be passing

right past her front door.

She doesn't have

to work too hard.

She just needs

to get their attention

as they go past

and suck them in.

And she assumes

a crowd at her party.

Verse 3,

In contrast,

Lady Wisdom

knows the average person

will not be naturally

inclined to accept

her invitation.

So she's busy

pursuing individuals,

pleading with them

to come to her event.

The two parties

are radically different

in AIM.

Dame Folly,

as we just read

those verses,

her biggest intent

is just to fill her house.

Get them all in.

She cares nothing

for the people

she seduces

into her party.

So she makes it easy

for people

to be there.

And notice,

there's no obvious

cost of entry.

She invites them

into that place

if you look at

verse 15 and 17.

She invites them

into an environment

that's familiar,

that's comfortable.

Where you can hang out

with all the people

you've always wanted

to be around.

The cool people,

the celebrities,

the high profile sports people,

the sexy people,

and so on and so forth.

Verse 17,

water is often

a picture

for sexual expression

in the Proverbs

and the Old Testament.

So it's almost

as if this Dame Folly

is saying,

hey listen guys,

I just want to fill my house.

Tell you what,

leave your brains

at the door.

Leave your morals

at the door.

Come inside

and I promise you

you can indulge

in all the fantasies

of your heart,

all the desires,

the secret desires

of your heart

you long wanted

to express.

Because in my place

if it feels good

and everybody else

is doing it

then you can be sure

it's right.

You can be sure

I've got the good life.

But we're told here

that in truth

her party is toxic.

And it's a picture

of Todd Sweeney's place

where the bodies

are being piled up

in the cellar

while more people

are pouring

through the front door.

And what do we discover?

We discover

there is a huge cost

of entry to pay.

But in her party

it's landed on you

at the last minute.

What's the huge cost

of entry?

Death.

Destruction.

And by the time

you realize

there's a huge cost

of entry

it's too late.

It's pay up time.

The good life

they thought

they had found

was actually

a lifeless life.

Now in sharp contrast

Lady Wisdom

is deeply concerned

for those

she invites.

Her party

again remember

and this is all

metaphor

that's all

picture language

verses 1 and 2

her party

comes from

a really solid house.

We might use

exchange that

for the word worldview.

She comes from

a really solid

well thought out

well constructed place.

She's prepared

meticulously

and she's offering

a lavish feast

of meats

and wine.

The sort of stuff

that would really

satisfy the body

and satisfy the soul

in the metaphor.

But her party

has a very obvious

upfront cost

to be paid

which she makes

no bones about.

Look at verse 6.

She says

yeah come to my party

by all means

I really would love

to have you here

but verse 6

leave your simple ways

and live

and walk

in the way of insight.

She's saying

look if you want

to come to my party

that would be terrific.

I want you there

but the cost of entry

is that you must

be prepared

to examine your life.

You must be prepared

to leave behind

wrong thinking

of the past.

You must be prepared

to be pushed

into unfamiliar

uncomfortable places.

My party

won't be

a cocahoot affair.

My party

will be serious.

It will be challenging.

but it will deliver

something the other

party will never

be able to deliver.

It will deliver life.

You need to be willing

to think deeply

about the big questions

of life.

You need to leave

behind your

previous sense

of self

in as much

as you discover

that

to be foolish.

You need to be

prepared to embrace

a new world view

a new lifestyle

in short

true wisdom.

I don't know

I'm not a big

party person

but

in terms of

the metaphor

you can see

one party

is

eminently

appealing

isn't it?

And the other

you just think

and that's exactly

the point of the passage.

The party

that Lady Wisdom

throws

doesn't present

like an exciting

fun party.

few I suspect

are interested

in thinking

about the invitation

let alone

committing to be

at the party.

Few are prepared

to challenge

popular belief

of the crowd.

That's what it is

to be the average

Australian.

Go with the flow.

And in brackets

still say

I'm evidence based.

but those

who do

take up

the invitation

to Lady Wisdom's

party

discover

that not only

is it a brilliant

party

but it's actually

an investment

in the good life

which lasts

for eternity.

So yeah

there's an upfront

cost

but boy

the cost

is nothing

compared to

what the party

itself delivers.

so

choices

choices

choices

and how we make them

choices

and why we make them

which party

to buy into

at first glance

the choice

would appear

totally obvious

wouldn't it

when you set it out

the way I've set it out

you would choose

life over death

every time

because remember

that is the quest

of life

for every single person

we want

we're actually

in our heart

of hearts

every person

whether Christian

or non-Christian

every person

is on that quest

to find

what is the good life

and so

if life's on offer

then

wouldn't we take

life over death

every time

yes of course

we would

that's the obvious

choice

but here's the

deceptiveness

of foolishness

in reality

so many

persist

in pursuing

the popular

lifestyle of

if it feels

good

and everyone

else is doing

it

then

it's got to be

right

it's got to be

good

it's got to be

the best there is

even when

the evidence

suggests

it's foolish

and when

their own

experience

tells them

that this

life I pursued

has actually

failed to deliver

the good life

that it promised

me it would

deliver

it's failed

to deliver

the security

the intimacy

the satisfaction

which I crave

in my heart

of hearts

and which it

promises

why

well

come to the

last section

so the two

party invitations

form a bracket

around the chapter

and then verses

70-12

dig into

this question

of why

why

is something

so obvious

it's not

automatic

verse 70-12

gives us a very

simple principle

and then I'll

dig into it a little bit

verse 70-12

says really

essentially this

why do people

pursue

foolishness

and destruction

when the choice

for life

is obvious

answer

very simple

it's a question

of whether a person

is teachable

it's a question

of whether they

have discernment

or not

Proverbs has

five or six

different words

to describe

different aspects

of foolishness

that are used

over all the

chapters

each

remember

I say again

each describing

mental attitude

not mental

capacity

so there's

nothing wrong

with people's

ability to think

when they're

called the

simple

or in verse

7

when they're

called a

scoffer

the simple

person is now

described as

the scoffer

the same

person

but here

the word

has an emphasis

on being fixed

in their thinking

being closed

minded

now I've said

before the

average Australian

presents as

open minded

what I would

argue is

actually closed

minded

and

unteachable

they claim

to be

evidence

shaped

yet generally

go with the

flow of what

is popular

you speak to

them

and they're

absolutely

confident

that they

know

what life

is about

and they'll

back themselves

in what life

is about

yet at the

same time

you're

thinking

hang on

a minute

you're not

showing me

any evidence

you've actually

thought deeply

about this

and when you

challenge the

average Australian

man you find

how seriously

they dislike

challenge or

correction

recognition of

their world

view

they'll back

themselves and

their own

form of

wisdom

every time

so totally

committed to

their own

autonomy

their own

form of

wisdom

as they

chase the

good life

that in the

end they

interpret every

circumstance as

supporting what

they already

believe

and when things

go wrong

their response is

to back

themselves

and blame

others

why is my

life falling

apart

well because

they did this

and he did

that and she

did that

and society

has let me

down

never

oh my goodness

maybe I've got

the wrong

world view

in stark

contrast

verse 9

the wise

person

knows their

heart

or knows

something of

their heart

the wise

person is

suspicious of

their attitudes

they recognize

their potential

for foolishness

a few weeks

ago

Bo spoke

about that

as the

paradox of

the gospel

paradox of

proverbs

that the

person who's

starting to

nurture wisdom

actually begins

by acknowledging

foolishness

and seeking

external wisdom

external guidance

external rule

in life because

we've made a

mess of our

own lives

and we

can't even

sort of

trust our

own

motivations

our own

analysis

to work out

what's right

and what's

wrong sometimes

we need an

external source

as a reference

point

in verse 10

that process

of wisdom

and it is a

process

verse 10

leads

to the

Lord

as a source

of real

wisdom

and ultimately

the source

of the good

life

but notice

again you

see we've

said this

over many

weeks now

verse 10

the fear

of the

Lord

the fear

of the

Lord is

much more

than

acknowledgement

of his

existence

it's much

more than

just a sort

of general

respect

for God

as being

part of

our universe

fearing the

Lord is

actually craving

knowledge of

him

that only

comes through

relationship

with him

and exposure

to his

character

and purpose

which in

turn then

overflows

practically

into all

of life

and verse

11 then

sort of

gives some

illustration

of that

wisdom

or understanding

of success

or understanding

of happiness

and security

of life

is shaped

ultimately

by a

person's

view of

God

by understanding

God's

character

and by

relationship

with him

that overflows

as I take

on and form

the mind

of the Lord

in the Lord

Jesus Christ

then I start

to understand

wisdom

I start to

express wisdom

I start to

live wisely

in God's

world

and so

in summary

and if you

haven't heard

anything else

or haven't

connected

try and

listen to

this

connection

here

it's on

the outline

that's on

the back

of your

bulletin

in summary

then

the principle

of teachability

or discernment

is a

process

we start

with choices

and those

choices

hundreds

thousands

of them

will be

choices

either

towards

wisdom

or towards

foolishness

over a

period of

time

our

choices

actually

shape

and form

our

character

so our

character

then will

either be

increasingly

discerning

and growing

in wisdom

or

increasingly

drifting

into

foolishness

greater

foolishness

choices

choices

character

and ultimately

all of that

will determine

destiny

life

or death

my friends

hear this

wisdom

is not

simply

a one

off

choice

that we

make as

Christians

or we

make as

people

and sometimes

I think

that's what

we think

wisdom is

wisdom

now we

get wisdom

in a

one

off

choice

as we

come to

Jesus

no

question

about that

but

nurturing

wisdom

and becoming

wise

is a

lifetime

progression

people

people do

not discover

life

or stumble

into

destruction

through

one

isolated

decision

it's not

one

strike

and you're

out

but it's

a process

of choices

wisdom

is a process

of choice

reflecting

attitude

to God

and reflecting

conclusions

about the

source

and shape

of the

good life

and ultimately

and that's

what the

point of

verse 12

is

I spent

a long

time

trying to

work out

verse 12

I think

this is

what it

is

ultimately

that

process

is for

each

person

and each

person

alone

to own

if you're

wise

you're wise

for yourself

if you

scoff

you alone

will bear

it

we so

readily

blame

other

people

even

for our

own

choices

we blame

other

people

for the

consequences

of our

choices

I think

wisdom

says

that

how

we can

only look

at ourselves

for our

choices

and the

consequences

and the

destiny

that comes

from it

when you

look at

your own

character

and when I

look at

my character

I am me

I have to

take responsibility

for my

character

because it's

the product

of all those

choices

over many

years

I might

like to

blame other

people

but I have

to take

ownership

for it

whether

wise

or

foolish

it's

yours

to

own

no point

trying to

scam out

of it

it's

still

yours

to

own

you

can

blame

whoever

you like

but it's

still

yours

to

own

and that's

why

there's an

urgent call

in this

passage

to

nurture

discernment

as the

pathway

to wisdom

and the

climax here

takes us

back to

the very

opening

verses

of

Proverbs

Proverbs 1:1–6

chapter

1

verses

1

to 6

wisdom

is more

than

intellectual

knowledge

you can

have a

massive

intellectual

knowledge

and still

be a

fool

wisdom

is applied

knowledge

first of

all

accumulating

the right

knowledge

true

knowledge

but

ultimately

wisdom

is applying

that knowledge

and knowing

how to

apply that

knowledge

in every

situation

of life

that's

discernment

and it's

a paradox

as I

mentioned

a few

minutes

ago

it begins

by

recognizing

that our

natural

expression

of wisdom

is actually

foolishness

and counterfeit

and leads

to a cheap

imitation

of the good

life we

crave

wisdom

begins as we

recognize our

closed minded

autonomy

and we recognize

that that has

kept us from

considering properly

God's alternative

as an alternative

and God's word

says we get

wisdom when we

come to God

through Jesus

who is the

embodiment of

wisdom

1 Corinthians

and we grow

in wisdom

as God's

spirit shapes

new character

in us

expressed in a

willingness to

self-examine

and a new

struggle to make

every choice of

life a reflection

of God's

character

that's what it

is to grow

in wisdom

and here's the

appeal of

scripture

it's in

Proverbs

and it's

right through

the scripture

Psalm

I'm going to

just use

two

I could have

used dozens

Psalm 34

Psalms 34:8

verse 8

says this

and it's a

lovely picture

in the context

of a feast

it says this

test and see

that the Lord

is good

taste and see

that the Lord

is good

that's an

invitation

to a feast

a satisfying

soul

satisfying

feast

now

how will you

respond

will you be

like the

brattish

closed

minded

child

who looks

at the

vegetable

on the

plate

and says

no

I'm not

going to

eat it

I know

it's not

going to

be nice

I've never

done that

but I heard

other people

have children

who've done

that

I don't

think I

knew what

vegetables

was until

I was a

teenager

but anyway

unless there

was something

to throw

at your

brothers

so there's

your choice

you see

will you be

like that

closed

minded

child

and that's

what it

is

they look

at the

thing and

they make

a decision

about it

before they

even try

it

or

different

picture

will you

heed the

urging of

Romans chapter

Romans 12 · chapter mention

12

1 to 3

you can look

it up in

your own

time

essentially

there it

says

don't be

conformed

to what

the majority

are doing

on the

basis that

it feels

right and

the majority

are doing

it

rather

it says

be daring

be willing

to be

transformed

by the

renewal

of desires

and attitudes

and thinking

which in

turn it

says will

actually lead

you to

prove that

God's

wisdom

actually works

both

factually

and

experientially

and in

the end

my friends

that's what

I hear

all around

me

in Australia

our post

modern

post

most modern

society

don't tell

me if

something's

factually

correct

I want

to know

if it

works

if I

can

get the

experience

of the

good

life

that I'm

craving

Romans

says

you've

got to

be

prepared

to

be

transformed

to walk

away

from old

patterns

of thinking

to walk

into new

patterns

of thinking

new

attitudes

new

desires

a new

world

view

and if

you do

that

Romans

says

you will

find

the

proof

it will

be

self

authenticating

my friends

discernment

is not

seen

in quick

fix

decisions

and I

think

as

Christians

we're

still

totally

hooked

up on

that

we just

and I

include

myself

we just

want

life

to be

simple

we don't

want to

be having

to make

decisions

every day

make a

decision

Monday

morning

at nine

o'clock

and let

that cover

the whole

week

is what

we'd

like

at least

that's

what I

would

like

oftentimes

but it's

foolishness

discernment

is not

seen in

quick

thick

decision

but it's

seen in

the way

of long

training

and discipline

not simply

informing your

mind with

God's words

so that you

know what

is right

lots of

Christians

do that

they can

say oh

yes this

is what

the Bible

says about

this

this

and this

and this

not just

disciplining

your will

impractical

commitment

to doing

what you

know to

be right

yep

I'm going

to do

this

and not

this

because

that's

what the

Bible

tells me

today

but

training

the heart

to new

delight

in the

Lord

himself

so that

you follow

his pathway

to life

because

he

he

in this

person

is supremely

attractive

and beautiful

I

want

to be

like

my

father

I

want

to be

like

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

oh

and guess

what

overflows

out of

that

and if

you're a

person

and I'm

finishing

this

if you're

a person

who has

not yet

made a

choice

for wisdom

and there

will be

some

here

this

morning

whether

you're

in your

teenage

years

or younger

or

whether

the other

end of the

spectrum

and older

there'll be

some

here

this

morning

who's

not

yet

made a

choice

for wisdom

I say

to you

take

the first

step

now

before you

leave this

building

today

admit

that your

commitment

to autonomy

has led

you down

a dead

end

road

I suspect

that the fact

you're here

today

says that

something

about your

life

hasn't quite

delivered

and you're

looking

perhaps

for something

else

well

recognize

your autonomy

and recognize

how it has

taken you

down a

dead end

road

admit

that your

problem thus

far in life

is not so

much a lack

of knowledge

or desire

but an

empty heart

that is

settled for

fast food

instead of

the satisfying

feast offered

by Jesus

if you

want to pray

something really

really worthwhile

for yourself

and I include

everybody and I

include myself

let's pray for

discernment

let's pray

that we might

know what

is the right