Sunday, August 19, 2007

"A Real Wise Guy" - sermon by Ruth L. Foss, August 20, 2006, Wesley United Methodist Church, Concord, NH

August 20, 2006
1 Kings 3:3-14

A Real Wise Guy

Poor Solomon…his father David had just died. On his deathbed, his father left him with instructions for life. He was told to be strong and courageous, to keep the charge of the Lord by walking in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances and His testimonies. Here is this 20-year-old boy that has now become king over Israel…he was in charge of God’s people…the chosen ones. He did not know how to be a good king…a leader of the people. Solomon loved the Lord and walking in the statutes of his father David. He wanted to be a good king. He needed help…how was he going to do this task…his calling from God?

Well… When he was at Gibeon…Solomon heard the knock of opportunity, the answer to his dilemma when the Lord appeared to him in a dream. God said “Ask what I should give you”…he knew what he needed most of all…he knew that without God’s help he could not be a good leader…this was his answer for his dilemma. Solomon could have asked for anything…wealth…power…many wives…but what he asked for was something that would benefit everyone, not just himself. He asked for wisdom to govern the people of Israel…God’s people…to be able to discern good from evil. God granted Solomon his request…his wisdom was better than anyone else before him or after him…he had a wise and discerning mind. But not only did God grant wisdom to Solomon…He gave him so much more than what he had asked. He was given riches and honor in life. He was given long life if he followed God’s statutes and commandments as his father David did. Unfortunately…in 1Kings 11:2 we find out that he messed up that blessing by entering into marriage with the people of the region and followed their gods…their idols…instead of the one true God.

In the Bible…wisdom is the exercise of sound and reverent, prayerful judgement…The test of true wisdom is how well its applied in day-to-day practice. The wise are those who, through faithfulness to the commandments of God, live well. Through spiritual knowledge, combined with practical experience, they are able to give wise counsel about navigating life’s pitfalls. To me…these are people who have learned lessons from what they have seen and gone through in life. They are able to use this wisdom to help others. They are able to help others that are on that same road to “folly”.

During VBS this year I had the joy of being the assembly leader. We had six different age groups and I thought…I should give each group a name. Well…because we were seeking the treasures of God this year…I decided to give them names with jewels. They were names like Sapphires of the Savior, Amethyst Angels and the like. Well…this year we had an adult group with us. With their name…I thought for a moment and came up with the perfect name for them…they were my pearls of wisdom. To me…they are a jewel of great treasure. They have lived through so much and have so much wisdom to share with all those who will listen. Unfortunately, in today’s society, these treasures are locked away and forgotten. All too often they are not thought of as being wise…they are thought of being in the way. Oh how much we miss and how much richer our lives would be to have them in it. How blessed we would be to gain their wisdom.

We, here at Wesley, have what I consider the joy of having a lot of these pearls among us. We should take advantage of this blessing…we should have more multi-generational events…we should take the opportunity to learn from these “Wise Guys (and Gals)”. On the wall in our hallway across from the parlor…there are sign up sheets that will allow us to do just that. They are for Spiritual Formation groups that will help bring us together as one body. Why not take advantage of these opportunities of a lifetime to enrich each other’s lives and walk with God.
Wisdom…what is this thing that we all strive for? Where do we find this wisdom? Once we obtain it…what are we to do with it? Well…Psalm 111:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…All those who practice it have a good understanding. We must first value God’s wisdom above that of our culture and even that of our own self-interest…When we fear the Lord and walk in His ways and realize how it is His righteousness that endures forever…He is gracious and merciful to us. Solomon feared the Lord…He knew that the God of His ancestors was the one true God…He was able to receive the wisdom from God because he was open to what God wanted…he wasn’t concerned about what he wanted…his own agenda…He was more concerned about leading God’s people not obtaining wealth and notoriety for himself. He wanted to do the right thing by God’s standards and not the standards of those around him.

A favorite poet of mine wrote a poem about this wisdom. I feel that it really captures the essence of this verse of Psalm 111. It is called The Beginning of Wisdom and it reads:

In the beginning, we were afraid
we knew our nakedness
biting into the flesh of the fruit
of the forbidden tree

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
the psalmist wrote, oh so long ago
We forget so often
forget He is a jealous God
forget our weakness without him
walk in our own paths
for a separate false idol
graven images and temporal pleasures
Opportunities of epiphany lost
in our self-reliance

Cleave to the Lord
follow his commands
love one another
share in the Good News
Hear His still voice
burning within you now


The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord but so many times we forget where our wisdom comes from. We think that we have obtained this wisdom on our own. We forget that we have been blessed with a gift from God to use for His glory…not our own.

James 1:5 states that “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.” Solomon asked for wisdom and got so much more. He prayed with a humble heart. He knew he could not lead the people by his own wisdom. He knew that with God’s help he would be a good king. He knew how God had been there for his father David. He knew God is ever present…there to help His children…His chosen ones. Ah…to pray as Solomon did…To put others before ourselves. That is a prayer God is so willing to answer. Wisdom…it is one thing we should all be asking for…the one thing we should all desire.

My favorite poet wrote a poem called “A Prayer for Wisdom”…it talks about Solomon’s prayer…but not only is it Solomon’s prayer…it is a prayer for all of us…a prayer from the heart. It reads:

Wisdom, discernment
precious gifts, a heritage, a grounding
a life worth living
when these are the callings of the heart
a prayer of the king
in the quiet of a dream.
How amply rewarded
are the selfless pleadings
of the faithful


Now that is what I call wisdom…Knowing that you need help, knowing that this is a precious gift, knowing that the Lords wisdom leads to a life worth living. A life surrounded and grounded in our Creator. The wisdom we receive from God is not the same wisdom we acquire from the world…any human wisdom. It goes beyond any wisdom of the world…beyond intellectual understanding it leads to salvation. When we accept Christ and fear the Lord…we are on the road to true wisdom.

Society tells us that we can accomplish anything by our own devices…our own strength…our own determination. It tells us that in order to succeed we need to have “book knowledge”…to be a scholar…if we don’t have it we have nothing. Now I don’t know about you but I know people who are book smart but have no IDEA what true wisdom is. They can tell you about how things are done or how they run but the have no common sense…no wisdom for every day living. Is that true wisdom when you can’t even deal with day to day life? Not in my book!

We are to share our wisdom…our lessons…with those around us. Solomon’s God-given wisdom is shared with us through the words of Proverbs. They are the basis of some of our popular says we use today. Words like “spare the rod spoil the child…a fool and his money are soon parted…beauty is only skin deep” and many others like them. We need to help those who may be walking down the road to “folly”…down a road we have traveled before and found it lead to sin or destruction. We are to be our brothers’ (and sisters’) keeper…being concerned for their Spiritual welfare. We need to teach our children and the future generations how to become wise guys (and girls) for God. We need to share this gift from God with all those around. Spiritual gifts are given to us to share not to hoard for ourselves. They are to be used to glorify God. They are not to be hidden in a box and buried in the ground. They are to planted in the hearts and minds of others so that they too can grow into the wise children God would have them be.
Wisdom…what a wonderful, enlightening, beautiful gift from our Creator. What a wonderful gift to be shared with those around us. What a responsibility we who have obtained it have. Solomon’s plea…his prayer…was accepted by God. Solomon preferred Spiritual blessings above temporal ones. But not only did he receive wisdom…he also received much more than he had hoped for or imagined. The way to Spiritual blessings is to be on bended knee for them…to humble ourselves before the throne of God…to wrestle with God for them as Solomon did. Asking for that only…just for wisdom to rule over God’s chosen people, as one of the needed things. The way to obtain temporal blessings is to be indifferent about them…trusting God concerning them. Solomon received wisdom because he asked for it and wealth because he didn’t.

The question I leave you with today is this…what type of “Wise Guy/Gal” are you? Are you searching for the wisdom of the world…wisdom that lasts for a short time and benefits you alone? Or are you searching for true wisdom…that gift from God. The gift that is useful in teaching, rebuking, edifying and admonition. A wisdom that is beyond all measure of the worlds standards. Wisdom that will last for your life time and, if shared, will live on after you. Wisdom only given by our Creator to all whom asks.

AMEN


by Pastor Ruth Foss
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Suncook United Methodist Church
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All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,710+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

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