The Way of Wisdom, Part 3

If you got your Bible, turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 7, Ecclesiastes chapter 7. And as you're turning there, I just want to remind you that I guess over the years, as I have pastored this church for 30 and been involved in ministry for another 10 years before that, through 40 years of ministry, I guess the thing that I am so disillusioned by is the lack of wisdom among Christians. Christians know a lot about different things. Some of them even know a lot about the Bible, which is probably a good thing.

But the ability to live in the light of wisdom and making decisions based on the truth of Scripture is not readily seen. And the reason for that is because wisdom cannot be taught in a classroom. Wisdom is not academic. Wisdom is not theoretical. Wisdom is extremely practical. And I guess that's where we fall short. The ability to live out the things that we say we know. And that's unfortunate. So the question comes, how do I acquire wisdom? How do I apply wisdom? Knowing that the value of wisdom is so important.

In fact, Solomon would say this in Proverbs 3.13, Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. The blessed man is the one who finds wisdom. Proverbs 8.11, For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. Wisdom is beyond anything the world can offer. He would say in Proverbs 16.16, How much better to get wisdom and gold than to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. Proverbs 24.14, So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul.

If you have found it, there is a prospect, and your hope will not be cut off. And then in Proverbs 3, Solomon says, That wisdom is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her. So the question would come up, Why is it man doesn't want wisdom?

Or why doesn't he act wisely? Proverbs 2.10, When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you, understanding will keep you. So the question comes is, If that's true, and it is because it's in the Bible, Why is it then the Christian has such a difficult time applying the truth wisely in his life? Why is it that when it comes to decision making, we really do tend to lean on our own understanding, instead of trusting in the Lord. But we truly lean on that which we already know, or we think we know.

And we make decisions based on past experiences, cultural upbringing, parental upbringing, instead of making decisions based on what God's Word has already said. It was Samuel Coolridge, the poet who said, Wisdom is common sense in an uncommon degree. Not bad. Francis Hutchinson said, Wisdom is pursuing the best ends by the best means. Cicero claimed, Wisdom is the knowledge of things, human and divine, and the causes by which they are controlled. Mark Twain once wrote, Wisdom is knowledge using its head.

Not bad. But it lacks the spiritual dimension. Because wisdom, biblical wisdom, is God-given. James would make this comparison in his book, James chapter 3, verse number 13, Who among you is wise in understanding? That's the question. He asked the question, Who among you has true wisdom, has understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but it's earthly, natural, and demonic.

Selfish ambition is demonic. It's not from above. Arrogance and bitter jealousy is demonic. It's not from above. So he says, For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Think about that. Where there is bitterness, where there is selfish ambition, where there is jealousy, there's nothing but disorder and evil. And then he says, But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering without any hypocrisy.

And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. One author said this about wisdom. He said, Wisdom is a synonym for the word, and it refers to that perfection and eternity which is to be found only in God the Father, manifested to the world through his Son, the Lord Jesus, and existing in the world today only through the Holy Spirit. The wise man is he who has given himself to Jesus Christ and who by the help of the Holy Spirit keeps his intellect in submission to the will of God.

That's very, very good. Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, combined with the book of Ecclesiastes, begins to give us a very simple but working definition for wisdom. It is true that wisdom is the application of truth to life. But how do you get there? And so from Ecclesiastes 7 and before that and beyond, and the book of Proverbs, you can come up with this definition. That wisdom is the God-given ability to clearly observe life beyond the sun in all of its beauty and dignity in order that you may effectively operate in life below the sun with stability and tranquility.

That's what Solomon gives us. Let me say it to you again because it's very, very important. Wisdom is the God-given ability to clearly observe life beyond the sun in all of its beauty and dignity in order that you may effectively operate in life under the sun with stability and tranquility. That's wisdom. That's the essence of wisdom. I see things from a divine point of view. I see things, as Paul would say in Colossians 3, seek those things which are above. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.

Why? Because that's where your home is. And so wisdom clearly sees those things that are beyond the sun, that are in the heavenlies, in all the beauty, in all the dignity. Why the beauty? Because Solomon has already said in Ecclesiastes 3 that there's appointed time for everything under the sun and all those appointed times are beautiful in their time. So you have to clearly observe it from beyond the sun because if you don't, you can't operate below the sun. In other words, there won't be tranquility, there won't be stability, there won't be courage, there won't be confidence.

You'll be all over the place. Wise people, wise people are patient people. Wise people are peaceful people. Wise people experience tranquility in life, stability in life. Why? Because they live a life beyond the sun. They live a life in trusting obedience. They live a life in dependence upon God and therefore they don't worry, they don't fret, they're not filled with anxiety. Why? Because they truly trust in the Lord. Chuck Swidall in his book, Living on the Ragged Edge, which is his book on Ecclesiastes, says this, When we operate in the sphere of the wisdom of God, when it is at work in our mind and in our life, we look at life through lenses of perception and we respond to it in calm confidence.

There's a remarkable absence of fear. We are not seized with panic. We can either lose our jobs or we can be promoted in our work and neither will derail us. Why? Because we see it with God-given objectivity and we handle it in his wisdom. We can dip into an unexpected valley or we can soar to the pinnacle of prosperity and we can cope with both extremes. His wisdom provides us the necessary objectivity and stability. Wisdom is the ability to live above the drag of human opinion and horizontal perspective.

It is what happens within us when wisdom goes to work. Because that's what wisdom does. Wisdom goes to work in our lives and wisdom is that which causes us to live below the sun with great calmness and confidence, stability and tranquility, simply because our perception is in the heavenlies, not on earth. And that's where Solomon's taking us. That's where he's moving as he begins to accentuate all things wise through the second half of the book of Ecclesiastes.

And that's why chapter 7 is a pivotal point in the book of Ecclesiastes because he begins to expound on wisdom and walking wisely and how do you do that. So very, very important. And so let me review with you what we've already covered briefly.

In the first 14 verses, we began by looking at wisdom's evaluation. Because wisdom evaluates life under the sun because it sees life from beyond the sun. So wisdom tells you what? A good name is better than a good ointment. The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. It's better to be in the house of mourning than the house of feasting. Sorrow is better than laughter. It's better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man. The end of a matter is better than its beginning. Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.

Do not say, why is it that the former days were better than these? For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this. You see, wisdom evaluates things from God's perspective. Death day is better than the birthday. Sorrow is better than laughter. Patience of spirit is better than arrogance of spirit. The end of a matter is better than the beginning of a matter. Naturally, we don't think that way. Unless, of course, you live a life of wisdom and you see things from God's perspective. Then you're able to see the reality of life.

And so wisdom evaluates things from God's perspective. Evaluates situations, circumstances from how God views them, not from how man views them. That's what the wise man does. And then you move from wisdom's evaluation to wisdom's recognition. And wisdom's recognition is all about recognizing the fact that an inheritance is good and an inheritance can protect you through the temporal things in life. But wisdom, wisdom protects you forever into eternity. And so wisdom recognizes the value, the value it has over everything temporal in this world.

And then we move to wisdom's consolation in verses 13 and 14. Where Solomon says, This is wisdom's consolation. What is the consolation that wisdom gives you? You can't change the past. You can't control the present. And you'll never comprehend the future. You say, wait a minute, how does that console me? How does that comfort me? It comforts me because I know that God is in charge. He's got it all under control. Let me illustrate this way.

Turn with me in your Bible to the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 49. Isaiah 49. Verse number 14. But Zion said, Zion is Israel. Zion, of course, is a place, okay? Mount Zion, the temple of our God. It's a property, Jerusalem and Israel, but it's also a people. And here it's the people, Zion, who's speaking. But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me and the Lord has forgotten me. Now, you've said that before. Why has God forsaken me? Why has God forgotten me? It happens when, as a believing spouse, you pray for your unbelieving spouse.

And you've been praying for years. And there's been no progress. And you ask, has God forsaken me? Has God forgotten me? Or you have a rebellious child. And they've walked away from the Lord. They're walking down a path of destruction. And you're praying for them to come back home. And they're not home yet. And you wonder, has God forsaken me? Has he forgotten? Or you have some kind of physical ailment or calamity that you've asked the Lord to take from you, to heal you, to make you better. Because you're just worn out from the pain that causes.

And you ask, has God forsaken me? Has God forgotten me? The nation asks that question. And so, verse 15. Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget. Now listen, I don't know any stronger bond of love than a mother for her child. That is the strongest bond on this planet. She carries the child for nine months. She gives birth to that child. She nurtures that child. She raises that child. She's invested in that child. There's no doubt that my wife loves her children.

And my children love their mother more than they love their father. That doesn't bother me. I want them to love their mother. If there's a problem, they call their mother. They don't call their dad. They call their mom. When they're on TV, they don't say, hi, dad. They say, hi, mom. Why? Why? Because there's a certain bond between mother and son and mother and daughter that father and son and father and daughter don't have. And so the Lord says, can a nursing woman forget her child? The answer is yes.

He says, can a woman have no compassion on the son of her womb? Yes. Women abandon their children every day around the world. Unfathomable. That's why the Lord uses the illustration. He doesn't say, does a father forget his son? That's not the illustration. Does a father abandon his children? That's not the illustration. The illustration is a mother and her children because there's no stronger bond of love and commitment and faithfulness than a mother to her child. And yet, still, there are mothers who forget their children.

They abandon their children because the Lord says, even these may forget, but I will not forget you. The strongest natural love on the planet between a mother and her children can be abandoned by that mom and forgotten by that mom. But the Lord says, that will never happen with me. Why? He says, I will not forget you. Behold, stand amazed. Understand this. I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands. Now take your hand and look at your hand.

And look at all the lines in your hand. If you're my age, you got a lot of lines. If you're younger, you got less lines. But I got a lot of lines in my hands and in my fingers. And I know my hands. I know them well. You know your hands well, right? And the Lord says, I've inscribed you on the palm of my hands. And your walls are continually before me. They're always there. It's not that I've forgotten about the walls and the ways and the situations and circumstances that you face. No, they're always there because they're in the palm of my hand.

I've inscribed you there. I will not forget you. I will not abandon you because I am your God. That's wisdom's consolation. The past cannot be changed. The present cannot be controlled. And the future you'll never comprehend. But that's because God's in control of all those things. And you rest in Him. That's wisdom's consolation. See, that's why it's so important to know the Word. But listen, listen carefully. You can know the Bible. You can hear the Bible. You can memorize the Bible. But not have any wisdom.

Turn back with me if you went to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 4. Verse number 5. See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep and do them. For that is your... What's the next word? Wisdom. See, you can know what God says.

You can hear what God says. But unless you keep and do what God says, you have no wisdom. So he says, For that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. How do we know you're wise? Because when you hear the Word of God and when you read the Word of God and when you study the Word of God, you actually do the Word of God. That's how you know. For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?

Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life, but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. So all the things that you have seen, all the things that you have heard, make sure they don't depart from your eyes, they don't leave your life, but you actually now are able to teach them to your sons and to your grandsons.

Because a wise person is going to pass that wisdom down to his children. He wants them to know what he knows. Then he wants them to be able to keep what he keeps because he wants them to do what he does. So he passes it down. That's why when you come to Deuteronomy 5, very next chapter, he says in verse number 28, Then the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.

They say, yes, we'll obey. Yes, we've heard. Yes, we'll follow. Yes, we're going to do all the statutes that God has given. They have done well in all that they have spoken. Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever. Forever. I've heard them. I heard what they said. I heard them say, yes, we will follow. Yes, we heard. It's like you going to church. I heard what the pastor said on Sunday.

He said, lead a quiet life. Don't meddle in everybody else's affairs. And work with your hands. I heard that sermon out of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 9 and 12. I heard that sermon. But I'm not going to get a job. I'm not going to work with my hands. I'm going to live a frantic life, not a quiet life. And I'm going to be involved in everybody else's business. That's not wisdom. That's foolishness. What's the wise persons do? I'm going to get a job. I'm going to work hard with my hands. I'm going to rest in the Lord and lead a quiet life, a peaceable life, a life of tranquility.

And you know what else I'm going to do? I'm going to stay out of everybody else's business. I'm going to mind my own business. Because I've got to take care of my own life first.

See, that's the wise person. That's the wise person. The person who wants to apply truth to his everyday life. Do you do that? See, because Israel's biggest problem is that they didn't do that. They heard and they spurned the prophets. They didn't follow what they said. And all of a sudden everything began to fall down all around them. Look what it says in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord, what injustice did your fathers find in me, that they went far from me and walked after emptiness and became empty?

Why is it they lived a life of futility? Why would they do that? It says in verse number 8, the priest did not say where was the Lord. It says in verse number 8 at the latter part, and why did they walk after things that did not profit? Verse 11, has a nation changed gods when they were not gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which did not profit. I mean, look at the pagans.

They don't change their gods. They keep falling down to their gods, obeying their gods, and they're pagan gods. They do nothing for them. But my people have exchanged the true and living God for that which does not profit. And then he says this, be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder. Be very desolate, declares the Lord. For my people have committed two evils. Two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.

What? Why would they do that? He didn't say they're evil because they're immoral, adulterous, homosexual. No. Evil in God's eyes is when you seek to fill something in your life excluding God. That's evil. That's evil. He says down in verse number 17, Have you done this to yourself by your forsaking the Lord your God when he led you in the way? You did this to yourself. I didn't do this to you. You put yourself in this predicament. Verse 19, Your own wickedness will correct you, and your apostasies will reprove you.

Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God. And here's the reason why. And the dread of me is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts. You know why he did it? He didn't fear me. He didn't. That's why the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9 verse number 10. That's why the Lord said in the book of Deuteronomy in the fifth chapter, Oh that my people would fear me and keep my commandments. But they did not. See they did not walk wisely. Did they know God? Oh yeah. He led them by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud during the day. They saw God do miraculous things. He fed them in the wilderness. He did things beyond anything that you and I could ever imagine. He did them right before their eyes. They knew God. Did they know the commands of God?

Yeah, they knew the commands of God. They shuddered at the commands of God. But did they obey the commands of God? Did they apply the commands of God? No. Why? Because they did not fear me. I was not their dread. They didn't see me as God Almighty. And they brought this on themselves. So they knew a lot about God. But they had no wisdom. So I ask you tonight, do you have wisdom? That's why we go through wisdom's evaluation, wisdom's recognition, and then wisdom's consolation. How do you know you have wisdom?

You don't get all bent out of shape in the day of adversity. That's how you know you have wisdom. Because you know God's in control. He's going to do something great, unique, and special. How do you know you have wisdom? Because your death day is going to be so much better than your birthday. Sorrow is so much better than laughter. The house of mourning is so much better than the house of feasting. And you're like, it is. That's wisdom. Wisdom recognizes that an inheritance is good, but it's only temporal.

Wisdom lasts forever. It's eternal. It's so much better. That's wisdom's recognition. That's just our review. So let's finish chapter 7. Let's go to wisdom's exhortation. Verse number 15. Let's walk through these remaining verses together. This is wisdom's exhortation. I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility, my lifetime of emptiness. That's not arrogance. He's just stating a fact. And he has. Let's be honest. The richest man in the world, the most popular man on the planet, the wisest man around, has seen it all.

Good and bad. In fact, he says, there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness. And that's true. Why does the righteous man die early and the wicked man live a long time? Well, that's because God is showing mercy and grace to the wicked man, showing patience to the wicked man, giving him opportunities to repent. The psalmist says, I lived a long time, and I've seen everything in life, and I've seen how the righteous don't live very long, and the wicked, they live a long time.

So he says, do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? What does that mean? I thought he wants us to be wise. I thought we are to be righteous. What's he talking about? And then he says this, do not be excessively wicked. Does that mean I can be partially wicked? Just not excessively wicked? Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other, for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them, or the one who fears God will avoid all extremes, or better yet, the one who fears God will escape them all.

His exhortation is this, no matter what happens in life, you need to fear God. And that becomes a growing theme with Solomon, because that's why he committed the sins that he did. He didn't live in the fear of God. So when he talks about don't be overly wise or overly righteous, he's talking about self-righteousness, not godly righteousness. The one who has this self-appointed righteousness, where he thinks he's better than someone else, smarter than someone else, classier than someone else, more religious than somebody else, and it begins to well up with pride, because before destruction, Solomon tells us in Proverbs, comes pride.

Pride leads to destruction. And so, don't be so self-righteous that you think you're better than everybody else. On the flip side of that, don't look at sin as something that's not wrong, so that you can indulge yourself in sinful behavior and expect to prolong your life, because God's a God of grace and forgiveness, and presume upon His forgiveness and grace and mercy and patience.

Instead, fear God. Fear God, because you'll escape both extremes. You'll have a balanced life, and you need to have a balanced life in order to live a wise life. That's wisdom's exhortation. Then comes wisdom's direction. And this is very, very interesting. Listen to what he says, verse 19. Wisdom strengthens a wise man. Just circle that. Wisdom strengthens a wise man. Your strength comes from wisdom. Then he says, more than ten rulers who are in a city. Now, Josephus, in his book, The Antiquities of the Jews, says that every city had ten rulers.

And those ten rulers were the top rulers of the city. And Solomon says, that wisdom strengthens the wise man more so than ten of the most popular men in your city. Why does he say that? Because, you see, when we're looking for direction in life, what do we do? We go to somebody else and ask them for direction. We go to them and ask them for counsel. And the Bible does say, in the multitude of counselors there is wisdom. That's true. But you've got to be careful who you ask. Because look at what the next verse says.

It says, In other words, you're going to go to ten men, ten popular men, ten very prestigious men, but you know what? They're still sinners. They're all sinners. But wisdom, the wisdom from God, is so very, very important. Because wisdom only strengthens the wise man. And wisdom from God is more important than ten of the most popular men in your church, in your city, in your neighborhood. You see, so many times we forget that when we are asking God for direction, we just need to go to His Word and ask Him for direction.

And give us what we need to make wise choices. But what do we do? We go to people that will tell us what we want to hear about the direction we want to go. People that will stroke our ego. People that will say what we want to have heard in our ears. And we'll go ask them. And let's say, let's say you want to get married. So you want to ask somebody, should I marry this person? I'm going to go ask people that like this other person and will agree with me. Right? But Solomon has already said, already said, earlier, he said these words in chapter 7, he said, it is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man than for one to listen to the song of fools.

It could be music, it could be the voice of fools, but it's better to have rebuke from a wise man. See? But we'll gather people around us that will let us know what we want to hear about the direction of life. You need to gather people around you that will rebuke you when you're wrong. Those are the wise people. See? But yet, wisdom strengthens the wise man. And wisdom comes from the scriptures, from the voice of God. And therefore, we need to make sure that we understand what God's word says. Because the people you gather around you, they're still sinners.

They still live a life of sinful behavior. And so when it comes to making decisions, dating somebody, marrying somebody, moving, that's a good one. That's a good one. Everybody's moving out of California, right? I always ask people, you're moving, why are you moving? Well, it's the governor. I mean, I can't be in that rulership anymore. It's the taxes. It's the expenses. I'm like, I got the same governor. I got the same taxes. I got the same expenses. I'm not moving. Why are you moving? What has God led you and showed you it's time for you to move?

Well, I received counsel from this person and from this person and from that person. Yeah, but those are 10 men in the city and they're all sinners. But what does God say in His Word? That's the important thing. Is God moving you? Or are you leaning on your own understanding because it costs too much to live here? What about trusting God to supply your needs? What a novel idea. Ever trusted God before? Try that one out. Just because you don't like your governor doesn't mean that the next state you move to is going to have a good governor.

They might be good today, bad tomorrow, who knows? And everything west is moving east anyway so you're going to end up the same direction you are now, maybe not tomorrow, but next year or the year after or the year after that. Say, well, I just feel it's time. What does that mean, you feel it's time? You feel it's time? What does that mean, you feel? I don't understand that. You feel it's time. You can feel time? I don't get that. It's beyond my comprehension, I don't get that. You see, wisdom is so important because we so easily lean on our own understanding.

Instead of always acknowledging Him. I can go on and on about this, but there's just so many ways to be able to say wisdom strengthens the wise men. It gives them the strength to handle situations, to deal with situations, to trust God in situations, that's what wisdom does. See? To live life, to operate in life below the sun because you have clearly observed life beyond the sun. And you just trust the Lord and lean upon Him. If I came to church on Sunday and said hey guys I'm moving. I can't afford to live here anymore.

I don't like the governor. The taxes are way out of whack. I'm leaving. You'd have no respect for me. None. So why would you have respect to your neighbor, to your left or to your right if they do the same thing? Oh, the silence is deafening. I know that's too convicting, so we'll move on from there. But the bottom line is that wisdom gives you direction. And we need to trust the Lord to give us the wisdom that we need to make wise choices. Then he says this in verse 21, also do not take seriously all the words which are spoken that you will not hear your servant cursing you.

Be careful what you hear. Why? Because the same people that gave you counsel are going to stay behind your back. What a fool that person is, marrying that guy. She's stupid. But yet you said, hey, that's a good idea, why not? See? But you've got to be careful who you listen to. And then he gives this caveat which is so good. He says, for you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others as well. See that? That's wisdom. See? Be careful what you hear. It may be true, it might not be true.

And you might hear people cursing you behind your back, right? But just be careful. You've probably done the same thing. And wisdom says don't do that. Wisdom says trust the Lord. Because wisdom strengthens the wise man. And that wisdom will give you the direction you need to make wise choices when it comes to living everyday life. See, that's what wisdom does. Wisdom is essentially practical. It's not theoretical. It's not academic. It's very practical. It's making daily choices and decisions based on what God has already said.

God has said this, I do this. I don't marry the unbeliever because God said don't do that. Okay? I don't do that. I make sure that the job I take, the school I attend, the person I marry, is all in conjunction with what God's Word has said about where I live and how I work and how I move and how I have my being every single day for the glory and honor of God. Everything is subject to the Scriptures. Everything is. So very, very important. Parenting. How do you parent? Right? You parent based on what God's Word says.

Not based on what your parents did with you or the culture you were brought up in or your neighbors. You parent based on what God's Word has already said. Because God gives you everything you need to know concerning living and breathing and raising your children. All that. God's Word speaks. Are you listening? Better yet, are you obeying? Are you following? That's what wisdom does. See? Move from wisdom's direction to wisdom's comprehension. There's something wisdom comprehends. Verse number 23. I tested all this with wisdom and I said, I will be wise but it was far from me.

Solomon said, Solomon's going to review his history here. He's the wise man. But he attempts wisdom from his own perspective. I'll be wise but it was far from me. What has been is remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it? I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness. This was all wrong. But this is what he did. Why? Because wisdom never tells you to seek sin in order to understand sin. To seek foolishness in order to understand foolishness.

But that's what he did. He engaged in sinful behavior to see the results of that. To see if it would fill up the void of his life. To somehow put together things for him. He sought those things because he thought that was a wise thing to do but it was not. Because it only entraps you. This is what he says. And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her but the sinner will be captured by her. This is wisdom's comprehension.

Wisdom understands that I don't have to sleep with pigs to understand the smell of pigs. Wisdom understands that I need to escape the entrapments and the snares of the evil woman. Remember what he says in Proverbs chapter 5? Proverbs chapter 5 Solomon has already said these words to his son. Verse 1 My son give attention to my wisdom incline your ear to my understanding that you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge for the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech but in the end she is bitter as wormwood sharp as a two-edged sword her feet go down to death her steps take hold of Sheol she does not ponder the path of life her ways are unstable and yet she does not know it Solomon says in Ecclesiastes I set my mind to explore the foolishness because I thought that was wisdom it would help me understand to help other people not to go down that path but it was a bitter end bitter end the one who wants to please God the one who wants to walk wisely well he's the one who's going to escape her he's not going to go that direction I did it was bitter you would think we'd learn from that you'd think we'd say you know what I'm not going down that path but you know what we do because we think we're wiser than Solomon but that's not wisdom wisdom applies the truth to your life and then we come to wisdom's illumination this is where it gets really really good it's already been good but it gets better wisdom's illumination there's something about wisdom that changes the countenance of your person did you know that?

it changes your face look what he says behold I discovered this says the preacher adding one thing to another to find an explanation which I am seeking but have not found I have found one man among a thousand but I have not found a woman among all these one thing I have found out that among a thousand men there's only one man and of course that's him no one else, that's me I'm the wisest guy on the planet out of a thousand men there's only one who understands this and even among a thousand women because he had 700 wives 300 concubines, that's a thousand so whether it's a thousand men or a thousand women, there's only one that's me he says behold I have found only this that God made men upright but they have sought out many devices excuse me he says clearly God made man good and he did God made man perfect God made man righteous when he was done creating man he said, oh it's good very good because man was without sin but man sinned man ruined paradise God didn't ruin it man did why?

because Adam and Eve doubted and disbelieved what God said about the tree of knowledge of good and evil that's not wisdom that's foolishness and when they doubted and disbelieved what God said based on Satan's temptation they plunged the whole world into sin for by one man sin entered the world and death by sin so therefore death is passed upon all men for all have sinned Solomon says I've looked at a thousand men, I've looked at a thousand women and there's not one except me who understands this one thing behold I found only this that God made men upright and they have sought out many avenues many ways many devices man has always sought from the day he sinned to fill the void in his life with something other than God and you can't you just can't because the problem isn't on the outside the problem's on the inside see the problem is not above the problem's below the problem's me so Solomon in chapter 8 verse number 1 says this because I believe that verse 1 should be a part of chapter 7 verse 1 of chapter 8 who is like the wise man who knows the interpretation of a matter a man's wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam wisdom's illumination there's something about wisdom that changes your whole facial feature when Moses came down off the mount his face would shine because he communed with God remember that remember Daniel and his two friends when they said they wouldn't eat the king's meat after the time period was over it says their countenance was different not because they didn't eat meat not because of what they ate because they obeyed the law of God that's why their countenance was different they were wise they acted wisely and so everything about their countenance changed because wisdom filled their lives so important to understand that that's why the psalmist says these words in Psalm 119 Psalm 119 verse number 35 make your face shine upon your servants Lord make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes in the Old Testament when God hid his face from them it was out of displeasure but when God shone down upon them it was out of God's pleasure and so the psalmist says let your face shine upon me when you read the word of God what does Paul say we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, the brightness of the Lord, the beauty of the Lord the splendor and majesty of the Lord we all with unveiled face behold as in a mirror, this book is like a mirror the beauty of the Lord it shines forth his countenance his countenance and when you read it and apply it, you're changed from one level of brightness to the next level of brightness to the next level of brightness even as by the Spirit of God wisdom's illumination listen to what the psalmist says in Psalm Psalm 42 verse 11 why are you in despair oh my soul and why have you become disturbed within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him why the help of my countenance and my God the help of how I appear to others comes because I trust in God chapter 43 same thing verse number 5 why are you in despair oh my soul and why are you disturbed within me hope in God for I shall again praise him the help of my countenance and my God that's wisdom's illumination when you behold in the mirror the glory of the Lord and you apply the truth of his word to your life your whole countenance begins to shine forth the glory of almighty God and guess what everybody else can see it because there's something about your life that's different that's why when you go back to the book of Deuteronomy God said to Israel let me read it to you again so keep and do my commandments for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people why for what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on him or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today God says listen when you apply these things to your life and you live out these principles these precepts that I have given to you you live out these promises guess what the nations of the world will stand back and say what great nation is this why because you are beaming forth the beauty of the living God that's wisdom illumination guess what father, mother your children are you beaming forth the wisdom of God your children see the beauty and glory and dignity of God in your face because the countenance of the Lord is shined down upon you because you are in his word you are studying his word you are applying his word you are living his word everybody sees it why because wisdom applies it everyday why because wisdom that God given ability to clearly observe life life beyond the sun in all of its beauty and dignity is able now to effectively operate in life under the sun with tranquility and stability that's wisdom let's pray father we thank you Lord for today we thank you for what you are doing in all of our lives because truly you are transforming the way we think the way we live the way we respond the way we talk by your word the power of the word of God in the life of the believer is so astronomical and our prayer is that we your people would truly live in light of what we have just heard this evening because it's the word of God and what you have said and therefore Lord when we leave this place may those that work tomorrow those that are home tonight family, friends see the countenance of our lives beaming forth the beauty of God simply because we want to walk wisely and not foolishly we pray in Jesus name Amen