"To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. "O naive ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand wisdom. Proverbs 8:4-5
I find it fascinating to know that when God speaks of wisdom - that He represents wisdom calling out to men. But in order for us to be a candidate for wisdom, we must consider ourselves in need of it. This presents an interesting challenge for guys.
Being a member of the male side of the species I think I can speak with some authority on the issue of guys and pride. My experience here is not just through book-learning - it actually comes from way too much experience with pride in my own life. Men hate to express two things in life. First, they don't like to express a need for direction in life. Most guys want to have a sense that they know where they are going. I've even heard tales of men refusing to ask for directions when they are lost - and everyone knows it. The second thing about guys is that they don't like to admit weakness. They want to at least appear strong - even if that appearance is betrayed by the facts later. So, when God lets us know that wisdom calls out to us - and only asks that we admit that we are naive, simple, and fools - who would think that men would resist?
Here is the problem though - God is calling out to us every day. He is trying to get our attention so that we can hear what wisdom has to say to us. There is a lot that God would like to tell us - if we would only listen. Thus, the whole thing of listening is where we tend to short-circuit. There is a statistic that speaks of how women speak twice as many words as men. Most women would tell you that part of the reason for that is that they have to repeat themselves when they talk to their husbands. Our history as a gender betrays the truth that we don't exactly listen as well as we should. It is to our advantage that we listen - and fortunately God Himself has wisdom calling and lifting her voice to get our attention. That much is to our benefit. Whether we actually listen or not is up to us.
God calls to the "naive ones" when he calls. To be naive means to be simpleminded and foolish. This condition is one where a person does not understand the complexities and challenges of life. He is inexperienced and lacking insight - which God tells us comes from His words and laws. We are simpleminded as men - needing God to give us a proper understanding of how complex decision making can be. We often don't grasp the challenges that are before us - and how often these challenges are exacerbated by bad decisons that we make when we don't consult the Lord prior to making them. Live long enough and you will come to grasp much more clearly that you don't have the insight into the current or future that you are about to choose. But if you will admit that you are not the end-all of wisdom at the moment - that you are not all-wise and all-seeing - and you will turn to the Lord in the midst of making decisions about where you are going and what you plan to do. He sees all things and knows the right way to choose and to go. Turning to Him is wisdom indeed.
The second thing God points out about us and our need for wisdom is that we can be fools. Making choices according to our own foolishness will really hurt us in the end. We've learned already that the fool is the dullard - the stupid man and that left to ourselves we will not live out our lives in practical success that will bring us into God's favor and blessing. Some reject this idea and join with other men in proclaiming that they know how to live and what to do. Funny, they also state loudly later that the world is messed up and that people are constantly making really stupid choices. It is the classic mistake of saying everyone else is a dullard - but I've got it together.
The truth is that we need to listen every day to what the Lord is saying - not just in a time we set aside each morning to seek God, but just as importantly, when we are walking through life. Gos is calling to us - wisdom is trying to get our attention. The real question is whether we will take the time to listen - admitting openly our lack of wisdom; or whether we will stumble on our way - and prove by our choices that we never had it.
I find it fascinating to know that when God speaks of wisdom - that He represents wisdom calling out to men. But in order for us to be a candidate for wisdom, we must consider ourselves in need of it. This presents an interesting challenge for guys.
Being a member of the male side of the species I think I can speak with some authority on the issue of guys and pride. My experience here is not just through book-learning - it actually comes from way too much experience with pride in my own life. Men hate to express two things in life. First, they don't like to express a need for direction in life. Most guys want to have a sense that they know where they are going. I've even heard tales of men refusing to ask for directions when they are lost - and everyone knows it. The second thing about guys is that they don't like to admit weakness. They want to at least appear strong - even if that appearance is betrayed by the facts later. So, when God lets us know that wisdom calls out to us - and only asks that we admit that we are naive, simple, and fools - who would think that men would resist?
Here is the problem though - God is calling out to us every day. He is trying to get our attention so that we can hear what wisdom has to say to us. There is a lot that God would like to tell us - if we would only listen. Thus, the whole thing of listening is where we tend to short-circuit. There is a statistic that speaks of how women speak twice as many words as men. Most women would tell you that part of the reason for that is that they have to repeat themselves when they talk to their husbands. Our history as a gender betrays the truth that we don't exactly listen as well as we should. It is to our advantage that we listen - and fortunately God Himself has wisdom calling and lifting her voice to get our attention. That much is to our benefit. Whether we actually listen or not is up to us.
God calls to the "naive ones" when he calls. To be naive means to be simpleminded and foolish. This condition is one where a person does not understand the complexities and challenges of life. He is inexperienced and lacking insight - which God tells us comes from His words and laws. We are simpleminded as men - needing God to give us a proper understanding of how complex decision making can be. We often don't grasp the challenges that are before us - and how often these challenges are exacerbated by bad decisons that we make when we don't consult the Lord prior to making them. Live long enough and you will come to grasp much more clearly that you don't have the insight into the current or future that you are about to choose. But if you will admit that you are not the end-all of wisdom at the moment - that you are not all-wise and all-seeing - and you will turn to the Lord in the midst of making decisions about where you are going and what you plan to do. He sees all things and knows the right way to choose and to go. Turning to Him is wisdom indeed.
The second thing God points out about us and our need for wisdom is that we can be fools. Making choices according to our own foolishness will really hurt us in the end. We've learned already that the fool is the dullard - the stupid man and that left to ourselves we will not live out our lives in practical success that will bring us into God's favor and blessing. Some reject this idea and join with other men in proclaiming that they know how to live and what to do. Funny, they also state loudly later that the world is messed up and that people are constantly making really stupid choices. It is the classic mistake of saying everyone else is a dullard - but I've got it together.
The truth is that we need to listen every day to what the Lord is saying - not just in a time we set aside each morning to seek God, but just as importantly, when we are walking through life. Gos is calling to us - wisdom is trying to get our attention. The real question is whether we will take the time to listen - admitting openly our lack of wisdom; or whether we will stumble on our way - and prove by our choices that we never had it.
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