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REV SAMUEL GOH

Be wise and otherwise

Between Ideal and Reality

I. Introduction�Renaissance: an era of ideals

� Israelites’ ideal: being a wise person

A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish son brings grief to his

mother (Prov 10:1b NIV)

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

those who gain understanding (Prov

3:13 NASB)

What’s a What’s a What’s a What’s a wise son wise son wise son wise son like?like?like?like?

‘Wise’ = able to ….

1. ‘wise’ = able to build the Tabernacle

(Exod 28:3)

2. ‘wise’ = able to build ships (Ezek 27:8-9)

3. ‘wise’ = able to make legal judgment

(1 Kgs 3:16-22)

4. ‘wise’ = able to reason well (Eccl 1:13)

II. The Profile of the Wise

A. Able to do things well

B. Able to make spiritual/moral

judgment

1. ‘wise’ = able to make spiritual judgment

(Prov 1:7, 9:10)

2. ‘wise’ = able to make moral judgment

(Prov 3:7)

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A Portrait of the Wise

(ala Proverbs) C. Being greatly blessed by God

1. Being blessed with success

“What the wicked fears will come upon him,

But the desire of the righteous will be

granted” (Prov 10:24)

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love

finds life, prosperity and honor” (Prov

21:21)

2. Being blessed with longevity

“For through wisdom your days will be

many, and years will be added to your life”

(Prov 9:11)

“The fear of the LORD adds length to life,

but the years of the wicked are cut short”

(Prov 10:27)

3. Being blessed with God’s protection

“The righteous person is rescued from

trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead”

(Prov 11:8)

“The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.”

(Prov 14:11)

“Whoever fears the Lord has a secure

fortress, and for their children it will be a

refuge.” (Prov 14:26)

A Portrait of the Wise

(ala Proverbs)

BlessingsWho would fit the Who would fit the Who would fit the Who would fit the profile?profile?profile?profile?

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III. The Best Candidates

A. Solomon

1. Able to make spiritual judgment:

“But I am only a little child and do not

know how to carry out my duties… So

give your servant a discerning heart to

govern your people and to distinguish

between right and wrong” (1 Kgs 3:7-9)

2. Able to make moral judgment:

“I will do what you have asked. I will give

you a wise and discerning heart, so that

there will never have been anyone like you,

nor will there ever be” (1 Kgs 3:12)

“God gave Solomon wisdom and very

great insight, and a breadth of

understanding as measureless as the sand

on the seashore” (1 Kgs 4:29)

3. Able to do things well:

� He was able to build the temple

� He was able to build ships

� He was able to make legal decision

� He was able to reason very well

“Moreover, I will give you what you have

not asked for—both wealth and honor—so

that in your lifetime you will have no equal

among kings” (1 Kgs 3:13)

4. Being blessed with success:

“All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and

all the household articles in the Palace of

the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.

Nothing was made of silver, because silver

was considered of little value in Solomon’s

days” (1 Kgs 10:21)

“Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the

wisdom of all the people of the East, and

greater than all the wisdom of Egypt”

(1 Kgs 4:30)

Solomon

Blessings

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A wise son brings joy to his

father, but a foolish son brings

grief to his mother

(Prov 10:1b NIV) Is Solomon Is Solomon Is Solomon Is Solomon a a a a wise sonwise sonwise sonwise son????

5. The loss of wisdom:

� Loss of spiritual discernment:

“As Solomon grew old, his wives turned

his heart after other gods, and his heart

was not fully devoted to the LORD his

God” (1 Kgs 11:7)

� Loss of other aspects of wisdom:

“Then the Lord raised up against

Solomon an adversary, Hadad the

Edomite, from the royal line of Edom”

(1 Kgs 11:14-40)

Faith lesson for us:

The obstacle to being the ideal wise: Temptations to give up spiritual and

moral discernment

� Christians and wisdom today:

Singstat 2010

� The danger:

Temptations to give up the ability to make

spiritual and moral judgment

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� Modern Solomons:B. The Teacher

� The Teacher is the author of Ecclesiastes:

“The words of the Teacher, son of David,

king in Jerusalem….” (Ecc 1:1)

“I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in

Jerusalem….” (Ecc 1:12)

1. Able to make spiritual judgment:

� The Teacher’s profile:

Much dreaming and many words are

meaningless. Therefore fear God!

(Ecc 5:7)

Although a wicked person who commits a

hundred crimes may live a long time, I

know that it will go better with those who

fear God, who are reverent before him

(Ecc 8:13)

2. Able to think and do things well:

“Look, I have increased in wisdom more

than anyone who has ruled over

Jerusalem before me; I have experienced

much of wisdom and knowledge”

(Ecc 1:16)

“I undertook great projects: I built houses

for myself and planted vineyards. I made

gardens and parks ….” (Ecc 2:4-6)

3. Blessed with success:

“I bought male and female slaves and had

other slaves who were born in my house. I

also owned more herds and flocks than

anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed

silver and gold for myself, and the treasure

of kings and provinces….” (Ecc 2:7-8)

4. Perplexed by anomalies

“The fear of the LORD adds length to life,

but the years of the wicked are cut short”

(Prov 10:27)

“In my vain life I have seen everything.

There is a righteous man who perishes in

his righteousness, and there is a wicked

man who prolongs his life in his evildoing”

(Ecc 7:15)

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“There is a vanity that takes place on earth,

that there are righteous people to whom it

happens according to the deeds of the

wicked, and there are wicked people to

whom it happens according to the deeds of

the righteous. I said that this also is vanity”

(Ecc 8:14)

“Be not overly righteous, and do not make

yourself too wise. Why should you destroy

yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a

fool. Why should you die before your

time?” (Ecc 7:16-17)

“The hearts of the wise make their mouths

prudent, and their lips promote

instruction” (Prov 16:23)

Faith lesson for us:

The obstacle to being the ideal wise: Anomalies of life Is there an ideal wise?Is there an ideal wise?Is there an ideal wise?Is there an ideal wise?

C. Job

1. Able to make spiritual judgment:

“In the land of Uz there lived a man

whose name was Job. This man was

blameless and upright; he feared God and

shunned evil” (Job 1:1)

2. Able to make moral judgment:

“In the land of Uz there lived a man

whose name was Job. This man was

blameless and upright; he feared God and

shunned evil” (Job 1:1)

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear

the LORD and shun evil” (Prov 3:7)

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3. Greatly blessed by God (1:2-3):

� 7 sons and 3 daughters

� 7 thousand sheep, 3 thousand camels,

� 5 hundred yoke of oxen

5 hundred donkeys

� Large number of servants

“Solomon’s wisdom was greater than

the wisdom of all the people of the

East, and greater than all the wisdom

of Egypt” (1 Kgs 4:30)

“He was the greatest man among all

the people of the East.” (Job 1:3b)

Is Is Is Is Job the ideal wise?Job the ideal wise?Job the ideal wise?Job the ideal wise?

Unexpected incidents….Unexpected incidents….Unexpected incidents….Unexpected incidents….

The Lord gave and the

Lord has taken away;

may the name of the

Lord be praised’

(Job 1:21)

The hearts of the wise

make their mouths

prudent, and their lips

promote instruction

(Prov 16:23)

Is Is Is Is Job Job Job Job reallyreallyreallyreallythe ideal wise?the ideal wise?the ideal wise?the ideal wise?

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BUT….BUT….BUT….BUT….May the day of my

birth perish, and the

night that said, ‘A boy

is conceived!’ (Job 3:3)

All was well with

me, but He shattered

me (Job 16:12)

He has grasped me

by the neck and

shaken me to pieces

(Job 16:12 NASB)

He has grasped me by the neck and

shaken me to pieces (Job 16:12 NASB)

Why is he so mad Why is he so mad Why is he so mad Why is he so mad with God?with God?with God?with God?

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The wisdom Job learned::::

“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and

the wicked walks into it instead” (Prov 11:8)

“The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish”

(Prov 14:11)

“Whoever fears the LORD has a secure

fortress, and for their children it will be a

refuge” (Prov 14:26)

Faith lesson for us:

The obstacle to being the ideal wise: Life-shattering and prolonged pain

IV. Between Ideal and Reality

A. Biblical ideals

1. The Law (Torah)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord

your God ask of you but to fear the Lord

your God, to walk in obedience to him, to

love him, to serve the Lord your God with

all your heart and with all your soul, and

to observe the Lord’s commands and

decrees” (Deut 10:12-13)

2. The Wisdom Books

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear

the LORD and shun evil” (Prov 3:7)

A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish son brings grief to his

mother (Prov 10:1b NIV)

“Fear God and keep his commandments”

(Eccl 12:13)

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B. Realities of the world

1. Temptations

2. Anomalies of life3. Life-shattering and prolonged pain

Obstacles to becoming the ideal wise:

“Indeed, there is no one on earth who is

righteous, no one who does what is right

and never sins” (Eccl 7:20)

C. The Need for Redemption

God sent His Son, born of a woman, born

under the law, 5to redeem those under the

Law, that we might receive our adoption

as sons” (Gal 4:4-5)

1. Christ redeems those fail the law2. Christ redeems those fail to be wise

• Even the wisest make mistakes

• Everyone needs Christ’s redemption:

“And because of him you are in Christ

Jesus, who became to us wisdom from

God, righteousness and sanctification

and redemption….” (1 Cor 1:30)

1. No perfect wise, all are flawed

2. Christ died for the flawed wise3. God accepts the flawed wise in Christ

4. We become wise only by Christ

V. Conclusion