Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get Wisdom (Proverbs 4:7) – Why Is Wisdom So Important?

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom,” are the wise father’s words to his son in Proverbs 4:7. As it’s written in some other translations, “The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom.” This verse shows, maybe more than anyplace else in the bible, how important it is to get wisdom. But why is that so important? In the sermon Pastor Scott looks at King Solomon as an example of someone who pursued wisdom above all else. When given one of the greatest offers ever made, Solomon chose wisdom above all else, including honor, fame, riches, and the death of his enemies. Let’s learn what wisdom is, how to obtain, and why we should pursue it so diligently. https://youtu.be/TYIg7MBIpBk “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom,” (Proverbs 4:7). This shows how important wisdom is, but why is it so important? Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get Wisdom Family Worship Guide for Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get Wisdom Sermon Notes for Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get WisdomLesson 1: wisdom is discerning what to do.Lesson 2: wisdom is associated with listening.Lesson 3: wisdom is available to the humble.Lesson 4: wisdom is available for serving.Lesson 5: wisdom leads to other blessings. Sermon Lessons for Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get Wisdom Lesson 1: Wisdom is discerning ________ ____ ____ (1 Kings 3:9-12). Lesson 2: Wisdom is associated with ___________________ (1 Kings 3:9; Proverbs 1:5, 10:8, 19, 13:3, 17:27-28, 19:20; James 1:19). Lesson 3: Wisdom is available to ______ __________ (1 Kings 3:7). Lesson 4: Wisdom is available for ______________ (James 1:5 cf. James 4:3; 1 Kings 3:7-9). Lesson 5: Wisdom leads to ___________ __________________ (Matthew 6:33; 1 Kings 3:13; Proverbs 3:1-9). Family Worship Guide for Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get Wisdom Day 1: Read 1 Kings 3:5-9, Proverbs 1:5, 10:8, 19, 13:3, 17:27-28, 19:20, and James 1:19, and discuss: What would you say if God made you the same offer he made Solomon? God gave Solomon wisdom and knowledge. What are the differences between them? Why are wisdom and discernment almost synonymous? What does wisdom allow us to discern? Look at verses nine and eleven for the answer. Day 2: Read James 1:5, James 4:3, and 1 Kings 3:7-9, and discuss: Why is wisdom associated with listening? Or in other words, why do wise people listen so well? Why is talking too much a sign of foolishness? Share about a time you talked too much, and the way you should have listened better. What is needed to listen better? Day 3: Read Matthew 6:33; 1 Kings 3:13; Proverbs 3:1-9, and discuss: Why is humility needed to obtain wisdom? Why did Solomon ask for wisdom, and what application does this have for us? What is the relationship between 1 Kings 3:13 and Matthew 6:33? What does it mean that that proverbs are generalities versus guarantees? How can it cause problems to misunderstand this? Sermon Notes for Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get Wisdom The title of this morning’s sermon is, “Wisdom Is the Principal Thing Therefore Get Wisdom…” Please open your Bibles to 1 Kings 3. Let me begin by reminding you of something I’ve shared w/ you before that’s worth repeating… The Old Testament gives us examples: Romans 15:4 Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction1 Corinthians 10:6 These things [in the OT] took place as examples for us…11 These things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. You’ve heard this before, right? ?. The Old Testament gives us examples…but examples of what? Often examples of New Testament teaching! This morning’s account gives us examples of recent New Testament teaching we’ve learned about wisdom…such as: Wisdom is a gift; we can ask for wisdom and receive it…we’ll see Solomon ask for wisdom and receive it.Wisdom helps us navigate through trials, which are tests…in next week’s sermon we’ll see Solomon face a test and use wisdom to navigate through it. I’m going to read through the verses quickly. The account is straightforward. Then I’ll discuss the application. Look at 1 Kings 3:5… 1 Kings 3:5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” Without a doubt, this is one of the most remarkable moments in the Old Testament. Think about what happened: the true and living God, the creator of heaven and earth, offered Solomon anything his heart desired! I’m not going to spend much time on this, but something worth doing privately is considering how we would answer this question if we were asked. Solomon’s answer would change the course of his administration for good and for the good of the people. Look what he said in the next verse… 1 Kings 3:6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” Based on the census in 2 Samuel 24, there were probably over 4,000,000 people in the nation. This was a huge number for anyone to govern. 1 Kings 3:10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. Now let me explain something important… People confuse wisdom and knowledge – they think they’re the same – and the confusion largely comes from this account. I get the confusion: Solomon asked for wisdom, but he also knew lots about lots of other things, which is to say he had lots of knowledge, which makes wisdom and knowledge look the same. The issue can be resolved by recognizing God gave Solomon two things: He gave him wisdom and knowledge. Briefly look at 1 Kings 4:32… 1 Kings 4:32 [Solomon] also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. These 3,000 proverbs contained wisdom. Many of them are in the book of proverbs. Some of his songs probably contained wisdom too. Look at the next verse to see some of the knowledge Solomon had… 1 Kings 4:33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. This is some of the knowledge he had. This isn’t the same as wisdom. If you remember the end of Ecclesiastes, which we looked at recently… Ecclesiastes 12:9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge. Notice it says BESIDES being wise, - or in addition to being wise – he also taught knowledge as though he was wise, showing they’re not the same and he had both. It’s important to understand this because James 1:5 tells us to ask for wisdom, and if we don’t understand that God gave Solomon knowledge too, we’re going to think asking for wisdom means asking God to give us knowledge of trees, animals, birds, and fish. That’s not what God is offering. If we want knowledge we need to go to school, read books, and learn. Instead, as we’ve discussed God gives us wisdom to navigate life’s circumstances…and that’s what we see in these verses. Lesson 1: wisdom is discerning what to do. Let me give you three examples of how this is revealed in these verses… First, notice the repetition of the word discern. It occurs three times in three verses: 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may DISCERN between good and evil…11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to DISCERN what is right12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and DISCERNING mind Discern is one of the best words for understanding wisdom, b/c wisdom is basically discerning what to do…and what not to do. Second, at the end of verse 7 Solomon said, “I do not know how to go out or come in.” Basically he said, “I don’t know what to do,” which is why he asked for wisdom so he would know what to do. Third, if you look at verse 9 Solomon said he wanted to be able to discern between good and evil, and at the end of verse 11 God said Solomon asked for understanding to discern what is right. If you remember early in the series I said that knowledge is amoral, but wisdom is moral. Since wisdom is moral it helps us do what these words are saying: Discern between good and evilUnderstand what is right You might look at this and say, “But wait a minute,  aren't good and evil obvious? Doesn't everyone know the difference?” No. We need wisdom to discern the difference. We live in a world that calls good evil and evil good. It may surprise you to search the Scriptures and find things that God calls evil. For example… 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. We know divination – or witchcraft – and idolatry are evil, but rebellion and arrogance? Aren’t they only sort of bad?...