Many people have attended church for years. They’ve gone to Bible studies and heard the Bible preached, but they reject the wisdom of God and live in foolish ways. It’s as if they view God’s Word as merely divine suggestions.
Others reject God’s truth altogether claiming they can decide what is right and wrong and wise for themselves. They refuse to worship the God of the Bible so, if they claim a belief in God at all, create a god of their own making, one who is more tolerant and simply loves everyone.
But what about those who actually want God’s wisdom? Does God only give it to a select few or is it there for everyone to hear and apply? And is there a way to grow in wisdom?
Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s post. And … this year you’ll find the daily “Bible in a Year” posts on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both these Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up. (If you already receive them, no need to sign up again.)
Today’s Readings:
Exodus 33 & 34
Psalm 21.8-13
Proverbs 8.1-5
Matthew 26.1-25
Is the Bible Merely Divine Suggestions?
Proverbs 8.1-5
Willing Disregard
As I said in the introduction, many people choose to ignore God’s wisdom. Some reject the God of the Bible altogether in favor of a god whose attitude toward sin is more to their liking.
Others attend church regularly and profess orthodox beliefs but treat His commands, admonition, and wisdom as little more than divine suggestions. Still others believe God’s truth is elusive and hard to understand.
But here in Proverbs, wisdom is portrayed as a woman crying out, warning us of the danger of foolishness and rebellion against God. Lady Wisdom is shouting from the hilltops; she is standing at the crossroads; she is begging the unwise to listen.
¹ Does not wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill,
Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
And actually, the warnings are everywhere. They’re in the pages of Scripture for those who will read them. They’re also sounding like sirens coming from the broken lives and relationships all around us. As my husband says, “Everyone proves the Bible to be true one way or the other.”
The Bible is more than just divine suggestions. And those who disobey God and ignore His wisdom do so willingly and by choice (Rom. 1.18-20).
Written on Our Hearts
God’s warnings are also whispered by our consciences which are given by God to believers and unbelievers alike. In fact, the knowledge of His law is written in our hearts:
14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right (Rom. 2.14-15 NLT).
More Than Divine Suggestions
But the ability to truly apply God’s law in a way that pleases Him and to grow in wisdom can only be done with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever (Ps. 111.10).
Yet, many people have attended church for years. They have gone to Bible studies and heard the Bible preached. They have acquired the knowledge of God, but because they have failed to apply it to their own lives, it has not matured into true wisdom.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (Heb. 5.12-14, NASB).
Only through obedience will knowledge grow into true wisdom.
In fact, James said if we’re merely hearers of the Word and not doers, we not only lack wisdom but we’re deluded (Jas. 1.22-25). So, we must decide whether to listen to Madam Folly or Lady Wisdom.
If we’re to grow in the Wisdom of God, we must study the Scriptures, cultivate a desire to please Him, and call on God’s grace to help us live obediently.
Today’s Other Readings:
Exodus 33 & 34
Moses, Friend of God
Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting … And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses … So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle (33.7, 9, 11).
Like Moses, if we seek to meet with God, He will meet with us. In this case, He not only met with Moses, but God spoke to him as a man speaks to his friend. We talk and sing about being “a friend of God,” but Jesus said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (Jn. 15.14).
If we belong to Him, our obedience doesn’t make God love us more. But obedience is the fruit of a genuine relationship with Him. The more we understand His love for us, the more we should want to respond with loving obedience and reject any notion that His Word is merely a book of divine suggestions.
Psalm 21.8-13
Sing & Praise His Power
Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power (v. 13).
One day God will judge all sin and unrighteousness and those who set themselves against Him will feel the heat of His wrath.
Let us who abide under the shadow of His wings, who have had our sin dealt with at the cross, praise and exalt Him for His strength and power.
Matthew 26.1-25
As It Was Written
Here in Matthew 26, the events of the incarnation are coming to a climax. Verses 1-2:
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 ‘You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.’
Imagine the confusion in His inner circle. Imagine the temptation to fear what would happen to them.
Things were coming to a climax in Judas Iscariot’s heart and mind, as well. Verses 14-16:
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’ And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Verse 24:
The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.
It was His time. His life was His to lay down. Nothing would stop God’s plan, but Judas was still accountable for his choice. And so are we when we choose to go our own way. But, if we belong to Him and …
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1.9).
May we have hearts to obey and gratitude for His mercy and grace!
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about how to rate yourself on biblical love, offering God your best, the importance of defending your faith, and pose the question, “Could you be raising little hypocrites?”
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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