A Lesson I Learned From An Older Preacher: Timing Is Everything

Proverbs 25:11 "As golden apples in settings of silver is a word spoken in the right circumstances".  

Introduction:

When I was beginning God's call on my life to pastor, an older preacher gave me the following gem of wisdom:

"God's truth is not only true, but timely".  

Whenever we turn to the book of Job, we see the need for this principle in the various speeches delivered by Job's so-called "friends". Whenever you consider the speech of one of these "friends", Elihu (Job 31-37), there are some great truths for sure. The problem with Elihu's speech was the timing. Truth delivered at the wrong time has the same net effect as error delivered at the right time. I have not always exercised due-diligence in avoiding the first of these traps and have labored to avoid the latter. The latter error is intentional, whereas ill-timed delivery of the truth is negligence.

Both ill-timed truth and right-timed error hinder, rather than help the hearer. We can glean some great truths from Elihu's speech. However, the best thing we can gather is the importance of delivering God's truth in a timely fashion - whether in conversation or in preaching a sermon.

Whenever we include "timeliness" in the communication of God's truth, the message will become "timeless". Put another way, the hearer will apply it not only to their lives, but perhaps share it with others.  Too often, Christians don't speak when they need to. More often, and tragically so, Christians don't take the time to pause before speaking. Timeliness works to correct both excesses by providing two guard-rails: knowing when to speak and knowing when to listen. As Proverbs 25:11 states: "As golden apples in settings of silver is a word spoken in the right circumstances".  

Acts 13 gives us a New Testament instance of the aforementioned principles. By the time one arrives at Acts 13, the focus of Acts is shifting from Peter and the Apostles to Paul and Barnabas. God's mission was going to focus more and more on the Gentiles (i.e. people groups in the nations of the world). Paul's magnificent sermon in Acts 13:15-41 is an example of God's truth delivered in a timely fashion.  This sermon, in many ways, was fitting for launching the Gentile mission. As one reads the sermon, Paul, the preacher, builds a bridge that connects the New Testament mission of proclaiming Christ to the nations to what was anticipated in the Old Testament revelation. 

If Paul would had remained silent in this instance, he not only would had ignored what was clearly the leading of the Spirit, but the Gentile mission might had been jeopardized. God once again was teaching the art of "timeliness". For preachers, keeping in mind the principle of timeliness will make all the difference in how effectively you deliver God's word. For everyone reading this post, as you go throughout your day, ask God to teach you when to listen and when to speak. Timing is everything.  

God Only Wise - Meditations And Applications Of God's Wisdom

Romans 16:27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

Introduction: 

This particular post aims to consider the phrase: "only wise God" in last verse of Paul's magisterial letter to the church at Rome. For the last year and a half, I have preached verse by verse through the book of Romans. I'm certain it won't be the last time, since preaching through such an extraordinary book causes the preacher to see details he never saw before. I was struck by how Paul began this massive exposition on the power of the Gospel by introducing it with God's grace (Romans 1:1-7) and concluding it with God's wisdom (Romans 16:27). 

God's grace and wisdom function as bookends, holding together all of the wondrous truths of the Gospel in both its theological and practical considerations. In closing out this series in Romans, one could go in many directions. 

As I was preparing this final message in the series, as well as this post, I asked God to minister to me His attribute of wisdom. I didn’t want to possess a theoretical knowledge, but, to arrive at a deeper level of acquaintance with it. The difficulties of life test the metal of one’s faith. The entirety of human emotion is tasted. It was this week I crossed from seeing God’s wisdom as something to read about to that of a reality in which I’m to live. His wisdom has been my food and drink of the soul, even though I don’t comprehend many of the details in our current life (more on this later). 

In today's post, we aim to grasp the importance of God’s wisdom for our lives. My hope is that through this post, you will discover why it is so vital to personally know this only wise God. 

Defining God's wisdom

The late author A.W. Tozer comments on wisdom in general:

“Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture. Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper relation to all, and is thus able to work toward predestined goals with flawless precision.”

In a similar vein of thought, author J.I. Packer remarks about wisdom in his classic book: "Knowing God" - 

“Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.” 

As aforementioned, God’s grace and wisdom function like bookends to hold together the details of the Gospel, life and eternity. Wisdom is one of the attributes or characteristics of God. Per the doctrine of Divine unity (also called by the older term, "Divine simplicity"), whenever we have one of God’s attributes, we have all of God, since He is the sum of all His attributes. 

God's essential attribute of wisdom comforts me. His attributes are as light through a prism, transfiguring the white light of the sun into the manifold colors of the rainbow. By analogy, wisdom is that most noblest of virtues in creatures. If we consider the 11th century thinker Anselm's classic definition of God as: 

The greatest Being that can be conceived, compared to which none greater can be conceived" (i.e. the greatest conceivable being), 

then Divine wisdom is a necessary quality of God's being. In God, wisdom isn't something that God possesses. Instead, wisdom is what God is. No other rational creature (angel or human) can claim this unique point with respect to wisdom. No creature "is" wisdom, however, all rational creatures "have" wisdom in varying measure. Angels are wiser than human beings, with angels and humans exhibiting varying levels of wisdom among themselves. God, on the other hand, has no variation of wisdom, since He "is" wisdom eternally, infinitely and immutably (see Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). 

The infinite nobility and skill with which the Triune God executes His infinite life as God spills over into how He directs the course of creation to His intended end. Therefore, it is more than appropriate for Paul to refer to God as "God only wise", since all other created beings derive their limited ability to exercise wisdom from God that is, by nature, wisdom. We've attempted to define and explore a definition of God's wisdom. The question now before us is: "so what"? Below are three observations one can glean about "God only wise" in consideration of Romans 16:27 and other passages.

Gracious strength of God’s Wisdom. Romans 1:1-7; 1:16; 16:25-27. 

Romans begins and ends with grace and wisdom.  Reflecting on God's wisdom leads to certain questions:

1. Does God know what He is doing?
2. Can I trust God, even though I don't understand?
3. Is God still good, even though everything seems so bad?


Paul begins Romans 16:27 with this phrase: "To the only wise God". Such questions are answered in scripture by considering God's wisdom as a source of strength. Proverbs 3:5-6 - 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

The prophet Daniel writes in Daniel 2:20-21 - 

“Daniel said, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.” 

Thus we see in Daniel's prophecy how wisdom and God's strength are associated with one another (recall, whenever you have one of God's attributes, you have all of them). 

The gracious strength of God's wisdom aids us in those seasons wherein we don't grasp what God is doing. I'm reminded of an illustration I once read about the front and back of a clock or watch. If we were to take the back off of either, we would observe its inner workings. We would see gear works turning in opposite directions. We would note coiled springs, whirring wheels and dizzying motion. Unless we were the watchmaker, we might conclude the whole thing as a mess. However, once one turns the watch or clock over to the front, we see the hour, minute and second hands turning in the same direction. The wisdom of the watch maker is demonstrated in both the appropriated means of the design (the back) and the intended end (keeping time). 

God too is only wise. His gracious strength guides the believer's path and all things. Notice secondly, not only the gracious strength of God's wisdom, but also... 

Great Mediator of God’s Wisdom. Rom. 5:1,6-8; 8:1

In addition to what Paul writes about "To the only wise God" in Romans 16:27, we see the next phrase: "through Jesus Christ". God's wisdom, as experienced and expressed by his creatures, is a mediated wisdom. Another comfort I find about God's wisdom is that whatever God sends my way, it has went through the Son. An old saying I heard years ago states that nothing comes down to us that has not already first passed through the nail-scarred hands of the Son of God. Thus, since Divine wisdom is mediated by the Second person of the Trinity, who is truly God (touching His divine nature), then truly He has my best interest in mind. Furthermore, by remaining truly man, Jesus Christ is pleased to associate with His people as the decisive revelation of God in human flesh. To find out that God's wisdom is associated with and is the Divine nature of Christ Himself, as well as shared with His people via his true human nature, we can affirm that God does care. 

Even though Old Testament saints did not yet possess the fullness of revelation like New Testament believers have today, they associated God's wisdom with the fact that He cares. Job 2:10 

"But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips."

Job didn't grasp all that was happening in his life. He knew that all of it directly or indirectly came as a result of God's wise actions. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:30 -

"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”

Here we see that Christ Himself came to reveal Divine wisdom, since as God, He is wise by nature. With respect to God's wisdom mediated to the Christian in time of need, we are reminded of James 1:3-5 - 

“knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” 

This second point of Christ mediating Divine wisdom to us means so much whenever facing the unknown. To illustrate, this past week my wife received news that she had experienced a heart attack in the recent past. To say the news shocked us would be an understatement. The questions concerning God's goodness and trustworthiness began flooding my heart. But then, in meditating on the fact that God is only wise, and that His Divine wisdom is mediated to me through the Son, I found the strength to cope with this shock (even though I don't comprehend the "why's" and "what's next" sort of questions).  Again, the comforting thought strikes me: as I experience God in His wisdom, I experience all of Him, since in God there is no variation nor shifting of shadow (Jas 1:17). 

So, we've observed the glorious strength of God's wisdom and the great mediator of such wisdom - the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's lastly consider...

Glorious Purpose of God’s wisdom.  

As with each of God's attributes, Divine wisdom brings the believer to the point of switching from study to outright praise. Paul's doxology in the middle of Romans both summarizes the first eleven chapters of his exposition on the Gospel and prepares us for the practical sections of Romans 12-16. This doxology (i.e. a statement of praise to God), is found in Romans 11:33-36 

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” 

Whenever I see that last word, "Amen", the truth of whatever was written beforehand is affirmed. To put it another way, good or bad, God’s purpose to glorify Himself will prevail, thus, there are no pointless details of life. Whenever I read this doxology, it corresponds perfectly to the final phrase of Romans 16:27 - "be the glory forever and ever. Amen." These verses answer the question: does God still have a plan? with a resounding, yes! Romans 8:28-31 states:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"

This idea of God's wisdom corresponding to life's purposes is expressed in James 1:3-4 - 

“knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” 

If trials didn’t come, I wouldn't acquire the sense to see where I lack. Moreover, I would not depend upon the God, who alone is wise.

Closing thoughts:

In today's post, we considered the significance of God's wisdom in the phrase: "To the only wise God". After defining God's wisdom, we noted three observations about how His wisdom applies to our lives:

1. Gracious strength of God’s Wisdom. Romans 1:1-7; 1:16; 16:25-27 

2. Great Mediator of God’s Wisdom. Romans 5:1,6-8; 8:1


3. Glorious Purpose of God’s wisdom.    Romans 11:33-36  

How God's Grace And Wisdom Frame The Book Of Romans

Romans 16:25-27 "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen."

Introduction:

Have you ever turned to the back cover of a book to see how it ended? Paul's letter to the church at Rome is consider his most important. The Epistle to the Romans presents a full treatment on the theological and practical implications of the Gospel. The introductory section to Romans contains themes that mesh well with the closing of the book. Romans 1:1-7 states:

"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. 7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

How God's Grace and Wisdom Frame The Book Of Romans

The introduction, Romans 1:1-7, describes how people are brought to saving faith in Jesus through the Gospel. The closing verses of Romans 16:25-27 focus upon the basis upon which the Gospel rests. 

As a note: the reader is urged to view the underlined portions I have underscored in the texts of today's post, since we will recall them later in this post. 

It is with the beginning and end that we respectively witness the means by which sinners are won to faith and the marvelous foundation upon which faith in the Gospel is rooted. The signature note of Romans 1:1-7 is that of God's grace. The closing melody of Romans 16:25-27 is that of God's wisdom. 

God's grace is God doing and providing for us what we could never provide nor achieve by ourselves. God's wisdom involves God's use of His divinely appointed means (both good and bad) to achieve His most noble ends (which are always good), (see Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). Therefore we see two book-ends to the book of Romans: God's grace and God's wisdom. 

What details about God's Grace and Wisdom Bracket the Book of Romans

We have observed how God's grace and wisdom function as book-ends to hold together the Book of Romans. The question is, what details of each of these attributes of grace and wisdom depict God's work in salvation? If we look first at Romans 1:1-7, wherein is expressed God's grace in human salvation, we find a particular chain of avenues by which God ordained to bring forth the Gospel to sinners:

1. "through His prophets", 1:2

2. "through whom we have received", i.e. Christ, 1:5

3. "among whom", i.e. the nations or gentiles, individual sinners are lovingly called by God, 1:6

When Paul speaks of "through the prophets", that is theological shorthand for the Old Covenant or Old Testament scriptures. We mustn't forget the foundation of scripture as the chief instrument by which human salvation derives (see 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23). 

This first "instrument" of scripture, that God in His grace uses to call forth sinners, points beyond itself to Christ. Christ is the center and circumference of the prophetic scriptures (see Luke 24:44). Christ is the one by whom grace is channeled and is the source of all salvation by grace through faith (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; Titus 2:11). 

Then the last instrumental means that God uses to channel His redemptive grace to sinners are the nations themselves. Passages such as Matthew 24:14 and Romans 11 detail how God is calling forth all kinds of people from every nation to respond to His gracious call. Both God's general revelation, or non-saving common grace on all men, as well as His focused saving grace on sinners in each nation, provide the context of genuine responses of faith to the Gospel. None can say they have not somehow benefited from all Christ achieved. For those persons that truly respond to the Gospel, the same shall be redeemed (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:8-9). Anyone saved by grace through faith can only credit God's saving grace for their salvation  (see 2 Corinthians 4:1-6). All others that persist in their refusal of the Gospel or actively reject God's revelation of His power through the general revelation of creation and the conscience perish in their sins as consequent of their choice to refuse God's well-meant offer of grace (John 3:36; Acts 13:46-47). 

Interestingly, when we turn to the closing verses of Paul's masterpiece of Romans 16:25-27, we find three related categories as those found in Romans 1:1-7. The following function as foundations for the Gospel as expressions of God's wisdom:

1. "according to my Gospel", Romans 16:25, i.e. "according to the Gospel as preached by me". Paul is the author of Romans and apostle to the nations. The Gospel he preaches was taught to Him by Christ following his conversion (see Galatians 1-2). This is the message of the Gospel which he states was "handed down to him" as Christ's death, burial, resurrection and post-resurrection appearances according to the scriptures (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-10). It is the Gospel which comprises the key theme of Romans itself (see Romans 1:16-17). The Gospel expresses God's wisdom and derives from Him (see Romans 11:33-36). 

2. "according to the revelation", Romans 16:25, i.e. the mystery as hidden from plain sight to the Old Testament prophets but fully disclosed in the New Testament. This mystery is two-fold. Firstly, how God would send forth Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, to incarnate Himself in the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth. Then secondly, included in the mystery was the commissioning of the church as the main instrument for propagating the Gospel in this present age until Christ's return (see Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20). 

3. "according to the commandment of the eternal God", 16:26. The Gospel is rooted in the "all-wise God". The covenant of redemption agreed upon by the Father, Son and Spirit concerning the Son's incarnation and plan of salvation came before the creation of the world (see Isaiah 43:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; Ephesians 1:1-14; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; Revelation 13:8). God found it best to raise up a chosen nation among the nations, namely Israel, in the Old Testament (see Exodus 19; Deuteronomy 7:1-9; Amos 3:1-4). Once Christ came, God temporarily set-aside Israel so as to call for all sorts of people from every nation and language (including those among the Jews) to compose His church. Romans 11 spells out the two complementary arrangements God has for Israel and the nations. The salvation of the nations will drive Israel to jealousy to pine after the Messiah - Christ. Meanwhile in temporarily setting aside Israel, the nations get the chance to hear the Gospel in this present age. Once Christ returns, Israel as a nation (not necessarily every individual Jew) will be redeemed upon seeing her Messiah (see Romans 11:25-26; Revelation 1:7). This combined arrangement enables sinners responding to the Gospel call to compose the body of Christ - i.e. the church. 

Closing thoughts:

When one takes the time to read the introduction and conclusion to Paul's epistle to the Romans, the discovery is made of God's grace and wisdom framing the letter. The details are extraordinary when we begin to see how God's grace (Romans 1:1-7) and wisdom (Romans 16:25-27) weave their ways like two threads of gold through the tapestry of Romans. May we look today to the God of grace who is all wise in setting forth salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Discerning God's voice through His word

Proverbs 1:8 "Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching."

Introduction:

As a pastor who proclaims the words of the Bible every week, there is a conviction that the voice of God is heard through the words and their meaning. Once the meaning of the words of the Bible has been discerned, the voice of God connects with those who are ready to hear, listen and live out those words. Such words carry the authority of Divine revelation, inerrant and infallible and thus incapable of failure. The words of the Bible and the meaning thereof is the Word of God, whether the hearer is ready to receive or not. 

Without a doubt the first nine chapters of Proverbs are dedicated to character transformation. But how is this achieved? By discerning God's voice in His word. Solomon, by the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, instructs readers about the step-by-step process one undergoes when discerning God's voice in His words. After some opening remarks, Solomon writes in Proverbs 1:20-21 "Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings". Then near the latter end of Proverbs 1-9 we read these words in Proverbs 8:1 "Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice?" This rhetorical question is posed with the underlying premise that unless people have positioned themselves to hear God's word, with the intent to listen and for the purpose to do what God had said, then the only outcome can be disaster. 

Today I want us to briefly consider what all goes into discerning God's voice through the scriptures. Proverbs 1-9 gives what I would classify a repetition of a three-step process in grasping what we mean by this idea of "discerning God's voice through the scriptures". Let's consider each step....

1. Hear the word. Proverbs 1:8; 4:1,10

Gathering together at church, or at a Bible study or in front of our Bible for private devotions is getting into position to read and "hear" the scriptures. This first step to "hearing God" in the scriptures is simply a matter of positioning oneself. Just as a fisherman may bring his boat, fishing tackle and bait to a lake to prepare for an afternoon of fishing, the hearer of the Word is gathering to hear the Bible being spoken. Proverbs 4:1,10 notes: "Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding"; "Hear, my son, and accept my sayings and the years of your life will be many."

Little do we realize what all takes place in this first stage. Psalm 119:105 and 119:130 reminds us about the nature of the words of the Bible: "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path"; "The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple."

When I come to the Bible with the intent to "hear it", the aim is to find out my "duty" or "obligation". In the "hearing stage", God is granting a measure of light to me. If I choose to take in the light (which will entail the second step - 'listening'), then I will have all I need to carry out whatever God tells me (hence the third step of 'living out the word). If I should reject the measure of light given to me in this first stage of hearing, then a corresponding level of darkness will be permitted to work in my life. Thankfully God gives us more than one chance to "take another run". I think this is one reason why Jesus so often made the statement: "He who has ears, let Him ear" (see Luke 8:8 and the seven churches in Revelation 2-3). 

Hearers aim to know what "has to be done". At this stage of the hearing process, I may or may not conclude that the words have anything to do with me. Many people think they are judging the Bible, when in reality we are judged by it. My judgment of the Bible, whether accurate or not, does not affect its truth value nor its quality as God's word. James 1:22-23 states - "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror." The point James is making is that we begin at the point of "hearing" God's words, but we mustn't remain only hearers. Henceforth the second stage in Discerning God's voice through the scriptures is....

2. Listen to the word. Proverbs 2:1-6; 5:1,7

Some may question whether there is a difference between "hearing" and "listening". The case can be easily made that there is a difference. When a parent calls to their child to do their chores, the child may physically hear the voice and yet not move to action. The parent will then change their tone and say something to the effect: "are you listening?" Hearing entails the physical ears, whereas listening entails the ears of the heart. Again, Jesus so often spoke of how in reality, we have two sets of ears. All people can hear the Bible preached or taught with the physical ear, however not everyone will listen and respond with the ears of the heart.

Jesus makes the following statement about this second set of ears in Luke 9:43-45   "And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement." 

Proverbs 2:1-6 details what happens in this second stage of listening: "My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." 

This second stage of discerning God's voice in the Christian life is a combination of God's supernatural grace having begun in the human heart and our being positioned to respond. The measure of light given by God in the first stage of hearing is agreed upon by the believer in this second stage. This is where we go from "having to do" God's word to "desiring to do God's word" (see Proverbs 5:1,7 and 7:1-2). If I have a jar of fresh honey in front of me (I really like honey by the way!); we could liken "hearing" to gathering facts about the honey (it is gold in color; it takes 2 million bees to make the jar I may have) and listening to opening up the jar and beginning to taste and savor it. 

We could summarize the difference between "hearing" and "listening" in the following way: hearing sees what needs to be done; listening responds with a desire to get it done." So, in discerning God's voice in His word, I must position myself to hear the scriptures, followed by a internal, Spirit-wrought, voluntary desire to hold firm and delight in what I've heard. However, these first two steps must be followed by a third and final step, namely....

3. Live out the word. Proverbs 8:32-36

Notice what Solomon writes near the end of his first section of Proverbs 1-9 in Proverbs 8:32-35 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, for blessed are they who keep my ways. 33 “Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. 34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.
35 “For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord." In the Jewish way of thinking, one cannot prove that they have "gotten God's truth and its meaning" until they are living it out for themselves. The three steps we have outlined in this post function as a three-braided rope. Jesus reaffirms what we just noted in Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them,may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” James echoes similar sentiments in James 1:18-25.

The point? We demonstrate we have discerned God's voice in His word when we are living it out with delight. 

Closing thoughts

The first nine chapters of Proverbs are dedicated to communicating the need for character transformation. But how is that accomplished? By discerning God's voice in His word. We discern God's voice in His word by the following three steps:

1. Hear His words (that is, position yourself in relationship to the words of scripture)

2. Listen to His words

3. Live out His words

A Tour of Proverbs - Why you and I need to study the book of Proverbs

Proverbs 1:1-2 The proverbs of Solomon, the Son of David, King of Israel: (2) To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding.

Introduction:
When I was a boy, my family had traveled to visit my uncle. He had a wood stove and had been recovering from a then recent hospital stay. At the time, various people would come to help him out with the chopping of wood and the stacking of it beside his home. While we were there visiting, I thought I would go outside and chop some wood to help him out. The ax that was near the wood pile was particularly weathered – with a cracked wood handle and a rusted ax-head. As I placed the first log on the chopping block – I raised the ax to begin the chopping. To my surprise, the ax suddenly became very light – to which I discovered in the next split second was due to the dislodging of the ax-head from the handle! I panicked. Five seconds later I heard a dull thud about 15 yards behind me. The ax-head landed on the ground and thankfully, no one was outside! The point of this story is to illustrate not only the dangers of a dull ax in chopping wood, but also the dangers of not having God’s wisdom in your life.

Why I have begun reading Proverbs, and why you should too
Recently I began reading through the Book of Proverbs. My motivation for taking up the book of Proverbs is to gain insight into God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Currently, my family and me are making some major decisions and are in a major transition phase of our lives. Whenever I have had those times in my life where I see my situation outstripping my current level of trust in God, Proverbs is one of the Bible books to which I turn. I imagine you who are reading this post today are facing a series of tests and situations that demand a greater need for wisdom. Like me, you want to have “God’s mind” on the given matter at hand. In rehearsing the above illustration about the dull ax and the wood, whenever we face a stack of logs (whether they be challenges, decisions, wrestling with sin, increasing faith in God, raising families, building stronger marriages), we’d best be sure to have a sharp and effective edge to our Christian walk. That is how wisdom in the Hebrew scriptures operates.

In the New Testament we find this command from James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” In reflecting upon that command, I find two major sources for acquiring the wisdom of God: first, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 2:3); and second, the Word of God in general and the Book of Proverbs in particular. Certainly the entire 66 books of the Bible are the verbal embodiment of God’s wisdom delivered to His people (Psalm 19:7). For the sake of brevity in our post here, we will deal with Proverbs. So, the question is: how is it that Proverbs delivers wisdom to those who read it?

What Biblical wisdom is, and isn’t
To begin, we mustn’t equate wisdom with intelligence or academic performance. Oftentimes, some of the most intellectually gifted people in the world display little wisdom. Unlike Greek concepts of wisdom that refer to acquisition of knowledge or speculation on abstract ideas, the Hebrew mind understood wisdom as having to do with the “skills needed for living life before God”. In the Book of Proverbs and throughout the Hebrew scriptures (of which the Old Testament was originally composed), three major terms were used to define what was meant by “wisdom”. Bible scholar Gleason Archer in his seminal work: “A Survey of Old Testament Introduction” discusses each of these terms: “Hokma, “wisdom”, the term most frequently used, pertains not so much to the realm of theoretical knowledge or philosophy as to a proper grasp of the basic issues of life…”. Archer then adds further explanation wherein he writes: “and of a relationship of God to man as a moral agent”. The premier example of this word’s usage is found in Proverbs 8.

The second term translated “wisdom” or more so “understanding” in the Bible is the Hebrew term “binah”. Dr. Archer explains the meaning of “binah”: “Binah, understanding, connotes the ability to discern intelligently the difference between sham and reality, between truth and error, between the specious attraction of the moment and the long-range values that truly govern a successful life.” Solomon uses this term in Proverbs 1:2, which the NASB translates as “understanding”. Certainly the first seven chapters of Solomon’s book deal with a father attempting to impart “binah” or “understanding” to his young son.

The third term used to describe wisdom in the Old Testament in general and Proverbs in particular is a Hebrew term translated “discretion” in Proverbs 3:21. Dr. Archer explains the meaning of this term: “tisiyyah, or sound wisdom, efficient wisdom, or, in a derived sense, abiding success. This term conceives of wisdom as an authentic insight into or intuition of, spiritual or psychological truth.”

Whenever we consider these three terms, we can liken the concept of Biblical wisdom to that of a three legged stool. Each term explained above functions as the legs upon which rests the concept and practice of Biblical wisdom. The Book of Proverbs enables the Christian to “sharpen the ax of faith” so-to-speak. Dull axes can hurt when chopping trees or firewood, since more work has to be done and the effort quickly wears the person out. However, with a newly sharpened ax, what was an impossible task suddenly is made quick work. This is what the Book of Proverbs achieves, and why it is included in our Bibles. The Holy Spirit knew God’s people in future generations would need wisdom from on high. Truly if you and I want to have more wisdom, we need to study the Book of Proverbs.

A very brief outline of the Book of Proverbs
Many commentators have noted throughout the centuries that the Book of Proverbs is not as easy to outline as other Bible books, due to the fact that much of its contents are topical in nature. I have found when studying Proverbs, it is helpful to note the many topics and themes one encounters as they read the book. Such an approach can prove helpful when dealing in counseling situations or in aiding oneself in better understanding the practical realities of Christian living. Based upon certain headings that we find in the book, we can discover how the Proverbs are situated into certain “collections”. Let the reader note:

A. The Proverbs of Solomon to his son on relationships and character. Proverbs 1-9

B. The Proverbs of Solomon as they pertain to the general matters of life. Proverbs 10-24

C. The Proverbs of Solomon for Kings and Leaders. Proverbs 25-29

D. More Proverbs that deal with relationships and character. Proverbs 30-31

Closing thoughts

So if you and I want to have more wisdom, we need to study Proverbs. I find it interesting that the book emphasizes the need for God’s wisdom in relationships and character development. How many of us can testify to the ever-increasing need for God’s wisdom in those areas? The oft-times appeal for leadership in our churches and culture and the need for wisdom in the complexities of life are covered in the middle parts of the Book. For reasons such as these, it would be to our benefit to read the Book of Proverbs – one chapter a day. If we do that, we can enjoy renewed faith and increased wisdom in the span of a month.